Finland. After two months of husky guide training with Hetta Huskies in the north of Finland, I'm back in Germany. "How was it?" my people back home ask me. What should I say? I reflect and then begin: "It was challenging, exhausting, and painful... and there were around 190 reasons to keep smiling." On the day I left, there were even three more: the dog Puna had given birth. Three tiny, blind puppies are lying beside her in the shower on newspapers. For a brief moment, I hold the firstborn in my hand — a girl. Tiny, sharp claws prick my skin. The little one is squeaking for milk. With her black and white patterned fur, she reminds me of a little panda.
Get in the mood
A few photos from my first two weeks of husky guide training with Hetta Huskies. The motifs were the order of the day: dogs, dogs in the snow, dogs in front of the sled, dogs taking a break...
Captivated by the Dogs
It won't be long before the claws of Puna's three puppies are making a mess of dog beds, blankets, T-shirts, sweaters, pants, and other things. They will also use them to shoo the guides out of bed in the morning, sometimes in combination with wild licking. In the morning, when my limbs were still stiff from work the day before and I was struggling to put my socks on. I often slipped barefoot into my wellies and took my two indoor dogs out to pee in my nightwear while my own bladder was still squeezing. Afterward, over coffee and muesli, they looked at me expectantly with their brown or blue doggy eyes.
I miss the dogs around me. I never thought it would happen so quickly. But with every walk, feed, toothbrush, or sled ride, I got to know the individual personalities of the dogs better and built up trust and bonds with them.
What helped me as a dog newbie to warm up to the dogs quickly: I went to dog school beforehand...yes, without a dog. The girls from the Dogxytocin dog school supported my plans with theory training specially tailored to me. I was also able to watch their training sessions in the dog park. Thanks again for that! You can read more details about my preparations for the husky guide training below.
Two Months & a Thousand Experiences
I look through my photos and remember my two months at Hetta Huskies. Did I really do all that? How did it all fit into just two months?
At the beginning of April, when I arrived at the farm, there was still a lot of snow. The last multi-day sled tours were running and I had the opportunity to join them for three days. The dog sleds went over ice, through deep snow, mud, and water. Over time, the landscape changed from white to brown to green. The first flowers bloomed, the thermometer showed up to 28 degrees Celsius and the mosquito bites on humans and dogs became more and more numerous from the beginning of June.
Working with the dogs dominated our days. Feeding, giving water, checking bedding, cleaning and, if necessary, repairing cages and kennels, preparing food, giving medication, brushing fur and teeth, removing calculus, cutting nails, stroking, cuddling, and much more. There were also lots of other things to do, such as repairing equipment, computer work, or giving farm tours for guests. After 12 to 14 hours of work, it was often not the end of the day. Then it was off to the sauna with ice bathing, paddling on the edge of the ice, snowmobiling to a wilderness hut, grilling sausages over a campfire, to the beach, carving spoons or evening walks with the dogs.
Physical work outdoors – all a matter of acclimatization?
Where did the energy for all that work come from? Hmm, I think some of the energy and adrenaline jumped over from the dogs to us guides. Coffee, chocolate, huge portions of pasta, and the dynamics of the group helped. In the evening, I fell into bed exhausted and slept like a rock...after somehow making it to the top bunk of my double bunk bed. I always thought I was pretty fit for my age. Sure, I sit in front of the computer a lot, but I do sport almost every day, jog a lot, and go trekking with a heavy rucksack. But I felt like I'd been put through a blender for the first three weeks. Eventually, my body would get used to the work, I hoped. But it took much longer than expected and didn't always work...if only I had done all this 20-25 years ago...;-)
Ready for the Sofa – Adoption Program at Hetta
After two months on the Fram, I'm not the only one ready for the sofa. Some of the older sled dogs would also love a place on a couch. Hetta Huskies runs an adoption program for these dogs, as well as for younger dogs who can't or don't want to work as sled dogs. Many guides, interns, or customers fall in love with one of the dogs and take it into their home. Before doing so, of course, it is checked whether it is a good fit from both sides. If necessary, some people wait for "their" dog to retire. The oldest dogs at Hetta are 15 years old. Converted into human years, that's a proud age of around 90 years. At Hetta, they usually spend their days in the warm or mosquito-protected house or together with other older dogs in the large "oldies fence".
Have I also fallen in love with a dog? Of course, with several. There was Maple, who always greeted wildly and didn't want to stop playing. Denali, who was a bit shy and was given to Hetta by a Norwegian racing kennel because he was no longer racing. Cuillin, who is a white cuddly dog or little Breeze with her blue eyes and penetrating gaze. Just to name a few. Each of the 190 dogs on the farm was special and loveable in their own way. It was damn hard for me to leave the farm without a dog.
Ethical Dog Care and Rescue Center
I just mentioned it in passing: some dogs that no longer have a place on other farms find a new home at Hetta Huskies. These can be dogs from racing kennels, surplus puppies, shy, sick, or lazy dogs. All these dogs are just as well looked after and cared for at Hetta Huskies as all other dogs. They are not given up just because they cannot earn their own living. Just as old dogs are not simply put to sleep when they have served their purpose. That's how it should be everywhere. Unfortunately, however, this is far from being a matter of course in the dog sledding industry.
Ethical dog care to a high standard is a top priority at Hetta Huskies. Dogs that no longer have a "place" on other farms are taken in by Hetta as a rescue center and cared for and trained according to their needs. I am happy to work a little longer during the day for this. A husky farm that treats its dogs as business inventory would be out of the question for me. Neither for work, nor as a paying guest for dog sledding experiences.
Was the Internship as a Husky Guide at Hetta Huskies worthwhile for me?
I could write a lot more about my internship as a husky guide at this point. Maybe I'll do that later. But now I don't have much time before I go hiking in Sweden and it's important for me to put this article online beforehand. The most important thing has been said and I would like to summarize it once again: Hetta Huskies in the north of Finland was a wonderful place for me to learn (even if it was hard sometimes). In many different ways:
- first and foremost, of course, about dogs and their needs, care, communication, and training (including medical care, dog check, and heat check, stapling wounds, brushing teeth, removing tartar, changing bandages...)
- about dog mushing, snowmobiles, and quads (it was impressive to see how snowmobiles can be driven in deep snow, tip over, and be dug up and righted again)
- I gained a daring insight into the management of a husky farm
- Working with customers: I was there out of season, but at the beginning, I accompanied the dog sled rides as a helping hand. Later, I really enjoyed the farm tours with guests.
- Craftsmanship: there was always something to be repaired, for example, dog kennels, cages, fences, sleds, leads, dog harnesses, inner shoes to be felted or equipment to be sewn.
- Working in international teams with interesting, like-minded people
- the challenges of the Arctic landscape and life in it through the changing seasons
- Finnish culture
- Training in outdoor skills
My Conclusion
Can I recommend an internship at Hetta Huskies? Absolutely! But: you have to be prepared to work a lot - I mean a lot - to give up your private life to a large extent and to learn every day. The busier the season, the more is required. From the dogs, the customers, the boss, the entire team, and, last but not least, from the Arctic with temperatures of around -40 °C in the coldest months. Hetta Huskies has a comprehensive training program, and they are happy to provide some reading materials in advance. This was a great help for me, as I was able to prepare in beforehand and already knew some of the dogs.
Preparations: Crafts, Dog School and Husky Farm
- "I don't have time at the weekend, I have dog school"
- "But you don't have a dog"
- "That's right... But soon I'll have almost two hundred"
- "How???"
- "I'm doing an internship on a husky farm in Finland from April"...I say, grinning like a honey cake dog 🙂
What's the saying? You learn for life... But first I learned for the dog: I go to dog school to prepare myself. The girls from Dogxytocin think my idea is great and have put together a program for me. I learn the basics of domestication and learning theory. I continue with the dog's expressive behavior and dog-dog and dog-human communication. I learned how a dog appeases, what a "kiss to dismiss" is, and much more.
At the Husky Farm in Frankendorf I finally have the opportunity to get closer to some Siberian huskies. It's the first time I've driven a team of three dogs and later ten. It's amazing what power they have.
In addition to working with the dogs, there will also be all kinds of manual work to do on the farm or on tour: general maintenance, repairs, or new construction of dog kennels, fences, and sleds, for example... In order to become a bit fitter in terms of manual skills and to get to know and use new hand tools, I had some extra lessons as part of my training as a Wilderness Guide at the Guide Academy Europe (GAE).
Kiitos! That's Finnish and means "Thank you!"
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped me with my preparations! Another big thank you goes especially to my bosses and my colleagues, who made it possible for me to take time off work and thus have this experience at the husky farm.
Kiitos also to Anna, the owner of Hetta Huskies, to Tim, the farm's craft boss, and to all the guides I was able to work with. Last but not least, a big thank you to Maple, Denali, Cuillin, Breeze, Tim Tam, Domino, Thunder, Smeagol, Shadow, Sirbma, Unni, Yukon, Quest, Cherry, Solfrid, Jumbo, Elsa, Tinder, Starsky and all the other wonderful huskies I had the pleasure of meeting!
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Book recommendations for Finland
You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books*.
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Recommendations for further Reading
Do you love dogs and snow as much as I do? Then you might also be interested in my articles about Dog Sledding in Greenland or about Scottish Winter Mountaineering near Glencoe..
