This might sound like a bit of rambling, but I'm interested in discussing what people look for in a leader. I have no idea how many people read this (if it's more than one, you all get a new car!), but I'll pose a few questions regardless. Responses or no respones, it's a topic worth pondering.
The main desire is for a dog that does it all. I often talk to people who expect their dog(s) in front to run the show. It's not wrong to want a solid, honest dog who will hold the line out, pick his way through the parking area, find the trail, take off, whiz past other teams, take every turn including "overs" and be able to find the truck upon crossing the finish line. There are a slew of other things that different drivers would find paramount (distance people have their own crazy ideas! haha), but I'm from the world of sprint racing and so I'll stay in my own front yard and mention what has always worked for me.
Line out, line up, out tight: whatever you call it, I find it to be the most basic and important thing for ANY dog, leader included. The best way to save yourself a hassle is to make sure the dog understands that his job starts the minute he is placed in position, and I'm essentially teaching that during hook up, even if I'm telling him that his job is to stand still. I personally don't care if they sniff the ground immediately around them or sit down, just as long as that line is tight, they're paying attention and not pulling the dogs around them all over. That goes for any dog. No idiots allowed. When you're waiting to go, chill the heck out until we actually GO. Barking, jumping, lunging- I'm all for it, as long as they're not getting tangled, trying to turn around, etc. And goes for stops on the trail also. Take a break, eat some grass, but mind your own business. Your direction is forward. I've used dogs that are beyond excellent with commands, are fast and stronger than most, but they would start milling around when I stopped. It's easy to train them out of it, and they should be trained out of it because it makes life a lot less stressful.
Sociabilty: I like a dog that I trust. (I guess any of these can go for the whole kennel, but I'll just talk about them in terms of a leader.) I want my leader to be a dog who can keep his head straight if we do tangle or if another team has poor manners. I wont allow my leader to hold a grudge. It doesn't matter who is behind him, rubbing shoulders with him or headed down the trail towards him at 18mph, his business is forward. Period. I've actually had the pleasure of running behind a dog that stopped on a dime for me only to be jumped by the male behind him. The male in swing was VERY MUCH in the WRONG, but the leader spun away and lined-out, knowing he didn't belong in the middle of the team. He wasn't a fighter anyway and knew to put his job first. It's dogs like that who make running joyful. Fighters (like the dog in swing) can ruin a good weekend or an entire season.
Intelligence: this is obvious, but I think of it in an unconventional way. Yes, I'd like a smart dog who could learn my every command, but I'd easily settle for (and sometimes prefer depending on the situation) a dog who can fix things for himself every now and then. Examples that I've encountered include: being able to pass unruly teams. Kuz can pick a safe route around a tangled mess. He swings wide and never looks back. If a dog team is spread across the entire trail, I don't say a word. He'll figure it out. Same goes for passing. I greatly appreciate a thinker who notices which side has more room and will pass on the bigger side. It takes a dog who can actually THINK and understand PASSING the team is what is desired, regardless of the side, and looks for the fastest way around. In all of my years racing behind Kuz, I would come up behind people and they'd ask which side I wanted. I'd say "he'll pick one in a second." I've also used dogs who have always passed in optimal conditions and always on the right side. When they come up behind a trail-hogging team, they are at a loss, allowing the team in front to block the way indeffinately. Fortunately these same dogs are great with gee/haw, so I can call them around, but still. A dog can also show intelligence by memorizing a trail. It's often the first outward sign of a leader. A dog who shows you that she's been paying attention the whole time. Deffinately not required, but it's nice to know if you lose the team, they'll end up where they need to be! I've seen this also in the form of navigating around downed trees or other obstacles like buildings, and still maintaing the same direction of travel (aka having a good sense of direction).
Understanding: I don't mean this as literal comprehension, but as some form of communication between myself and the dog. My main leader of 8 years has NEVER been a crack gee/haw dog. Never. He's a straight-line leader through and through. However, I still trust him at any intersection. Yes, he's stubborn as hell and might refuse to turn if I am suggesting we turn AWAY from the truck, but in a normal situation, we make do just fine without gee/haw. It sounds likea cop-out, and maybe it is, but if I stop at an intersection, he'll do what I call "guess and check." Sounds ridiculous, but I don't mind it. He'll head down a trail (obviously he picks the straight ahead trail first). If I stop, I'm telling him he's wrong. I wait. He inevitablly swings either left or right. Whichever way is correct recieves a whistle and slack on the line, an easy reward. He'll take off in that direction. Obviously I call to him during this time or swing my arm if he looks at me, and occasionally a simple command DOES work, but we've used to aformentioned system for a looooong time now. That being said, dogs who know gee/haw and don't second-guess it are proof that there is a god and he wants us to be happy.
Adaptability: behind line out, it's perhaps the most important to me. I suppose this relates to liking a dog that can think and judge the trail for himself, but it's nice to have a dog in front (or entire team)that doesn't mind changing things up. Maybe you want to try weightpull, or skijoring, or just a different method of training- maybe one with more frequent stops, etc. I like being confident that my dog(s) wont get too stressed or pissed off when I throw them a curve ball. It makes training so much fun knowing that I can modify my system a little or a lot and the dogs would still be game.
Drive: maybe I could have mentioned it earlier. I see drive in the dog who wants to go faster, wants to stay out of trouble, wants to make the logical move, and who mainly just WANTS to WORK because anything else merely gets in the way. This dog will simply shine. She'll be a dog who tackles the job in her own unique way. This is the dog that I want. A dog that, once he starts working, will not be satisfied unless he goes just one more step. For Kuz, he works so hard because he knows the faster he runs, the sooner he'll be back at the truck. Keytone runs herself into the ground out of pure desire to stretch her legs and GO. Noppers ran out of wild obession. He literally slept all day, up to the second I harnessed him. He's a nine year old Iditarod vetran who seems like a nine year old...until he takes his spot in front- and then he's a yearling who screams like a banchee and leaps four feet in the air trying to break the sled free. Oakley runs in front because she likes to SEE everything. I swear Doty ran lead because she knew she'd get twice as much attention.
If I thought about it, I could think of a thousand more, but these are the broad ones that I really like in a dog. Some of my characteristics wouldn't even show up on the radar of other drivers. Some people want only speed or strength or just a single dog who will run in a straight line, allowing them a semi-peaceful run.
The term 'leader' is relative and everyone has a leader, but how many people actually have a LEADER? Any dog is better than nothing. If you're able to be on the trail with your team by the grace of one dog willing to lead the way, that's great. These are simply the characteristics that make, or have made, my life easier.
