Physical health is defined as the condition of your body, taking into consideration everything from the absence of disease to fitness level. Physical health is critical for overall well-being, and can be affected by for example food, level of physical activity, balance between rest and exercise, massage and a lot more.

 It is a daily job to keep an eye on all the dogs’ general condition.  We want each individual dog to maintain a strong and healthy body all year round. That includes among other things different type of training adjusted to the season and daily massage to discover small changes in muscle tonus and body fat.

Intellectual Animal Welfare

Intellectual welfare is the ability to be open to new ideas, critical thinking, and learning new skills to create the potential for sharing with others and use it for the betterment of the community. Does each individual have the possibility to use all their capacity?

Our dogs are sled dogs but what other capacities do they have? How can we help them to develop these capacities? Some will use their capacity best as a lead dog and we help them with the training. Some are really good as teachers. Some are really benefitting from nosework or helping out with younger puppies.

Social behaviour ranges from simple attraction between individuals to life in complex societies. The most widely recognized forms of social behaviour involve interaction within aggregations or groups of individuals. You have to take several aspects into consideration such as group size, the amount of space given, resources, distributions of different age and sex, cohesiveness, how much the different groups interact with each other, how are the rolls in the group, how much time to they spend in the group opposed individually.

 It is also important to consider the social learning that takes place in a group. Social learning is learning that is influenced by observation of, or interactions with, another animal.  Social learning can result in more persistent behavioral traits developing into “animal cultures”.  Social learning has the potential to facilitate the spread of both good and bad behavior.

The social welfare also includes the contact between the dogs and the humans  that works in the kennel and the guests that are visiting the kennel.

Environmental welfare is having good health by occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support well-being. It promotes interaction with nature and create an enjoyable personal environment. To which extent do the dogs lives and behaves as it would in the wild? Today’s domesticated species have retained the adaptations of their ancestors, and so they need an environment which allows them to express their natural behaviour.


Sweden has some of the strongest animal welfare rules in the world, but is that enough?

We always want to improve our work. Does the environment and the living conditions give our dogs what they need? Are their houses big and warm enough?

Many of our dogs live in bigger groups in big pens. With this comes also a big responsibility to see that the groups are in harmony. The pens offer an environment that enriches and gives them the opportunity to have an outlet for their natural needs. Some individuals prefer their own space and instead of living in pens they live more secluded in pairs. We evaluate on a daily basis and do changes where it is needed.

The importance of being in the present, right here, right now, is as important for the dogs as for us. It gives the space to connect with the inner self and to feel peaceful in every situation, whether the dogs learning new things, work in different teams with different dogs or when something unexpected happens.

Mindfulness will deepening of the bond between humans and animals and can change the lives of both. Being mindful daily with your dogs you will notice that you experience a common peace of mind, not worry as much and your relationship and communication will be better.

Mindfulness is the core in our daily work. We proudly call our selves Trust Technique Practitioners.

Occupational welfare is maybe not something you often think about when talking about animals, but it is very important.

All dogs need to have a work, a purpose in their life, a task that makes them feel important. For our Alaskan huskies it is often quite easy. Their job is to pull the sled. To this we can address a lot of other factors. Do they work with the right partners (dogs as well as humans)? Do they have enough breaks? Are the workings hours good? Do they have the right equipment? What do we do if someone does not seem to like their work?

Acknowledging that animals show emotions implies that we must pay attention to their needs and wants. When we do pay attention to these emotions, our interactions with animals become tremendously more fulfilling, and enrich our own emotional lives as well.

This category consider our dogs right to their own feelings and the right to express them. As well for animals as for humans it is not always easy to express how we feel. We help our dogs to express their feelings in different ways depending on what the individual is needing, for example with different games. We also work with with their self-esteem, self- confidence, courage and mental health.