Tis the season when mushers are starting to plan for fall! And a few people have asked me for tips on finding (and choosing) jobs as handlers, so I thought I’d share some advice here.

For context, handling is basically an apprenticeship position within mushing. It can mean anything from helping a friend with chores to, basically, training a team yourself. But rn I want to talk about live-in handlers, who might stay with a team for weeks, months, or years.

When a musher-handler partnership is good, everyone benefits. The musher has help with the dogs, the dogs love having an extra friend, and the handler is able to learn and participate in mushing without the expense and responsibility of running their own team.

(I got my start as a handler, as do most mushers who don’t come from mushing families. Overall I had a great experience, learned a ton, and am very grateful for my mentors.)

If you want to get into mushing, my advice is always to volunteer at a race. You’ll meet the community, see sled dogs in action, and find out who you vibe with. If you meet teams organically, in person, you’ll have a much better sense of if you’d like working with them.

If you want to work with sled dogs, you should expect it to be hard. It’s not just gliding over snow and petting puppies; it’s shoveling, driving all night, lifting 60+ pound food bags, chopping meat, carrying water etc. AND it’s gliding over snow and petting puppies. It’s both!

So let’s say that sounds good to you. You want the adventure—it might be the hardest thing you ever do, but it will also be the most beautiful, and you’re ready.

And who needs sleep, anyway?

You got an offer—maybe it’s a musher you know in person, a musher you know from internet, or someone you found via a handler-wanted ad.

Hooray! Time to get on a plane, right?

Nope! You want to do your due diligence.

Always, always, always ask for contact information for previous handlers—and call them. No musher should balk at that. And if they do, it’s a sign that you don’t want to work with them, anyway.

Think of it this way: talking to former handlers helps both you and the musher.

By asking former handlers what typical days are like, what responsibilities they had, and so on, you’ll have a better idea of if you’re the right fit for the position.

And if it’s not a good place to go, they’ll tell you that too.

People think this is about making sure it’s a team with responsible dog care. And it is. That’s vital. But it’s also about making sure it’s ok for you personally.

I hate to say this, but if you’re a woman and you’re thinking of handling for a male musher, you NEED to talk to other women who have worked there.

You’re going to be isolated in the wilderness together and it’s going to be its own little world and there will be times of great stress and you also might be roommates and that is INTENSE, it’s hard even when everyone has the best intentions. It’s dangerous when someone doesn’t.

Also, you could be great friends with a musher and have total love and respect for each other and it still might not be the right fit for you as a handler, and that’s okay too, and it’s better to preserve the friendship than push it into a format that isn’t right.

If a handling position is right, it can be absolutely wonderful. It can be like finding your family. Which isn’t to say it’s always easy! But that it’s beautiful, and everyone’s lives are richer for it (dogs included).

If it’s not right, that’s OK. Maybe you stay friends with the team, and that’s great! You’re just readjusting your relationship.

And if not—the dogs are still here. The trails and wilderness are still here.

And you’re going to find your people in mushing. I promise.