Critter Surge

When I was dogsledding this past winter through St. Mike's Wilderness Program, the mushers talked about something called a "critter surge". When their dogs spotted a rabbit or deer, they would get a burst of energy and rush after it. This usually left the musher dragging as they stomped on the brake and would result in a massive tangle of lines. They spoke of this with dread, but also as a fact of life. They have not met my dogs.
These sled dogs laugh in the face of rabbits; they turn their heads at the sight of deer. Anything that gets in their way of a good run is unnecessary and meaningless. Almost every morning, without fail, a little rabbit will hop into our path as we ride down the driveway. The dogs do not break stride or even sniff in its direction. There is no time for rabbits when one could be pulling an ATV!
Yesterday morning, three deer ran right in front of us. Two doe and a massive stag, who paused briefly to stare at the dogs. There was no barking, no change of speed, just the leaders pulling straight ahead. I was amazed at their lack of interest. I've never known a dog to just ignore a perfectly tasty looking deer. With Lynx and Attla leading the way, however, everyone else just wanted to run. These dogs mean business.

There is one exception to this rule: Moose. Dogs do not like moose. Big moose, little moose, albino moose, dead moose. The long-legged, big-antlered beasts do something to incite wrath in all dogs. I can attest to this, as even my childhood dog seemed to have something against the animals. Daisy was a fat little mutt, whose many talents included pissing my father off and eating astronomical amounts. One day, my brother and I were sitting in our basement room, when a huge flash of brown zipped past the window followed by a much smaller flash.We looked out and saw Daisy nipping at the heels of a bull moose. The gumption this dog must have had to take on an animal 20 times her size. She chased that thing all the way down the driveway and out of sight. A few moments later, she came tearing back up the driveway with ears flying as she frantically looked over her shoulder. The moose must have realized the idiocy of this little dog and turned on her. I have no doubt that Daisy would have chased another moose if the opportunity arose.
If your leaders are really good, they can keep the rest of the team away from moose. Bill says that in a race,  they'll usually just speed up on the trail. Maybe it's the scent or maybe it's just because they're so huge, but something about moose gets the dogs excited. Everything else barely registers in comparison to their need to run.