Turning Heads Kennel

Turning Heads Kennel Authentic dog sledding experiences for all ages! Turning Heads Kennel provides authentic Alaskan dog sled tours year round out of Seward, Alaska.

Come see why our summer dog sled tours are routinely called "the highlight" of our guest's Alaskan vacations. We provide lead dog demonstrations as well as helicopter glacier dog sledding tours.

Ebbe and his team out at the Goose Bay airport. There must be some interesting smells👃right where Ebbe stopped as both B...
01/19/2025

Ebbe and his team out at the Goose Bay airport. There must be some interesting smells👃right where Ebbe stopped as both Blue and Georgia are entranced.

Although this photo is from fall training, current conditions are about the same (if not worse!) so Travis and Ebbe are training elsewhere with the dogs. We are hopeful 🤞🏻that the forecast holds and we get some much needed snow. It is incredibly icy here!

📸 by Ebbe Pedersen

"You have one chance. You must run at night when the others have stopped. Run with the moon. Embrace the darkenss. Grow ...
01/18/2025

"You have one chance. You must run at night when the others have stopped. Run with the moon. Embrace the darkenss. Grow hard with the cold. Put pain from your mind. And on the last day, when all will run at night... you alone will be friendly with the dark."

Do you know what mushing movie that iconic line is from? 😏

This photo was take a few years ago by someone who saw us mushing near the highway.

All these warm temps have us thinking of summer! If you or someone you know is coming to Alaska, please consider visitin...
01/15/2025

All these warm temps have us thinking of summer! If you or someone you know is coming to Alaska, please consider visiting us either on Godwin Glacier or at our home to go dog sledding.

We love what we do and take an immense amount of pride in it!

📸 by Joel Krahn

Zema 💕Zema passed away earlier this week with our friends at Comstock Kennel out in Nome. She was 15.Zema was a small bu...
01/13/2025

Zema 💕

Zema passed away earlier this week with our friends at Comstock Kennel out in Nome. She was 15.

Zema was a small but fearless, smart and driven dog. She was one of the sharpest lead dogs we've ever had and even though she only raced in two Iditarods (Travis' rookie year in 2013, my rookie year in 2016), she had a huge impact on our kennel. Zema taught every dog and every human who came through our kennel how to run dogs. Every dog. Every human. No exaggeration.

Over the course of her career Zema probably taught over two dozen different dogs how to lead (that number feels too low) and probably helped just as many humans mush. To say she was a lead dog is an understatement. She was so much more. She was a mentor. She loved teaching and leading and being up front. If Zema was up front, you could write your name in the snow. It didn't matter if there was two feet of powder or glare ice. She made what we wanted to happen, happen.

But I guess that sort of incredible skill should be expected from a dog who was run, for the first time in her life, in lead. Yes, Zema from the beginning from her very first puppy run, ran up front. "It was the only spot left," Travis would say.

Once, alongside her mother Hope, she safely navigated Travis and I across a flooding river. She'd make the team climb 4 foot snow berms so we could navigate the back roads of Seward and make our way from the road to the trail.

She never balked.

I am not sure we will ever see a dog quite as fearless as Zema or spot on with commands as her. She really was that good.

Like many sled dogs, Zema lived a long healthy life and was more or less healthy up until her passing. She moved to Nome a few years ago in her retirement with a job of being a lead dog and helping a new kennel. Saying goodbye was made easier by the fact that she went to the most wonderful people. Our biggest thanks go out to Burr & Tim for giving Zema such a wonderful home and purpose in her twilight years. We could't have asked for better for her.

Zema is survived in our kennel by her niece Georgia & nephew Boomer.

Rest in peace sweet girl.

Remember in October when we were on sleds 🙃 ... now we are in January and it's 40 degrees and raining ☔️and all the snow...
01/12/2025

Remember in October when we were on sleds 🙃 ... now we are in January and it's 40 degrees and raining ☔️and all the snow is gone ☹️

What a strange few months it's been with the weather.

Thinking of all our friends & family in Los Angeles 🩷

Not every mile is easy, but every mile is worth it.With very warm temps and lots of the R word recently, we’ve been forc...
01/10/2025

Not every mile is easy, but every mile is worth it.

With very warm temps and lots of the R word recently, we’ve been forced to travel to get quality training miles in. It’s a blessing that we are able and have the means to travel train, but leaving home is always tough.

Go Ebbe 👏🏻Ebbe is driving the young dogs on his final qualifier as part of his preparation to race the 2025 Iditarod!
01/05/2025

Go Ebbe 👏🏻

Ebbe is driving the young dogs on his final qualifier as part of his preparation to race the 2025 Iditarod!

01/04/2025

Go Ebbe with Turning Heads Kennel team #2

01/04/2025

Go Travis! He leaves 20th.

12/23/2024

Big congrats to Matt on finishing his first dog sled race. We hope it’s the first of many. Matt did an excellent job running his team and we are so happy he had a great experience. 🐾

Chasing that beautiful tomorrow ☀️
11/27/2024

Chasing that beautiful tomorrow ☀️

Happy trails and wagging tails 🐾📸 Ebbe
11/17/2024

Happy trails and wagging tails 🐾

📸 Ebbe

This is a throwback to a truck training trip on the Denali Highway. The golden glow of the sun on the snow and the stead...
11/16/2024

This is a throwback to a truck training trip on the Denali Highway. The golden glow of the sun on the snow and the steady pitter-patter of dog feet -- trips like these stick with us.

Each season is different from the next, but all are special.

Sam Paperman pulls into the yard after a run, with Travis behind him (not pictured).⁠⁠Sam grew up a few doors down from ...
11/14/2024

Sam Paperman pulls into the yard after a run, with Travis behind him (not pictured).⁠
⁠
Sam grew up a few doors down from Travis in Seward and has been helping us with the dogs for 7+ years.

Toolik ⁠⁠This sweet girl has an incredible trot and an even better attitude. When the team stops, she's often the first ...
11/13/2024

Toolik ⁠
⁠
This sweet girl has an incredible trot and an even better attitude. When the team stops, she's often the first to look back and say, "Hey, What's the hold-up!"⁠
⁠
We got Toolik as a young dog from Raymie Redington. She's been with us for a few seasons now and has been a great addition to our team.

We've been having some fun on sleds with small teams recently. Everyone is happy that we've had early snow.
11/12/2024

We've been having some fun on sleds with small teams recently. Everyone is happy that we've had early snow.

📸 Ebbe is training the puppy team on the side-by-side.⁠⁠Although we have been fortunate to get on sleds, the trail condi...
11/10/2024

📸 Ebbe is training the puppy team on the side-by-side.⁠
⁠
Although we have been fortunate to get on sleds, the trail conditions still aren't great, so for bigger teams or teams that have had a few days off, we still opt for the side-by-side.⁠
⁠
We've loved having Ebbe's help and are looking forward to having him work with our dogs throughout the season. ⁠
⁠
Jovi & Georgia lead this spunky team down the trail.

La Nina sunbathing on top of her dog house. This little lady is a powerhouse in lead. She is light on her feet and has a...
11/10/2024

La Nina sunbathing on top of her dog house. This little lady is a powerhouse in lead. She is light on her feet and has a happy-go-lucky attitude.

Address

31722 Herman Leirer Road
Seward, AK
99664

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 8pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 8pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 8pm
Thursday 7:30am - 8pm
Friday 7:30am - 8pm
Saturday 7:30am - 8pm
Sunday 7:30am - 8pm

Telephone

+19073624354

Website

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Videos

Ebbe at the finish of the 2025 Knik 200 with the young dogs! Congrats to Ebbe and the dogs: Jovi Drummer Gator Toolik Greta Frigg Freya Shy Guy Pan Yoda Roamer Zenik Ebbe has now completed his last Iditarod qualifier and is ready to race the 2025 Iditarod 🥳 #dogsledding #iditarod #alaska #alaskalife #mushing

Travis is into the finish with the team! 🥳 Big thanks to these awesome dogs 🐾 Spartan - Shak Kaz - Hoabie Georgia - Boomer Lexi* - Copper Leo* - Foxy Rump - Hannah These dogs are all really important in our kennel and in our training pool, but we’d primarily consider them our alternates and not the main squad. If a dog in the main team falls out of training for some reason, these are the dogs that will step in. Spartan, Hannah and Rump have all made Travis’ Iditarod team in the past but each has different reasons for why they may or may not make it this year. Evaluating them alongside some of the younger dogs in the kennel provides perspective to the entire team. Overall, Travis was happy with their performance and learned what he needed to.

Go Ebbe with Turning Heads Kennel team #2

Beneath the stars, a frosty glow, Fourteen sled dogs, all in a row. Heads bent low, their breath a mist, A delicious feast they can’t resist! #iditarod #dogsledding #alaska #sleddogs #turningheadskennel

Little hands learning big lessons: Thanking our dogs for their hard work! 🐾 #dogsledding #Iditarod

TGIF! When the weekend hits and you can’t resist a stop at your favorite watering hole! 🐕💧🐾

We’ve had a number of wildlife 🫎🐻 encounters on our trails with the dog team 🐾 this year but this was the first that we got film of. Wildlife is always unpredictable so we never have time to film! Thanks to our guests for sharing this video 📹with us. Thanks bear 🐻 family for the clean pass and a shout out to our amazing guide Jordan for keeping his cool. What a special dog sled ride today! #dogsledding #alaskalife #turningheadskennel #alaska #seward #sewardak #sleddogs #bear #bears #blackbears #mushing

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Congrats mama Blue on your five beautiful babies born on June 2nd. Three boys and two girls! 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Nothing like sweet little puppy noises to pull at those heart strings! 😍🥰 We are so excited about this litter as it is likely Blue’s last. She is almost 9! The puppies are mostly darker colored except for one white female. (We will get more photos soon 📸) BLUE x RICHARD 💙💙💙💗💗 Now we just need 5 names. Who has suggestions for us? Comment below. 👇🏻 We’d love to hear them!

TRAVIS and TEAM are in NOME 🥳 Congrats! One heck of a run! 6th place. First to Kaltag. Led 300 miles of the race — and learned a heck of a lot! Switch - Zydeco Tsunami Ohmer Nyvok- Brady We can’t wait to share some trail stories with you all. 🐾🐾 Sarah

Travis is in and out of Koyuk after a solid 5 hour rest where he and the dogs both got some good sleep. Travis currently feels pretty good about where he is sitting. He has a nice gap between him and a chase pack of mushers. His goal is to maintain that gap. I arrived in Nome yesterday and have spent the day getting settled. Elias and I are super excited to get ready to welcome Travis to Nome! If you haven’t watched it, there’s a great interview with Travis on the Insider 🐾🐾 Sarah

In and parked in UNALAKLEET in 3rd PLACE 👏🏻 What a race our guy is having 🥳 Was excited to see our good friend Lev there helping to guide the team to their parking spot after this hard run for Travis and the team. Travis reported on the run that he was having some difficult with one of his eyes. He scratched his cornea this fall and during extreme cold it has gotten irritated a I am 🤞🏻 hoping he will get some eye drops here to help soothe it. One thing for sure, Travis is TOUGH. He’s been dealing with a lot and yet… here he is right up front gaining valuable insight on running a competitive race as a true front runner. Get some good rest doggos. Then it’s time to fly! 🐾🐾Sarah

In and out of KALTAG. 🔥🐾🥳 Wow. Just amazing. What a smoking run time on his last run on the River. 🔥🔥🔥4 hours 22 minutes for an average pace of 10.46 miles an hour. 🔥🔥🔥 So so so happy with how the team looked. Just absolutely beaming with pride. I’m in Anchorage today shipping out kennels. Need to give a HUGE thanks to Scott and Debbie Janssen for helping with that. Scott and Debbie own Janssen’s funeral home and have been HUGE supporters of THK over the years and even better friends. We are so grateful. There are a number of people who have bought merch or sponsored miles over the last few days. To each and every one of you THANK YOU. We appreciate you. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 The race is sure heating up and getting exciting. Go dogs go! Go Travis go! 🐾🥳🐾🐕🐕🐕 🐾🐾 Sarah

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