Puppy Training at the Husky Kennel review
My verdict: the tour with no sledding in it, and the one I end up recommending most often to people who came here for sledding. If someone in your group is under seven, over the weight limit, pregnant, unsteady on their feet or quietly uneasy about riding behind working dogs, every other tour on this site turns them away and this one does not. It rates 4.9 from 413 ratings. You will not touch a sled. That is the deal, and it is stated plainly rather than buried.
What the day actually contains
Pickup is outside the main entrance of the Radisson Blu hotel, fifteen minutes before departure, with transport both ways included. At the kennel you help the handlers work with young dogs, anywhere from about four weeks old up to adolescence, and the exercises are matched to the age of the dogs in front of you. Then you take puppies out on a hike near the farm, an hour to an hour and a half. Rain clothes and boots are issued, and lunch is included with a vegetarian option.
The kennel keeps around 200 Alaskan huskies. That number is worth sitting with, because it tells you what a Tromsø sled-dog operation actually is: not a petting farm with a few photogenic dogs, but a working yard that needs young animals socialised, handled and taught to be comfortable with strangers. The hour you spend doing that is useful to them, which is a rarer thing to be able to say about a tourist activity than it sounds.
It is also the best vantage point on this site for the welfare question. You are in the yard, in daylight, for hours. Look at the bedding, whether it is dry and clean, whether there is weather protection. Look at the water — clean water in clean buckets, because snow is not adequate hydration. Look at whether dogs are in groups or on permanent tethers, and whether they come to you interested rather than wary. Norway’s Animal Welfare Act sets the standard and Mattilsynet inspects against it, but there is no husky-tourism certification scheme to hide behind, so your own eyes are the check. All of it is set out on is husky sledding ethical.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits families with small children, since it is the only product here with no lower age limit at all. It suits pregnant travellers, who are excluded from every sledding tour on this list. It suits anyone above the 118 or 120 kg limits the sledding operators set, anyone whose back or knees would not enjoy a runner, and anyone who would honestly rather spend four hours with the dogs than ninety seconds at a time hanging onto a moving sled.
It does not suit anyone with an animal allergy or a wheelchair user. It needs a minimum of two people to run, so a solo traveller can be cancelled on. No pets, no alcohol, and do not feed the dogs. And it does not suit the person who came to Tromsø to stand on a sled and books this as a compromise — you will have a good day and you will still want the sledding, so book both or book the sledding. The kennel visits page makes the case for it as a first choice rather than a fallback.
What works
- No minimum age — the only tour here open to small children
- The answer for pregnancy, weight limits and unsteady knees
- Hours in the yard, which is the best look at how the dogs actually live
- Rain clothes, boots, transport and lunch all included, vegetarian available
- A 1 to 1.5 hour hike, so it is a real activity rather than a photo stop
Worth knowing
- No sledding whatsoever — do not book it expecting any
- Needs a minimum of two people, so a solo booking can be cancelled
- Wheelchair users and anyone with an animal allergy are excluded
- No feeding the dogs, no pets of your own, no alcohol
- Which puppies you meet depends on the kennel’s litters that week
What the ticket covers
- Transport from and to Tromsø
- Rain clothes and boots
- Guiding and handler-led training exercises
- A 1 to 1.5 hour hike with the puppies
- Lunch, with a vegetarian option
Not suitable for
- Wheelchair users
- Anyone with an animal allergy
- Solo bookings where nobody else joins
- Your own pets
- Alcohol, and feeding the dogs
Book this and a sledding tour on separate days rather than trying to stack them. Both start with a transfer out of town, and the puppy day runs four and a half hours, so a double booking turns into a lot of bus and not much else.
What travellers actually say
“We absolutely loved this tour. Great tour with a great guide.”
“Playing with the husky puppies. Highly recommended.”
“They provide shoes and waterproofs so you don’t have to worry about mud or weather.”
“Loved it. Was a highlight of our trip to Norway.”
Two of those four call it a highlight of a trip to Norway, on a tour with no sledding in it. I would not read that as people settling for second best.
If you want sledding as well
The Breivikeidet tour takes children from seven and runs four and a half hours, which pairs well with a puppy day earlier in the week. For older teenagers and adults, the inland full day is the other obvious half of a husky-heavy trip.
Most bookedFun and Easy Dog Sledding Adventure
Full day inlandDog Sledding Adventure in Tamokdalen
Closest to townHusky Sled Self-Drive with Traditional Lunch
Frequently asked questions
Is there any sledding on the puppy training tour?
None at all. You help the handlers train young dogs and take puppies on a one to one-and-a-half hour hike near the farm, and that is the whole activity. If you want both, book a sledding tour on a different day — the six are compared on the all-tours page.
Can young children come?
Yes. This is the only tour reviewed here with no minimum age; children simply need adult supervision. Every sledding tour sets a floor of either seven or sixteen, which is why this one exists as an answer — the ages are laid out on family husky tours.
Is visiting a kennel a better option if you are unsure about the ethics?
It is certainly the longest look you will get at how the dogs live. You spend hours in a yard of around 200 Alaskan huskies in daylight, which is enough time to check bedding, water, housing and how the dogs behave around people. What to look for, and what nobody can verify for you, is on is husky sledding ethical.