About Iditarod’s Littlest Musher

Who is Liz Parrish?

Liz Parrish and her famous Iditarod Lead Dog Crimp

Liz is an inspirational role model and leading authority in leadership and personal development, youth empowerment and applying powerful lessons from life’s greatest teachers — our dogs. My students and clients are people who are challenged by:

Personal and professional adversity
Lack of time to adequately exercise, train and bond with their dog using traditional obedience methods
Yearning to develop a more fulfilling bond with their 4-legged best friends
Need to develop and fully utilize their leadership skills
Dealing with an energetic dog that needs a JOB…a structured, constructive and fulfilling outlet for all that energy to channel it in a way they (and their people) can enjoy
Want to explore their world by dog-powered travel
Want to learn more about themselves and their own potential through deepening their relationship with their dog

Your instructor is Liz Parrish, known to all as Iditarod’s Littlest Musher. She started her mushing career as an urban musher, training her house dogs (an Australian Shepherd, Norwegian Elkhound, and a beagle mix) to love pulling and to become urban sled dogs, on the bayside trails and levees of the San Francisco Bay Area. She fell in love with the training, the thrill of traveling by dog power, and took it to it’s extreme…she trained her own sled dog team and completed the Iditarod Sled Dog Race to celebrate her 50th birthday!

Liz has personally trained numerous breeds to pull, ranging from Rottweilers to Goldens to Viszlas, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers to Huskies to Portuguese Water Dogs, German Shepherds to Malamutes to Border Collies and yes, even that Beagle mix. Now she brings her decades of dog training and mushing expertise to you and your dog in this class, to ensure you get started on the right paw and enjoy yourselves from Day 1.

Nobody in your area doing urban mushing yet? No problem! Urban GO Dogs – Everywhere! is set up to meet that need. This online course is a great combination of live and recorded audio and video materials, handouts, and personal support through email and our private Facebook networking group. Guaranteed…when others see what fun you’re having, they’ll want to join in the fun too. You can get your own urban mushing group going in no time!

Liz Parrish at the Start of Iditarod 2008

The sled dogs have taught her the lessons be able to accomplish all of this and more, and they continue to teach her every day. It’s not a magic pill, but it is a magical process and engagement, to be able to tap into your own inner strengths using the dogs as mirrors into yourself and your own capabilities.

Liz Parrish, known as “Iditarod’s Littlest Musher”, had three goals for running the Iditarod: train her own team from scratch, complete the 2008 Iditarod to celebrate her 50th birthday, and have fun! Mission accomplished. From a challenging start beating childhood cancer, scoliosis, fibromyalgia and clotting disorders, and zero sled dog experience, she devoted 10 years of her life to accomplish her dream…with the wholehearted help of her incredible sled dogs.

Her passion is sharing the teachings from the dogs with whoever is open to experiencing the transformation that the sled dog lessons provide, because the dogs have taken her places physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually that she couldn’t go on her own.

Liz is an active speaker, author, coach and educator on the topics of holistic leadership, communications and teamwork, personal development, youth empowerment and how to overcome your own personal adversity and challenges to live your BEST life!

The sled dogs provide a perfect mirror to show all of us how to live our lives at any given moment: clear, unequivocal, non-judgmental feedback on what’s REALLY going on with ourselves and how to succeed with balance, clarity, purpose and passion.

Welcome! I very much look forward to sharing how to Be the Lead Dog with you! Let’s go!

Liz Parrish and her leaders at the finish of Iditarod 2008

Learn more about how to grow and develop your own confidence, control and passion for urban mushing by getting more details direct from Liz.

Take advantage of our special offer and learn how to easily and safely explore your world while having FUN exercising your dog.

Happy Urban Mushing Dogs and Owners

"We never had the opportunity to follow through until now!"

"With the little bit of information I had, and no real formal training, I jumped into mushing with great expectations for Dee & Tay. It was starting to get quite frustrating for me, which in turn effected the dogs. I'm very grateful that Barb & Liz came out and taught us what the actual ground work was. However, not actually knowing what groundwork was or how to execute it properly, we never had the opportunity to follow through with it until now!" -Nanette Griffiths (Newport Beach, CA) Attended Costa Mesa Clinic

"...I got to see how my dogs really love training when I'm doing it right. It's the most wonderful thing to see the concentration and happiness on their faces. I just had to laugh sometimes because it was just so damn cute seeing them chug intently along with the tire dragging behind, like it was the most important job in the world." -- Deanne DiPietro, Rhonert Park, CA

"Thank you for the knowledgeable and fun clinic. I can not wait to put all my new skills into action. There has been such a change in my dogs behavior mostly due to my new understanding." – Shawn Wente, Cotati, CA

"Worth MORE Than I Paid!!"

"I consider this past weekend's Urban GO Dogs clinic a great success! For me, the intimately-sized clinic and one-on-one training was what we needed and what I wanted and expected. I'm extremely glad I participated in it. The clinic was definitely worth more to me than what I paid for it - and that's saying quite a bit about the value of the clinic in light of this down economy." -Karen Liane-Shiba (Anaheim, CA) Attended Costa Mesa Clinic

"First the human has to understand, and then you can see it go "click" for the dog. I had several of those magical moments in the workshop taught by Liz and Barb. It is the best thing the sport teaches us, I think- to keep on learning. " -- Deanne DiPietro, Rhonert Park, CA

"Increased Self Confidence"

After working with Barb & Liz, I could hear the increased self confidence in my own voice and the dogs certainly responded with a willingness I'd never seen before. I expected mushing related teachings but I got much, much more. Anyone who is stuck, wants to polish their skill, or just new and needs everything should plan on attending." -Hollie Lohff (LaVerne, CA) Attended Costa Mesa Clinic

"This weekend you gave us tools we needed. I sure wish Randy could have been below today to witness the change!" - Cyndie Hunt, Costa Mesa, CA

"Our dogs focused 100% on running well!!"

"Our dogs were so relaxed and confident they focused 100% on running well. I find it hard to describe the emotions I feel and what it was specifically that has made such an instant impact on my dogs and I--for me the experience wasn't just about running dogs or training dogs--it was very much just about "Life...Through Dogs". I've only just begun in terms of consistent positive handling of my girls but what they did this morning was huge to me...I am so grateful that Liz and Barb have the desire to pass on their vast knowledge and experience in such a personalized way."

-Joyce Simmons (Tustin, CA)

Attended Costa Mesa Clinic

"Congratulations!!!!! You do more for our sport than any other 10 mushers I can think of!!!! Keep it up."
-- Van Peeke, Glen Ellen, CA

"This is the picture <Mattie and Button happily next to each other without incident> I've always wanted. I knew they were capable of it, I just needed the help. And this is the best place to get the help, completely the best place. I've had training for all types of different things, from Lynda Plettner, I've been to other seminars, I've listened to Libby Riddles, other clinics and you get the information but you don't get the actual know how, do it this way, hands-on, and this is what me and my team needed. While there are wonderful opportunities, programs, workshops, clinics out there that are offered free or low cost (& at higher costs) that people can attend to further their knowledge and skills, I can attest from my own experiences of this past weekend that if you are thinking of getting a more personalized approach to learning more about mushing, sled dog health issues, or addressing specific issues (i.e., teaching a dog to really pull, as opposed to just running; playing while running; sharking on other dogs while running; and more issues), I can highly recommend that you consider attending an Urban GO Dogs clinic by Barb and Liz." Karen Liane-Shiba, Anaheim, CA

"I just wanted to thank you both again for the great learning experience. You two ladies made life changing improvements to both Karen and me. For this I want to thank you. I hope we can live up to your expectations of us. Ladies, I wish you both the best and if you ever need a witness to what you two can accomplish I will be the first person to stand up and say "you are the best"!" --Cyndie Hunt, Costa Mesa, CA

"Worth MORE Than I Paid!!"