I have heard Jeff King say that the race should have a 14 dog maximum, like the Quest.   We saw the rookie of the year start with a 12-dog team and finish with 11 dogs, which says a lot about his dog care.   The issue of cycling dogs would largely go away with fewer dogs and dog care is paramount when you have fewer dogs to drop.   I have taken part in several races that used to have a 12 dog maximum but it was increased to 16 dogs -- the result was simply more dropped dogs.   Again, it's time to start thinking outside the box.