Basic Mushing Information
Training your self and your dog to sled
iLearning to Sled
Sledding command terms
The sledding world has many different commands made for individual teams and
musher’s. But there is a basic general terminology used internationally among
all sledder’s.
Gee- right
Haw- left
Gee over-move over to the right
Haw over- move over to the left
Gee around- turn the team around
On-bye- avoid other trial or turn or distraction
Whoa- stop
Easy-
slow down
Stand- wait until I command again
On the trail- get back on
the track
Harnessing the dogs
Harnessing at first can be quite confusing and very time consuming. In time
and with practice it becomes easier and faster. Stand over the dog with the
dog’s head facing in the same direction as yours take the harness and hold the
neck opening and place it over the dog’s head. Then take one of the dog’s legs
and gently place it into the leg opening repeat this step for the other leg.
Once the harness is on adjust the neck plate so that it sits comfortably on the
breastbone of the dog and not on the neck. If it lies along the neck the dog
will be pulling from the throat and not the chest and it can choke the dog. Last
make sure the harness lies nicely along the full torso of the dog and that the
harness loop is laying at the base of the tail.
Hooking up the gang line and dogs
Before you harness up the dogs and get them ready you need to hook the
gang line to the sled. Take the loop at the back of the gang line and hook it to
the metal hook on the sled and the snow hook, make sure there are no tangles in
the line, go and untangle the full length of the line check all clasps to make
sure they are all in good working order and that all the lines are free from
tears.
The dog’s positions
on the gang line start with the lead dogs these are the two dogs
in the front of the team furthest away from the sled.
The next two dogs are
called swing dogs or point dogs generally the point dogs are fully trained lead
dogs that are placed close to the front to replace any injured leaders. Swing
dogs or point dogs are the dogs that actually turn the team from following the
lead dogs command. The next 2-8 dogs are called Team dogs these dogs are the
bulk of a large team. Finally the last 2 dogs closest to the sled are called the
wheel dogs, wheel dogs are the power behind your team, and take up the weight
pulling of each team.
You want to start placing dogs on the gang line
from front to back. The lead dogs should be hooked up first, each dog is hooked
to the tug line first and then the lead neckline is attached to both leads. Next
you want to start hooking up the team dogs and then wheel dogs repeat the same
step as the lead dogs. You will want to hook up the wheel dogs last as in a
general rule they are the strongest dogs on the team.
Harnesses
The harness is a very
important part of your equipment the harness is carefully measured for each
individual dog. All harness today are made from nylon poly webbing it is sewn
together at several points using an industrial sewing machine. The chest plate
is where the pressure of the pulling weight is placed. This chest plate should
be well padded to make sure that the dog is comfortable at all times. The
padding should follow along the webbing from the top of the shoulder blades
around the neck and along the sides of the harness.
There are three main
types of harnesses the freighting harness and the h-back or x back harness.
The freighting harness: is used for heavier pulling and often will have a
wooden spacer in between the harness and the tug line.
The x back or h-back
harness is meant more for the racing recreational sledder it should fit snug
around the animal’s body with out being to tight. A harness that is not fitted
properly will lead to injury, as well as muscle pain.
Gang line
The gang line is generally made
up of sections where 2 dogs can be attached in one spot you can add or remove
dogs in two’s from the line when needed.
The gang line is made of 3/8 inch
polyethylene rope. It connects to the Front of the sled and runs between the
dogs. The dogs are then hitched on either side of the towline to the tug lines.
It is very important to do regular checks the line for any Frey or pressure
points the last thing you want to do is be running a team of dogs through the
back bushes and “snap” have half the team break free or worse the whole team
break away from the sled. Over time with sun damage and General weather aliments
the lines will need to be replaced I like to replace them once a year before the
sledding season just to be safe.
Booties
Booties are a cover used to
protect the dog’s feet from harsh terrain or ice. Booties can be made of many
different types of material depending what type of trails you are running firmer
booties are used for ice or sharp trail the softer material booties are used for
softer terrain to help maintain running abrasion on the dogs feet.
Making or maintaining your
equipment
The sled should be hung out of the sun and weather
conditions when not in use. Check over the sled and replace any broken or warn
parts because when a part on a sled breaks it is like a domino affect it will
continue to split and break away. Keeping the sled off the ground will stop any
warping of the wood or damage to the plastic runners.
Harnesses: should be
washed occasionally with cold water and with very minimal amounts of soap. It
should then be left to hang dry, out of the sun. If the harnesses are dried in
the clothes dryer or washed with warm or hot water the webbing will shrink and
you will find the harness will be too small to fit the dogs.
Gang lines:
should be rinsed out with cold water if they have been used for fall training.
Small particles of dirt can be come caught within the webbing of the gang line
and this will cause friction and premature wear on the line causing it to
break