Learn About Dog Sledding

A lot goes into owning and operating a kennel full time. In order to take great care of our sled dogs and in order to mush, a lot of different gear is required. Knowing the different equipment used in the sport of dog sledding is an important first step in understanding the sport. Not only are there different tools used to run dogs but there is also the different gear that the dogs themselves have. In this blog post, we go over the basic mushing gear.

Mushing Equipment

Dog Sled

The quintessential piece of dog sledding equipment, besides the dogs of course, is the dog sled. Today there are many different styles of dog sleds built out of different types of material. Sleds are built differently depending on the use. Sleds with larger beds are generally “expedition” style sleds designed for mid and long distance races and the training that they involve. The bigger beds allow mushers to carry the necessary gear needed for spending time on the trail. Sleds for sprint racing are generally much smaller and nimbler.

Sleds are commonly made out of wood, carbon fiber, and aircraft aluminum. Materials need be both tough and lightweight – we don’t want our dogs pulling weight they don’t need to be!

Brushbow

The brushbow is like the front bumper of the sled.

Bed

The bed is the flat part of the sled that is used for storage and hauling gear. Generally sleds used for long distance mushing will have a longer bed than those used for sprint racing.

Runners

The runners are what the sled sits on.

Brake

The brake is used to stop the team. There are several different styles of brakes made by various companies. We’ve found that the best brake we’ve ever used

Dragmat

The dragmat is the speed control of the team.

ATV

Using an all-terrain-vehicle, more commonly referred to as an ATV or “quad” is an important part of training in modern day dog mushing. Using an atv allows dog mushers to work with their teams long before their is snow on the ground thus allowing the mushing season to begin considerably earlier. Many mushers in Alaska are able to start training in early September. This earlier training allows the dogs more time for conditioning and greatly contributes to the success of the team. More training allows us to work with our dogs and further develop their abilities.

ATVs are also a valuable tool when it comes to training lead dogs. Because atvs have both throttle and brake, mushers are able to give very direct feedback to their lead dogs. If the lead dogs get a command right, the musher will give a little gas as positive reinforcement — for sled dogs, going fast is a reward. If the lead dogs do not get the command given correct, the musher will hit the brake as a negative reinforcement — sled dogs want to run, so stopping is bad and considered punishment.

Gangline, Tuglines, and Necklines

The gangline is the main line that the dogs are attached to. The gangline is generally made out of thick cable, though sometimes that cable is covered by rope. Gangline sections range in length depending on the style of harness the musher is using on their dogs and their.

Tuglines are the lines that connect the back of the harness that the dog is wearing to the gangline. Whether the tugline is taught or not will depend on if the dog is pulling. The neckline is the line that runs from a dog’s collar to the gangline. This line isn’t used for pulling, rather it is used to help keep the team organized moving down the trail. Some mushers elect not to use necklines while moving down the trail. Necklines are also used when teams stop and rest on the trail or in checkpoints. When it is time to rest, a musher will remove the tugline but will keep the neckline on. This allows the dog freedom of movement while still being secure.

Snowhook

The snowhook is the anchor that hold the dogsled and dog team back when the musher decides to stop along the trail. It is like the parking break for the dog team — though somewhat less reliable. It looks and works like a giant fishhook. Theoretically, the harder the team jerks on the snowhook the more the hook digs into the ground, thus securing the team. The reality of this, however, is that occasionally the team will pull hard enough that the snowhook will pop free.

Sled Dog Gear

Alaskan winters can see extreme temperatures. The better care we take of our sled dogs, the better care they will take of us when we are out on the trail. We use all sorts of different pieces of gear on our sled dogs to help them perform their jobs and to keep them healthy and safe.

Harnesses

Harnesses are sized according to the dog. There are several different styles of harness currently available for sled dogs. Every musher has their preference that they think is “the best” and results in the most pull and the least amount of injury. Here are some common harness types: X-back, H-back, Half-harness, and spreader bar harness. Different harnesses have things they do best. Spreader bar harnesses are thought to add more power whereas half-harnesses are believed by some mushers to result in fewer athletic injuries.

Booties

Booties come in multiple different sizes and most dogs wear one size on their front feet and a different size on their back feet. Whenever we are racing or training the dogs, whether in the fall or winter, you will almost always see the dogs in booties. The purpose of the booties is to help prevent the dogs from getting cuts on their feet or from having snow ball up between their toes.

These booties get replaced just about every run as they only last about 60-80 miles. On average, we go through about 4000-5000 booties a year. At 90+ cents apiece, our dogs spend more on footwear per year than we do! Some popular brands of booties are from dogbooties.com, Kipmik products, and Mountain Ridge.

Ensuring proper fit is important too. Booties that are too big are uncomfortable or may fall off while running. Booties that are too small may restrict blood flow. Because of the importance of booties play in protecting the feet of sled dogs, most mushers choose to remove the back dewclaws of their dogs when they are 2-3 days old. Having back dew claws can result in painful rubs.

Here is a great video Aliy Zirkle put together from 2010 talking about dog booties.

Dog Jacket

All dogs differ in their ability to tolerate the cold. Sled dogs are generally alaskan huskies, Siberian huskies, ormalamutes all have a double layer fur coat that helps keep them warm. Sled dogs prefer colder temperatures and generally don’t require help staying warm until temperatures are approximately -20F (-28C).

Dog jackets act as a track suit for our dogs. They wear them while they rest to help keep their muscles nice and warm and they also can wear them while they run. As fabric technology has developed, so too have our jackets. They are now generally sewn using windproof and waterproof material. Once bulky, they now are lightweight and compact — which is extremely helpful when packing a dogsled for a long distance endurance race.

Male Wrap

When it’s cold out our male sled dogs need help ensuring that they do not develop frostbite on their penis. A dog’s penis is normally protected by the penile sheath (the prepuce). Both the penis and penile sheath can get frostbite and prevention is a crucial component of good dog care. The development of frostbite in this area is extremely painful and requires immediate attention as it can develop into condition called paraphimosis. Paraphimosis is when the penis cannot go back into the sheath and can lead to further medical complications.

The best method of preventing frostbite is by using a male wrap, sometimes more commonly referred to as a “pecker protector” by mushers. Fur is often used because when dogs pee on it, it does not stick and ice up. Synthetic material may also be used if it is windproof and waterproof.  It is important that if males pee on the wrap that the urine does not stick to them so that ice does not build up. As mushers, we most constantly check the male wraps and “deice” them if necessary or put a new wrap on.

Males can develop frostbite even in moderate temperatures if there is a female in heat (a female capable of being bred) in the team. When females are in heat, the males may get excited and the penis will extend out of the sheath, making it more likely for them to develop frostbite. Mushers must be aware of this when they take their teams out into colder conditions. Sometimes, it may be easier to remove a female in heat from the team than to worry about the problems having her in the team may create.

Belly Wraps

Mushers also need to be careful with our females, especially those who have had pups, that they do not get frostbite on their teats as this is very uncomfortable and can be a reason a female could get dropped. So to help keep their undersides, where the dogs have less hair, we use belly wraps. Generally the belly wraps are made out of the same material as our dog jackets or are made out of fleece. Some dog jackets have belly wraps built in.

Leggings

Snow conditions vary wildly during the winter. In colder temperature, snow can be quite abrasive. When the dogs are running, the abrasive surface can cause our dogs to lose hair on the backs of their front legs. When a dog develops this, mushers may refer to it as “chicken leg.” The best course of action is always prevention. That, is where leggings come in. Leggings are wraps worn on the front legs of a dog. They may be made out of fleece or ripstop fabric and conditions may warrant the entire team to wear them or they may only be put on as needed.

Camping Gear

Straw

When out on the trail, straw is used as simple bedding for sled dogs. Straw is used to elevate the dogs off of the snow and ice and acts as a bed and insulator. Typically, races provide straw for mushers at checkpoints as it helps keeps dogs warm and improves their ability to rest and recover. Mushers can choose to use all the straw they are given or to keep some of it to carry further down the trail and to use outside of the checkpoint to camp remote. During the Iditarod, mushers are given one bale of straw per checkpoint.

Straw is also used to help insulate dog houses during the winter. Mushers typically put straw in houses and change it every one to two weeks.

Cooker

A cooker is used to melt snow to create water for the dogs. It consists of an outer pot or shell where fuel is put and the fire is made and an inner pot where snow is put to be melted. In mid and long distance dog sled racing, it is considered mandatory gear.

Zens Stoves provides the following summation on the cookstove musher’s use while on the trail.

The stove of choice for mushers is an alcohol stove running on yellow HEET methanol.  This type of stove has a simple design without any moving parts with good protection from the wind and cold.  It will dependably melt snow and heat up your meal in weather so cold that gas fuels will fail.  And without moving parts, your life doesn’t depend on how well you can maintain your stove when your fingers are frozen, your brain is numb and your eyes are blinded by the eternal darkness of winter concealed in a haze of a blizzard.

When camping with a dog team on the trail, mushers use the cooker to make water for the dogs and to melt meat. There are many different cooker styles in use today. Some cookers are square or rectangular while others are cylindrical. The goal in cooker design is to maximize the efficient heat transfer from the fire to the snow. The quicker the snow can melt into water and then boil, the faster a musher can feed their dogs. The quicker a dog team can eat, the quicker they can get to bed to begin digesting their food and recovering from the previous run. Cookers are meant to be very basic — we don’t want anything breaking out of the trail.

As a rule, most mushers do not put anything besides snow or water into their cooker. This is done as a safety precaution for both dogs and humans. In the event of an emergency, if a musher needs to use their cooker to make drinking water for themselves, they do not want it contaminated by raw meat. Additionally, using the cooker only for water ensures its cleanliness and helps limit the spread of bacteria.

In recent years, many mushers have tried adopting cookers that could be used while moving down the trail. Although these designs have seen some moderate success, their has yet to be a foolproof way to melt snow on a jostling sled thats going down the trail. When an approach is developed that is both safe and efficient, it will likely be a game-changer in the evolution of long distance endurance dog sled racing.

Cookers are not only used to prepare food for the sled dogs — they are also used to help prepare the food for the musher while out on the trail. Musher may eat either frozen or dehydrated meals out on the trail: frozen meals are reheated in the cooker as the water warms for the dogs and water bottles may be put in to heat up water for dehydrated meals.

Heet

HEET is the fuel source of choice for mushers and for dog sled races when out on the trail. HEET is usuallyused as a means of getting water out of the fuel line in vehicles during the cold winter months. It is an ideal fuel source because it is relatively easy to carry and is not effect by cold temperatures.

Generally mushers will carry this while they are camping or racing. Many races specify how many bottles of heet a musher must carry as mandatory gear because without it, a cooker is of little use.

https://youtu.be/rgPUpvTqqAA

Travel Dishes

Just like we have travel mugs, our dogs have special lightweight travel dishes. Most mushers use a heavyweight durable plastic dish that is stackable and easy to wash. When on long endurance races, mushers may swap out sets of dishes every few checkpoints to help ensure cleanliness.

Not every dog that enters an endurance sled dog race as part of a team ends up finishing. In fact, it is quite common for mushers to return or drop dogs from their teams. Events like the Iditarod have elaborate systems in place to help manage and care for drop dogs.

Endurance dog sled races are races that range from shorter 200-mile-long events to premier 1,000-mile-long events like the Iditarod Sled Dog Race and the Yukon Quest. Like any endurance sporting event, teams that compete must begin training months prior so that they are adequately prepared. Most dogs start in 200 to 300-mile events, like the Knik 200 Sled Dog Race or the Copper Basin 300,  when they are about 1.5 years old and will graduate to 1,000-mile races when they are older. Competitive racing kennels often have dogs complete their first 1000-mile race doing what is commonly referred to as a “puppy schedule.” This schedule is designed with lots of rest and is intentionally slower-paced.

The purpose of a puppy schedule is to show the dogs the race course at a low-key pace so that the following year, they can run competitively and know where they’re going. It’s like a marathon runner running their race route ahead of time or carrying a GPS so that they know where they at in the race. With this knowledge, athletes are able to pace themselves better.

During a mid or long-distance dog sled race, it is quite common to see the size of a dog team drop over the duration of a race.  Sled dogs are dropped during races for a number of reasons, but the predominant reason dogs are dropped has to do with the dynamics of working with a group of high-caliber athletes. When running sled dogs, a musher can only go as fast as the slowest team member. Even though all our athletes are at peak physical fitness, over the course of 1,000 miles small differences in athleticism are accentuated. When we cater our team’s speed to the slowest member, the dogs who are more athletic are not pushing themselves at that pace. If you normally run a 9-minute mile but decide to run with a group of your friends who are less athletic and only can do a 12-minute mile pace, you will find that your friends will likely tire quicker than you do. Something similar happens with our dogs. We cater to our slowest team members and when we eventually drop them, the remaining teammates are able to maintain speed or even travel a little faster.

It is an unfortunate misconception that sled dogs do not finish races because the race is too difficult or because the musher is pushing the team too hard. That is not the case at all! Mushers drop dogs because we are trying to work as efficiently as possible and because it is not always fair to keep all our teammates as part of the team. Peak performance for one athlete is different for another. As the coach of the team, our job is to help each athlete on our team reach their full potential. Good sled dog care requires dropping dogs.

As a musher, we do not devote our lives to raising and working with our dogs to push them beyond their abilities. Instead, we coach our dogs. Through our training and deep relationship with each individual canine athlete, we help each dog reach their full potential. Dropping dogs is a normal part of racing. When a dog is dropped it does not mean that dog has “failed” any more than it does when a player is subbed out of a soccer match — that player has contributed a valuable part to the team’s effort thus far. Any dog who is a part of the team, is part of the team’s success.

For an event like Iditarod, bigger dogs an play a valuable role during the first several hundred miles of the race as teams travel through several mountain ranges. These uphill climbs are hard and require strong dogs and bigger teams. These dogs provide valuable strength during this segment of trail, which may be tougher and slower going, but may not be as fast or nimble during flatter parts of the trail. These dogs, however, have provided power and have allowed some of their smaller teammates to do less work, keeping them more well-rested for later segments of the race. This is a very strategic set up that many dog teams use and is a common reason why we see team size drop after crossing the Alaska range; these bigger dogs have done their job and have put in their contribution to help their team and have allowed their faster teammates to be better rested.

Sled dogs may also be dropped from a team due to illness or injury. Although mushers work diligently to protect their dogs from getting sick, illness is an inevitable part of racing when so many dogs are brought together during racing. During the Iditarod, an average of 75 teams compete, each with 16 dogs — that’s 1200 sled dogs on the trail. During Iditarod, teams come from all over Alaska, a huge state, the lower 48, Canada, and Europe (primarily Norway). That’s a lot of ground! Inevitably some dogs carry bugs that other dogs have not been exposed to. The result is that some dogs get sick. This is no different than when kids first go to kindergarten or preschool; they are exposed to new things and illness results. If a sled dog does not feel well, we drop it from the team. Illness can be determined by behavioral changes, such as not eating or a lethargic attitude or by external signs such as diarrhea or vomiting. A vet is consulted and, if needed, the dog is removed from the team where it will receive the necessary medical treatment.

In order to help protect our dogs from illness, our dogs do a number of races and train in popular areas for mushing to increase their exposure to other sled dogs. We do this to help our dogs build immunity to different bugs and viruses. In order to participate in dog sled races, all sled dogs also must follow a strict vaccination protocol. Vaccination records are checked by a team of veterinarians before the start of each race. Regular deworming is also done to help ensure the health of our dogs. On top of these standard practices, racing sled dogs are also given probiotics as well as various vitamin supplements to help boost their immune system and help improve athletic performance.

Additionally, racing standards for Iditarod include even more measures to help protect our dogs: dogs must undergo ECG’s and bloodwork to ensure that they have no underlying heart or medical conditions. Despite these precautions, dogs still develop illnesses and get sick. When this occurs, dogs are dropped from the race.

Dogs may also be dropped from a dog sled team due to injury. Injuries are an inevitable part of any sports competition. Our goal as mushers is always to minimize injuries to our dogs. This is done by building a training regimen that helps prepare our dogs for the race they will be doing. We start dogs out by running short mileage and building up their muscles and endurance over time. During the summer months, we do “weight lift training” when we operate our summer dog sled tours. Our first goal in our dog care is always injury avoidance. This is done through preventative gear, knowing the dogs, and being able to read trail conditions and pace the team accordingly, as well as by following a “warm up” and a “cool down” procedure.

We use various pieces of equipment to help our dogs give great performances out on the trail. After all, the better care we take of our dogs, the better they will be able to run and compete. The most important piece of gear for injury prevention is our dog booties. Dog booties are the running shoes of the dog sled world. They are made out of cordura nylon. We put them on over our dogs’ paws to protect them from getting cuts from ice or rock and it also helps prevent snow from balling up in between their toes.

Dog booties traditionally come in four sizes: small, medium, large, and extra-large. Because the front feet and the back feet of a sled dog vary widely, some dogs may wear two different sizes of booties. Like any running shoe, dog booties aren’t designed to last forever. In fact, most dog booties only last one run before they start to develop wear and tear. When we race our dogs, we always put booties on before a run and we take them off when it is time for the dogs to rest. Just like humans, dogs don’t enjoy wearing their shoes to bed! When it is time to run again, we put on a brand new set of booties. During the course of a training and racing season, our kennel of 50 sled dogs goes through about 8,000 dog booties. These booties cost approximately $1 to $1.25 each and are one of the biggest expenses of running a kennel outside of dog food.

When we have decided to rest the team, we then have other gear that we use on the dogs to help their muscles recover. When the team stops, we put out straw to elevate them off the snow so that they stay warmer. We use jackets to also ensure that the dogs stay warm. We put heat, in the form of hand warmers, on dogs who are more likely to develop injuries or who may have minor inflammation. This is no different than what we do as human athletes. Mushers will then go through their team and rub down their dogs using dog massage oil, helping the dogs stretch and relax. When it is time to go again, we booty our dogs and we make sure the dogs ease into their run, rather than starting off at a fast pace. Like humans, dogs also need their muscles to properly warm up.

Injuries typically result from bad trail conditions or, like in human athletes, may be the result of overuse. Fresh snow, which creates harder pulling conditions, often results in more injuries as the snow is punchy and has no base. In these conditions, it’s more likely to see shoulder injuries develop as a result of a dog misstepping. Hard-pack or icy trails allow teams to travel faster but the firmer trail creates more impact and can result in more wrist injuries. Older dogs, near the end of their career, are more likely to develop stiffness and soreness than young dogs who are in their physical primer. As mushers, we are aware of how different trail conditions will affect each of our dogs: that’s why some dogs will get longer massages or will get wrist wraps whereas others don’t.

Finally, sometimes mushers choose to drop dogs because of something they as a musher just “feel in their gut.” As a musher, you can’t say the exact reason as to why you are dropping a dog  — the dog isn’t injured or sick and is performing fine — but it’s a gut feeling and, as a musher, you learn to trust that instinct. It is that instinct that helps us succeed as outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen.

Often, when explaining why dogs are dropped from dog sled races, a common question we are asked is: why are the dogs not replaced? There are three reasons why we don’t replace dogs with other dogs when they have been dropped. The first is that endurance racing is about the endurance of the entire team; replacing a dog with another dog would go directly against this basic premise.  Although some mushers may choose to carry dogs in their sled for an extended period of time, the other dogs in the team are having to work harder to pull the extra weight.

The second reason we don’t replace dogs is that it really is not feasible. Many of our long-distance races are run in remote parts of Alaska; staging dogs would be an enormous feat and very expensive. In order to get “replacement” dogs out along the trail, we would have to fly them in via bush plane and then they would have to be properly cared for by handlers or volunteers until we decided that we wanted to use that dog. This does not seem very practical!

Finally, we don’t replace dogs because having to maintain your team for the entirety of the race is one of the measures that help ensure that mushers give their dogs quality care and that mushers run their dogs correctly. If teams could swap out their dogs, inexperienced mushers or those too focused on winning would just constantly replace their dogs. Endurance dog sled racing is an event that combines the skills of dog training and coaching with the need for excellent dog care: to excel at endurance racing requires that a kennel be completely focused on the well-being of its dogs.

In a long-distance race such as the 1000-mile-long Iditarod, it is typical to see the top-placing dog teams finish with fewer dogs than teams running less competitively. This is because in order to compete at the highest level of athleticism, not only does each dog need to be at the same fitness level but the musher driving the team also needs to be completely confident in each dog’s ability to make it to the next checkpoint. If a dog shows any potential signs of injury, illness, or fatigue, that dog will be dropped immediately because that dog is more of a liability. A team trying to come in first does not want to have to unexpectedly carry a dog in their sled or stop: this would lead to slower traveling times and allow competition to catch them. Teams that are less competitive, can afford to carry dogs or stop and camp if a dog gets tired.

Finally, it’s important to remember that team size is not indicative of dog care. Teams that have shrunk in size have done so because their mushers recognized that dogs needed to be dropped or due to bad luck. Large teams may be large because of good dog care practices and a good training regiment. Smaller teams may also be more “picky” about who they keep in their team than larger teams.

Without proper knowledge of the sport, it is easy to see the shrinking of a dog sled team over the course of the race as something negative. When we learn more about the reasons and motives behind dropping dogs, however, we understand that it is a very positive thing. Dropping dogs is an important part of the racing strategy and part of having good dog care.

One of the things people are most curious about when they come to visit our kennel in the summer time is how we move our dogs. This curiosity is something that many newer fans to the sport of dog mushing. How does one move a team of sled dogs? Obviously, moving a team of dogs takes lot of careful consideration and planning.

In order to operate various tours, train our dogs and go to different dog sled races, we employ several different methods of transportation. Our sled dogs obviously travel a lot under their own power but did you know that they also rack up their fair share of both road and sky miles? Here’s a look at some of our most common transportation methods for moving our dogs.

Transporting Sled Dogs In The Back Seat Of The Truck

Believe it or not, our sled dogs are just as happy as your pet dog to ride in the back seat of our truck — the only difference is that instead of one dog we may have as many as seven dogs. In fact, I’ve heard that an Iditarod musher showed up with his whole team in the back of a suburban — though that may just be a rumor. Regardless, sled dogs travel well in the back of the truck together because they are well socialized with one another and spend lots of time together.

While this method of travel isn’t always ideal for long road trips or for keeping the truck clean, it is an easy method of moving dogs and can be quite entertaining. Our dogs are very well behaved when loose in a vehicle and often find a place to curl up. When the dogs are loose in the back of the truck, it’s always hilarious pulling into the kennel because the dogs know that they are home and they all want to look out the window — especially if they still have other team mates in the yard. When there are six or seven dogs loose, they climb over each other so they can all see. The truck usually ends up with more than its fair share of dog hair and nose smudges on the windows! 

Using Dog Trucks To Move Sled Dogs

Most mushers employ specifically designed vehicles to transport sled dogs long distances safely. Depending on the size of the truck and how it is configured will determine the number of dogs the dog truck can take. A dog truck has several dog boxes, or individual cubbies that the dogs ride in. Depending on the size of the box and the size of the dogs, the dogs may ride two to a compartment. A dog box may replace a truck bed, making it capable of holding as many as twenty four dogs, or it may rest on top of the truck bed and will likely only hold eight or ten dogs.

Dog boxes are a great way for the dogs to travel because the dogs are easily secure and because they can stay warm even in cold temperatures.

Making custom dog boxes is an expensive and lengthy process. If it replaces the truck bed, it is also a commitment to the truck. Dog trucks are common to see at the start of races or in popular training areas.

Dog boxes where dogs are loaded externally are more common than boxes where the dogs are loaded internally. This is simply because it is much quicker to load and unload external boxes. Internal boxes, however, are quite useful in harsh environments; internally loaded dog boxes, it is thought, are generally warmer due to the combined body heat of the sled dogs.

Depending on the musher’s needs and how much they travel they may have either diesel or gas engines. Regardless of engine style used, many trucks use modified exhaust systems and piping to keep the vehicle’s fumes away from the dogs.

Trailer

While dog trucks are great, not everyone wants or is able to convert their truck. Truck beds are useful for hauling things like dogsleds or dog food and many mushers are not interested in giving up that ability. In order to travel with their dogs then, many mushers therefore employ custom trailers to help haul their dogs. This way, they can still use their truck as a truck!

Trailers can either be loaded from the outside or loaded from the inside. Trailers loaded from the outside are much more efficient as it can take considerable time walking individual dogs in and out of trailer.

We have employed two different styles of trailers in our kennel in the past depending on how many dogs we need to haul.

On short trips, we have employed a two place snow machine trailer outfitted with custom boxes. The center of the trailer remains open so we can put a fourwheeler or a dog sled on the middle. This is a quick way for one team to quickly get out onto new trails.

We also have a large 24′ enclosed trailer that has dog boxes built inside. This particular trailer keeps our dogs out of the elements and can be used on extended road trips. Before we had property in Willow, our dogs spent a lot of time on the road so we felt it was important that they were protected. Because it is enclosed, we can also use it during cold spells to bring our dogs in to a warmer environment.

This trailer holds 33 dogs — that’s over half our kennel just in dog boxes. We can even use dog crate to accommodate more team members. When the trailer is full, the body heat left off by the dogs, combined with the straw in their boxes, quickly warms the area and creates a nice cozy environment for the dogs to rest and relax in.

The dry storage of a trailer is also nice when heading to races; our sleds and gear do not get wet riding on top of the truck and we are able to store plenty of dog food.

Bush Planes

Utilizing small aircraft is important in many dog sled races, including the 1000 mile long Iditarod sled dog race. Without the use of small planes to transport sled dogs out of remote checkpoints, many races would not be able to run as effectively. Dog sled racing is great because it takes us to remote places and we are able to do that, in part, because bush planes are used as a means of transporting sled dogs who are, for whatever reason, incapable of continuing on.

During the Iditarod, a volunteer plane crew called the Iditarod Airforce helps with the logistics and flying of any dropped sled dogs. This volunteer crew is vital to the race as it allows mushers to drop dogs who can no longer compete. According to the Iditarod Air Force their “31 volunteer pilots collectively bring 743 years and 420,000 hours of flying experience” and “will fly over 537 dropped and scratched dogs back to Anchorage or one of the [race] hubs.” These amazing volunteers also fly the majority of the musher’s drop bags into the checkpoints too!

For our sled dogs to fly in bush planes, we must provide cable necklines which will be used to secure the dogs during flight. The dogs are secured so that they do no cause problems. The number of dogs taken per flight depends on the size of the plane and if any other cargo or personnel has to be carried. Because of this, mushers are required by the Iditarod rules to carry enough cable necklines for their entire team. This is so that if the team withdraws at any point all the dogs can be safely transported. No one wants a loose dog on an aircraft!

Smaller races may also use bush planes to transport dogs out of remote checkpoints, although it is less common as it is very expensive.

Commercial Airplane

Sled dogs may travel on commercial airlines as a team or individually. Individual dog travel is usually to accompany a musher on a speaking engagement or for personal travel but may also be for re-homing. Many mushers find retirement homes for their sled dogs all over the country where these hard working athletes will get to rest, relax, and enjoy their twilight years. Interested? Learn more about our sled dog retirement program.

Teams will travel together to go to races or to get home from races. Whether you are going to a race or coming home from a race, doesn’t matter — the traveling process is still the same. Each dog must have it’s own airline kennel for transport. In general, we assemble our airline kennels with zip ties because it is easy to assemble and quick to disassemble upon arrival.

In Nome, after Iditarod, we’ve had the opportunity to watch our dogs “get packaged” for transportation several times. After each dog is put in his/her own dog crate, the crates are then loaded four to a pallet with two crates on the bottom and two stacked on top. After this is done, a massive roll of syran wrap is used to go around all the crates securing them together and to the pallet multiple times. This prevents the crates from moving during flight and allows the airline company to use a forklift to move the pallets. It’s a very interesting process to watch and the dogs do not mind at all. In fact, because of all the different ways our dogs routinely travel, it doesn’t even seem to phase them!

Helicopter

In order to get to Godwin glacier in Seward, Alaska where we give glacier dog sledding tours from May through September, our dogs must fly in a helicopter. In order to safely transport our dogs in the helicopter, they generally fly in a custom built crate that can hold several dogs for a short flight.

When we are only transporting a single dog, we often hold the dog and clip it in with a neckline. Believe it or not, many of our dogs  enjoy flying. Max, the kennel mascot, especially loves flying as he knows it means a quick trip to visit his friends and visit snow.

How we transport dogs While Mushing

Mushers also must be able to carry a dog or dogs when they are out training or racing. Typically, mushers will leave enough room in their sled to hold a dog; if they do not have room, they will have to make it. This can be done by strapping gear to the outside of the sled. Many mushers may also use trailers specifically designed for carrying dogs or may use a trailer to carry gear so that dogs may be carried in the main part of the sled.

Why Moving Sled Dogs Is Important

Being able to move a team of sled dogs allows us to train in different places and attend races. Taking our dogs to new terrain keeps them interested, allows us to experience new trails, and enjoy different challenges. Racing provides a framework for our training; it gives us a goal to achieve. Even if a musher is not striving to “win” the race, they are trying to improve their team.

In the summer, being able to transport our sled dogs allows us to run tours in unique environments such as on glaciers or in Southeast, Alaska where there is lots of cruise ship tourism but where mushers do not typically live. This allows many people to experience dog sledding for themselves while also providing an income for mushers and exercise for the dogs; it’s a win-win-win!

Our ability to transport our team also ensures that we can keep our dogs safe in the event of a natural disaster. Every kennel should have an evacuation procedure in the event of wildlife fires or flooding. We have experienced flooding in our kennel and have had to evacuate our dogs to ensure their safety.

A great lead dog a crucial component to having a great dog team. A lead dog is the dog or pair of dogs at the very front of a dog team who listens to the musher’s commands and helps guide the team down the trail. Although a musher should always retain control of a dog team, the lead dog is the key ingredient to success. That is why they are often the most well-known dogs in a team or kennel and why many races choose to honor their contribution through various awards like the Golden Harness award in Iditarod, which usually goes to the winning lead dogs.

There are many famous lead dogs, like Togo and Batlo from the 1925 serum run. These lead dogs helped bring crucial medicine to the village of Nome during a notorious blizzard thus saving countless lives. Then there are the famous lead dogs of Iditarod racers such as Granite, who belonged to Susan Butcher and Zorro who belonged to Lance Mackey. More recent famous lead dogs include Brent Sass‘ dog Silver, who did such an amazing job helping not only his team but other teams over a notorious stretch of trail in the Yukon Quest not just one year but multiple years that they named an award after him.

Great lead dogs have taught us a number of things about what it takes to be a truly successful person. It doesn’t matter the circumstances surrounding them, great lead dogs simply figure out a way to get their job done through a combination of focus, determination, and readiness. There is a lot to be learned from a determined lead dog who will stop at nothing to conquer the trail.

Focus on the Task At Hand

A great lead dog does not get distracted but remains focused on leading their team down the trail. It doesn’t matter if the team is traveling down the crowded streets of downtown Anchorage during the ceremonial start of Iditarod, if they are passing a team that is camped along the side of the trail, or if there are a bunch of camera men in their faces shooting a scene for a television show: a great lead dog will ignore these distractions and continue down the trail.

Successful people identify the tasks they need to accomplish in order to achieve a goal and they get them done. They do not make excuses or get distracted. They are able to keep their end goal in mind and focus on the tasks that will help them get closer to achieving their goal. By clearly identifying their goal, they are able to achieve it despite distractions.

Get Excited By Challenges

Any lead dog can run down a good trail but great lead dogs handle adverse conditions very differently. When the going gets tough, a great lead dog digs deep and gets going. They find challenges such as storms or wind-blown trail exciting. Great lead dogs thrive in adverse conditions. Rather than getting frustrated, a great lead dog enjoys a difficult trail because it challenges them.

Maintain A Spirit Of Optimism

A great lead dog stays enthusiastic about their job. Whether they show that optimism by barking and screaming, shouting their excitement or in their willingness to simply get up and go after only a short rest. A great lead dog never loses faith regardless of circumstances.

Develop Deep Bonds

Because of the intensity of training required to be a lead dog, lead dogs often form some of the deepest bonds with their musher. Their musher relies heavily upon them in times of need and they in turn rely on their musher to take care of them. The bond between musher and lead dog is that of profound trust and respect. Great lead dogs know that their mushers will take care of them — it’s what helps see them steadily through the toughest of trails. They know that their musher will ultimately do right by them and care for them.

Do More Than What’s Asked Of

A great lead dog somehow always manages to do more than what’s expected of them. Whether it’s fearlessly leading their team through a fierce blizzard or running up front for the entirety of a race, a great lead dog somehow never ceases to impress. They always find a way.

We have learned a lot about what it means to be successful because of the drive and devotion our sled dogs show us. They never cease to amaze us; our great dogs have turned us into better humans.

Our shared language with our sled dogs plays an important role in how our dog team performs. Having uniform commands across the sport of dog sledding allows dogs to fit more easily into a new team or training routine. Today’s mushing terminology is the same throughout the english speaking world.

A musher relies on the quality of her dog training to get her and her team safely down the trail. Unlike horse drivers, mushers do not have reins. Everything sled dogs do is by verbal command. Although dog sleds come fully equipped with brakes, if a dog team does not want to listen to the verbal cue to stop the team (“whoa”), the team, in all likelihood, will continue down the trail.

Because a musher’s only control of the team is verbally, the dogs responsible for interpreting these verbal commands play a vital role in the team’s success. The sled dog or, more often, pair of dogs at the very front of the dog team are in charge of listening to the mushers commands. These dogs are called lead dogs. The lead dogs not only have to correctly interpret the mushers commands but they are also responsible for keeping the team in a line formation in front of the sled. The lead dogs are taught to stay at the front because if they turn around massive tangles of the various lines used to connect the dogs to the sled can occur.  Because of the importance holding the team out takes, teaching a lead dog how to stay is extremely important. After a lead dog has mastered stay, it’s time to work on the rest of the commands! It takes lots of time and patience to train new lead dogs.

Commands Every Sled Dog Knows

There are several commands that every dog on the team must know in order for the team to perform as a unit. These commands are relatively basic and refer to the stopping and starting of the dog team. In general, the dogs learn this during their first several runs when they mature out of puppyhood and begin running with the team.  When our young dogs begin running for the first time they are hooked up along side some of our older dogs who can show them the ropes. They also help them learn these very basic commands. The commands every sled dog should know are “Ready,” “Alright,” and “Whoa.”

Ready & Alright

Ready is the command to tell the dogs to get ready to run. It is used any time the dogs have stopped and are about to resume running. This alerts the dogs to pay attention, detangle themselves if necessary, and prepare to head down the trail. Ready is shortly followed by “alright” which is the dogs signifier that it is time to run.

In our kennel we try to teach our sled dogs to be more or less quiet while we hook them up. They must contain themselves quietly because a team of dogs, quite frankly, can be deafening. “Ready” is our cue to the team that they are allowed to make noise before we run. Doing this allows us to maintain more control of our team during the hook up process.

Ready is also used if the team stops for a quick break on the trail — to eat a snack, drink water, or if the musher has to fix something. By telling the dogs ready, they know to alert themselves so that when the musher says “alright” a dog is not caught unaware and pulled by his teammates.

We teach the dogs ready and alright through sheer repetition. The dogs learn that “ready” means they are about to run and that “alright” is the signal to go. More often than not, a musher is actually holding their dogs back preventing them from running; saying alright is the command that says “I’m getting off the brake, you can run now!” though a well trained and well traveled team will not move until the command has officially been given.

Whoa

Whoa is the command we use to stop the dogs and it seems like it’s the hardest command to get them to do sometimes. All season long we work with the dogs so that when we say “whoa,” they stop. Sixteen dogs is an unbelievable amount of power – we want to make sure they listen. This command, believe it or not, can take a lot more work for the dogs to obey because sled dogs want to run.

Selecting Lead Dog Training Candidates

Lead dogs are an essential component to a good dog team. Without lead dogs that are well trained, even a short training run is likely to end in disaster. Because good lead dogs are the foundation of a well disciplined team, a lot of consideration needs to go into selecting good candidate for training. Training a new lead dog is a continual process and requires a lot of commitment and patience from both the trainee and the musher.

We often look for the Three A’s in prospective lead dog candidates — these are: athleticism, attitude, and aptitude. Athleticism is important because the lead dog sets the pace of the team so naturally a dog that sets a quick pace is ideal. Attitude is essential because the attitude of the lead dogs is like an electric current — it travels down the team. Lead dogs are often like the captains of a team, providing the boost of confidence or surge of energy when the team needs it most. Finally, aptitude or a dog’s natural ability to lead and to learn to lead is important because it can cut down dramatically on training time. Believe it or not, we have found that when we breed two lead dogs together, the pups produced are also likely to be lead dogs.

Working with new lead dogs is a continual process in many kennels that happens throughout the year as mushers work with dogs and help them develop as athletes. Training lead dogs never really stops as there are always new experiences to work through, obstacles to overcome, and things we learn about each other.

Commands The Lead Dogs Should Know

In order to graduate from training and to be considered a lead dog, a sled dog must have successfully mastered their duties as a lead dog as well as several commands. Lead dogs must hold the line out whenever the team is being hooked up or unhooked and also when the team stops. This is the single most important thing a lead dog does. If a dog knows all the directional commands but cannot reliably stay up front and hold the team out then that dog is not a lead dog!

We have several directional commands that lead dogs must know: Gee, Haw, and Straight Ahead.

Gee

Gee means “Go Right.” This command can be used at a trail fork or on an open area of land to better direct the team. A lot of people are curious about the etymology of our commands.  The first known uses of the word “gee” come from Scotland during the 1620s.

Haw

Go left. This command can be used at a trail fork or on an open area of land to better direct the team. Haw, as a command word, was first used in 1777 but its exact origins are unclear.

Straight Ahead

This means don’t deviate! Keep going straight! This command could be used at an intersection or while traveling down a river to get the leaders to stop zig-zagging. It can also be used as a way to say “hey don’t pay attention to that thing on the side of the trail, keep going!”

Training Mushing Commands

Once we have selected candidates, we generally begin incorporating lead dog trainees into the swing dog position, this position is directly behind the lead dogs. A swing dog can watch and learn as the lead dog responds to a command and, if they are sharp, will begin to pick up on what those commands are. After several successful runs in the swing position, we generally begin putting a lead dog trainee up front with a well trained tried-and-true lead dog.  This pairing allows the trainee an easier transition and also tests our older lead dogs: will our older lead dogs help the young dog paired next to them learn the mushing commands or will they be led astray? If you have selected a good, confident, older leader than you should not have any problems hooking up a young rookie leader to a tried and true veteran leader.

We actually use our dog sled tours to help train lead dogs as we have found it is the perfect opportunity for a young dog to learn: they get to run up in front of the team but are not up there for too long.  The trails we use for our summer dog sled tour are specifically designed to encourage our dogs to learn their directional commands. We love this approach as it creates a very interactive tour dynamic and allows us to show what we love — training dogs — instead of just taking people for a quick ride. Learning how to be a lead dog requires a lot of mental focus so utilizing shorter runs is less stressful on our dogs. It is also less stressful on the older dog who is teaching the younger dog how to behave.

We have found these short session are a wonderful training tool as we do not overwhelm our lead dogs. With several tours a day we have lots of opportunities to work with different lead dogs per day. Our trainees may have one or two training sessions per day, day after day. The brevity of our runs, under two miles, but the fact that they are done day after day, really helps our dogs learn. It is also very exciting for our guests to watch and be a part of a real training exercise. We enjoy running our tours far more because our dogs are not just moving, they are also learning.

Training is very simple; when the lead dogs get a command right we continue on down the trail. If the lead dogs do not get the command right then we stop. We do not use the “Whoa” command in this instance. Because our sled dogs love what they do, letting them do it is the positive reinforcement alongside our praise. When they are forced to stop running because of an error, that is actually a punishment. We do not need to use food to train our dogs; letting them do the work they were bred for is enough. Our job, in training, is simply to harness the desire to run and channel that love as our best training tool

When we transition out of our tour season, we begin fine tuning our lead dog training through the use of ATV training in the fall. The ATV is a wonderful training tool because when our lead dogs correctly interpret a command we can give the machine a little bit of gas, allowing the dogs to run faster, which is positive feedback to the dogs. If the dogs get the command wrong, we use the brake and work with the team until they figure it out.

Usually at this point in the season our lead dog trainees have done many runs with an older partner. We have watched the lead dog trainee develop and have watched their progression from being pulled by their partner to the correct side when a command is given to correctly interpreting the command on their own.

At this point in the season, it is time to let the lead dog trainee run on their own. This is exciting because we can truly see how much our dogs have learned over the summer. Sometimes without the older dog present to give them confidence, our young dogs may falter despite knowing their commands. This is why using something like the ATV is very helpful; we can give very quick feedback to our dogs.

If a lead dog struggles with understanding a command, for example when we say “Haw” but they are not going to the left, we may employ pointing if the lead dog looks back in confusion. Thousands of years of domestication and selective breeding have given dogs the unique ability to understand human gestures.

Finally, as a last resort we may have to stop the team, ensure our brakes are set, and physically move the dogs to the left/right depending on the command we have given them. This is not ideal but can be necessary during the first few times a dog is running in lead. It is always important to use lots of praise and repeat the command.

Lead Dogs Never Stop Learning

One of the greatest joys of mushing is working with our dogs from the day they are born. Watching an individual athlete’s progression is truly satisfying. As a musher, our job teaching our dogs never ends. Because our sled dogs are capable of error and learning bad habits, any time we hook them up is a training and teaching exercise — though more often than not, it seems, the learning is done by the musher. Whether we are out on a training run or leading a tour, it is always important that our dogs perform their job.

As a musher, our job is to bring out the best in our dogs and in return our dogs bring out the best in us.