Some technical stuff about mushing

You can hardly talk about the sport of sled dog racing without using some of the terms and lingo that is used. It's no different than football or golf--you need to understand about touch downs and tackles,  par scores and birdies and holes-in-one! So let me cover a bit of the gear and terms.

Lets start with the gang line. This is the line--usually a steel cable about 1/4" in diameter--which

Gang line connection to vehicle

attaches to the  sled, the ATV, the snow machine or whatever the dogs are going to pull., From here on I will just say "vehicle." It is critical and the linkage must be secure. My hostess, because of her background with sailing, knows a lot of knots and hitches which some mushers may not use. She also is ultra careful and cautious about things being secure! However I think most mushers border on being anal about these critical things! Any break or problem can get serious very fast.

Anyway, we have the gang line, long enough to spread out however many pairs or single dogs you intend to hitch. It is stretched out and you check the linking lines that they are secure and  not damaged. Now we get a dog--some mushers hook up the wheelers (the pair right in front of the vehicle) first and others start with the leader(s) who will be at the farthest end of the gangline. Most use a common kind of harness that forms Xs down the dog's back. You can see this well in the final shot. The front part fits much like a simple harness such as I put on my little red dog to walk him--there is a chest strap and one under the belly just behind the front legs that link at the withers (crest of shoulders on the back). Then the rest extends down the animal's back and ideally ends with the loop right at the root of the dog's tail. Harnesses come in several sizes and are identified by the color of the link line at the rear. This is where the harness is linked to the gang line. Often there is a second line linking the dog's collar to the gang line as well.

Training ATV with gang line

If you are using a sled, you need to set your "snow hook" and probably also tie securely to an immoveable object while you harness up. These dogs are raring to go and you don't want them to take off without you. They will if they get a chance! The snow hook is a kind of bent fork on the end of a short line to fall just behind the sled. It has steel prongs that dig into the snow to serve as an anchor. On ice or bare ground it is not very effective, though. Now remember, driving a dog team is like driving the famous Twenty Mule hitch--with no reins!!! You have little to actually control the dogs beyond your voice and the training you have built to instill obedience to various commands to go, stop, turn etc. Actually, well trained dogs are incredibly obedient!

A dog about to be harnessed

Finally you have all the dogs hitched and double check all the links and connections. Now it is time to go! You untie your anchors, and you'd better be ready to roll! The dogs may wait for the signal--and you hope they do. Something like, "All right. Let's Go." And they are off. You yell "gee" for a right turn and "ha" (haw) for a left turn. Probably have to repeat each command two or three times to get their attention but good leaders are attentive to this and respond quickly. The rest of the team follows. To stop you yell "whoa" just like for horses and apply whatever brakes you are using. If they have had a chance to run that first edge of energy off, they probably will halt without too much fuss.

They want to sniff, maybe lick snow or ice if there is some, pee and even rest just a wee bit. They are dogs, after all, with most of the traits our familiar pets have. If you did your preps right, everything works smoothly and you have a great run out on the trails. It is invigorating and addictive--watching those flagging tails and hurrying feet as the brush country flies by. No, it is not car speed but about like a trotting horse--enough to stir a breeze on a still day.  And an afterthought--these dogs truly love to go and those left behind set up a howl of protest while the lucky ones are screaming and leaping while you harness all of them up.

The end result--team hitched and taking a break