DOG SLEDDING TERMINOLOGY: A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF MUSHING WORDS & LINGO

Commands

• Hike!: Command to get the team moving or to increase their speed.
• Gee!: Command for the team to turn right.
• Haw!: Command for the team to turn left.
• Easy!: Command to slow down the team.
• Straight Ahead!: Command to continue moving forward, especially at trail intersections.
• Whoa!: Command to stop the team.
• On By!: Command to pass another team or distraction.
• Line Out!: Command to the lead dog to pull the team out straight from the sled, used when stopped to avoid tangling.

Sled Components

• Basket: The main body of the sled where passengers or gear are carried.
• Bed or Cargo Bed: The floor of the basket.
• Bridle: A harness made of poly rope that attaches to various points on the sled to distribute the pull evenly and avoid stress on any single point. The gangline attaches to the bridle.
• Brush Bow/Brush Bar: The curved piece at the front of the sled designed to prevent brush from damaging the sled and to act as a bumper.
• Drag or Drag Mat: A rectangular rubber piece, often made from old snowmachine tracks, attached to the sled to control speed by applying foot pressure.
• Driving Bow or Handlebar: The handle that the musher holds onto to steer the sled.
• Foot Boards: Areas on the runners where the musher stands, often covered with a non-slip surface.
• Gee Pole: A pole attached to the front of the freight sled to help the musher steer while walking on snowshoes or riding an Ouija board.
• Runners: The two bottom pieces of the sled that make contact with the snow, usually covered with plastic or Teflon to reduce friction.
• Side Rails: Support structures along the sides of the sled that hold up the bed.
• Stanchions: Upright pieces that attach the runners to the sled body.
• Slats: Thin strips of wood that form the bottom of a wooden sled basket. Toboggan sleds use a plastic sheet instead.
• Sled Bag: A bag on the sled’s bed used for storing items.

Harness and Rigging

• Booties: Fabric slippers worn by dogs to prevent ice from forming between their toes, made of materials like fleece or Cordura and secured with Velcro.
• Harness: A webbing of fabric (usually nylon and fleece) that fits around a dog's body and attaches to the tugline.
• Gangline: The main line that connects the dogs to the sled, running down the center of the team and attaching to the sled via the bridle.
• Neckline: Short lines that keep the dogs aligned, connecting their collars to the gangline or between the collars of double lead dogs.
• Tuglines: Lines that connect the back end of the dog’s harness to the gangline.

Dog Team Positions

• Lead Dogs: Positioned at the front of the team, these dogs guide the team and respond to the musher’s commands. They need to be highly intelligent and responsive. Lead dogs can be run as a single lead (one dog) or double lead (two dogs).
• Loose Leader: A lead dog that runs free of the team while still guiding and responding to commands, typically only used historically or in training.
• Swing/Point Dogs: Positioned behind the Lead Dogs. Swing Dogs help the team turn and guide the team through curves. They are crucial for transitioning the team smoothly from one direction to another.
• Team Dogs: The general term for all dogs in the team other than the Lead Dogs, Swing Dogs, and Wheel Dogs. They contribute to the overall pulling effort but don’t have specific positional responsibilities.
• Wheel Dogs: Located closest to the sled and directly in front of the musher. Good wheel dogs will run know to run wider on turns.

Race Terms

• Distance Race: A multi-day race covering up to 1000 miles, involving wilderness camping and challenging conditions (e.g., Iditarod, Yukon Quest).
• Mid-distance Race: A multi-day race covering 200 to 300 miles, involving wilderness camping and tough conditions (e.g., Knik 200, Copper Basin 300).
• Sprint Race: A short-distance race, either single-day or multi-day with various short distances, culminating in a final race time (e.g., North American Sled Dog Races, Fur Rendezvous Races).

Weather Terms

• Blizzard: A severe snowstorm with strong winds and low visibility, making travel difficult or dangerous.
• Cold Snap: A sudden and brief period of extremely cold temperatures, often following a warmer period.
• Drift: Accumulated snow formed by wind, creating snowbanks or deep snow drifts on trails.
• Flurries: Light, brief snowfall with little accumulation, often occurring sporadically.
• Freezing Rain: Rain that falls while temperatures are below freezing, leading to ice accumulation on surfaces.
• Ice Fog: A fog that forms when water droplets freeze into tiny ice crystals in very cold temperatures, reducing visibility.
• Glare Ice: ice that has a smooth slippery glassy surface.
• Ground Storm: a weather condition that occurs when strong winds lift and blow loose snow or ice on the ground.
• Powder Snow: Light, dry, and fluffy snow that is ideal for sledding but can be challenging to navigate if too deep.
• Overflow: Water on top of a frozen surface that can be a hazard on the trail.
• Snowpack: The layer of snow that accumulates on the ground, which can vary in depth and density depending on weather conditions.
• Whiteout: A weather condition where visibility is severely reduced due to snow and wind, causing the landscape to blend into the sky.

Additional Terms

• Crabbing: When a dog's hindquarters pull outward at an angle rather than parallel to the gangline, which may indicate discomfort or fatigue.
• Pedaling: Using one foot to push off the ground while keeping the other on the sled to provide extra momentum.
• Snow Hook: A large metal hook used to anchor the sled team in firm snow.
• Snub Line: A rope used to tie the gangline or bridle to a tree when the snow is not firm enough for a snow hook.
• Toboggan: A sled with a flat bottom used in deep, soft snow conditions.
• Ouija Boards: Small boards used instead of skis or snowshoes for musher to steer a heavily loaded sled, floating on top of snow like a modern snowboard.
• Rough Locks: Chains wrapped around the runners on steep downhills to slow the sled down.
• Dog Barn: A traditional structure for housing sled dogs overnight.
• Dog Box: A wooden carrier for transporting multiple dogs, often seen in pickup trucks.
• Dog Yard: An area where dogs live, typically with individual doghouses and tethers, sometimes enclosed by a fence.
• Handler: A person who assists the musher, usually during a race or in the dog yard.
• Musher: The person who drives and manages the sled dog team, also called a dog driver.
• Rookie: A musher running a race for the first time or who has never completed the race.