Terminology

The most common commands for a dog team are:

• Hike!: Get moving. To start a team or increase speed of a moving team.  
• Gee!: Turn to the right.
• Haw!: Turn to the left.
• Easy!: Slow down.
• Straight Ahead!: move forward, for instance at an intersection of trails.
• Whoa!: Stop.
• On By!: Pass another team or other distraction.
• Line Out! Command to the Lead Dog to tighten the Gangline and pull the team out straight from the sled. Used while stopped to avoid tangles.

Sled Dog Positions

• Lead Dog: dog(s) running in the lead. Must be intelligent and fast.
• Swing Dog: dogs behind leaders that help "swing" the team
• Wheel Dog: dogs closest to sled. Must be very strong to pull sled around corners.
• Team Dog: any dog in the team that is not mentioned above.

For additional dog sledding terms, such as the different parts of a sled, visit: http://jukebox.uaf.edu/site/akmushing/content/terminology