Sled Dog Behavior and Creating a Dog Team

How to design your dog team was written by by Lynn Orbison

Team design is based on sled dog behavior.

Of course if you only have one dog the dog goes first, pulling you behind.

If you have two dogs, you have a couple of choices. The dogs can go first together, or you can have one dog go first, the other dog go second, and you get pulled along behind.

I've seen three dogs go first...but I've never seen a successful team with four dogs abreast. (I've seen it accidentally and it was messy, not the best sled dog behavior!)

There is also a configuration call a fan hitch... each tug line is maybe about the same length and the dogs spread out in a half circle pulling the load together. This is used out on the ice where there are no trails and where a dog that falls in a crack in the ice won't pull the rest of the team in behind him.

The most common configuration is with two dogs side by side. With large dogs or dogs that are not good with other dogs, a single file configuration is sometimes used.

I guess we should define some terms:

Lead Dogs are the dogs that run at the front of the team and take verbal cues from the musher to make directional choices for the whole team. They have the most trusted sled dog behavior.

Swing or Point Dogs are the dogs directly behind the leaders. They are also sometimes back-up leaders. They have the sled dog behavior of knowing the commands and the rules, but they are often more agile. They need to get out from under or around more lines than the leaders.

Team Dogs are the dogs in the middle of the team. There can be any number of team dogs depending on the size of the team. Team dogs can have more anonymity in sled dog behavior. They often like to get lost in the crowd.

Wheel Dogs are the dogs directly in front of the sled. They have a tough job to do. If they do their job well they can actually help steer the sled around the corners. They get more backwards stress and pressure because they feel every bump and stump the sled bounces on first. These dogs have more stoic sled dog behavior.

If you only have one or two dogs, they will likely be leaders, team dogs and wheel dogs all in the same package. That's okay!

Most mushers I know build their teams based on the sled dog behavior they trust. The front dogs are trusted veterans, and the dogs in the back they don't trust or don't know yet.

John Schandelmeier is perhaps the exception! He will put a totally unknown dog up front. Or, he will take a dog that is not happy and is not working well and move it FORWARD in the team instead of backward. This works for him, but it takes keen perception and instincts to do this.

I like to mix it up, but I confess, I've become spoiled having leaders that can read my mind and respond instantly. It is hard for me to put that dog anywhere but in lead. But guess what...if you don't give a new dog a chance up front, how will they ever learn?

In dog mushing too, necessity is the mother of invention.

You will have more control over the dogs that are closest to the sled. But the more dogs you have in the team the less control you will have overall.

The safest, kindest, gentlest place in the team is the position right in front of wheel. Those dogs are little bit more protected than the leaders and do not have the stress of the sled bearing back on them. In a really big team, the middle of the pack is just that. I've seen an open class musher push the sled just right to help a dog that was two up from wheel to get a leg back over the line. That takes finesse!

Every dog is an individual. And just like in human team sports, each one has different skills. Some dogs like to be in charge and want to be up front. Others are insecure or worry, or are perhaps intimidated by the dogs behind them. Shy dogs often like to be further away from the sled and the person.

I often use the position a dog has in the team as a reward or to demote a dog based on attitude or performance. If I put a dog up front and they screw up, the first thing I do is move them back! (Sounds pretty simple...but I can not tell you how many people I have heard complain about what this dog did up there...and where is the dog? Still right up there!)

How will the dog learn if you allow them to call the shots?

One of the few forms of power you actually have in your team is placement.

Use that power wisely. You must be smarter than the dogs.

I often put dogs side by side to support or knock down attitudes or sled dog behaviors. If I have a young and shy dog, I will run them next to a solid, but gentle adult. If I have a snotty pup I will run him next to a driven leader that won't take much from him, and can out run his endurance and speed.

As you work with your dogs you will see preferences emerge. And remember, dogs are like people, every one is different.

I hate to drive the same training route every day. But I know sled dogs that hate to try something different! I have dogs that love it when I make lots of directional choices and I have others who hate it.

No dog should have to be the leader every single time. Well, okay, if you only have one dog, I guess he is stuck up there...but, there is not that much pressure just leading a dumb human around! And it is better than staying home, so go for it!

But in a bigger string of dogs it helps the sled dog behavior to move dogs around. It helps build their confidence and even out their minds and their bodies. Dogs can actually be conditioned crooked.

When training horses they say if you reverse directions you need to start all over in your training because the horses think completely differently going the other way. (Changing leads and all that.)

I do not think sled dog behavior is quite that way. It does help to teach them to run on both sides of the mainline (the center lines all dogs are connected to). It also helps sled dog behavior to try them in every position in the team. It helps to balance them physically as well as mentally. It gives everybody a break.

There is a certain amount of pressure being the lead sled dog. But if a team dog or a swing dog can be successful in lead, then they gain confidence. And the leaders learn to respect their position more when they are up there.

Remember back in school when your teacher divided the class up into groups. Every person in the group had to help with the project, but maybe someone was chosen to present it to the class? In school, eventually EVERY student has to present to the entire class. That is part of the learning process.

Teaching lead dogs is like that. As the teacher or coach, your job is to encourage their sled dog behavior and help them learn to be a leader. You need to be aware of the potential for failure...but go ahead and try it anyway. Learning can be messy, but every dog deserves his day.

Realize that not every dog is a natural leader.

On the other hand, you should let everybody try. And you should support them as best you can.

Part of that support is to work hard to set them up for success. Here are some ways you can do that:

1. Limit your team size.

2. Match your dogs well so that you don't have lots of new dogs or lots of problem children in the team.

3. Plan your run around teaching a specific dog a specific behavior, and get both human and canine help to do it!

How?

Have a handler, take a passenger, or arrange to train with another team or use snow machine support if necessary.

Pair the lesson dog with a veteran dog that can be trusted to teach appropriately for the situation.

4. Remember you may have designed the team and the run to teach one dog one thing, but every dog is learning all the time, so pay attention.

Always try to configure the team for the best possible outcome.

More Articles

• Getting Started - The Big Picture
• The Smaller Training Picture
• Team Work
• How to choose and fit a pulling harness
• How To Put On A Harness
• Line Out Training Before Gee and Haw
• Behavior Tips To Help You and Your Dog
• Choosing The Right Dog Sled