Basic Commands

Regular training is the key to success in sled dog racing and in any dog sport. It also means that you and your team of dog/s will be well prepared to have loads of fun together.

You can train your sled dog/s every day, even if the weather isn’t cool enough or you don’t have the time to go out on your scooter or rig. Building up the fitness of your dog is crucial in the sport of sledding but just as important is command training, which can be done during warmer weather and in everyday situations.

Practising your commands regularly will make your runs on the track much easier and your times will be faster! If your dog/s are able to understand directional commands you’ll be able to pass cleanly every time and no have to slow down, which means more fun will be had by all.

There are many ways to teach sledding commands to your dog/s, but the easiest is during walks. Pick routes that have quite a few turns and say the commands when you change direction, giving lots of praise when your dog/s turn their heads to the direction you called. Most mushers use “left” and “right” or “gee” and “haw”.
You can also speed up or slow down during your walk by using the commands “hike” or “woah”.