Sled Dog Team Positions
The purpose of this post to describe the positions and different roles of dogs in a sled dog team.
There are two major types of hitch setup for running sled dogs. The most common is called a tandem hitch, with the dogs running is sets of 2 stretched out in front of the dog sled itself. The other type is called a Fan hitch and is used primarily in Northern regions in areas consisting of open terrain well above the tree line.
I will focus on the Tandem Hitch because it has the most well defined positions and it's the setup that I am most familiar with.
Leaders: These are the dogs that occupy the two front positions on the team and are responsible for taking commands from the dog driver. The lead dogs will turn the team based purely on voice commands from the driver. The lead position dogs also hold the team out in a straight manageable line. This will prevent dogs from turning around and causing tangles in the team.
Leaders almost always run in pairs, rarely in single lead. I get asked all the time who my leader is? Well I probably have 6-7 real command leaders and several others in training. The Tandem hitch setup allows a driver to pair up a very strong trusted leader with a younger dog and help develop them into a leader. Basically the veteran leader will prevent the younger dog from messing up the team. Lead position is the most stressful position on the team for the dogs, they are first to react to trail conditions. The single leader does still exist but it's mostly something that has been promoted by entertainment media. There really is no reason to run single lead but there are occasions when it will happen.
Swing/Point: These dogs run directly behind the leaders and assist in helping turn the team, or actually turn the team when the leaders get confused or miss a turn. It is a position most dogs run before you try to put them up into lead with a proven leader. Based on their behaviour here you can identify dogs here with potential for lead. Sometimes dogs in this position will try to swing out wide to pass the leaders, that's a good sign that they want to run up front.
Wheel: This is the position directly in front of the sled. Generally this is where you put your biggest and strongest dogs as on certain tight turns they will be doing the majority of the work as the lines go slack around a corner. These dogs are very sure footed and capable of scrambling up and over the gang line when it is required. Used as a position to train dogs on their first runs because you can keep a very close eye on them and lend assistance when required. There are certain dogs that dislike running in wheel and will look back and get distracted.
Team: The last position is filled by the team dogs all who work together to keep the sled moving forward. Team positions can be filled by any of the other types of dogs as well. Additional leaders will run in team for a break from leading, you may have a female in heat who can run in Team instead of up front.
Over time the driver will see where the dogs do best through consistent training. Sometimes it takes years to figure out exactly where a dog does best or to discover that new leader.
There are two major types of hitch setup for running sled dogs. The most common is called a tandem hitch, with the dogs running is sets of 2 stretched out in front of the dog sled itself. The other type is called a Fan hitch and is used primarily in Northern regions in areas consisting of open terrain well above the tree line.
I will focus on the Tandem Hitch because it has the most well defined positions and it's the setup that I am most familiar with.
Leaders: These are the dogs that occupy the two front positions on the team and are responsible for taking commands from the dog driver. The lead dogs will turn the team based purely on voice commands from the driver. The lead position dogs also hold the team out in a straight manageable line. This will prevent dogs from turning around and causing tangles in the team.
Leaders almost always run in pairs, rarely in single lead. I get asked all the time who my leader is? Well I probably have 6-7 real command leaders and several others in training. The Tandem hitch setup allows a driver to pair up a very strong trusted leader with a younger dog and help develop them into a leader. Basically the veteran leader will prevent the younger dog from messing up the team. Lead position is the most stressful position on the team for the dogs, they are first to react to trail conditions. The single leader does still exist but it's mostly something that has been promoted by entertainment media. There really is no reason to run single lead but there are occasions when it will happen.
Swing/Point: These dogs run directly behind the leaders and assist in helping turn the team, or actually turn the team when the leaders get confused or miss a turn. It is a position most dogs run before you try to put them up into lead with a proven leader. Based on their behaviour here you can identify dogs here with potential for lead. Sometimes dogs in this position will try to swing out wide to pass the leaders, that's a good sign that they want to run up front.
Wheel: This is the position directly in front of the sled. Generally this is where you put your biggest and strongest dogs as on certain tight turns they will be doing the majority of the work as the lines go slack around a corner. These dogs are very sure footed and capable of scrambling up and over the gang line when it is required. Used as a position to train dogs on their first runs because you can keep a very close eye on them and lend assistance when required. There are certain dogs that dislike running in wheel and will look back and get distracted.
Team: The last position is filled by the team dogs all who work together to keep the sled moving forward. Team positions can be filled by any of the other types of dogs as well. Additional leaders will run in team for a break from leading, you may have a female in heat who can run in Team instead of up front.
Over time the driver will see where the dogs do best through consistent training. Sometimes it takes years to figure out exactly where a dog does best or to discover that new leader.
Comments
Post a Comment