Mushing Cues

For Safe Mushing, you and your dog(s) need to have some way to communicate. Teaching some cues are vital for safety and others are helpful to have. There are traditional words used for mushing (Hike, Woah, Gee/Haw, On-By, etc), but if you can train your dog to whatever words you'd like, just be consistent.

Disclaimer: I am not a dog trainer, but I added some ideas I've used in the past with my dog, your pup may need the cues broken down differently.

Go/Hike/Pull

Many dogs pull naturally, but you'll want a cue that means "take off running"

If your dog isn't a natural puller, you can train it by having your dog run toward/chase something they like and start with short distances

Slow/Woah/ Easy

This is an important safety cue that means to slow down or stop.

Gee/Haw (Right/Left)

This is how you ask your dog to turn or move over to the side of a trail. You can train this while walking your dog, or by shaping it indoors.

On-By (leave it)

When distractions arise, you want your dog to ignore the distraction, and keep going. Teach your dog a good "leave it" and then help them know the reward is running faster.

Passing/Being Passed

This skill is most important in group settings/races, and the goal is to have the teams next to each other for a short period of time in order to decrease risk of altercation. If you have a reactive dog, be sure to control your dog even if that means pulling over to the side to allow others to pass. Dogs should NOT interact with other teams while mushing.