Training Sled Dog Commands while Walking Your Dogs: Mush-achusetts Episode #1

Welcome to the Baystate Backcountry series!
“Baystate Backcountry” is an outdoor adventure show that introduces viewers to the wild landscapes, remote places, hidden gems, highest points, and forgotten history of the backwoods areas of the state of Massachusetts.

[@northerncowpoke7020]

I live in a town full of random Rez dogs so I’m gonna try taking in a lot of huskies and train em to mush my tools while I hunt

[@drivingmissmolly]

I’ve been starting to go on bike rides with my two doxies and I’ve learned that my girl LOVES to run and my boy will run with her (other wise he only really jogs) and they’ve even pulled me a couple times when I’ve asked. I discovered to term “joring” and I think this would be perfect for them as they are both VERY energetic and smart and misbehave when they don’t have a job. Plus it’s super fun for me. I was wondering how to start training commands and this video was PERFECT!!!

[@baystatebackcountry686]

That's great that you are running with your dogs and we're very happy to hear that our video has been helpful to you. Thanks so much for watching and please subscribe and check out our other videos...there may be some more tips that you can use! Enjoy your dogs and maybe we'll see you on the trail sometime!

[@olive-yello]

Im writing a story where I have dog sledding and this video has helped me SOOOO much. Thank you!! This is fascinating.

[@wolfmaan]

A great video! Thank you so much for making this!!

[@baystatebackcountry686]

It was actually the first mushing video I made. I didn't even have a GoPro and carried my camera in my hand as I walked the dog. I've always felt it was too long and didn't have much quality to it...but it has consistently been our most popular video. I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

[@holdyourpepe]

I’m from mushachussetts also nice to meet you bob awesome channel. I have 2 husky’s and learning to mush

[@baystatebackcountry686]

That's awesome

[@jackiekittridge-steele385]

In Western MA, gonna give this a go with our Akita/PB mix. Is there a local group of recreational mushers in state?

[@gottagoat]

Its like they already know how to do it,

[@ev3400]

Thanks !! It's super interesting ! :D

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Glad you think so!

[@mathsmatters8146]

I want to try with my dogs, you gave me all the answers I wanted in 1 video. Thank you, I will definitely follow your methods and advices.

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Glad it was helpful! I like encouraging people to get active with their dogs. I hope you'll subscribe to our channel and will let us know if you ever have anything we'd like to cover in future episodes. Good luck with your dogs!

[@mathsmatters8146]

I did subscribe. I have a dog already trained for canicross, the only command he does not know yet is Ahead, as he always goes strait naturally. I have a new baby boy that I will train as well so that I can do some bike mushing with the 2. Ill use your little rope between their collar to let them walk together when the young one will be ready. I hope Ill be able to have a well trained pair of dogs in a year. Thanks again for the videos

[@JD-fx1np]

Thanks. Good training tips.

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Glad it was helpful!

[@shelbystarrcreations]

This was SO helpful, thanks for sharing this valuable content!!

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Thanks for your comments! Do you have sled dogs of your own? I hope you'll consider checking out more of our Mushachusetts episodes!

[@shelbystarrcreations]

@@baystatebackcountry686 I have one husky currently! I just started yesterday on biking with her. I wanted to use sled commands because I don't want to associate any words I use at home like stay, wait etc with being outside biking. I've subscribed and am definitely watching your other videos :) amazing work!

[@baystatebackcountry686]

@@shelbystarrcreations one of the reasons it's good to use the sled commands when walking is that it not only teaches the dogs, it teaches you as well! Enjoy!

[@AlaraDincYT]

Thank you! Very helpful video :))

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrNotaLegend]

Wow i just kearn so much. I been doinf this on my own . Left right g la wow excited to try this. She pulls me on my long board daily. Good videos

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Glad it helped

[@tinamarles1035]

Great video - I was wondering if you also have videos on how to train the commands (gee, haw, whoa, ahead) ... I would love to train my 2 GSDs to do some sledding ! Thanks so much

[@baystatebackcountry686]

This video pretty much addresses those questions. This was our first mushing video and I should update it as I think we could improve on this one. But the first thing in teaching the dogs the commands is to make sure you know them yourself...it's hard to teach haw and gee if you don't know the difference yourself. Big thing is use the commands every time you walk your dogs, correct them when they go the wrong way, praise them when they do the right thing, and be consistent. They will easily make the transition from walking to running/pulling when you start mushing them. Good luck and be sure to check out more of our videos!

[@tinamarles1035]

@@baystatebackcountry686 - thanks for your reply!!! Ha ha ...you are so right! I always have to think which command is left or right!! But I'm getting there. We used these commands today on our walk, I just said them where I knew they would go the right way as they know the track :) Lots of praise!

[@cravetheplanet]

Thanks so much for this video! Great tips I definitely overpraise- will adjust. I starting bikejoring with my Alaskan husky in a harness and he behaves really well, minus deer and marmot on the path, or leaving oncoming dogs. I have to dismount. I wondered if you had any tips for the wak training....my boy pulls like a wild stallion on walks. Training whoa gee haw is overshadowed by his constant pulling. Even with a print collar, gentle leader, harness or flat collar.

[@jackiekittridge-steele385]

Maybe playing frisbe or running around with him before hooking might help. I do that with horses before I ride so I don't get wasted 🤪

[@AryDutra]

Parabéns ao escritório de advocacia

[@emma3647]

@Baystate Backcountry Hi! I have two questions: How do you teach them to really pull hard into their harnesses? And also, how do you teach them to lope and even to sprint vs trot?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Pulling is natural to the nordic breeds. Just like you don't have to teach retrievers to fetch or bloodhounds to track. So they will pull naturally and by encouraging them and praising them they get excited about it and will find it natural and fun!

[@nichmon3221]

When driving mules, each has their own side that it is used to. They will even go in the stall and eat together on those same sides of one another. Does it matter with sled dogs to keep each on the same side each time, during sledding or on the leash?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Some mushers train their dogs to run on specific sides, and most dogs have a favorite position to run on the team (ie. lead dog, swing dog, team dog, wheel dog) but almost all dogs can switch into various positions based on their temperment on a particular day, the trail conditions, etc. Though I don't have experience with mules, I do have experience with horses, both saddle horses and draft horses, and dogs are more adaptable and flexible with different situations and positions than horses are. At least that's my experience. Personally, I prefer having dogs that adapt well to running anywhere on the team that I place them.

[@Service_mutts1713]

God last time I was here you had 200 subs 😶🥺

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Welcome back! We've been growing slowly but steadily. As of today we are at 1,063 subscribers. Sounds like the last time you checked in was probably in 2020. Check out all of the videos we put out since then...there may be one or a few you'll enjoy! Thanks for watching!

[@Service_mutts1713]

@@baystatebackcountry686 yeah I haven’t been mushing much

[@holdyourpepe]

Nonstop dog wear has great equipment ill send you some leashes!

[@anikahinz1564]

Hello from Germany! Your video was very helpful for me. I have a Hollandse Herder and start to bikejöring with her. How do you begin to train the command whoa? Do you just stop yourself?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Yes...just stop yourself and say "whoa" as you do it. The dogs will pick up on it pretty quickly. The key with all of the commands is to always be consistent, validate and praise when they perform correctly and just be clear and correct them calmly when they don't.

[@zanehenning548]

@Baystate Backcountry Does mushing effect loose leash walking or keeping your dog by your side while walking normally? I just discovered this and think it'd be a great way to exercise my dog but am curious if it would mean that my dog would always be pulling

[@baystatebackcountry686]

We have not put any effort into teaching our dogs to walk off leash. When they do get off leash, it's a problem. We live in a rural area and there is a lot of livestock in the area as my various neighbors have horses, goats, chickens, turkeys. Fortunately, the folks in our area all love and understand animals. Shiva has gone missing for hours at a time and has killed a few chickens. We also have bears, and coyotes, so we see the responsible thing as being to keep our dogs under direct physical control at all times. We do walk with them on leash, but we don't discourage them from pulling...they are sled dogs after all. The dogs are smart and can tell the difference between walking with a leash on their collar vs. pulling from their sled harnesses, but walking in a heel position is not important to us.

[@gottagoat]

Last comment a year ago. I just adopted a husky and am building a three wheel sled, plan on doing all this

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Thanks for watching! Good luck with your build. There are a lot of different mushing carts and scooters you can use as a model. For me, it's easiest to use a mountain bike when I can't use the sled. Enjoy!

[@Jaisha26]

Can you make a list of the commands you use? I'm taking notes I'm going to jore with my husky. I've got a long road ahead. She's been abused, but she's bonding real well with me. She's terrified of my husband. I've noticed she seems to open right up when she's running and exploring. I want to help her run. And get in shape. Lol. I've been trying to get her to stop pulling and I see now that's a mistake. I try not to praise her too much, but my 5 year old makes this difficult. He praises her constantly. Gotta start somewhere and your video was very helpful. Thank you!

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Thanks for watching! Off the top of my head, the basic commands I use are: Haw (left), Gee (right), Whoa, Easy, Stand, Ahead, On By, Up Up (to speed up), Haw over, Gee over, Let's Go Back (turn around from a stop), Yes, No I hope these help. Good luck with your dog. Thanks again for watching and I hope you'll subscribe and check out more of our videos!

[@KristianeLim]

hi! i have another question. how do you train the dogs to be always in front of you pulling on the leash. or just keeping the leash straight .. thank you

[@baystatebackcountry686]

There are a few things. Correct them with "no" when they pull to the side and stop walking. When they are pulling ahead correctly, praise them with a simple "yes" and continue walking in that direction. Consistency over time will train them to know what is expected of them. Also, walk them in pairs, side by side and attached at the collars with a neckline. Good luck!

[@KristianeLim]

@@baystatebackcountry686 thanks for the tip! will surely apply it. i only have 1 husky.. planning on canicross and bikejoring. she will be 6months at the end of the month..

[@Daniela-ol9ty]

So I have 3 dogs I want to train in mushing. I have one actual mushing harness for my big dog and 2 harnesses ive had for just normal walks. Would I have to get 2 more and also what other equipment would I need?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

You'll want a real mushing harness with the attachment for the tug line right back above the dog's tail. Most of the pet walking harness attach in the mid-back and while that might be fine for walking, it would put the wrong force on the dogs back when they are running and pulling. It would probably pull them off balance as well. You'll need a gangline to hitch all 3 dogs. You'd be able to hitch this to either a bike, a scooter, or a sled.

[@Daniela-ol9ty]

@@baystatebackcountry686 Ok thankyou. So I need a tug line, gangline and then the harnesses?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

​@@Daniela-ol9ty , yes. You will need proper pulling harnesses for the dogs, the tugline to clip to the end of their harness and the tugline is attached to the gangline which is attached to your sled/bike/scooter/skijoring harness. You will also need a neckline to attach to the dog's collars to keep them facing forward and inline with the gangline.

[@Daniela-ol9ty]

@@baystatebackcountry686 Alright thank you so much

[@kkvasas]

Hey thanks for the video. Ive got a 7 month husky pup. At the minufe shes trained not to pull on leads so whenever she feels tension she slows down or comes to a stop. She doesnt have the drive that ive noticed other huskies have thar they always want to pull and run forwards. What can I do to get her into this mode where she would get into pulling?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

That's a tricky one....I usually train my dogs to pull before I train them to walk on a leash. Once they realize that when they have their harness on, that means "pull" and when they are on a leash to their collar that means "don't pull". I guess it gets confusing for some dogs because so many people walk their dogs with those new pet harnesses instead of clipping to their collar. Is that what you do? Personally, I see no problem walking a dog with a leash to their collar.

[@kkvasas]

@@baystatebackcountry686 thanks for the reply. The person we got the pup from had them a little bit trained when it comed to walking on leashes. And yes we use a simple harness to walk the dog.

[@paulgray9431]

Hi I’m trying to find a video of the very very start of training , I have two Siberian’s at 6 months so right at the start of my journey , but hope to end up mushing with them when they reach the right age . Thanks

[@baystatebackcountry686]

When I start with puppies, I start them with the leash work just as you see in this video. I also start putting them in harness and I'll have them pull a little plastic sled around the yard, just to get them used to the harness and the idea of dragging something behind them. You'll see that Siberian's have this hard-wired in their DNA and they will respond to it positively. Your job as a trainer is to provide them with the opportunities that will allow their own genetics to take over. Enjoy and good luck! Thanks for watching!

[@KristianeLim]

hi, do you find it easier to train on commands with 2 dogs, or 1 dog is easier.. just curious..

[@baystatebackcountry686]

It's more efficient to train 2 dogs at once, but I think they learn equally well single or together. The key is consistency. I know a lot of new mushers are new to the "Haw" and "Gee" so doing it all the time not only trains the dogs, it also trains the musher!

[@KristianeLim]

@@baystatebackcountry686 alright gotcha!!! thanks.. cheers!

[@myanimals3951]

I have two German Shepard’s I don’t have any harnesses because everytime i got one it was to small and they can be expensive for a good one especially when your to young to get a job.I have two younger brothers and I think it would be nice to have them race my younger brothers aren’t heavy but also fun just for me so do they need to be side by side because one of them like to run in front which makes the other dog run faster

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Training your dogs to pull and run with you is a great way to bond with your dogs while all of you also get exercise. Enjoy and good luck!

[@miat1of5]

I have one Husky and wanted to start training him on a sled. Is one husky strong enough for a single person sled?

[@bobtremblay9172]

How large is your husky? Is (s)he a Siberian or an Alaskan? Generally, if you are running a single dog a sled would be too much to ask of a single dog unless conditions were ideal. You would want to use a small "kick sled" which you can find on line. A lot of folks with single dogs will ski-jor (the dog pulls you while you ski on x-c skis) rather than sled. You can certainly bike-jor with a single dog. I'll be covering bike-joring and all the other forms of mushing in future episodes. I hope to post twice a week. Thanks for watching!

[@miat1of5]

@@bobtremblay9172 he is 46 pounds. Siberian. I am actually in the process of rescuing a Husky found in bad shape from Texas who is doing great now and is 46 lbs as well. Yeah, I just want a small sled, was looking on Amazon, $400 for a small kick sled. I'll keep watching your videos. Thanks Bob!

[@bobtremblay9172]

@@miat1of5 My Siberian male, Bandit is 42 pounds. My Alusky, Shiva, is 37 pounds. They pull me great! My team of 12 malamutes that I used to run were all between 75 and 95 pounds. They were a great team, but I'm blown away by how much these small huskies can do. I have a mountain bike and an old racing sled. Keep an eye on my videos and keep me posted on how you do with your own dog(s).

[@trudycummins3914]

My gramma dogmushes so she gives me tips

[@kaylenstorey7648]

dang thats a cool grandma

[@hersheyroden1302]

How did u get get started in wheel chair mushing?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

I'm not entirely sure what you are referring to? There is a very short clip in our intro that shows my mother in her wheelchair at the trailhead gate as I run the dogs towards her. Before she passed away a few years ago, I used to take her out sometime as she enjoyed watching the dogs run from the car and then eventually when we returned. Is this what you're referring to?

[@tracydr01]

Do you do lessons? I’m I’m NC with 3 Dobermans.

[@baystatebackcountry686]

I'm sorry but we don't do lessons. We did take customers on guided sled dog tours when we had our large team of malamutes from 1994 - 2004 but right now we just mush recreationally for our own enjoyment. Our videos do have a lot of tips that might come in helpful for you though. Thanks for watching and maybe we'll see you on the trail sometime. Good luck with your dogs!

[@feelingsaregood]

This was helpful. Also, 69th comment

[@baystatebackcountry686]

We're glad it was helpful. Thanks for making our 69th comment on this video!

[@dragonartist2513]

we ran into a turkey

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Our dogs always get very excited when we see turkeys. Just yesterday we were mushing and we ran into a beaver crossing our trail!

[@jessicaolive7388]

How would.you start with a new dog?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

Just start using the commands consistently whenever you are walking them on leash. Even if they take a left turn and you didn't intend them to, give the "haw" command and in time they will start to connect your command with the action.

[@jessicaolive7388]

Thank you so much for your reply:)

[@SusanLynn656]

What is an Alaskan Husky?

[@baystatebackcountry686]

The term "Alaskan Husky" is given to sled dog crosses that are bred specifically to become fast, long distance sled dog athletes. They often have Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute in their DNA with a mix of hound breeds. Every competitive musher has their own traits they breed for, all looking for the ultimate "Alaskan Husky". The dogs that win the big races now are almost all "Alaskan Huskies" of some sort or another. Pure Siberians, Malamutes, Chinooks, Samoyeds, etc. aren't fast enough to compete with these highly specialized sled dog crosses.

[@SusanLynn656]

@@baystatebackcountry686 thanks for clearing that up. Very interesting.

[@Smegma_pirate]

This video could have been 7 minutes at most

[@baystatebackcountry686]

This was the very first video I ever tried to create or post on my own. I didn't even know how to really edit when I created this one. I have been blown away by how big it got, when I don't really think it's very good and have thought of updating it. People seem to like it though and it led to the creation of the whole channel so I have a soft spot for it. Sorry if you didn't like it.

[@blossom_generosty-]

DOGS are also the only ones (or more correctly just wolves as ALL dogs are basically still just wolves and they share their amazing intelligence that is the result of higher and higher sociability of some species as infinitely more complex organisms that operate not only on basic chemical reactions and only few even have a brain and even among these the species with vast social interaction level have access to higher intelligence that surpasss basic "solitary" hunt hide and breed or whatever like a lizard-brained cats) anything that common people divide into "breeds" has been present not only in common ancestors of modern wolves(left literally too few and hunted and starved and left without land almost into extinction to even properly scientifically observe and study) and "dogs" that lived with homo sapiens (and not only as the term human can be applied to many other hominins) for TENS of THOUSANDS of years and only after agrarian revolution that pushed people more into reducing to primitive lizard-like caring only about its own ass rather than properly supporting life as a member of society that protected it more from dangers of nature and also reduced our only ever friend companion and even divided for 50 millions of years of own evolution paths still similarly high intelligence species that unlike many other animals or even mammals both took unique paths of complex social bonds that required far more brainpower unlike muscle and speed driven crap like bears or shitt*n of of all of different feline species. notice the difference even domesticated or (in the last several millenia) inbred for stupidest selfish reasons "dogs" biologically still amazingly smart wolves and arctic or mexican are all still the same canis lupus(grey wolf) they were so smart and were parts of our families and communities for tens of thousands of years and only recently got reduced into stupid "pet"level in these disfunctional "modern life"(even though we certainly should have worled more on social part before monkey brained tools or "technologies" that are so inefficient its hillariously bad) where it seems almost everyone instead of continuing of being uniquely social responsible and moral consept species retarded back into stopping developing on the basic primitive lizard brain selfish existing while exploiting every benefit of society and those idiots too stupid to realise that they are just being parasites that just devolve inito primitive horny lazy and etc and then those get to breed-_-when all they do is basically lying like twitch streamers and "influencers" by doing nothing and only working on 1% and then complaying when they ignore it in favour of dumb horny (seemingly the only part of brain in use) anime series and other crap being irresponsible and deceiving other people and not being self-aware is nothing new in animal world . and fyi cats is only capable of shitting for you its because his brain isnt complex enough as it relies solely on muscle and didnt have to manage social interactions and the way some idiots call dogs "stupid" when they casually understand human speech--_--.

[@emma3647]

@Baystate Backcountry Hi! I have two questions: How do you teach them to really pull hard into their harnesses? And also, how do you teach them to lope and even to sprint vs trot?

[@silviafricova9296]

I have a Samoyed and we tried just kids sled for really short distance and it went great considering he was not trained before. Although he didn't know what to do sometimes, but practice makes perfect :-) I guess it's teir instinct, they are sled dogs. It would be probably more difficult with dogs that are not sled dogs.

[@emma3647]

@@silviafricova9296 hi! My dogs have no issues moving forward with the weight behind them. They do not always run hard, but I am learning it has to do more with weather than anything. We ran 10.3 miles through a wicked blizzard last week. Expected to blizzard again tomorrow, we’ll be going again! They love it!