011. Mushing terms
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This article is from the Working Dogs FAQ, posted to rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.
011. Mushing terms
Contrary to common belief, the word "mush" is not used to drive sled dogs. Mush comes from the French word "marche" which is from the verb "marcher" which means to walk. Undoubtedly, the French used this during gold rush days. The word "mush" is felt to be too "soft" a sound to be used as a command. Below is a short list of common commands and terms associated with dog driving sports.
Hike : Get the dogs moving
Gee : Turn right
Haw : Turn left
Easy : Slow down
Musher : One that drives sled dogs
Mushing : The act of driving sled dogs
Lead dog : Dog that steers the sled dog team and regulates speed
Wheel dog : Dogs closest to the sled
Sled : Wooden rig the dogs pull in the snow and on which you stand
Snowless rigs : Also called training carts. Take the place of the sled when there is no snow.
There are many other terms common to dog driving sports. One book that has a very good glossary in it is _Dog Driver_, by Miki and Julie Collins. See the references section for a complete citation.
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