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Nov 03, 2026

Musher commands: gee, haw and the words our guides use

Stand near a husky team before it leaves and you will hear a handful of short, sharp words. Guests often ask us afterwards what they meant, and whether they will need to shout them themselves. The words are the traditional musher commands, a small vocabulary that drivers have used with sled dogs for generations.

Below we explain the classic commands and what each one means, using the dog-mushing terminology published by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, then how steering and stopping actually work on a sled, and finally how this shows up when you drive a team yourself on our Nulkki Husky Adventure.

The core musher commands are: hike (get moving, or speed up), whoa (stop), gee (turn right), haw (turn left), easy (slow down), on by (pass another team or a distraction), straight ahead (keep going forward, for example at a trail junction) and line out (a command to the lead dog to pull the team out straight from the sled). They are mainly addressed to the lead dogs, who understand and take the musher’s voice commands.

At a glance

• From: 189 €
• Experience type: Husky tour
• Duration: 4 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• Book in Advance: Cut off: 12 hours before start time
• Included: A Husky Ride 5 Km (Self-driving); Detailed instructions on how to safely mush the Huskies; Information about Huskies; Photos taken with your own device; A Tour Guide in English (other languages available on request: (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German & Finnish. PLEASE NOTE LIMITED AVAILABILITY FOR OTHER LANGUAGES) If another language is required. Please send us an email or WhatsApp after booking.); Winter clothing (Adult & Child size), overalls, boots & gloves; Cookies and juice; Pick-ups are included in the price within a 10 km radius of Rovaniemi city centre; Between 1 December and 10 January, drop-offs are included only to selected locations: Postmaster Hotel, Rovaniemi City Centre, Ollerovaara area and Santa Claus Village
• Cancellation: Free cancellation 24 hours before the activity. We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled less than 24 hours before the activity.
• Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible; Not stroller accessible

The classic musher commands, one by one

These are the commands as defined in the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Project Jukebox dog-mushing terminology:

• Hike! – get moving; used to start a team or to increase the speed of a moving team.
• Whoa! – stop.
• Gee! – turn to the right.
• Haw! – turn to the left.
• Easy! – slow down.
• On by! – pass another team or another distraction.
• Straight ahead! – move forward, for instance at an intersection of trails.
• Line out! – a command to the lead dog to tighten the gangline and pull the team out straight from the sled.

The list is short on purpose. A command has to be heard over wind, runners and panting dogs, and it has to mean exactly one thing. One syllable carries better than a sentence.

Who is actually listening: lead dogs and the gangline

Not every dog in the team responds to every word. The same terminology describes lead dogs as the dog or dogs at the front of a team who understand and take the musher’s voice commands. When the leaders turn, the rest of the team follows them along the gangline, the line that connects the pulling dogs to the sled.

At the other end, closest to the sled, run the wheel dogs. Our article on sled dog team positions: leaders, swing, team and wheel dogs explains what each position asks of the dogs in it.

This is why a “gee” or “haw” is really a conversation between the musher and one or two dogs. A good leader who knows the commands, and knows the trail, is the steering wheel of the whole team.

Why gee and haw? Words chosen to be heard

People often ask why mushers don’t simply say “right” and “left”. The practical answer is sound: gee and haw are short, distinct from each other and unlike any word a dog hears in ordinary conversation around the kennel. That makes them hard to confuse.

The historical origin of the words is older than dog mushing and is debated, and we would rather not repeat a tidy story we cannot source. What matters on the trail is consistency: a team learns its commands from the people who train and drive it, and every musher uses them the same way every time.

Steering and stopping are not only about words

Voice commands are only part of how a sled is controlled. The same University of Alaska Fairbanks glossary describes the tools a musher uses alongside the voice:

• Brake – a metal claw attached to the back of the sled; when the musher stands on it, it digs into the snow to stop or slow the team.
• Drag mat – a rectangular piece of rubber attached to the back of the sled, used by the musher to control speed.
• Snow hook – a large metal hook attached to the gangline and driven into firm snow to anchor a team.

In other words, “whoa” asks the dogs to stop, while the brake and the snow hook make sure the sled actually does. Huskies love to run, and a well-set brake is what keeps the pace comfortable.

How this shows up on our tours

On our Nulkki Husky Adventure you drive the sled yourself on a 5 km self-driving husky ride through the Kuoksajärvi forest. Before you set off, our experienced musher gives detailed instructions on how to safely mush the huskies, together with information about the dogs. That briefing is where you learn exactly what you need to do on the day, and which words, if any, you will use.

We would rather not promise that you will be calling “gee” and “haw” across the forest, because how a ride is run depends on the dogs, the trail and the conditions. Due to bad weather, for safety, the tour can also be arranged as a shortened guide-driven experience. Listen to your musher: their instructions always come first.

The tour lasts 4 hours in total, is graded easy and is priced from 189 €. Winter clothing (adult and child sizes) with overalls, boots and gloves is included, as are cookies and juice, a tour guide in English and pick-up within a 10 km radius of Rovaniemi city centre. Between 1 December and 10 January, drop-offs are included only to selected locations: Postmaster Hotel, Rovaniemi City Centre, the Ollerovaara area and Santa Claus Village.

Who our self-drive ride suits, and our other husky options

The Nulkki Husky Adventure is not suitable for children under 3 years old, and children under 13 must be accompanied by adults paying the full price. Tours may be cancelled or rescheduled in extreme weather: the temperature limit is -35°C, and -25°C for small children. The tour is not wheelchair or stroller accessible, and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the activity.

If you would rather sit back and let a guide drive, Arctic Paws — 2 km Family-Friendly Husky Ride at Lapland Winter Park is an approximately 10-minute guide-driven sleigh ride (about 2 km) from 59 €, with time to meet the dogs afterwards. Note that it has no pick-up and does not include thermal clothing.

For a longer day, the Kuoksa Husky & Reindeer Adventure combines huskies and reindeer in the wilderness by a frozen lake: 5 hours, from 349 €. All our dog-sled options are on the activities in Rovaniemi pages, and our article on the winter gear provided on our tours explains what we lend you.

Frequently asked questions

What does gee mean in dog sledding?

Gee means turn to the right.

What does haw mean?

Haw means turn to the left.

What command starts a sled dog team?

Hike is used to start a team or to increase the speed of a moving team.

How do you stop a husky team?

The voice command is whoa. On the sled, the brake, a metal claw that digs into the snow when the musher stands on it, stops or slows the team, and a snow hook anchors it.

Do I need to learn the commands before a husky ride with StayLapland?

No. On the Nulkki Husky Adventure our musher gives detailed instructions on how to safely mush the huskies before you set off, and those instructions are what you follow on the day.

Is the Nulkki Husky Adventure self-driven?

Yes. It is a 5 km self-driving husky ride. In bad weather, for safety, it can be arranged as a shortened guide-driven experience.

Ready to book?

You may also like

• Arctic Paws — 2 km Family-Friendly Husky Ride at Lapland Winter Park — from 59 €
• Kuoksa Husky & Reindeer Adventure — from 349 €, 5 hours

Sources

• Dog Mushing Terminology – Project Jukebox, University of Alaska Fairbanks