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Braking

Braking is an art. A musher never brakes unnecessarily because it slows the dogs. However, neglecting
to brake when necessary can lead to injuries or time-consuming tangles.

Anytime slack lines might cause a tangle, slow the gig down.

If a dog get the gang line wrapped around a leg, stop the team with a voice command and brake only
with caution, because the increased tension in the line can injure the dog or at best give him a good
scare.

Braking on a corner helps to swing the gig around, but is also slows the dogs, and when the gig swings
too sharply, it jerks the wheel dogs.

Dogs lean into their harnesses for balance and braking jerkily throws them off balance. However, you
can bounce on the brakes to get their attention.

The dogs also depend on the brakes for security. On steep hills, dogs can go too fast and get out of
control. Brake to prevent the dogs from gaining too much speed and to keep the gig from running over
your wheel dogs on steep hills.

Slow down BEFORE your dogs get out of control. It is easier to keep control of a slower team than to
regain control of a runaway one.