What does a wheel dog do in Iditarod sled dog race?

Answer 1

In dog mushing the term "wheel dog" refers to the dog or pair of dogs harnessed closest to the sled. The wheel dog(s) take the greatest load in shifting the direction of a sled from one course to another. Typically, dogs used in this position are generally stronger than their team mates and are called upon to do the "heavy lifting" in difficult conditions. In a standard tandem style dog team, the dog at the front is the leader. The two dogs directly behind the leader are the swing dogs. The wheel dogs are the last dogs in the team. Any dogs harnessed between the wheel dogs and swing dogs are referred to as team dogs.

Answer 2

All the dogs in a sled dog team has a very important job. There is no greater value spot. If you are the lead dog, your just as important as the swing dog. Now, the swing dog is directly behind the lead dog(s). Their job is to help the lead dogs. They help by passing down the correct direction to turn, or they can also be the replacement lead dogs. What I mean by replacement lead dogs is that if the lead dogs were to get distracted, the swing dogs would tell everyone where to go, like the lead dogs would, they would also snap the lead dogs back into place. I hope this answers your question!

Answer 3

Swing dogs are set directly behind the lead dog(s), and primarily help turn the sleigh. They also help set the pace for the rest of the team.