Rymill took dogs from both Greenland and Labrador with the expedition. He had worked with both breeds in Greenland and northern Canada and was aware of the different attributes the two breeds could bring to sledge work. However distemper killed many of them before they reached Antarctica. More dogs were bred successfully in Graham Land.

The dog teams were a vital component of the expedition and Rymill and his men lavished attention on them, building a strong affinity with their teams. As pups were born to replace the lost dogs these were carefully raised and when old enough and strong enough their training as harness animals began. Rymill had seen both the fan trace and the centre trace used successfully in the Arctic, and was also aware that use of these was dependent on the terrain. He was always adaptive about the use of either method. This followed through from his general adaptability: he was always prepared to alter plans as conditions dictated.