Canicross

by Mike CallahanPreviously
published in Mushing Magazine
November/December 2001

The term canicross is of European origin. Cross means to move cross country. Canicross is cross country with your dog. Canicross is the sport of running or walking your dog in harness with equipment similar or the same used for skijoring.

Canicross is not simply walking the dog. Running with a dog on a leash is not canicross. In canicross the dog pulls you, just like in skijoring. Your hands are free because your dog is attached at the belt. You need a belt, a line with an integrated shock cord and a harness for the dog. Using ski poles when canicrossing will keep your poling muscles in shape in the off season.

You can double pole or stride with poles, mimicking skate skiing and classic. In the early spring when there are just patches of snow, it is too muddy to use the mountain bike and there is not enough snow to ski. This is the time I like to canicross.

In the fall when there is not enough snow to ski and it is too icy for a wheeled rig a skijorer can still work the dogs canicrossing In the winter, when the snow is late at the trail head, you may need to hike a ways before you put on your skis. With the skis on a backpack and poles in hand you can canicross to the good snow.

When on a hike, you can tap into a little dog power especially on the hills. When hiking I prefer to not use packs on the dogs and will carry any provisions in my own back pack. If you have a comfortable pack it will seem a lot lighter with your dog towing you.Canicross is a good way to start training your leader.

When your dog is well trained , then you can move on to bikejoring, cart or scooter training. Bikejoring should not be attempted until your leader is trained to keep the line out taut. I have used canicross to help train all my dogs. There are a few canicross competitions in Europe. So far in the USA there are foot races that runners run with leashed dogs.

A lot of these races are benefits for animal rescue organizations. Skijor trained dogs adapt well to canicross and will profoundly decrease your mile times if you are already a competitive runner. At a" run with your dog race", an average runner with a good canicross dog can make the podium if his competitors dogs are heeling.

Dog speeds versus Human Speeds

In canicross, the dog is taught to keep tension on the line while traveling at human speeds. For skijorers and mushers it is a good way to train your leaders because you can easily provide corrections when you are on foot.

Canicross is typically a one dog sport. Any more power than one dog is not recommended. A dog that can heel is nice for running down hills. A head halter on a lead is a good device for slowing a dog on the downhill if your dog doesn't heel. Your dog should be accustomed to the halter before you try it in a race.

Fast for a human is five minute miles over a marathon distance. That is 12 miles per hour. Dogs on the other hand can run 12 miles per hour all day long. Sled dogs at the world championship often run 20 miles per hour for over twenty miles. "You are only as fast as your slowest dog" is the old mushers axiom.

The slowest dog on the canicross team is usually the human. Canicross is a human speed sport. Skijoring and sledding are dog speed sports. Canicross will teach your dogs to pull at slower speeds.It may be helpful when climbing steep hills on skis. It can be excellent power training for the dog if you canicross up hills.

Is it detrimental to a dogs speed to train at such a slow pace? Not from my observations. The dog with more canicross time than other team members often seems stronger with no loss in top speed.

Canicross is only one activity you can use your skijor dog for. There is bikejoring, scootering, carting or agility competitions. It is important to free run your dogs also. Regularly let your dogs stretch it out and run at their own speed. To train a dog for dog speeds you can free run your dogs in the off season or use a wheeled rig such as a cart or a mountain bike.

If you have a place you can go where your dog can romp free then that is great exercise for agility and speed. Riding a mountain bike while the dogs run free is good conditioning for the whole team.

Keep Your Dogs Cool

Before I go on I should say something about keeping your dogs cool. Canicross is a warmer weather sport and great care should be taken to monitor your dogs performance. Dogs overheat easily when working in warm temperatures. Know the limits of your dogs and keep them well hydrated.

Huskies run most efficiently when it is considered cold by human standards At 0 degrees F. a husky will run like a ball o fire. At 80 degrees F. a husky will hardly work. Other breeds with shorter coats may be more heat tolerant but you should still be extra careful to provide enough water for your dogs.

Trails that have frequent creek crossings with clean drinkable water are good training routes. Teaching your dogs to swim is good for keeping them cool. If your dog won't swim then a good splashing by the edge of the stream to saturate the coat will rejuvenate your dog.

If the route you chose has no good water then you have to carry water for your dogs. Canicross requires the dog to work, so overheating is always a concern. Working the dogs at daybreak or at night is a good way to avoid overheating. Avoid pavement and mid day sun. Keep the distance conservative.

Methods

There are many approaches to the sport of canicross. If you don't enjoy running, then walking or hiking with your dog in harness may be more appealing. Running canicross takes a little more agility because while running you often have both feet off the ground.

When both feet are off the ground, then you are a little vulnerable when a dog is tugging you. Running downhill when a dog is pulling you is not recommended. Your dog should know the command for easy. The command can be reinforced with a head halter if necessary.

To a dog, a human running is still slow and your dog will rarely break out of a trot into a lope. The lope is a more efficient and faster stride for a dog. When a dog is loping ,all four feet are often off the ground. A dog will break from a trot into a lope at about seven to nine miles per hour.

When walking, you have at least one foot on the ground at all times. Walking allows more solid control of the dog. Try using a pair of old ski poles to keep your arms working and you can bound up mountains with your dog. Hiking canicross is a fun way to cover more ground by harnessing dog power.

Canicross For Training Leaders

Skijorers usually start out with only one or two dogs. These dogs are often the family pets. Unless you buy a trained leader then you must train your own leader. I often hear of mushers talking of this or that dog being born leaders. For the skijorer with one or two dogs, you haven't much choice but to make leaders with what you got.

Without a team available to show your dog what to do, you have to convey the idea yourself, in a method the dog can understand. The first thing you have to teach, is for the dog to just get in front with the line out taut. Even for arctic breed dogs, the act of lining out is not a given.

Teaching your leader prospect to line out might take a little patience. The work pays off after years of using your leader.A good way to start training the "line out" command is to take your dog to a new trail.

The new scenery will set a joyful tone as your dog anticipates every turn. With your belt and line and the dog in harness, encourage the dog to get in front. Don't move down the trail unless the dog is in front. Praise the dog more when she is out front. Whenever the dog naturally lines out, then say the command "line out".

A friend or family member up the trail for the dog to chase is a good incentive for most dogs. Try to always set the dog up to succeed. If the dog only pulls for a few hundred yards then stop the lesson there. Don't expect your dog to pull much at first for any duration. Pulling is hard work for the dog. A sustained effort of pulling requires endurance.

Endurance comes from years of conditioning. If your leader prospect is already a good runner ,don't expect that dog to be a great puller right away. Pulling or working while running is something new, and the dog will need to develop certain muscle groups. Keep the beginning training sessions short. Be consistent and insist on tight lines at all times.

For training commands it is easy to enforce a gee (right) or a ha (left). Corrections are easy because the dog is just a few steps away. Reel the line in, hand over hand and nudge or steer the dog in the right direction while saying the command. Learning to go on by everything is another lesson easily reinforced when on foot.

The "on by" command is used to insist that the dog ignore distractions like varmints or loose dogs when working. It may be hard at first for a dog used to running in a skijor or sled team to slow down to human speeds. The dog may yo-yo and slam into the harness at first. Eventually the dog will learn to lean into the harness at an even pace.

Many mushers and skijorers never bothered to train their dogs to heel. The act of training to heel requires that you discourage pulling with sharp tugs on the collar. To some, the discouraging of pulling seems counter to the objective of mushing. Not a few mushers started in good faith to teach their leader to heel but stopped shortly after thinking , "What am I doing?". That explains why some sled dogs that are otherwise trained well, don't heel.

This leads to a problem controlling the dog on down hills. If possible, you can set the dog loose on the down hill . When setting the dog loose is not an option, then a leash on the collar or a head halter may help slow the dog down. If the dog is pulling on the descent, then you have to hold back to prevent your self from going too fast. Both team members, the dog and the human are wasting way too much energy. It is much easier and faster if the dog is not pulling down hill. This is something you will have to learn to deal with to canicross. When on skis I want the dog to blast off down hill, but in canicross I need the dog to go easy. Most dogs really can rise to this challenge.

Whether training your puppy to pull or if you are going for a serious hike up a mountain, canicross has lot's of potential. Fulfull you and your dogs "off season" from the snow sports and mix it up with a little canicross