Dog Powered Sports

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Comment by Kristina - The Active Canine 1 day ago

Hello all! I have many people who want me to do seminars at my store, great idea i think, and i would like to do a Skijoring Seminar about various types of "joring" sometime soon, maybe January??? SO, i need someone to do it! if you would like to, or know someone who would, great. It would be a great way for a trainer to get some new clients, so i dont mind them "plugging" thier own traning facility, since i don't do training. I would, prefer, however, someone who doesn't make or sell Skijoring harnesses, unless they agree to not talk about that...Oh, and i am ordering from SkijorNow soon, any suggestions on what to order from them? items you are partial to, etc? i know Lindsay that you order from them...i am getting some small harnesses in for a customer and thought i would open it up to suggestions from you guys. thanks!

Comment by Kristina - The Active Canine on November 13, 2008 at 4:02pm

Hey Everybody, wanted to let you know that i got in the November/December issue of Mushing Magazine, a magazine from Alaska all about dog powered snow sports!!

Comment by Lindsay on November 3, 2008 at 11:06am

The general rule of thumb is that your dog be at least 30 lbs. However, there are people who have competed with beagles and other non-standard breeds. You just have to realize that you're going to need to do more work than someone with a dog that's larger.

As far as large and giant breeds participating in the sport, it's really up to the individual to determine if their dog is physically capable and willing to do it. Some dogs may have limitations and having them pulling something may not be ideal. If your dog is enthusiastic and happy about doing the work, then I say go for it! If your dog doesn't seem to enjoy it or working with them is a chore, then maybe they're not cut out for it.

You can start them out by dragging small objects behind them to see how they respond and gage their willingness to pull from that. As you slowly work them up in weight, they'll be better able to pull a person's weight. You should also take into account that it's easier to pull a person on skis on snow, than to do it on land.

Comment by Amber on November 3, 2008 at 10:35am

Lindsay, you made me think...are there any breeds you would warn against training and conditioning for dog-powered activities? How do you determine if your dog(s) are capable of pulling your weight?

I recently began bikjoring with my dogs, and they are definitely cut out for the work, but I wonder if labs and other large breeds are as cut out for it as well???

Comment by jojoroxx on September 27, 2008 at 8:36am

My favorite source for harnesses and towlines is SkiJorNow they are very well made. Awesome fit and friendly customer service. I have also gotten harnesses from nooksack racking and was less satisfied with their quality. My blog has a good collection of links, by no means complete but a great place to start. Click and learn! See ya on the trail!

Comment by Lindsay on September 12, 2008 at 11:24am

I'm so excited! I got my Diggler scooter this week and got it put together last night! I just need to tighten up the handle bar section and we'll be ready to get out there and starting doing some training with it! This will be very exciting!!!

Comment by Lindsay on June 11, 2008 at 4:26pm

I've only tried the x-back harness, so I really don't have anything else to compare it to. However, I do really like it. I also definitely prefer having the option of getting a custom fitted harness since I have a non-traditional breed.

As far as advice, I don't have a whole lot. It's a TON of fun and a great way to exercise your dog while still having them on leash. It's also incredibly helpful to train with another person. I've taken Heffner up skijoring by ourselves before and it definitely wasn't NEARLY as productive as when we're working with someone else. Then he really hauls butt!!

For ground work pull training, Les Schwab is a great place to go to get free tires. Just make sure that you get an appropriately sized tire that your dog is willing to pull. I picked up a full size tire and Heffner refused to pull it. Instead I found some golf cart or riding lawn mower looking tires for use and they work MUCH better. Plus I got multiples so that I can just keep adding weight as he gets used to it. Once I start up with Bess, I'll use a dirt bike tire that I picked up as well. It's a lot lighter, but still makes noise when drug and isn't so light that she won't notice it.

Comment by Amber on June 11, 2008 at 11:57am

I work for a company interested in developing ski and skate-jouring harnesses. I would love some feedback on what works and doesn't work, or any tips you may have for people intersted in this activity.

Comment by Lindsay on June 6, 2008 at 6:10pm

I'm really a newbie to this myself, but I thought it would be really neat to see how many people out there have hooked their dogs up even just for fun! I started skijoring with Heffner in November of last year and we competed in the recreational skijoring division at two different sled dog races up on Mt. Hood this year. It was a total blast and I'm already looking forward to next winter! In the mean time, I've got plenty of ground work that I sort of skimmed over with him that I want to get started on and I plan on getting Bess fitted for a harness this fall and get her started on the ground work as well.