Do you want to practice canicross with your best friend? Read on for the ultimate guide to this excellent sport at Mushing.com.
Canicross is cross-country running using dogs to generate power and increase speed. The sport originated in Europe as a method of training dogs for mushing, or dog sledding, during the summer months.
Canicross is a great way to exercise a high-energy dog that requires a lot of energy and can help you provide a better quality of life for your dog and make them more content.
So, what is required to start practicing canicross with your dog? Keep reading for a complete guide to canicross, including the canicross gear you will need, the benefits it can have for you and your dog, and which dog breeds are best suited to canicross.
WHAT IS CANICROSS?
Let’s dive in and look at what canicross is, the benefits of canicross, and how you can train your dog for canicross.
Canicross Definition
Canicross is a dog sport that involves a human and a dog cross-country running. The dog pulls the human along, increasing their speed and stamina. Canicross was adapted initially as an alternative to dog mushing in the summer months.
Canicross is an inexpensive sport to practice with your dog – you will need running shoes, a harness, a waist belt, and a bungee rope.
You can perform canicross with one or two dogs connected to your waist belt with a bungee rope that helps to add resistance and prevent strong dog pulls from unbalancing the runner. If your dog is well-trained and you are unlikely to experience strong pulls when they get distracted, you can also use a regular tug line without bungee elements.
Canicross Benefits Explained
Canicross is a great exercise with many benefits for dogs and humans. High-energy dogs like Huskies, German Shorthaired Pointers, and Border Collies require particular exercise to stimulate their minds and bodies, as these breeds were designed to perform tasks.
Exercise is essential to ensure your dog has the best possible quality of life, and canicross allows you and your dog to work together and communicate while performing high-intensity exercise.
One of the great things about canicross and canicross races is that they can be performed anywhere – you can take a break from city life and visit some scenic places with your dog. You can perform canicross on the beach, in the woods, or at your nearest national park.
Canicross is a great way to spice up your cross-country dog run, and preparing for canicross races can be a great way to motivate both you and your dog to exercise more. Canicross is a great sport to train your dog for other dog sports like mushing and skijoring. It can help keep their fitness levels high in the summer months.
Learning About Canicross Training
To successfully start canicross training with your dog, they must possess basic training and obedience skills. You can begin your canicross training by ensuring your dog has good leash manners and listening skills. You should also ensure that your dog does not get distracted when running past strangers and other dogs, as this could cause you to become unbalanced while running and potentially fall.
Once you have these basic things down, you can start training your dog for running using movement cues such as ‘speed up’ and ‘slow down’, which will help to ensure synchronicity between you and your dog while you are canicross running. Then, you should invest in the proper canicross gear to keep you and your dog safe while on a run.
Once you have all this down, you can start running and practicing canicross with your dog. The more practice you have, the better your teamwork will be!
What do you need To Practice Canicross with your furry friend?
You need the proper equipment to start running with your dog and practicing canicross. This includes a dog harness, a bungee rope, and a waist belt.
CANICROSS HARNESS
When choosing a canicross dog harness, it is essential to consider the size of your dog and the routes you will be running – for instance, some harnesses are best suited to straighter routes without bends.
Perfect Fit Harness
The perfect fit harness is an X-style harness designed to keep your dog comfortable, promoting free breathing and evenly distributing pressure throughout the body. It has eight adjustment points to ensure your dog’s harness is a ‘perfect fit.’ The harness has extra padding around the neck and chest area to provide maximum comfort and is suitable for all dog breeds. This harness makes it easier to dress dogs with large heads that may not fit easily into conventional harnesses.
Adjustable Racing Harness
The Neewa adjustable racing harness is an H-style dog harness designed to distribute the pressure of dog pulls evenly throughout your dog’s body. This harness is designed to provide speed in races and isn’t well-suited to routes and courses with directional changes.
The polypropylene fabric of this dog harness is anti-allergenic and provides a dry fit to keep your dog dry for comfortable pulling. It also has reflective strips to ensure your dog is visible at night. The adjustable racing harness will fit any size dog and has adjustable chest and back sections to help create a perfect and comfortable fit.