If your dog needs more than a walk and you would not mind getting fitter yourself, Canicross is one of the easiest dog sports to try. The cooler winter mornings are the ideal time to start.
Canicross is cross-country running with your dog attached to you. You wear a waist belt, the dog wears a properly fitted harness, and the two are joined by a bungee line that absorbs the jolts as the dog pulls ahead and you run behind. It scales to your own fitness, needs very little kit and no special venue, and it gives high-energy dogs something many of them crave: exercise combined with a clear job to focus on.
The equipment is where it pays to get things right. The dog should pull from a well-fitted Y-shaped harness, never a collar, because pulling from the neck risks injury. A good harness spreads the load across the chest, and the bungee line protects both of you from sudden shocks.
Getting started:
- Sort the kit first: a fitted running harness, a bungee line and a waist belt
- Build up distance gradually, exactly as you would when taking up running yourself
- Teach simple directional cues over time so you can steer as a team
A few safety points matter. Do not start hard exercise with a young dog whose growth plates have not yet closed, or with a dog that is unfit or overweight, without a check up with your vet first. Avoid running in the heat, since dogs cool themselves far less efficiently than we do, which is exactly why the cooler months are the better time to begin. If you can find a local Canicross group, it is a good way to learn safely and meet other runners and their dogs.
