Terrier owners who disagree you need a big dog for canicross
We often hear people saying that they can’t take up running with their dog because people can’t run with smaller dogs, this is absolutely not the case! In all the years we’ve been canicrossing, we’ve seen loads of people running with their smaller dogs, just because they’re little doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the benefits of canicross with you too. The only thing you need to be aware of is that you don’t push your dog beyond what they are capable of but this is the same for any size of dog and as long as you build up your distance and intensity slowly then you should be fine.
Tinkerbell the canicrossing Jack Russell Terrier
To help us dispel the myth about small dogs not being good for running canicross style with we asked three of our friends who run with their terriers to give us their stories, first up is Tinkerbell who runs with her owner Claire.
“Tinkerbell Aurora Belle (to give her full name) Mostly known as Tinks or The rat, is a 6kg Jack Russell. We got her from a rescue as a 12-week old puppy for my daughter who was then 6 years old as she wanted a dog she could run with and control herself. Tinks started off running in harness with Elsie my daughter in the kids’ races which were about a mile long, she loved it and would scream at the start.
Tinks (now 7) still occasionally races with small kids just starting out. She mostly free runs with me and the bigger dogs these days as she likes to go off hunting, she gets put on the line for roads and livestock. We usually run 2-3 times a week, anything from 5K to 15 miles and her little legs keep up. I do have to be sensible with her now she’s getting older as being a terrier she will never admit to being tired! Her little legs have to full-on gallop to keep up with the 6-7 min mile pace of the bigger dogs. If she has run with us she always gets more food that night as I feel she’s put in 5 times the effort of the rest of us.
As a typical terrier, she does “hop” occasionally and will run for several minutes with one leg held up and will then alternate it to the other one! The vet has fully X-rayed her and she’s fine, it’s just one of those terrier things! With regards to harnesses, it took us a few attempts to get the right one for her because although small she really does pull and the original harness we got her started to choke her.
As with any dog it’s important to have regular vet checks, Tinks has a heart murmur which is being monitored but at the moment she is super fit and always raring to go!”
Betty the trail running Border Terrier
Our next pint-sized dog and owner to give us their opinion on needing a big dog to canicross with is Betty and her owner Andrew who says this about their running partnership…
“Betty is a Border Terrier, a breed I discovered when out running in the Lake District and loved the fact they were hardy independent dogs that enjoyed the rugged terrain. Initially, I was after a buddy for exploring the local trails but happened across canicross in the Forest of Dean and she loved it so decided to take it further. We go out running most days of the week depending on what event we are building up to, for ultras we will often run 5k to work and then 10k home.
We have had some amazing adventures, but the one that stands out for me is when we competed in a half marathon 2 years after we had started running together. The bigger dogs all raced off, but I could tell Betty was determined that day with her ears pinned back. By 5 miles we were catching others up and at 10 had gone into the lead, and eventually winning, proving a little pooch can take the big ones on. I’d say don’t underestimate a smaller dog, they might not have the same pulling power as a larger dog but have their advantages, coping brilliantly with steep, twisty technical trails and distance is definitely not a barrier.”
Patch the adventure Patterdale Terrier
Finally, we asked journalist and Pet Publicity Expert Rachel about her dog Patch and her experience of canicrossing with a small dog
“Patch is a Patterdale Terrier. We had him DNA tested and he is Parsons Russell, Jack Russell, Border Terrier and Wire Fox Terrier. He’s five and he weighs around 9.5kgs. I used to go running with my old dog Daisy, she was a terrier and had no recall but lots of energy, and running was a way to make sure she got the exercise she needed.
When I adopted Patch it was around a time when I was connected to people in the Canicross world and I wanted to do things properly. I’m ashamed to say I ran with Daisy on a collar and a Flexi lead but I know much better now. Before lockdown, I joined a Canicross group and I try to get there when I can but I would love to do more.
I first started running about 12 years ago to get fit and when I got a dog, it seemed like something we could enjoy together and I’ve really enjoyed learning more about Canicross. I run probably at least three days a week and it ranges from a couple of miles up to five miles, but I am building up to running more as I have signed up for the Great North Run. Patch won’t be doing it with me, but I will need to build up the miles! It’s for a brilliant charity called Wag and Co who provide friendship dogs for people up here in the North East.
My great achievement with Patch was not running but we climbed up Helvellyn in the Lake District. It was scary and we had to carry Patch at some points. We had his Canicross harness and belt on thankfully which made us feel slightly safer and it was an experience for sure. When we got to the bottom he was still raring to go!
I love running with my small dog. I can’t imagine what it must be like to run with a larger dog as Patch is small but still pulls me along and is very strong. He absolutely loves going to Canicross and wants to be up at the front, but unfortunately, he has me holding him back.
Definitely don’t feel like you can’t run with a small dog. As long as they are healthy and it’s appropriate, you can have so much fun. The first Canicross group I joined didn’t have many little dogs but there are a few at Geordie Canicross so he fits in. Be sure to build up with them and make sure they are wearing a harness that fits – lots of groups will help you with this in a taster session. And enjoy it!”
In conclusion
In this short blog, I’ve shared with you just 3 of the many, many stories I know of people running with smaller dogs and in particular Terriers, because they seem to have that strong work ethic that goes hand in hand (or paw in paw) with being dogs who really enjoy the challenge and fun of going out running the trails with their owners.
If you have any concerns about running with your dog you can always consult with your vet to check there are no physical limitations for your dog specifically which might hinder your progress, but otherwise, our advice would be just to get out there and give it a go.
(A very slightly edited transcript from the podcast, so please excuse any grammatical errors and the length of the text!)
The reason that I have felt compelled to do an episode (and now this blog taken from the transcript) on Parkrun is because there have been recent changes made to Parkruns’ policy on running with dogs, that have deeply upset the Canicross community. And I for one can see why.
Basically, I just want to do a quick run-through of Parkrun and how it has related to Canicross in the past. When I first started canicrossing, you could just run with your dogs at Parkrun, there were no real restrictions. So you could run with more than one dog and there were no restrictions on the kit.
Parkrun has always historically been a very inclusive event on a Saturday morning, nine o’clock around local and usually public parks, sometimes they do have permission on private land to run the events. They’re 5k, they’re timed and if you take along your barcode, you get a time at the end of it which puts you in a gender and an age position. It’s quite good for monitoring your progress. It’s always been considered not to be a race.
So when people started competing through Parkrun, it flies in the face of what it was actually intended for because Parkrun has always been intended as a very inclusive and social, fun, free event on a Saturday morning. Originally it started out like I mentioned, with you being able to take any number of dogs along there were no restrictions on kit, you could run your dog however you wanted to and it started to get more popular with canicrossers. On the whole, we were always asked to start at the side or at the back of the start.
As the Parkruns got more popular, there were more people, so they asked us to step to one side as a canicross runner and they even marked us as ‘assisted’ for the timing so that people who were trying to achieve personal records didn’t get too upset by the fact that we were perhaps assisted by our dogs.
So from there, I think a lot of people became aware of people running with dogs at their events, a few people complained, mostly it was the competitive people who complained because I think they felt that it was unfair that the Parkrunners with their dogs were assisted, which was why the assisted category came in. But it also meant that run directors and event directors have to find ways to incorporate dogs into their Parkrun. This meant starting at the back, with some of the more forward-thinking ones starting us at the front, because obviously you get your dogs out of the way first, that’s much better for everyone, however the majority of them will start at the back.
As canicrossers, went along with whatever the Parkrun director for that particular event said, some Parkruns started to ban dogs because they felt that they weren’t safe in the situation that they had, that particular setup on some of the more narrow paths if they had a lot of people. You can check whether they are dog-friendly Parkruns or not before you attend through the website.
One of my first Parkruns at the Swindon Lydiard Parkrun
It then developed into Parkrun didn’t want people running with more than one dog because they felt it was unsafe, and it would potentially cause accidents. So every single park run across the country in the UK was then not allowed to have any runners with more than one dog. That was a bit of a blow to some of us who ran with two dogs. I have to say it was one of the factors that stopped me from going to my local park run because at the time I was running mainly with two dogs. I wondered ‘what am I going to do with the other dog while I’m running just one?’ I would have to just go around again or it just wasn’t worth it for me when they decided that it would only be one dog per runner. They also decided that you needed to have a short line and by short line they indicated no longer than 1.2 metres. That was how the park run line that you see today on all the canicross retail stores came about it, because Parkrun stipulated that they wanted a line that was no more than 1.2 metres.
So we all changed our lines to shorter lines if we wanted to do Parkrun, or the majority of us did. We again followed what the Parkrun directive wanted us to do. It seems that in spite of the fact that it’s cut down to one dog now, and we’re to run them on really short lines, there are still people who have complained about people running with dogs that Parkrun and there are still people who have managed to get involved in an incident.
Park run have recently announced that they’re making changes to what they allow in terms of running with dogs again. It’s this that’s really brought me to doing this podcast (and transcripted blog) today. Because the implications of what they are now saying is going to be their blanket policy means that essentially, you won’t be able to canicross at Parkruns anymore and that is because they have banned the use of waist belts.
So what they have asked for now in their ruling is that you run with your dog on a handheld lead, they haven’t specified whether it’s attached to a collar or harness, so you can still run your dog in a harness, and they haven’t specified that it be a bungee lead or a fixed lead. So you could still run with a bungee lead, but it has to be in your hand and you have to be within arm’s length of your dog – for many people, that’s just going to be impractical.
If you’ve trained a dog to Canicross, they are not going to want to run at your side, which is essentially what Parkrun are requesting now – that your dog runs at your side. There are also a few issues with this in terms of the actual setup because if you think about having a lead in your hand, you’re very much out of balance, all the control is coming from one side, the side that you’re holding the lead. If you’ve got a belt on, you’ve got the whole of your centre of gravity to act as a control for your dog, so you’re going to be much more balanced, your dog’s going to be much more balanced. If you are a trained canicrosser, which most of us who have done Park run are, then your dog is going to be in the middle in front of you and not causing any problems going off to the side. So it’s going to be very balanced, it’s going to be very controlled.
The other problem with having just a handheld lead is that if something happens, and you end up dropping that lead, then you’ve lost your dog, you’ve got a loose dog in amongst hundreds, (potentially) of park runners. So actually having your dog attached to your waist is a much more sensible idea than having it just in your hand. I created a graphic last week on the back of all these changes to indicate to people that it’s really not a good idea to be running with a handheld lead and your dog unless you have got a dog who runs to heel, and you’ve trained your dog to run to heel, which is something that you could potentially do if you haven’t done it already. It’s not outside the realms of possibility to be able to do this with a dog who you’ve already trained to canicross because dogs are very intelligent creatures, they’re very smart and they will pick up on a difference in your training, if you decide to take it down that route.
However, the fact that Parkrun now seem to be advocating this as a way of running with your dog really bothers me personally, because I have spent the whole time that I have run my business – 10 years now, trying to educate people about why running your dog with a harness with a bungee lead on a waist belt is so much safer, and prevents injury than running with a handheld lead. This just blows all of that out of the water when you’ve got an organisation as big and as influential as Parkrun now saying actually, we want you to come to our events and run with your dogs with a handheld lead running next to you, because that’s not what Canicross is about.
I’ve seen a lot of people who have commented saying, ‘well, you know, it should be about that’. That dogs should be under control and Parkrun have got every right to insist on that. It is their event, and it’s their responsibility to make sure that everybody gets around that Parkrun course, safely. So if that’s what they’ve decided to say or their new rules, then really there’s not a lot the canicross community can do about that.
However, I feel really sad and really, I’m really bothered by the fact that there are going to be people out there who see this and think, ‘Well, this is the way to run with your dog’. Because actually, there’s a much better way to run with your dog. That’s with the waist belt, a bungee lead and a harness. So having something like that out there being put out there in the public, is almost it feels to me like a massive backward step from where we were going with promoting the sport of canicross in the country. As much as Park run isn’t designed for canicrossers, it has always welcomed canicrossers, in the 13 years that I’ve been running with my dogs, it’s always been a really inclusive place for people to run with their dogs with a lot of the event volunteers and directors themselves actually canicrossers.
I feel this is just a big blow to everybody who’s worked so hard to include canicross in the Parkrun community. And I know from what I have seen, on all the social media that’s been going around on it, (and there has been a lot on social media) there’s a lot of people who are very upset, there are a lot of people who are angry, and a lot of people who are really disappointed. And I would say that I fall into the disappointed category because it doesn’t upset me as such, I’ve got other avenues for canicrossing my dogs and like I say, since they cut the number of dogs that you could run with down to one, I haven’t actually participated in as many Park runs as I did prior to that. So I’m not upset about that decision. I’m not angry about that decision, because I feel that it is their event, it’s their rules, they can make whatever they want to as their rules.
However, I am really disappointed that an organisation like Parkrun would put out there something which basically suggests that it’s a good idea to run with your dog next to you with a handheld lead. And that’s what we have been trying to campaign against, people don’t choose the right equipment, they often run dogs on collars, and then you get dogs with neck injuries, you can even get dogs with eye injuries if they’ve got a lot of pressure on their neck from having something pulling on their neck all the time. You also don’t necessarily have as much control because you’re holding that lead, so you don’t have your hands free. The risk to injury for both the human and the dog, I think is increased by having that kind of setup without the proper equipment. So it’s just been really disappointing to me. And I can understand why some of my friends are angry, and I can understand why some of my friends are upset. And I’ve been personally asked by a number of people to campaign against this decision, which I won’t be doing because like I said it’s up to Parkrun to choose their own rules, and they’re entitled to do what they want with that. But I did have to make it clear that I’m disappointed with that decision. And the reason for that is because I don’t think it’s a safe decision. And I don’t think it’s a very good way to be advocating running with dogs. So that’s my position on it.
And people are so upset about this, because Parkrun has been such a big part of their canicross journey with their dogs for so long. And I know people who perhaps only ever take their dog to Parkrun and don’t take part in Canicross races. And that’s because they’ve always enjoyed the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that they found that their local Parkrun. It’s also for people that don’t have the time, or the resources to travel for long distances to races, at least they can get out and be sociable and experience that sort of group run atmosphere at their local Parkrun. It’s always been inclusive and it gives you the chance to mix with a variety of different people in the running community. I know families that go to park runs and they run with all different generations, some people run with dogs, some people don’t, but they can all go to the same place and all take part in the same run and get their token to get their placing at the end.
So it is going to be very disappointing for a huge number of people that they can no longer do that essentially, unless they are willing to train their dog to run by their side and potentially increase their risk of injury for themselves or their dog in my opinion by meeting the new rules that Parkrun have brought out. I think from my point of view, the future now is that Parkrun have, albeit through a blog rather than publicly on any social media channels have now indicated that this is the change that’s going to be made from April the 2nd and I don’t think they’re going to back down on that.
I think the point now is to try and be constructive moving forward. And if that means the canicross community are going to have to work twice as hard to educate people about safe running with dogs, then I think that is what we’re going to do. I think there are people who are already putting the wheels in motion for an alternative for people called Bark Run. And at the moment, that’s currently looking to take place at some of the Parkrun sites where it’s accessible and viable to do so. At 8am, in the morning, on a Saturday, around the same course as the Parkrun would, but not interfering with the setting up of the Parkruns that are going to be taking place. And obviously with the agreement and cooperation of the Parkrun directors who are already at that venue. So that’s something to look out for. If you are disappointed about the new changes to Parkrun that looks like it’s gathering momentum. And we’ll just have to see how that goes.
Hopefully, that won’t be in conflict with anything that Parkrun are doing. And it does seem to be being welcomed by a lot of the Parkrun volunteers and people who have been involved, who were also disappointed themselves that Parkrun have made this blanket decision about changing the rules on what equipment can be used. So that’s something to look forward to and look out for in the future. And what I will say is that I have always said to people that Parkrun isn’t necessarily the best place for canicrossers, it can be quite stressful for anyone who doesn’t have full control over their dog. And it can also be quite stressful for people who aren’t prepared to move out of the way of some of the other Parkrunners, because I’ve been in situations where people have actually kicked my dog out of the way in a Parkrun.
There are some people who are hostile towards people running dogs in what is essentially a human run. And you will get some people who are scared of dogs. And so there has been that situation where people are scared to be passed or scared to pass and it’s been slightly uncomfortable. So I have said to people who are starting out, it’s not necessarily the best place for people to canicross with dogs, unless you know, you’ve got really good control over your dog. And unless you’re happy to deal with the fact that you’re just one cog in that in that Park run machine.
So don’t expect the park run to make changes for you, basically. And I think that’s been a running thread over the years where they’ve made the different changes that people have complained about. But essentially, Parkrun isn’t there for canicrossers Parkrun is there to serve the entire community. But on the flip side of that, the entire community does include canicrossers, so it is a sad day. It’s something that a lot of people have been quite upset about. And it’s actually been quite emotional reading people’s posts over the weekend about attending Parkrun where they felt they might be unwelcome now, and they felt uncomfortable going because of the changes in the rules. They felt that people didn’t want them there, which is against everything that Parkrun has always said they wanted to be. So I hope that has given them an indication of how much Parkrun meant to the canicross community and how disappointed everybody is about these changes, in spite of the fact that it probably won’t change anything about their decision and it won’t change the way that Parkrun run in the future.
But like I say there is Bark Run coming and hopefully that’s going to, to get up and running in a really positive way for people. So I’d encourage anyone if you’re really disappointed about these decisions to have a look at that. And also there are many, many other ways that you can go out and be sociable with your dog other than up Parkrun. It’s not the end of everything for canicrossers who have been at Parkruns before. But I do know that it does feel like the end of an era for a lot of us who have always attended Parkrun and felt welcome for the most part. Because this new ruling about the equipment indirectly bans canicrossers from Parkrun. And as much as you can say, it doesn’t stop you taking your dog, it will stop a lot of people taking their dog to Parkruns. Because as a conscientious canicrosser we wouldn’t want to be taking part in something without the proper equipment and without the proper safety surrounding the control that that equipment gives you.
So it does mean the end of an era for many of us, which is pretty sad. And that’s why I just wanted to put this podcast out there today and say how I’m feeling about it and address the issues that have been talked about on social media. I know this will probably go on for a little while now. Because obviously the changes don’t come into place until the 2nd of April. But if you’ve got any thoughts on it, then you know, please do join the debate. Well, not join the debate, because there’s actually nothing really to debate now. But please do continue to help educate people about the right way to run with dogs because I think that’s my biggest fear now that this has been advocated by Parkrun that people will think that this is a great way to run dogs and it’s really not.
I think from my point of view, I definitely feel disappointed. I definitely feel sad about the impact that it’s had on some of my friends and the way they feel about it. And, all I can say is we need to not look to the past, look to the future and plan for great things to come because hopefully this debate and this accepting of other people not necessarily understanding what we do will lead to more conversations and more education, which is all we can really hope for.
I hope you have enjoyed this episode and discussion of canicross and Parkrun.
We’ll be back soon with another episode on the active dog podcast here: https://anchor.fm/theactivedogpodcast And until then, remember, active dogs are happy dogs!
I generally write my blogs about ‘how to’ and ‘what is’ with instructional content that I think will help people get into and enjoy the sports we are so passionate about. Occasionally I will write something personal about what’s going on in our lives at the moment and as a lifelong dog owner and enthusiast, I like to think that sharing this type of blog might also be useful to my audience of dog lovers.
I have written before about when to stop running with your dog and the importance of rest and recovery for dogs in general but this blog is more specifically about how I’ve had to deal with the gradual decline in fitness and activity in my oldest dog Judo.
Judo is my oldest dog and has been canicrossing with me from the start of my journey
To give you some background, I rescued Judo when he was about 5 months old and was a little scrap of a dog, full of worms, dumped with his brothers and sisters at the Many Tears Animal Rescue’s door-step. I was looking for a companion for my other rescue dog, Tegan and I have always (I say it grudgingly!) had a soft spot for collies. His name was the one given to him by the rescue on the day he went to the centre to identify him and I just never changed it, according to my vets and Pit Pat UK, the name Judo for a dog is unique and I found out recently means ‘gentle way’, which is so perfect to describe Judo, I wish I had known earlier.
Judo on the right of Tegan as a baby
Judo has been canicrossing with me since he was about 14 months old and has attempted the West Highland Way with me, completed the Cotswold Way with me, taught me how to bikejor and gave me the confidence to compete on the bike. Judo has been the most focused and reliable canicross dog I’ve ever had, I even used to loan him out to others so they could enjoy an easy run at social runs and races. I really felt the loss when he had to retire from harness sports in 2017 due to spondylosis which meant running in a harness wasn’t suitable for him any longer.
Judo was and still is the best canicross dog I’ve had so far
At the end of 2018, I discovered both Judo and my other dog Tegan, had heart murmurs and the vets discussed how this would eventually develop and degenerate over time. But the advice was to keep allowing them both to enjoy an active life because the heart is essentially another muscle in the body and so exercise, (as long as done at their pace) would be good for them. Sadly I lost Tegan the following year due to a mass, which couldn’t be operated on and as heart-breaking as that was at the time, she had been fighting fit right up until 2 days before that took her from me.
Judo on the other hand has been gradually slowing down over time, we’ve added and increased medications to help support his heart and he’s had regular cardiologist appointments to make sure he’s still receiving the best care possible. For the last 6 months, I have been watching his activity levels reduce and his enthusiasm and ability to keep up with our walks has also slowly gone, to the point where he now doesn’t accompany us, other than on the shortest of walks. This is what I have found most difficult to deal with and have genuinely struggled to come to terms with.
Judo has gradually slowed down since 2017 and now isn’t capable of keeping up with us on walks
My beautiful, active, little pocket rocket has turned into a very slow, sedate, old boy whose greatest pleasure comes from licking the plates before they go in the dishwasher! For a good few months now I realise I have actually been grieving for the loss of my active dog, even though he is still here.
Now some people might find this difficult to understand, after all, he is still here and is still enjoying his life, albeit in a very different way to how he used to, but anticipatory grief is a recognised form of grieving and Carrie Kearns discussed this with Canine Arthritis Management in this blog: Anticipatory Grief – CAM Conversation in 2019.
Carrie runs Animal Bereavement Counselling through her website: https://animalbereavementcounselling.com/ and the main take-away I have gained from her advice is to ‘Use this time not to lament and think about what is to happen. It will never be far from your thoughts but don’t let it steal away the time you have.’
I have spent a long time trying to work out how I could include him in our activities and not leave him behind, feeling guilty if I did leave him at home whilst taking the others out and getting really, really upset about the inevitable conclusion to his condition which means he will no longer be in our lives. Judo has been a constant in my life for the last 13.5 years and his quiet, gentle and funny ways will leave a huge hole in my heart and for a while, it’s been all I can think about.
I have been devastated thinking about the hole in my life Judo will leave
I have always considered myself a fairly rational person but when it comes to being able to rationalise the decline of my dogs’ active life and health, I have found it very difficult to put any of it into perspective. Those who know me have seen my anxiety about doing the right thing for him and the fear I have about having to say that final goodbye. We had another vet appointment this week and they have confirmed we’re doing everything we can for him now and it’s just a matter of time, which is just breaking my heart.
I have however decided to take Carrie’s advice and make every last day count, she mentioned a few things you can do to enjoy whatever time you have left with a dog on limited time and these include:
Make a bucket list, what would your pet love to do if they could get away with it?
What foods were forbidden but now with the days reducing they can eat as a treat?
Where is their favourite place to be?
I booked us into a dog-friendly light show in early December that meant he got to be sociable and wander around with other dogs and people which he loved. We took an extended break over Christmas at our favourite place and made sure there was time for activities which included Judo. I have always taken loads of photos but I’ve been making sure to take more, aware that any of these things we do might be the last time we do them with Judo.
Judo at the Winter Glow event we took him to
It might seem a bit strange to be so focused on the sad ending which is inevitable but when you’ve had a dog as active as Judo has been his whole life, the difference in him has been night and day. So it has been hard to ignore the decline and even harder to incorporate his needs into our regular day without acknowledging that he is now a senior dog who needs extra special care and attention that involves very carefully restricting his activity when his whole life has previously been about getting him out to enjoy being active.
I feel I need to explain to people, the best way I know how, why I might not be doing so many events at the moment, why I am sticking to specific venues for races and not travelling too far away from home. My whole focus has had to change from our usual adventures away, to making sure Judo’s needs are being met and he is as comfortable and happy as he can be now, which often means just being in his own space at home.
If there is anyone else out there experiencing this, I’d love to hear from you. I can offer little advice but I can tell you, you have my deepest sympathy and I fully understand the term ‘anticipatory grief’ now in a way I never did before.
In trying to finish this on a more positive note, I am going to enjoy all the time we have left and now I’ve accepted and understand the process I’m going through, hope I can give Judo the best last days which is nothing less than he deserves, having been my side-kick and original team member since we started our crazy career in canicross all those years ago.
Judo will be living his best life for as long as he has left and I will be doing my best not to get too sad
“Dogs die. But dogs live, too. Right up until they die, they live. They live brave, beautiful lives. They protect their families. And love us. And make our lives a little brighter. And they don’t waste time being afraid of tomorrow” – Dan Gemeinhart
I often get asked if there are any harnesses available for small dogs, those dogs who are small yet mighty and need decent dog sports harnesses but their owners are struggling to find the right fit and style.
So I’ve put together this short blog with my top 5 dog sports harnesses for smaller dogs to help guide new canicrossers to the brands and styles which might suit their dogs best.
So you have a small dog who pulls hard, what harnesses can you use?
Top Dog Sports Harness for Small Dogs Number 1 – The Non-stop Freemotion
My top recommendation for a dog sports harness which suits strong pulling dogs working hard is the Non-stop Freemotion. The Non-stop Freemotion is not specifically designed for the smaller dog but ranges from a size 10 at the biggest (Great Dane & Malamute sized) to size 2 which will happily fit a small terrier.
Even the smallest of terriers can have a suitable long harness with the Non-stop Freemotion
I love the fact the Non-stop Freemotion is adjustable and that gives it the edge over other longer style harnesses which are on the market, because you can alter the side and back straps to cater for the dogs’ shape.
Top Dog Sports Harness for Small Dogs Number 2 – The Zero DC Short
The Zero DC Short Harness is a great one for smaller dogs because it’s design makes it easy to adjust and fit for the smaller body shape. The harness is again not just designed for smaller dogs and comes in a size range from Mini 1, which is the tiniest harness you’ll ever see, right up to XXXL which is the biggest harnesses I stock. Zero DC have definitely covered every possible size of dog with the Zero DC Short sizing.
The Zero DC Short is a firm favourite for many active terriers who like to run with their owners
My only reservation with the Zero DC Short is that if the harness doesn’t fit exactly right, it can cause some wheezing in stronger pulling little dogs, this is due to the angle of the harness and where it pulls when your little powerhouse is really going for it. It’s all about fit with this one and if the fit is right, it’s perfect.
Top Dog Sports Harness for Small Dogs Number 3 – The Howling Dog Alaska Second Skin
The Howling Dog Alaska Harness is also one suitable for the stronger pulling smaller and is made of a soft flexible mesh which makes it great for dogs just starting out. The sizing is again not just tailored for smaller dogs and ranges from XXS to XXL in the Second Skin range.
The Howling Dog Alaska Second Skin is a very good one for Staffy shaped dogs and Spaniels
The Second Skin is a really good one for spaniel and staffy types, I think it has to do with the fact the harness is a mid length harness which acts like a longer harness, so caters for the strong puller by distributing the pull along the side of the body. Your dog really needs to be attached and out front pulling for this harness and if I were to have a complaint about it, I think they need to go even smaller still, as the XXS is still too big for small terrier types.
Top Dog Sports Harness for Small Dogs Number 4 – The Non-stop Line Harness
The Non-stop Line Harness is a great one for the smaller dogs and best if you want one with more padding, the size range is vast with this range too, going down to size 1 which is tiny terrier size, right up to size 9 which is your big dog size.
The Non-stop Line Harness is much better than a traditional walking style harness and suits dogs right down to very small terriers
The style of the Non-stop Line harness is very much like a traditional walking harness but the difference is the piece that comes under the chest is cut a lot longer to avoid any interference behind the front legs when your dog is pulling if attached to you. The Non-stop Line harness has the same limitation as the Zero DC Short in that due to the design, the size has to be a good fit on your dog, otherwise you will get the rasping or wheezing noise with a very strong pulling little dog.
Top Dog Sports Harness for Small Dogs Number 5 – The Arctic Wolf Adventure Harness
The Arctic Wolf Adventure harness is a similar style of harness to the Zero DC Short but with a couple of crucial differences and the one which makes it so much better is the deep V which is cut into the neck of the harness which prevents the harness from causing the problems with wheezing if the fit isn’t bang on perfect on the neck.
The Arctic Wolf Adventure Harness fits dogs from about 12kgs upwards
I love this harness for it’s versatility and if I had a complaint it would be that there needs to be a few more sizes as it currently only goes down to an XS and up to an XL, the XS will fit dogs of around 12 kgs but not much smaller. The harness was only released for the first time in 2020 though and so I believe there may be more sizes in the pipeline, it’s certainly the one we go to for the team dogs on our hiking / canicross adventures!
So those are your top 5 dog sports harnesses for smaller dogs, there are a couple of others maybe worth mentioning such as the Dragrattan Multi Sport which can provide a useful mid length harness for strong puller smaller dogs from about 10-12kgs depending on their shape. Another good one is the Dragrattan X-Back in the smallest size of 0 which I’ve found works for small spaniels but doesn’t go down to terrier size unfortunately.
As always we’d love to help you getting started with your equipment and you can either visit us at one of our pop up shops …
We’re always interested in sports new to us and so we recently asked fellow dog sports enthusiast Hayley Laches to explain a little bit more about the dog sport known as ‘Canine Hoopers’.
Here’s what she and her friends put together for us…
Photo Credit to Zooming Pixels
‘Canine Hoopers is a fairly new dog-sport that has been gaining popularity throughout the UK. The dogs pass through hoops, tunnels and around barrels on a low-impact, smooth flowing course. The tunnels are 80cm diameter – much larger than agility tunnels. The larger tunnels, and the lack of twists and sharp turns on Hoopers courses, means the sport is all breeds inclusive; from tiny Chihuahuas and Daschunds to larger breeds like St Bernards, Great Danes and Newfoundlands. Another element of hoopers is the TanGo mat Tango mats are 900mm wide and 1800mm long. Mats must be made from a non-slip rubber material. It has marker poles can be free standing or can stick into the ground which are placed near each corner or the mat, the dog has to run across the mat making contact with at least one paw.
It is inclusive for people as well, those with limited mobility, mobility scooters and power chairs discover distance handling so they can send their dog round the course instead of trying to run with their canine friend.
Dogs and their owners can accumulate points earned at Canine Hoopers UK (CHUK) competitions to progress through the five Hoopers levels; from Starters to Masters. Speed is not crucial to moving through the levels – slower dogs have equal opportunity to gain qualification points.
History
Canine Hoopers UK was formed in 2017. Clubs, societies and individuals are able to host Canine Hoopers UK shows, competitions and training by Accredited Instructors. Canine Hoopers UK strives to protect the long-term well-being of the dog by maintaining flowing courses of low impact obstacles and aims to be an inclusive dog sport making sure that this sport is accessible to all dogs and handlers. Canine Hoopers UK endeavours to promote only force free modern training techniques through the training and assessment and of their OCN Accredited Canine Hoopers UK Instructor Training scheme.
Instructors
All Accredited Canine Hoopers UK Instructors have been thoroughly assessed and only awarded accreditation when they prove their understanding, knowledge and teaching aptitude, meaning you are secure in the knowledge that your learning journey will be both fun, and safe, and that the instruction you receive will be to the highest standard. We are committed to making sure that all Canine Hoopers UK Accredited Trainers are consistently teaching to a high standard, they use only modern force free training techniques and are promoting everything this wonderful sport has to offer.
For those wishing to showcase their abilities, there are Canine Hoopers UK shows held all year round throughout the UK. Focusing on the partnership between dog and handler, CHUK competition courses will be smooth and flowing and can include optional handling challenges too for extra points! Unlike many other dog sports, progression is based on consistency rather than individual class wins.
Whether you want to compete or not, in training classes you can work through your Good Hoopers Awards. These awards are suitable for everyone and are great fun as well as providing a record of achievement of your hoopers skills!
Carol Bentley an advanced accredited instructor from the Dorset area quotes “The results of this modern training method speak for themselves! I’ve seen the difference Hoopers has made; ‘velcro dogs’ gain confidence and become unstuck, dogs lacking focus gain drive and dogs that couldn’t, or didn’t, previously partake in any other activity suddenly have a whole new passion and lease of life! You can see how much the dogs – and their owners – enjoy the sport. “
Faye Nemeth is an advanced accredited instructor near Carlisle Cumbria; “Phase Purple regularly hold shows involving canine hoopers and the numbers are increasing at each show. ‘hoopers is not just about running through hoops and sending around a barrel, if trained correctly it’s a whole different skill set to teach your dog. Some dogs that have had a go have been a little confused when they first had a go due to the fact that they had not trained the hoop as a different piece of equipment but when the foundations have been correctly trained the dogs definitely know the difference between doing a hoopers course and doing agility. My grade 7 dog, Jess, will regularly compete in agility and hoopers at the same show and she knows the difference between going over jumps and through hoops, there was one show where we did our agility class and ran straight over to do our hoopers class and Jess managed to win both of classes.”
Award scheme
Throughout Lockdown, Canine Hoopers UK have been running an online awards scheme. Specifically created and written to both provide instructors with some income during a difficult time, and to provide owners and dogs with a focus. Originally designed with 4 different levels (foundation, bronze, silver and gold), later a fifth Platinum level was released. Each level has daily training videos to watch to teach your dog new skills. At the end of each course, your skills are combined for the assessment. The Online GHA’s are designed to be done in gardens and even using make shift equipment from around your home (see the full list of suggestions on the website), my favourite suggestion being; a pair of wellies and a bit of hose pipe!
Hoopers really is accessible for all, it’s a non-expensive, fun and enjoyable hobby for dogs and handlers of all ages. Want to get stuck in and have a go?
Let’s get stuck in shall we and teach our dogs what a hoop is! I would advise using your dogs meals whilst training to prevent weight gain!
Firstly, set up your hoop (or hoop shaped equipment) on a non-slip surface or in your garden on grass. Avoid concrete and patios as this won’t be good for your dogs pads once they gain speed.
Stand with your back to the hoop, be so close to the hoop that your heels are touching the end of the hoop, have 5 pieces of food in each hand.
Have your dog in front of you and just get their attention and let them know you have their food and that you are about to have some fun – note you don’t want to overly excite your dogs here.
Once your dog wants what you have got in your hands, rotate 180 degrees so that you are now facing the hoop. Your dog should come a step or two around your body to see where your hands (and therefore the food) went!
As soon as your dog takes a step or two around your body, give a marker word word (this could be YES or GOOD etc). Immediately bowl a piece of food out on the opposite side of the hoop to your dog. Your dog should see the food and travel through the hoop to go and eat it. NOTE – aim to bowl the piece of food at least 4 times the length of your dog away from the hoop. (no less than 2 metres from the hoop regardless of dog size.
Once your dog has eaten the treat, they should turn around to see if you have got any more food. Because of how far away from you your dog is, your dog should naturally take a step or two back in your direction to get closer to the food again. MARK the first step forwards (YES or GOOD etc) and now deliver the next piece of food on the far side of the hoop, again aiming for no less than 2metres but ideally 4 dogs lengths from the hoop again. Your dog should pass through the hoop to get to the food.
Repeat this action of marking your dog for taking a step forwards and delivering the food to the far side of the hoop until all ten pieces of food are gone. Give your dog a break, a cuddle/sniff time etc.
With short breaks between the sets of 10 treats, you can do a couple of sets a minute or two apart. Be sensible with this and adapt it to your own dogs fitness level.
Want to progress? If you think your dog now understands what you are asking, take 1 step back from the end of the hoop. Continue to mark your dog for travelling towards the hoop and deliver the reward on the far side ahead of your dog. If your dog has built value in the hoop, there will be no limit to the amount of steps back from the side of the hoop that you can take.
Important things to remember:
Make sure not to wave the treat around to lure the dog to come towards the hoop – simply capture your dogs actions of moving forwards and they will quickly learn what to do without needing to rely on handlers arms actions.
Keep your marker word short, ideally 1 syllable. Every time you give your marker word, you are signalling two things to your dog. The first being that you are indicating what the dog has done is correct. The second tells your dog that the reward is now going to be delivered. This means that your dog will learn to only go looking for the treats when they hear their magic marker word.
Stand still – this can be especially hard for humans, especially sporty ones!’
Final note from K9 Trail Time
We think this is a great introduction to Canine Hoopers and we’d like to thank Hayley and her team for sending over details of what the sport is and how to get started for our followers – if you’re thinking of something new this year, do get in touch with Hayley for more information.
Training provided by Hayley Laches of Taming Canines. Hayley is an advanced accredited instructor who offers both in-person training and online training through Dog Sports Direct to your home.
We’ve been investigating lots of different dog activities during the last year of lockdowns and limited travelling, for things to do with our dogs a bit closer to home. We recently spoke to Sara Seymour of Compass Canine and asked her about her experiences with scentwork and why she finds it so beneficial for her happy, active dog, Ripley.
Sara is the owner of Compass Canine, based in Totnes, South Devon with her primary business being hydrotherapy and canine fitness. She also offers scentwork training, as well as running scentwork events. Sara’s dog training background was mainly in agility, but these days her training with Ripley, other than scentwork, focuses on Rally obedience. This is mostly online, due to the limited number of ‘real life’ competitions currently available. They also enjoy training tricks and a variety of concepts such as mimicry. Sara is training to become a Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer (CPCFT) and her training philosophy is best described as ‘Do No Harm’, focusing on positive reinforcement-based training that is adapted to each learner. She aims to apply this to both people and dogs.
Here’s what Sara had to say…
“My current running buddy is Ripley, a six-year-old working cocker spaniel. We started C25K together back in October 2019, and have run two or three times a week ever since. I have to be honest, since the first lockdown started in March 2020 he free runs more often than not. This suits us better, as I don’t run fast enough for him! He still runs in harness on some routes. Well, trots – quite famously he never broke out of a trot through the whole C25K program! Anyway, the main point is that he is a very fit, high energy dog.
So it often comes as a surprise to people that I don’t walk him every day. Even on the days we do walk, it can just be a quick 20-30 minute bimble. Most people would then expect that he is running circuits around the house, or destroying anything that he can get his mouth on. But that’s not the case. I run my own hydrotherapy centre, and he spends most of his days in the office with me popping my head in between appointments. Many clients have spotted him through the window, sound asleep with his legs in the air. Want to know the secret? Then read on…
Ripley relaxing!
Walking, or running, with your dogs for ever increasing distances is one way to try and tire them out. However, the chances are you will end up with a very fit adrenaline junkie. The more you do, the worse it’s going to get. And let’s not even get started on standing and chucking a ball for them repeatedly. Seriously, just don’t start it. The way to tire your dog out, so that they can settle themselves during down time, is by training them. I may not walk him every day, but we do train every day, even if it’s just for five or ten minutes. Getting to the specifics, the very best way to tire your dog out is by getting them to use their nose.
A large part of a dog’s brain is dedicated to processing the information that they take in through their nose. Much more than in the human brain; our main senses being sight and sound. Dogs navigate the world with their noses, which is why they often cope surprisingly well when they lose their sight or go deaf (and we often don’t realise for a while). Given that they are using so much of their brain for sniffing, it’s an activity that will tire them more effectively. Letting Ripley spend his 30-minute walk sniffing every blade of grass will satiate him far more than the dog that chases a ball for 30 minutes – they’re barely using their brain at all.
There are many ways to get your dog using their nose more, from scattering some of their meal around the garden to training for competitive scentwork. I use everything in this spectrum. I got involved in scentwork in 2017, as my springer Vinnie had been retired from agility relatively young and still needed a job. I trained as a trainer for Scentwork UK, and started teaching classes. I’ve since trained as a Trial Manager and Judge, and also run Nosework Games events. I’m a lifelong learner, so there has been plenty of further education in there as well.
With Scentwork UK, the initial scent that we teach our dogs is cloves. They are trained to search for this scent in a number of different set ups, and once they find the scent they have to perform a behaviour that tells the handler that they’ve found it – this is known as an indication. Scentwork classes are available all over the country, as well as online. I have also recently written and published a book, Scentwork: Step by Step, which is aimed at complete beginners.
Ripley enjoying a scentwork session
However, the most simple way that you can get your dog sniffing is by getting them to search out their meals (admittedly much easier if you feed kibble rather than raw). Either place a few bits of food in various places around a room or sprinkle some kibble in the grass. Try to avoid pointing out every bit, stand back and let them get on with it. You can even do this out on walks to encourage them to get their nose down. Probably an important point to note here is that I put a lot of these behaviours on cue – quite rightly we don’t want our dogs with their nose down all the time whilst we’re running, but by actually allowing them time to do this elsewhere you may find that they have less need to do so at other times.
Scentwork can be as simple as getting your dog to sniff out their food in your back garden
Find out more
You can find out more about Scentwork UK or Nosework Games on their websites or Facebook pages. I have a page dedicated to scentwork, Compass Canine Scentwork, as well as some information on my website www.compasscanine.co.uk/scentwork The book is available through Amazon, wherever you are in the world, either on Kindle or in paperback – mybook.to/ScentworkStepbyStep If you have any questions, then please do get in touch.”
We think scentwork is going to be great fun for the K9 Trail Time team to try and we’re currently working through Sara’s book and looking forward to getting started ourselves. We hope you’ve enjoyed this little insight into scentwork and it gives you some ideas for keeping your dogs happy on rest days.
March is Pet Anxiety Month so it felt like a good time to write this blog on running with a reactive dog. Many of the people who get into the dog sports of canicross, bikejor and dog scootering, do so because they have a high energy dog, possibly bred to do a job which isn’t accessible to them in their current home. Some of these dogs are rescues and some have just developed anxiety leading to the dog being reactive in certain situations. I know plenty of people who have a found a safe haven in canicross because it allows you to exercise your dog, whilst keeping them close to you and under control to prevent incidents with other dog walkers.
Canicross can be a great way to exercise your reactive dog, allowing them to socialise safely with other dogs
People who have never owned a reactive dog will probably not understand the daily struggles of planning a stress free route for your dog or the impact that their ‘friendly’ off lead dog interfering can have on your dog and your day. So whilst it is extremely annoying, we do all have to consider that not everyone will understand your dogs’ reaction and often their first response is to accuse you of having an aggressive dog – not fun or fair on anyone!
I want to point out that I’m not a qualified behaviourist, I talk about this from my own experiences having owned three reactive dogs now, all of whom were reactive in slightly different ways and for different reasons and all of whom I have canicrossed with and canicross raced with.
In my experience dogs become reactive for a reason and whatever that reason is, it is usually based on a fear of something. If you can find out what ‘triggers’ their reactivity (so basically work out what is frightening them) then you are halfway there to helping ease, or resolve, the problem.
My own dogs
The first example I have is with my first canicross dog Tegan, Tegan was a husky collie cross, loads of energy and a mix of two renowned working breeds, both endurance breeds with a really strong work ethic. This is important because Tegan NEVER gave up on something if it upset her, if she had a ‘run in’ with another dog, she would remember that and it was very difficult to persuade her not to react in any future meetings with that dog, I think her persistence in this was part of her genetic make up, not just as a result of an individual disagreement.
Tegan was always shouting at me or someone else to let her opinions be known!
Tegan would react badly to most dogs she saw whilst on the lead and holding her in situations where we met other dogs ‘head on’ was always difficult. Canicrossing however, was a different story and I couldn’t understand at first why she was fine running shoulder to shoulder with a strange dog, yet would create merry hell in the car park after a run if the dog came any where near her. I began to learn about what situations ‘triggered’ her reactivity and so I would avoid them if at all possible.
Avoidance of the trigger has now become my key tool in dealing with reactivity and you might be thinking ‘well that’s not really an answer that solves the problem’ but for me and my dogs, it is. Tegan would react because she felt threatened in a situation, not because she was a nasty, aggressive dog but because she genuinely felt that for whatever reason, she was unsafe in meeting some other dogs in head on situations and so she would react first.
My springer collie cross Donnie is similar, he will happily canicross alongside a dog he has never met before but if you ask him to ‘meet’ a dog in a walking or running situation, he turns into a spitting, snarling and quite frankly scary looking dog. I often find myself apologising for him if we meet someone out on walks or runs and generally leave the encounter embarrassed, which is why more often than not, I just try to avoid meeting people altogether.
Donnie will happily run alongside dogs he doesn’t live with but won’t tolerate them approaching him
Where it’s not possible to avoid coming face to face with other dogs, I have to do my best to ensure every situation is managed and doesn’t lead to something which could reinforce the behaviour, so staying calm, moving him as far out of the way as possible and reassuring him, are generally the methods I employ for helping to keep him below his ‘threshold’ for reacting.
Canicross has been a lifeline for us in that I know I have him under control when he is attached to me, I can pull him in closer to me quickly and he is generally a much happier dog than if he were constantly in a situation where he was reacting to everything. The other thing about Donnie is that he has Addisons Disease which is influenced by stress and so keeping him as stress free as possible is quite literally keeping him healthier!
My final example dog is Delta who is much quieter and more subtle with her reactivity but she is still nervous and whereas Tegan and Donnie’s reactions were your typical ‘fight’ response to a potential threat, Delta’s is flight, so she runs! This is where canicross comes into the picture again for being a great way for her to see the countryside with me but without her being in a situation where she feels the need to flee. Delta knows she can just drop by my side and I can keep other dogs / people away and so her confidence has grown since we have been canicross training, as she learns that nothing bad happens when she’s with me and I wrote another blog on this here: https://k9trailtime.wordpress.com/2020/01/27/keeping-your-dog-safe/ about making sure she felt safe.
Delta is happy to run with me and I feel she is safer attached to me, so there is no ‘flight’ risk if we meet other dogs – Photo courtesy of Horses for Courses Photography
So what happens when you go to a canicross race?
Canicross racing is something I have written a fair bit about but not necessarily in the context of the reactive dog. I often see people ask if they can take their reactive dog to a canicross race and the short is answer is ‘yes’. The longer answer however is, ‘yes, but think very carefully about whether you should’.
I am always actively encouraging people to get to canicross races, the organisers are people generally experienced with dogs and will be friendly and understanding towards you, even if you dog is reactive. Most true dog people understand that not all dogs will behave in the same way and will help you feel welcome and try and accommodate any worries you might have about taking part in a canicross race.
However, and this is quite a big however, if you feel your dog won’t cope very well with the situation being surrounded by other high energy and excited dogs, or having to pass other dogs and this might cause your dog more stress than enjoyment, or worse put your dog in a situation where you feel they have the potential to harm another dog, you or even themselves, then perhaps a race situation isn’t for you.
I have to hold my dogs by their harnesses on the start line to make sure they do not cross the path of other runners and their dogs
You do need to be able to control your dog in a race situation so that you are not responsible for causing anxiety in someone else’s dog. I’ve been on the receiving end of this and have had my dogs lunged at and ultimately put off racing by other competitors’ lack of care when handling their dog in a race. I personally wouldn’t want my dog to be the cause of this for someone else and so I would always recommend building your reactive dog up slowly to racing. If you positively train them around other dogs, taking time to reinforce the fun elements of running with other dogs and work hard to do all you can to make the experience exciting rather than anxiety inducing, then you can enjoy racing with your reactive dog too.
Canicross is much more fun if you know everyone has control over their dog – Photo Courtesy of CBR Photography
My final thoughts
So to conclude, running with your reactive dog can be a really good way to get your dog used to being around other dogs without putting them under too much pressure to interact, or allow them to reinforce any negative behaviours around other dogs and people. Whether your dog is confrontational when anxious or looks to escape the situation, you have much more control if your dog is attached to you and can give you the peace of mind you need to be able to enjoy going out with your dog, without the fear of a negative situation with other trail users.
We asked dog photographer Rae Prince for her top tips when taking photos of your active dogs and here’s what she had to say:
Capturing an action shot is great fun but can be tricky to nail as your dog zoomies around the field at a million miles an hour. Inevitably most people are left with a blurred image of paws and legs going every which way. However, there are a few little tips you can utilise and you don’t even need a fancy camera!
Most of today’s mobile phones have excellent cameras and some neat little actions to help you capture it all. So, here are a few little tips and tricks which will hopefully help you with your action shots. In the first instance, if you can rope in someone to act as dog wrangler this will help enormously. They can be tasked with throwing balls, releasing the dog and generally helping to get them in the right spot at the right time.
Now, my NUMBER ONE TIP for any dog photography is to get down low…….and I mean right down and dirty! You need to have your camera at your dog’s eye level or even lower for the best angle.
• Try and face your dog into the light but beware of harsh shadows. If you can, shoot early morning or an hour or two before sunset when the sun is lower and the light is softer. Your camera/phone works much better with good contrast when taking action shots.
• Use a path or an opening to help position your dog so that you can then be ready to take the shot. Have a helper hold your dog and then call them to you.
• Make sure you are steady. Either hold your breath or exhale slowly as you take the shot. If you are standing, keep your elbows tucked in. Prop your elbows on something if you are sitting or lying down.
• If you are using your camera phone, don’t zoom in. Better to take the image and then crop afterwards. Ideally, zoom with your feet in the first instance.
• Use burst mode. Hold down the home key on your phone.
For those of you using an actual camera there are a few key settings you’ll need to dial in, although obviously these aren’t hard and fast rules:
• Increase your shutter speed. For an action shot with a dog you need at least 1/1000 of a second.
• Check your aperture – a wide aperture (eg f2.8) will only give you a depth of field of a few inches meaning that only a small part of your image may be in focus and the rest will be blurred. Have a play with narrower apertures depending on how in focus (or not) you want your background to be.
• If you don’t want to go fully manual, use the Sports Mode setting on your camera. There’s a lot of technology in a digital camera so you may as well make use of it!
Two final little tips:
Try and capture the dog on the up stride i.e. you want their head to be higher than their bum and secondly, think about the space around your dog in the image.
Always try and give them ‘somewhere to run’ in the final image i.e some space to the left or right of them depending on which way they’re going.
About Rae:
Originally from a little island in North Wales called Anglesey, I’m now based in Worcestershire where I live with my husband and our two rescue dogs called Betty and Hector. I’ve had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember and it’s probably something I picked up from my Dad as he was a keen photographer documenting his travels abroad with the RAF in the 60s and 70s way before digital was a thing! I love photographing all animals as I love the thrill of capturing a special moment in time, especially dogs as they are never with us for long enough. However, there’s not enough money or cake in the world to get me photograph a wedding……oh no!
Are you a runner who got a dog or a dog owner who started Canicross?
Whichever you are, Canicross is a very different sport and however you have come into the sport, you need to not only think about your dogs’ fitness but yours too.
Runners who become dog owners – Top Tips
1. You need to slowly introduce your dog to Canicross, as you would if you were just starting out yourself
2. Be aware of your dogs needs when running, like water, terrain
3. Canicross is a different running technique from solo running
4. Canicross can increase your risk of injury, cross- training is VERY important
Dog owners who start Canicross – Top Tips
1. Start slow and build up for both of you, this way will help reduce your risk of injury
2. Make sure YOU have the right kit, most important being trail shoes
3. As a runner you need to ensure you cross train to reduce your risk of getting injuries
4. Start off with the C25K course
Whatever your reason for taking up Canicross, it’s really important that you look after yourself as well as you dog. If Canicross is the main way you exercise your dog, then the last thing you need is to get injured and not being able to get out and go for a run. Believe me I have been there with injuries and I should know better the importance of cross training.
Canicross running
Canicross running is a little different from regular running
As a Canicrosser your running technique is different from running solo. Due to the nature of Canicross and the fact that as well as you pushing yourself forward with your own running technique, your dog will also be pulling you. This means you are more than likely to overstride. Overstriding is when your foot lands in front of your hip (a normal runner’s foot tends to land underneath your hip), the foot is in contact with the ground longer, the muscles are having to work harder and this is when the injuries are likely to occur.
So, it is really important that we keep ourselves injury free to keep running with our dogs.
Crossing training is SO important and ensuring it is functional training as well, so it mimics what we do when we run but focuses on our strength, flexibility and balance.
Don’t be put off if you weren’t a runner beforehand. Hopefully you are starting to realise how addictive and great Canicross is.
Pilates for Runners
Pilates for Runners is a great way to focus on your balance, strength and flexibility and learning about your technique more will help you reduce your risks of injury when Canicrossing.
If you have done Pilates before, you know that it focuses on your core strength and this is a great start for runners as this will help you improve your balance. Pilates for runners will also help to increase the strength in your legs and your flexibility, ensuring that you run with the best possible technique you can when canicrossing.
Throughout the course we do both standing and mat Pilates practice. The standing practice focuses on dynamic running movements whilst also focusing on strengthening and improving balance.
Mat Pilates practice goes back to basics to ensure the core is strong but also working on the areas we use in running – glutes, hamstrings and core muscles, making sure we are engaging and using these muscles.
Pilates done regularly will change your running and with some great mantras to keep you going when you are out canicrossing, you know you are doing the best to keep yourself injury free.
All the exercises we do on the course can be used before or after runs to get you warmed up and cooled down, then longer sessions can be used on rest days. It doesn’t need to take up hours, just small sessions on a regular bases will build your strength & flexibility.
So, if Canicrossing is the way you let your dog unleash its energy in a safe way, then working on your cross training will help you get out there more often and enjoy the trials around you. If you want to find out more about Pilates for Runners Course then you can here.
About Louise
Louise Humphrey is the founder of Paws4running and Studio 44 Pilates. She started Paws4running after her Black Labrador Pickle failed Gundog school with a high prey drive. Wanting to make sure Pickle could unleash her energy they started to Canicross together, leading her to qualify as a Canicross instructor.
Louise is a certified DogFit Canicross instructor offering Canicross taster sessions, C25K and social runs in her local area of Market Harborough, Leicestershire https://www.instagram.com/paws_4running/
Canicross has been proven to help, reactive, rescue and anxious dogs’ bond with their owners and running in groups helps them socialise too.
Louise has been teaching Pilates for over 20 years and has an online 10-minute Pilates membership to help you bring Pilates into your life daily www.studio44pilates.com
With Louise’s Pilates experience she is able to also combine Pilates for Runners together with the Canicross ensuring that her human clients are as fit and healthy as their dogs and stay as injury free as possible.
We discovered the HundEnergy. Bars last year when we were kindly donated some for all our Tri Dog competitors and the K9 Trail Time team got to sample them. We spoke to Sarah at HundEnergy. and asked her to share a bit about the Bars so our active dog owners can see for themselves why they might want these handy little snack bars for their dogs.
HundEnergy. is a brand for active dogs and their owners and our flagship product is the HundEnergy. Bar. This nutritional snack uses only ingredients that are beneficial to a dog after an extended period of exercise and is completely plant-based.
What’s inside HundEnergy. Bars?
At first you may think having a snack that’s plant-based goes against the more traditional food you currently feed your dog, however a dog thrives of a high protein diet made up of both meat and plant based matter.
When to use?
Humans need additional nutrients during or after exercising to replenish those that are lost, and to also aid with recovery. The same rule can be applied to your dog. Each dog has its specific daily exercise requirements depending on age and breed, however we can assume all dogs require extra nutrients after a long period of exercise. That is where the HundEnergy. Bar steps in.
HundEnergy. Bars contain natural ingredients that either aid in recovery and build, such as raw peanuts or give quick release energy such as gluten free oats.
This makes them the ideal snack for your dog when taking part in activities such as Canicross or any other type of Canisport.
Each Bar is individually wrapped meaning they can be kept in a handy place such as a kit bag, or backpack ready to give to your dog when they need it the most. As the ingredients are all completely natural, one bar for one serving will be suitable for any type of dog, they can even serve as a nutritious snack in-between meals.
K9 Trail Time 