Book Review: Skijor With your Dog: Second Edition

Burger as a puppy, learning the ropes of skijoring!

Skijor With your Dog: Second Edition

by Marji Hoe-Raitto Carol Kaynor

The combined efforts of a  professional writer, and a professional dog driver, Skijor With your Dog, is easy to read, and full of skijoring knowledge. The book covers everything from falling, to competition tips.

Similar to the first version, the book has many diagrams and pictures to illustrate their points. A nice change from the old book, are the new pictures, many of which are full page.

The book offers a through section called "Potential Problems and Possible Solutions". Which is a must read for anyone who is feeling frustrated that their dog just doesn't seem to "get it". If you are having problems getting going, it is worth buying this book, for this section alone.

The book takes you through everything you could want to know about skijoring. From the early history of the sport in North America, to picking your skis and your dog, to racing and winter camping. There is something for everyone in this book.

This is an easy to read, informative book. Rather than just simply a step by step, how to guide on skijoring, the rationale and reasoning behind the training and choices are presented.

A few take aways for me from this book:

I enjoyed the section at the back of the book, on a suggested training colander. It has given me some ideas about how to improve my own training schedule.

Training Philosophy. I am always thinking about this, and trying to learn from my dogs. I enjoy a book like this, that teaches you and gets you to think.

An excellent read. 5 Paws up.

Tales from the Sophomore Skijorer: Getting Started

Getting Started
By: Carly Lodewyks

I’m told I started skiing almost before I could walk. As a kid I spent many hours cross country skiing around Manitoba with my family. When permitted, our dogs came with us and free ran the trails as we skied.  There was talk about this sport called skijoring but we none of our family dogs were ever trained.

Fast forward several years to Dec 2011. My husband and I adopted our first dog together from the Winnipeg Humane Society. Ember was 4 months old and a bundle of energy + puppy brain. From the time she came home with us I knew I wanted to give skijoring a try.  I did some internet research on skijoring in Winnipeg and came upon Snow Motion’s website. I then patiently waited until the following fall when they were hosting their next beginners workshop.  By this point Ember was about 70lbs of athletic mutt who loved to run and pull. I had a feeling she would be perfect for the sport.

Family Photo

The workshop was a fantastic learning experience. We fit Ember for a harness and I came home full of ideas to get her training started.

We went slow at first. While out on our walks I began using “Gee” and “Haw” as we turned corners. And “whoa” when we came to street crossings. In a very short period of time Ember began to understand what these terms meant and I started to use them as commands to dictate our path. I strapped on my belt and gang line to work on “line out and hike”.  I could see things coming together very quickly and couldn’t wait to get out on skis.

Finally the snow came! Our very first skijoring run was by ourselves at Bird’s Hill Park and she did great- at this point I knew both of us were hooked!

We spent the winter last year skiing our hearts out with Snow Motion, the Oxford Dogs and the Blonde Bullet. An extra long winter meant we had great trail conditions until the beginning of April. We raced in the Snow Motion Classic race in February and placed 2^nd in the Novice 2 dog category.

Snow Motion Classic 2013- Photo courtesy of Hodge Podge Creative

Looking back on our first season I made the following observations:

- like most dogs, Ember LOVES to chase and is extremely motivated to catch the team up ahead. I’ve clocked us going nearly 30km/h running down Kevin and the Oxford Dogs on the trail. In some ways this is great- she is strong, runs hard and we have crazy amounts of fun. But I have always been worried that she would just be trained to chase, meaning we would not be able to go out by ourselves for a run.

One of my goals over the summer/fall season has been to boost her confidence while running alone. 

When the weather cooled off in August we took to the trails on our scooter and I tried to get out on our own at least once a week. During these runs I made sure to keep them short and fun with lots of praise.   If she slowed down we stopped for a bit until she was pulling on the line to go again. I let HER make the decisions

Kev also suggested I try letting her pick the trail- this was amazing! I could see her waiting for me to give a command as we came to a fork in the trail and when I instead encouraged her to keep going where she wanted, she accelerated into the turn. Great positive reinforcement!

Photo by Kev Roberts. Prairie sky by Headingly, Manitoba

- Saturday morning we went out for our first skijor of the 2013-2014 season and I was pleasantly surprised to see Ember pull strong and steady for nearly 5km without slowing down. It was so gratifying to see our hard work paying off.

I have learned that to have a good pulling dog, the running needs to be the reward. It takes some time to get there but it is possible!

- Ember struggles with leash reactivity. I was initially quite concerned about how she would do in harness around so many other dogs. At first it was tough and I had to keep some distance. But as she got used to the dogs and realized that her job was to work around them and not play with them she has been great. Occasionally we still have incidents but if everyone respects the “no contact in harness rule” everything goes well.

In the end I think the skijoring environment has actually improved her reactivity because she has gotten used to working in harness around other dogs.

Photo by Kev Roberts

- Lastly, I have learned it is easy to over do it.  The snow comes, the conditions are great, you have some free time, and you go for a really long ski.  Great for you, but not so great for your dog. As Kev has mentioned it is important to quit before your dog is exhausted. You don’t want them to associate skiing with exhaustion. Building up to longer distances is important.  My second goal for this season is to work up to a non-stop 5km. After our runs this weekend, I think we are well on the way!

Well, there you have it. I could probably go on for pages and pages about what I have learned in the last year.  Becoming a mushing team with my dog has been one of the most amazing experiences and I am totally in love with every aspect of the sport.

There is nothing like the connection between musher and dog.

Get out there and give it a try! You won’t regret it!

First snow fall cani-cross selfie.

Behind the scenes- Oxford Dogs & Friends on TV

Did you see us on TV? 

Here is the clip! 

We got the call about a week ago, “Would you be interested in talking about Micro Mushing?”
 

Interested?  Just try and stop me!   It’s my passion!  I love spreading the word about micro mushing and activities people can do with their dogs!   We were so in!

So we called up some friends from our local skijoring club, Snow Motion, and picked the place to meet.  Shawna brought her dog Pepper.  Chris brought Blizzard, and Kirsty brought Askum.   We brought Penny, and Belle and Burger.  A great crowd, with awesome dogs!  

I am so thankful to have such awesome mushing friends.    They love their dogs, and we always have a good time with lots of laughs.    

 

The reporter and camera person were super chill.  They really made this enjoyable, and took the stress out of being in front of the camera.  We had prepared the reporter before hand with some videos and blog posts about what to expect.   My husband, André acted as the media wrangler.  He was the behind the scenes guy that led them to set up their shots, and prompted questions and explained what they were seeing. 
   

The entire shoot took about 2 hours, with the dogs going back and forth.   As they got bored, we gave them plenty of breaks, and switched trails.      It’s all about the dogs, and we told that to the reporter.  We do this for our dogs.  If they aren't happy, we aren't doing it.    

 

 

The main idea we wanted to get across was how to do this safely.   Get the right gear, and get off the roads!  We want people to get out there and share some good experiences with their dogs!  

 

 

 

Click here to watch the clip.

 

First Scooter Run!

First Scooter Run of the Year!

 

Burger and Belle have been out with my husband on the scooter this year, but finally, I got my chance!   

 

We headed to La Barrier park.  A super cool park, with a variety of trails, only a few minutes from my house!   We started out crossing the bridge, and into the river bottom.  The trails were a little wet!  So we cruised along the river bottom for awhile.   When we headed up the trails deeper into the woods and away from the river, we ran into snow!  So we turned around and booked it for the open prairie.    The killdeer were out, and shrieking!  Burger has never seen one before, so he was really interested!  But he managed to keep his cool, and not fall for their fake "my wing is broken" antics. 

 

Click on the picture above to check out the video!  We love comments on here, or on You-Tube!  But even more than comments, we love to see other teams in action!  So please feel free to share a picture or a video!  

 

Thanks!

 

 

Top 6 reasons your dog needs a backpack!

Your dog needs a backpack.  It's true.  Dog's need jobs, and back packs are great ways to keep them employed. 

People have been putting backpacks on dogs, for hundreds of years.   People have been putting dogs IN backpacks for a long time as well, but that is beyond the scope of this article.   

Top 5 Reasons Your Dog Needs a Backpack

1.  Backpacks can be enjoyed by dogs of almost any size!  

There are a ton of backpacks out there for dogs, from tiny poodles, to giant danes.  Finding a backpack to fit your dog and your budget is easy!   Whenever possible, it is advisable to "try before you buy".  Check that the pack is easy to put on, adjustable, and that your dog does not have an adverse reaction to it before you shell out the cash.  

2.  Makes them tired.

Hey! That's reason enough right there!  A tired dog is a good dog!  We find that a backpack doesn't need to have very much in it, it can even be empty, for a dog to feel mentally tired, and physically fulfilled!  



Here Secret Weapon carries a pack with water in it.  Not only is the water handy, he was a little calmer with the added weight.



3.  Makes them useful.

The possibilities of what you can pack in your dog's pack are endless!   Extra batteries for the camera, water, sunscreen, a first aid kit for the dogs, dry socks, extra shoes, a bathing suit.  A backpack is convenient, and can carry whatever you  and your dog need!  River has even packed gold out for me!   



There's gold in them there pack!





4.  Boosts their confidence.

The more training you do with your dog, the more confident your dog is.  The more confident your dog is, the happier your dog is.  It's a win-win situation!  

In addition, you will receive comments form other trail users about how cool  your dog looks in his pack.   Dogs love to be noticed, especially when they are working hard!  Who doesn't love to be praised?!  



River is happy to carry firewood back to camp



5.  They look cooler. 

Okay, so that one is a bit subjective, but in all seriousness, I think that when other trail users see a dog,  they see a dog who is working. They see a useful dog, with a purpose.  People can respect that.   Not all trail users are fans of dogs, and not all trail users want to share their trails with dogs.   The more Public Relations you and your dog can do, the more access to trails we all enjoy! 

6.  Your dog can carry his own stuff

On longer treks our dogs carry their own food, and bowls in, and they carry their bowls, and poop out.   When in bear country, we always double bag the food.  We double bag the poop as well.  When talking bags, make sure you squeeze out any extra air in the bags, so the plastic doesn't pop, leaving a mess in the pack! 

There you have it.  The Top 6 reasons your dog needs a backpack.  So go, get a backpack! Visit our Gear for Sale Page.    You, and your dog will both be happier for it. 

Burger is just learning to use a backpack so he can carry his own stuff on our adventures!

We love comments! Please leave a comment or share a picture of your pup in a pack!

 

Book Review: A Guide for the Serious Musher

Dog Driver

A Guide for the Serious Musher 

 by Miki Collins and Julie Collins

 

I came across this book while in Alaska.  I am so happy I picked it up!  The Collins are twin sisters, who live on a trapline in Alaska.  They have been running dogs since they were teenagers.   They take a no nonsense, no BS approach to everything related to running dogs.   The main focus of this book is sled dogs, which they branch into recreational, freight and racing teams.   Miki and Julie Colins also write for Mushing magazine.    

 

The Collins know dogs.  Spending winters on isolated traplines in Alaska, they have to rely on their dogs, not only for their livelihood, but for their very life.     So  well trained, confident dogs are key to their operation.  

The book is full of black and white glossy photos that will take your breath away.   The book reads in part like an adventure story and a how-to mush manual. 

They have an extensive section on medical problems with dogs and how to treat them. This may be beyond some of us, but it's written in a straightforward style, and is easy to re-read.  

The Collins mix a good amount of story telling with facts.  This book will not only entertain you, but it will steer you in the right direction on many sled dog related issues. 

I love this book because there is no attitude.  They tell it like it is, and their vast knowledge is laid out in an easy to understand way.  They live this everyday, and their knowledge and know0how is second to none.   An excellent read!   

 

5 Paws Up! 

Ski Storage

Sadly, it's that time of year that we start to think about putting the skis in storage for the summer months.     Taking some time now to care for your skis, will ensure you are ready to go when the snow comes back!

Whether you are storing classic skis, or skate skis, hot wax them before you put them away, then find a nice cool place to store them.  We store ours in an interior closet, on the main floor of the house.  It does not get too humid like the basement, and don't heat up like the garage.

Wax On

Use a nice soft glide wax, we often use yellow for this, and apply a generous amount.  We don't scrape it, or polish it, as the thicker wax protects the ski base from dust or scratches while in storage.  We remove this wax at the start of the season, by scraping it down, and rewaxing the ski for the right conditions.      

A little dab will do ya

We give the bindings a quick squirt of silicone lubricant, and put the skis in a breathable ski bag.   Don's store them in a plastic bag, as it will trap any mositure that was on your ski.  

Tie em up, or Leave em lose?

There is some debate over whether or not to use ski ties when storing your skis for the summer.  We do, but we leave the ties fairly lose.  We have a fair number os skis, and leaving them all lose is just not feasible or convient for us.    

Some people advise against it, as putting the skis together too tightly, may result in them sticking together when you go back to use them again.  Some people use a piece of parchmen paper to keep the skis seperated.   I would only see this as being an issue if you are keeping your skis somewhere that is will get hot enough for the wax to soften or melt together.    

We do bind our classic skis together, and we leave the skate skis lose!  How's that for indecision! 

 

Good bye skis!  See you in the fall!  

Dear Readers, what do you do with your skis at the end of the season? I would love to see comments on how you put your skis away for the season.