Guest Post: Dog Sports Girl: Review Ruffwear Knot-a-Collar

Have you met our newest reviewer?  Sarah is from Winnipeg, Mb.  She lives with her dog Davidson, and they compete in many forms of dog sports.   Sarah and Davidson have performed with the SuperDogs and Wild Dogs of Winnipeg!  Welcome!

Product Review: Ruffwear Knot-a-Collar

Recently I tested the Ruffwear Knot-A-Collar. Davidson has been wearing the collar for the past week and I wanted to share some thoughts so you can make the best decision in choosing a collar that will work best for you and your dogs!

 

First things first, I LOVE this collar; it’s great for wearing around the house for everyday wear, with the slim 7mm reflective rope design it wont irritate the skin or mess up the fur like a regular thick buckle collar. The separate ID tag holder on the front of the collar is quiet and out of the way so it’s never jingling with your leash on walks.

The collar is deigned to adjust using the 2 slip knots located on either side of the collar. With the medium fitting 14-20 inch neck size and the large fitting 20-26 inch the collar is designed to fit your medium to larger size breeds. Ruffwear’s aluminum V-Ring attachment point for your leash is strong and sturdy just like you will find on many of their other products and collars. The belay plate of the collar fits right in the center of the neck and provides a nice fit so the collar stays in place and not irritating the skin.

 

Is it a good "fit"?

 

Now this collar is great, but there are some things that don’t make it a good fit for everyone, or every situation.   For the dog who likes to pull or isn’t the most well-mannered furry monster of the pack, this collar might not work out. Even though the thin rope design of the collar is great for wearing around the house and holding your everyday ID tags, it isn’t so great on a dog that likes to push their limits pulling on a leash. Also, unless you have the collar snug so it isn’t coming off any time soon, it’s pretty easy to back out of to go chase the neighborhood rabbits.

 The verdict

In the end I would classify it more as a beautiful ID collar. It’s for the people who prefer their dogs to be “naked” but with the safety of a phone number or for something to hold when your dinner arrives at the door!

 
Sarah Davidson is the Dog Sports Girl. You can catch her and Davidson at the WildDogs shows.  Look for more of Sarah's review right here! Neither Sarah nor Oxford Dogs was compensated for this review by Ruffwear.
                                                                                                                                                        

Thank-you

We have had lots of fun with you over the years!    What started as a hobby, running dogs on my own, turned into teaching others.  From there it turned into a blog, and then we started to bring gear in for people.  We still are passionate about getting people out with their dogs.  Word is getting out!  People are taking to skijoring, canicross and running with their dogs in increasing larger numbers!  We love it!   To best support new people to the sport, we have put our gear for sale all on one place.   You can now find our best selling, high quality gear here... on our website.  

Snow Motion: Rookie of the Year 2015: Carla

Meet Carla, the Snow Motion Rookie of the year.   Snow Motion is a winter dog sports club in Winnipeg, Mb.   We were happy to sponsor the Rookie of the Year award for their local race, the Snow Motion Classic.  

 

 

 

Tell us about your dog, Moose.

 

Moose is a rescue from Manitoba Mutts.  He was found wandering in a ditch outside of Miami, Manitoba when he was 3 months old.  We have no idea if he has siblings or what his breed is although it's safe to say he's quite the mix.  Moose is a pretty amazing dog.  He's calm, playful, likes to cuddle and is eager to please.  He gets along with almost any other dog but is content to explore on his own too.  But what makes him really wonderful for this sport is that he loves to chase and he doesn't mind pulling.  The trick now is to get him to pull without a chase.

 

How did you first get started in the sport?

 

I worked with an expert in the sport, Lorne Volk, when I was doing my practicum for teaching.  He would show the students pictures and videos.  I remember his eyes lit up when I said that I'd adopted a dog.  Everything fit into place after that.    

 

What dog powered sports have you been involved with?

 

Skijoring is my first "dog-powered" sport although we take Moose with us everywhere including cycling, hiking, back-country camping and canoeing.  

 

How did you know you were hooked on the sport?

 

I was hooked on the sport because Moose was.  It was a challenge at first.  I didn't know how to ski and Moose didn't know how to pull.  We had some pretty ridiculous crashes and entanglements.  I remember getting so excited when we first started to click as a team.  Now Moose loves skijoring and we're only getting better and better at it.

 

What other kinds of training have you done with your dogs?

Early on we knew that training was important with Moose especially since he is such a large dog.  We took him to obedience training when he was just a puppy and try to be very consistent with our behaviour expectations at home. 

Matt (my fiancee) is helping with training year-round.  Every time we turn left, even when walking, we say "Haw" and every time we turn right we say "Gee".  This year, Moose has started to listen and respond to those calls! 

What is your favorite piece of gear?

I started to sport using a short old pair of classic skis.  I wanted to make sure that this was a sport that we would both enjoy before buying expensive equipment.  I recently took the plunge and bought real skate ski equipment.  I'm having a good time with my new skis right now.

What is the best advice you have ever been given for mushing?

 

Get to know your dog.  If you can predict what your dog is going to do, then you can be proactive in either correcting or encouraging it.  Often it's when your dog surprises you that you end up biting the snow.    

 

Why do you run your dog?

It's so important to exercise your dog.  If we weren't skijoring, we'd be going to the dog park or for a hike or cycle.  But with skijoring, we both get great exercise and we get to take advantage of the Winnipeg winter.   It also gives us a chance to really work together as a team.  I feel a lot closer to my dog when we skijor because we are relying on each other to make it work.  Moose loves it and so do I.

Guest Post: Tug-N-Tow Review: By Tamara MacLaren

Tamara MacLaren stops by to review the Tug-N-Tow for us.  Tamara has been involved in working with dogs and horses for more than 30 years and currently lives and runs dogs in and around the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.  She also enjoys traveling, hiking, and backpacking with the dogs, running marathons, and teaching running clinics when she isn't researching and writing.  Watch for her book on Urban Mushing in the near future.   Tamara, nor the Oxford Dogs have been compensated for this review.   

Tug-N-Tow Review

         by Tamara MacLaren

 

Just behind me and to my left I heard Diana yell a hard “NO” and the sound of her scooter skidding to an immediate halt.  I called my own “Whoa” and hit the breaks to see what had happened.  Willa, my German Shepherd, and Takoa, my Alaskan Malamute, stopped immediately, and I looked back.

 

Diana's two dogs, a blonde athletic male lab and a black equally fit female lab mix were doubled back facing Diana and appeared to have been trying to head off the dyke.  Their lines were wound around the front wheel axle so tightly that neither dog could move.  I lay my scooter down, and went back to see if I could help. 

 

Happily, Diana's dogs were calm, so we unhooked their harnesses and I held them while she attempted to extricate the line from the wheel.  Finally, with a wrench, the line came free, but in two pieces!  "

 

We weren't too far from the parking area, but scooters are not made to easily be person powered. I dug around in my bag, pulled out a leash, and knotted it into Diana's line to replace the damaged piece. We hooked up, and gently trotted back the remaining way to the parking area.

This kind of thing was a regular occurrence for me when I started dryland mushing with my dogs.  My Malamute would pull for a second to get moving, but then slack off.  In the moment between when he slacked off and when I used the breaks to take the slack back out of the line, the line would get into my wheel, under one of my break handles, etc. 

Initially, I bought a “Scooter Noodle” from Alpine Outfitters to solve the problem.  The Scooter Noodle is basically a pool noodle about 1.5 feet long that you run your line through before attaching it to your scooter or bike.  There is a line at the dog end of the noodle that you attach to your handlebars, forming a triangle to hold the line up and away from your tire if the line goes slack. 

 

This worked reasonably as long as the dog was in front, but as is often the case with dogs who are new to the sport, my dogs would often stop to the side or drop to check on me, bringing the slack line to the side.  Then the dog would spring ahead and the line and noodle would hook my breaks, flipping my handlebars to one side and me into the gravel, especially when on my bike where the handlebars are lower.  Not fun!

I spent time researching how to train my dogs out of this dangerous behavior and looking for how to prevent the intermittent slack from causing accidents and injuries to me.  I came across the Tug-N-Tow (http://www.tugntowbikeleash.com/).  The Tug-N-Tow works the same as a retractable leash attached to your bike or scooter.  Retractable leashes have been heavily denounced in recent years for using to walk dogs because it encourages the dogs to pull.  I thought, “Hmm – I want my dogs to pull”.

The Tug-N-Tow is a normal mushing line that attaches inside a housing that is mounted on your bike or scooter (or any vehicle you want to attach it to).  The housing uses an industrial strength spring to wind excess line around a spool inside the housing, keeping the slack out of the line.  When fully extended, the line is about 7 feet, the same as a normal line, but 5 feet of that is retractable, meaning that if the dog didn't pull at all, there would be enough line for the dog to be at the bike or scooter, possibly even getting a bump from the tire, but still not enough slack for the line to get into the wheel.  This sounded good. 

I asked if other people who had bought it where happy with it and the resounding response was that not only were they happy with it, but everyone in their mushing club had switched to using them – a strong recommendation.  I was concerned that perhaps the Tug-N-Tows would break under hard use but I couldn't find anyone who's Tug-N-Tow had broken. 

 

In looking at the Tug-N-Tow web site, there was instructions on how to replace the lines and even the retraction spring as well as information on extensive testing they do to ensure that the Tug-N-Tow stands up to the rigors of dryland mushing and then some!

I ordered a Tug-N-Tow from the web site and was shocked when it arrived only a few days later.  I had mine delivered to a US mailing address since I live very close to the US border, so I don't know how much extra time the border crossing would add if having it shipped to Canada.

I grabbed an adjustable wrench and quickly installed the Tug-N-Tow on my scooter, harnessed the Malamute, and off we went to give it a try.

The effect was immediate and entertaining.  As before, the Malamute gave a few steps of pulling to get us moving, then attempted to slow down to relieve the tension on the line.  The line retracted and the line stayed tight.  He stopped and the line stayed tight. 

 

My husband was on his bike ahead, so the Malamute had a great deal of motivation to move forward.  So he moved out again, attempting again to slow after the first few steps to relieve the line tension.  Since this strategy no longer worked and my husband was getting away, he stopped trying to relieve the tension and just kept going, picking up speed to catch up. 

 

It was like a miracle and I was forever in love with my Tug-N-Tow!

 

 

My only complaint and it is a minor one, is the bungee loop arrangement.  Their is a bungee loop between the main recoiling line and the tugs that go to the dog harnesses.  Without tension on the line, the loop has a tendency to open, and the first time I took out my newly installed Tug-N-Tow on my bike, the Malamute was goofing around, coming beside me for a moment.  I use heavy-tread mountain bike tires on my bike, and as the bungee sagged, it caught on the tire tread, immediately halting my bike, and flipping me off onto my knees.  I swapped the bungee and tug section of the line out for an inline bungee tug and haven't had the problem since.  Putting a knot in the bungee loop to hold it closed would accomplish the same thing.

If you are running multiple dogs, the slack line becomes less of a problem and at least one of them is always pulling, but when you only run one or two dogs, the Tug-N-Tow is the best solution I have found, both as a training tool, and for fundamental safety while out running the dogs.  I highly recommend it.

Thanks Tamara!  

Click here for my review on the Tug-N-Tow.  

Have you used the Tug-N-Tow? 

Let us know on the comment section what you think! 

 

Interlake Challenge

Diamond Disc Dogs, Crazy Jumpers Dog School and Oxford Dogs are proud to present the Interlake Challenge. March 21st, 2015

  It's a tour of two awesome private skijoring/kick sledding trails in the Interlake Region on Manitoba. Our first trail at Crazy Jumpers Dog School & Boarding, is located just outside of Gimli. (10:30 am) After a run on the trails, enjoy your picnic lunch in the heated training facility.

 Due to the number of dogs at the event, we ask that dogs please stay in your vehicle during while you are eating.

 From there we load up and drive down the road to the Diamond Disc Dog's farm, located in Inwood Manitoba. (1:00 pm) Space is limited to 15 teams.

 The hosts have generously donated access to the trails for the day. We will be announcing a convoy closer to the date for those traveling from Winnipeg (8:45 am). Bring your friend. Bring your dogs. Bring a camera and a smile!

 RSVP to kevin_c_roberts@yahoo.com to reserve your spot. There is no cost.  This is not a race.  Just a fun event!  

Snow Motion Classic Feb 15, 2015

These photos are from a local clubs race, the Snow Motion Classic, held at Birds Hill Park, near Winnipeg.   Trails were in great condition, thanks to the brutal cold!      A layer of new snow made the trails really nice to ski and glide on.    If your image is here, please feel free to Right Click and steal it!     I have no idea why some of the photos look so odd, I will play around with them later and see what I can do.  For now, when you click on the photos, you can scroll through them that way. 

 

 

Well, that was fun!  Looking for some more skijoring action?   Check out the Interlake Challenge

Guest Post: Kelsy Gibos: Sled Dog Sport in Victoria, Australia

Have you met Kelsy? She is one crazy Canadian skijorer, who took her passion to skijoring, to a while new world!  Kelsy recounts her skijoring adventures from the land Down Under!  Turns out they have snow in Australia!  They even skijor!  Who knew, eh? 

Sled Dog Sport in Victoria, Australia

Although it sounds something akin to Jamaican bobsledding, sled dog sport is alive and kicking in the eucalyptus forests of Australia.  Teams gather from across the county to compete in sprint races on both snow and dirt.  Competitors run teams of malamutes, Alaskan huskies, Siberian huskies and hounds at internationally recognized races.  Teams run up to 10 dogs in size and folks compete other sled dog style sports including canicross and skijoring.

I was lucky enough to relocate from Canada to Australia for work in February of 2010.  My partner and I landed in the rural town of Ovens, Victoria which located at the foot of some of Australia’s highest mountain peaks (yes, there are mountains there and snow!).  We started our sled dog adventure by volunteering as handlers for a local sled dog touring company- Australian Sled Dog Tours. Brett Hadden and his collection of rescued Siberian huskies bring people who have never even seen snow on adventures of the sled dog variety.  Unfortunately many huskies find themselves homeless and unwanted one of the warmest climates in the world.  Brett takes them on, teaches them to pull and brings happiness to snow-seeking Aussies for the few months of the year that the white stuff flies.  We also fell into rescue quickly, and saved a brother-sister pair of puppies from a high kill shelter near Sydney.  Twigs and Trout are Australian Cattle Dogs crossed with Siberian Husky.  Brett’s team quickly helped us get our dogs into pull sports.

Photo: Twigs and Trout running in a 10 dog team in Dinner Plain, Victoria, Australia (they are the 4^th pair from the front)

After that, we joined the Northern Victoria Sled Dog Club (NVSDC), where we attended heaps of training events and fun runs.  They helped us train Twigs and Trout to pull a kickbike and how to pass, run on by and the full experience of the race chute.  Club races were great for training, great for socializing (people and dogs!) and overall great fun. There were are several large, inter-state races organized by various clubs and managed by the main governing body (ASSA- http://www.assa.asn.au ).  Races took place in state forests.  All the mushers would camp together and the races would start first thing in the morning when temperatures were cool (there are very strict rules and temperatures and humidities that dogs are allowed to race in).  Most of the races were sprint style, ranging in distance from 2 to 7 km, depending on the size of the team.  Kickbikes are used up to 2-3 dogs and the bigger teams use 3 wheeled rigs that are often homemade  There were novice and junior events, along with opportunities to try canicross and bikejoring as well. 

This is us running in the 2 dog class at the Northern Victorian Sled Dog Classic: 

This POV video (to get a feel for the forest type and conditions) of me and Twigs during the race

Me with a muddy face running Twigs on the kickbike during a fun run event put on by NVSDC

Coming out of the pine plantation with Twigs and Trout at the Canberra Classic (Nationals).

Perhaps the most anticipated events in the sled dogging season are the snow races.  There are 2 races that Australian mushers can actually run sleds and slide on snow- one at Falls Creek (a ski resort) and one at Dinner Plain.  Here is a great media video showing some of the teams (look closely and you’ll see me!)  

A few folks were interested in trying skijoring, which used to happen at the snow races but had died out due to lack of participants.  So, Travis and I got geared up and started an Aussie skijor group.  We had heaps of competitors come forward, including Phil Freelander who had competed previously in Scandinavia with his German short-haired pointers.  Skijoring quickly became a crowd favorite and it was awesome to have so many folks cheering us on! 

Dinner Plain Sled Dog Alititude 5000 Challenge 2013 with Twigs and Trout (showing off with my hands in the air!)

Skijoring through Falls Creek Village during the Falls Creek Sled Dog Classic 2013

Travis and Trout (and a red beard) racing at Dinner Plain Altitude 5000 Sled Dog Challenge 2012

Kelsy and Twigs at the Dinner Plain Alititude 5000 Sled Dog Challenge in 2012 (we were ranked #2 in all of Australia!)

 

 

Although our time in Australia came to an end in 2014, we have heaps of magic memories and still keep in touch with many of our Aussie mushing buddies.  Here’s a link to a song my partner Travis wrote about our Aussie sled dog experiences.  We hope to go back someday and race.  Until then, we’ve been busy running the trails in our new home of Edson, Alberta.  There are lots of trails (groomed or natural) that we can explore with Twigs and Trout (our most expensive Australian souvenirs!).  Get out the kicksled and the skis!

Twigs and Trout and the kicksled at Willmore Wilderness Park near Edson Alberta

Skijoring in fresh snow (and -20 C).

To check out more of skijoring in Australia, check out the Facebook Group for the Aussie Skijor club!