Category: cani-cross

Weekly 5k Timed Races in Pollock Park

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Beanie & Biggles’ swimming buddy Cullin likes to do a bit of running with his mum. I had emailed her to let her know that we’d got some reasonably priced cani-cross equipment and she replied to tell us about a regular race venue right on our doorstep.

There’s a weekly 5k (3 miles) timed race held in Pollock Park every Saturday morning at 9.30am. And the best bit – dogs are welcome provided they are on lead! It’s free to enter – just register on the website. You don’t need to be a good runner – no reason why you can’t walk the course (the Biggly boy and his mum will be). It’s just you against the clock.

More info here

Do any of Beanie and Biggles buddies fancy joining us? Especially their fellow Beagles! Kathleen – what about Neil and some of your gang?

EDIT:

Kathleen from Muchisle Beagles asked where we got the cani-cross equipment. They sell kits here, but they don’t do harnesses small enough for Beagles (not small enough for ours anyway). Also, we were warned by an experienced cani-crosser not to get the x-back harness for beagles. The reason being is that they are really designed for sled dogs pulling a sled as it directs the forces along the dogs back. It’s great for running with large dogs but with little dogs the line pulls the harness upwards and puts the strain in all the wrong places.

We each got:

A delux belt with key pouch
A Bungee
A single line

The bungee attaches to the belt, and the single line attaches to the bungee. There’s an emergency release clip so you can separate yourself from the dog quickly. We weren’t keen on this as it looked as if it could be released by accident. Fair enough for a big dog with reliable recall but I think on balance you’re best having your Beagle firmly attached! So we also purchased a carabiner to replace the clip.

We also got a double line so that we could have both dogs running with one person. You could manage this with two single lines, but it gives the dogs more scope to run off in opposite directions!!

We were told that the fleece harness from here are better than the cani-cross ones because they are completely fleece lined so much more comfy for short haired dogs. Ours are very happy to wear them.

Cani-cross

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Our cani-cross kit arrived yesterday and we took the dogs to Pollock park to test drive it.

We’ve got two belts and lines as we’ll rarely have the dogs out together while Biggles is young. But we did get a double line so that one of us could take both dogs together if we wanted. It was the double line we tried out.

The dogs knew instinctively what to do and loved it. The main thing to work on is directional commands and a command to SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!

Two New Hobbies for Beanie and Biggles

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Heelwork to Music

Last night Beanie and I went to a ‘Heelwork to Music’ workshop that was organised by the Glasgow Dog Training Club. This is something I typically wouldn’t touch with a barge pole as I have two left feet and absolutely no sense of rhythm. However, our obedience teacher Val assured us that it wasn’t about dancing but more about clicker training and teaching tricks.

It turned out to be perfect for Beanie as it’s so fast paced. The handler doesn’t have to dance – it’s more like getting the dog to do tricks around you. We’re starting classes in the next week or two. So watch this space – you might just see a video clip of Beanie and her gawky mum doing a rendition of the Sugar Plum Fairy ! Not sure what music we’ll get Biggles dancing to – the theme tune to Roobarb and Custard suits him well.

Cani-Cross

Paul wrote about our trip to Muirshiels Park at the weekend and Biggles and Beanie’s determination to pull us at break-neck speed accross the countryside.

At the time, we talked about finding a hobby for them that satisfied this urge for cross-country running. We thought perhaps tracking, but Paul has reservations as he feels that if they learn what their noses are really for it might be a bit like opening Pandora’s Box.

We think we’ve discovered the perfect sport for them (and us!). Paul and I have always been fitness fanatics until the last couple of years when family bereavements and injuries took their toll. We hope to get back to full fitness but it’s hard to find time with two active, impossible-to-tire beagles to amuse. Cani-cross sounds like the perfect activity for us. In simple terms it’s just cross country running with your dog. However, the difference is that the dog wears a special harness on a bungie lead that attaches to waist belt. The idea is to gain extra speed by letting the dog pull you up hills (Which Beanie and Biggles LOVE to do). The sport was invented by husky owners whose dogs needed a good daily workout but could not be let off the lead. Here’s a clip of a recent cani-cross event:

We’ve already ordered the harnesses and leads and some good cross country trainers for us. Paul’s fitness is quite good so he can run with Beanie. I’m still recovering from a hip injury so Biggles and I will make a great team – we can slowly build up running fitness together. By the time he’s a year old and allowed to compete we should both be fit and raring to go!