Question for those who hike with thier dogs

[una_dogger]

I do only dryland canicross with my aussie, Terra, in the form of jogjorring and hikejorring with traditional skijjorring gear and commands.
I'd like to get into bikejorring. Anyone out there involved?
Where do you train?
Thanks,
Sabrina

 

[una_dogger]

Fyi


Hi
It was brought to my attention that some might not be familiar with this exciting new trend that sweeping the country!
http://www.skijor.com/canicross.html

Hands free and wildlife friendly, its how I like to hike.

 

[proszach]

Wow. Looks very interesting. I didn't read much on that website, but isn't it just more fun to allow your dog to run amock as you freely hike?

 

[audrey]

Given the way my dog likes to explore and zigzag, I'd be in big trouble being dragged along behind.

Not my cup o' tea.

 

[una_dogger]

I'm not going to open up the on leash vs off debate here because I've seen it turn sooo ugly on other forums! I'm fortunate to have plenty of space here at home for off leash romping which is definately alot of fun!
I guess it all matters where you live in the country, too, my friends who live in Colorado have eight extremely well trained dogs who are never hiking off leash because of mountain lions and other dangers. That's why they got into using jorring gear, as a safe alternative for thier dog and a way they could keep enjoying outdoor sports with them.
Sadly, my last dog was killed on the Long Trail in VT by a eastern timber rattlesnake bite. It was a horrible experience, and so for me, this is the way to go from now on.

I simply chose to hike this way because I :
a. really enjoy dog training
b. like to keep my dog safe from trail hazards
c. find, esp in crowded areas, it helps to project a positive image of dogs on the trail
d. allows us to enjoy on leash areas
e. protects wildlife from the impacts of my dog

I'm just curious about ramping up training to include bikejorring and looking for tips!

Thanks,
Sabrina

 

[Rugger]

I was looking into the skijjoring with my huskie a couple of years ago, but unfortunately he lost his eyesight to a genetic problem so didn't persue it. It looks like a lot of fun.

 

[Trainwreck]

so who knew???

I had no idea that this is an actual sport!! I have long used my dogs leash around my waist to "pull" me up the mountains. Not useful on steep rocky descents, though!!. Interesting article.
Bruised

 

[hockeycrew]

I do only dryland canicross with my aussie, Terra, in the form of jogjorring and hikejorring with traditional skijjorring gear and commands.
I'd like to get into bikejorring. Anyone out there involved?
Where do you train?
Thanks,
Sabrina

I skijor and rollerjorred with my husky when I lived at home, I never thought of hikejoring before, but with a breed which is prone to running away, it's a great idea.

I've never heard of bikejorring but I did use a Springer with my dog when he was younger. He's so strong that it was the only way to have him not pull me over. We used to train on the carriage roads at the local provincial park.

Mir

 

[Jay H]

I would think mountain biking with your dogs on a leash is either a good way of injuring your dog (i.e. crashing into it) or injuring yourself (dog pulling bike)...

A pulk/sled and/or skis are not propelled and a bit more stable...... Perhaps on easy multi-use trails.....

Jay

 

[skiguy]

una_dogger a friend of mine does bikejorring, but he uses an incumbent syle bike. This enables him to have the dog and sometimes more the one directly out in front of him. He also has some sort of quick release system (which I think might be used with skijorring also) so if things get out of hand he can (bailout). I would think that having a Quick Release with what ever type of jorring you are doing especially initially would be prudent.
Seems as though you also have some great attitude and respect for Dogs.

 

[Mr. X]

I've seen people bikejoring many times up by Epping, NH on the trails maintianed by FOMBA. Note, the trails I was on were near Epping and not the trails surrounding Lake Masabesic. Chomp might have some info on this also.

 

[una_dogger]

Thanks everyone!

Yup, I do have a quick release on my jorring setup. Never had to use it and I do release for descents and use alternative stuff like flexis for where shortroping wouldn't work.


Thanks for your concern, Jay! Wouldn't attempt this with an untrained dog, that's for sure (or anyother form of tethering!). Dog training has become an obsession and the jorring stuff is the result of lots of hardwork in obedience, agility, and herding lessons; it's just one more way for me to celebrate the joy of teamwork and cooperation with my little canine buddy.

I'm hoping to find a trainer who works with sled dogs here in NY; all this jorring stuff springs from dryland training for areas of the country that don't experience year round snow cover. If anyone knows of such a trainer, please PM me with thier contact info.

I've seen the springers and actually I've gotten lots of replies on those on Traildogs forum (yahoo). They do look very cool!

Actually, all of the biking I do is here at home on 60acres of hayfields and wooded pathways but lately we've had issues with coyotes trying to bait the dogs out and I'm a little concerned about that, so anything I can do to keep my little buddy safe, I'm all for.

Thanks to everyone who responded, your tips and advice, as always, are much appreciated.

Sabrina

 

[Chip]

no jorring done here, but is yours an Australian Shepard ? Australian Shepards are as close to a breed as I've been able to identify for my pound hound.

 

[una_dogger]

no jorring done here, but is yours an Australian Shepard ? Australian Shepards are as close to a breed as I've been able to identify for my pound hound.

Yup, she's an aussie.
If your pooch is your avatar I definately see aussie there in the head, the ears, the coat. How big is he/she? Aussies have a longer back and short legs. They are also really acrobatic because they have double jointed hips and elbow, so they run flat out like little dog super heroes and will sleep in silly positions such as with frog legs where their hind legs are flat out behind them.
Also, strong watchdog instincts, good natural heelers, suspicious of strangers, definately "rules" dogs; as in,
"Hi, I'm an aussie. Here are my rules. Please obey". Very authoritative little work dogs but will do any thing for you!

 

[smitty77]

Hi
It was brought to my attention that some might not be familiar with this exciting new trend that sweeping the country!
http://www.skijor.com/canicross.html

Hands free and wildlife friendly, its how I like to hike.

Thanks for the link, I think I'm going to try this with my husky this fall. She already has a pulling harness so I just need a belt/shockcord. We've been doing a lot of trail jogging this summer, and the dog has become quite adept at adjusting her pace to mine so that the lead is "just taut". She also knows the standard mushing commands (something I've been teaching since puppyhood) so the transition should go smoothly. I'd also like to try the bikejorring, but haven't worked up the guts to try it yet. It would give the dog the half hour of all-out running she requires every few days in the winter.

Smitty