Skijoring (aka "dog-skiing")

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Skijoring pullers

The PBS movie "Spills and Thrills in the Northeast" has segments showing a horse, motorcycle, and a plane doing the pulling. When we get bored in the winter we get nutso up here :)

If you want to watch, nay participate, come to the Sandwich (NH) Dog sled races. You will see some pretty wild rides. THe race was cancelled last year, but hopefully will be held this year. If so, come and volunteer to help. It's a fun filled day! http://www.yshc.org/sandwich/index.php
http://www.uncommondays.com/states/nh/events/sleddograce.htm
 
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This is going to be my next hobby once I can afford some skis. The dog in the avatar comes from sleddog lines, and will pull until you cry uncle. According to some of the skijoring sites, the dog need not be a "winter breed" per se, just a pooch that loves to run, knows how to follow a trail, and can keep a tow line taut. It's an excellent workout for the dog and the owner.

Smitty
 
I always thought of skijoring as being pulled by a car, once common in snowy hinterlands but now of dubious safety & legality.

But the Northeast Ski Joring Association http://nesja.com/ restricts itself to horses, the horse races around the course while the skier (or snowboarder) must detour over jumps and around cones. Spectators are free, skiers & horsepeople may hook up at the event.
 
smitty77 said:
According to some of the skijoring sites, the dog need not be a "winter breed" per se, just a pooch that loves to run, knows how to follow a trail, and can keep a tow line taut. It's an excellent workout for the dog and the owner.
Click to expand...

It also helps if the dog understands the word "stop", otherwise a helmet may be necessary.

My dog doesn't understand anything except "run", scary!
 
Oldmanwinter said:
I checked out the Bretton Woods URL, it says "Dogs need to be leashed on the trails and at the resort." I'm not sure I would consider that dog friendly, maybe dog tolerant. Better than nothing though.
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Many ski areas don't allow dogs on the trails at all. That's pretty dog friendly in the X-C world.

-dave-
 
One in harness is fun and sort of aerobic for you and extremely aerobic for your dog. :)

Two in harness is frighteningly fast and mostly anaerobic for you. :eek: Your heart usually stops at the first turn, even if you make it around. It often doesn't start beating again until long after you're back in your vehicle, heading home and reflecting on just why you ever did that ... again.

Don't plan on seeing too much scenery en route. Your attention will be tightly focused on the dog and the trail in front of you.

All kidding aside, it can be great fun. Be sure your dog is up to it physically. Check the feet for cuts and soreness, just like mushers do. And know that some dogs will run themselves into exhaustion, or serious dehydration, if you're not observant of what is going on. Train in increments -- do not take your dog to a public skijoring event for your first attempt. Find a quiet, easy trail without other people and dogs, and work out the control issues. And quit if it's not fun for either one of you.
 
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sardog1 said:
Find a quiet, easy trail without other people and dogs, and work out the control issues. And quit if it's not fun for either one of you.
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Great points here, especially the last two. I took Una_Dogger's advice and tried canicross, which is basically skijoring without the skis (ie running). Things happen a lot slower on foot which is safer for both human and dog. Fortunately, my dog was very comfortable and confident pulling in the harness right from the start. We still need to work on her making sudden stops to sniff another animal's "scent" :)

Also check out
SkiJor.com for more useful information. The section on "Making your own skijor lines" was very helpful. Adding a shock-cord to the tow line has made a world of difference.

Smitty
 
-jorring

Hello!

I've added a second dog to my family, a black bicolored Aussie adult named Abe, AKA GoodEarth's Willing and Able and have been enjoying the TWO DOG team experience while jogjorring and hikejorring! I recently got a two dog bungee line and the dogs and I have been hitting the trails and having a blast! My running time has greatly improved with the addition of the second dog!

I'm saving up for a two day skiijorring intensive at
www.telemarkinn.com
in Maine.

While my guys are totally happy jogjorring, they are not crazy about the sound of my skiis, and tend to position themselves to right or left of me. I'm putting skiijorring on the backburner with the dogs until I can afford some pro instruction, but I'm still working them in harness when I run and in my spare time, improving my skiing technique. They are learning Gee and Haw (turn signals) pretty quickly and we are all having a total blast doing it.

I spoke with skiijor and sled champ Steve Crone up at the Telemark Inn and here's how he starts off beginner teams--

1. Puts newbie dog in harness with seasoned team and gets newbie dog familiar with pulling a sled first.
2. Hitches newbie dog and one seasoned skiijor dog to him and teaches newbie dog how to skiijor.
3. Hitches newbie skiier to seasoned skiijor dog to teach newbie skiier how to skiijor.
4. Hitches newbie skiier and newbie skiijor dog together with seasoned dog for total fusion.

Its pricey, but I figure its fairer to my dogs to learn from a pro and get some instruction myself -- in the long run we'll all be happier and safer!

Sabrina

PS Smitty! Hey, Terra likes to check her pee-mail too! Abe is a great natural lead dog and keeps his eye on the horizon. I try to catch Terra before she stops(no easy task) and call out an enthusiastic "HIKE HIKE!!!" while kindof running up on her butt, she gets moving and once she's back in front where she should be I say "good girl!". She's getting it. Have fun with your pupper!!!
 
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Dog friendly trails

Its really a good idea to find out exactly what they mean by that, especially for beginner skiijor teams, because the last thing I want when I am trying to learn something new with my guys is a free ranging dog coming running up to us uninvited. Could be dangerous to other skiiers too if there is a loose dog on the trails.

Just my 0.02~

:p
 
una_dogger said:
PS Smitty! Hey, Terra likes to check her pee-mail too! Abe is a great natural lead dog and keeps his eye on the horizon. I try to catch Terra before she stops(no easy task) and call out an enthusiastic "HIKE HIKE!!!" while kindof running up on her butt, she gets moving and once she's back in front where she should be I say "good girl!". She's getting it. Have fun with your pupper!!!
Click to expand...
That's also how I get her moving as well, but I know I'll be just about on top of her on a pair of skis if she pulls the same stunt, so I'm trying to nip it in the bud. On the plus side, she seems to focus more on the trail the faster we go. My fat arse must move too slow for her liking so she feels inclined to stop and smell the roses. When I'm at a full sprint she doesn't make any sudden stops.

Congrats on the new family addition Sabrina!
 
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