Cani-cross or cani-trail – the right equipment to run with your dog

Today I want to share with you some advice on a sport that I practice with Musher: cani-cross! Finally, we do more of cani-trail to tell the truth. These are two very similar disciplines, but they are not practiced on the same ground. I'm a big fan of 100% natural spaces where you don't meet anyone so for me, it's trail without hesitation.

To tell you about this great activity to do with your dog, I interviewed Margot and Loxen , two sporty women who are a perfect match. I invite you to discover or rediscover their Woof-tastic profile.

It is a sporting discipline that unites a dog and a human in the same effort: running. The dog, equipped with a pulling harness , runs in front of its owner, who is connected to his dog by an elastic leash and a harness or belt.

The cani-trail is the same thing except that the race takes place in the mountains with nice elevations...

Are you a big sportsman? Do you want to move a little? You have a few pounds to lose and your dog too? Are you looking for a new activity to share together? Does your dog need to exercise?

Whatever your reason for wanting to get started, before you get started, do these checks:

• Is your dog healthy? Seems like a silly question, but you'll have to ask yourself. If you have any doubts, go to your veterinarian for an essential check-up. I am also a big fan of the osteopath for dogs (as for me by the way). Running with a slightly out of place hip can't be seen, but in the long run, thanks to the damage… Musher did a session a few days ago by the way!

• Isn't he too young? or too old? For a growing young dog, this is an activity to avoid! Let it grow properly before you start. For an old dog, this may be an activity far too violent for his joints and his heart. But if your grandma / grandpa is on fire and he likes it, just adapt the distance and pace of your workouts.

• Some dog breeds may have difficulty keeping up with you; I'm thinking in particular of breeds with flat faces like bulldogs . They often have breathing difficulties, so running is out of the question. Again, it depends on the individual dog, of course.

Before you start canicross, try a few practice runs. Put on your sportswear and go for a short run with your dog. Don't attempt a 10km run for this first try. Take it slowly so you don't discourage your dog… It's just like with us! To get started with canicross , read or reread the beginner's guide.

It is almost certain that at first your dog will jump on you. He is used to seeing you walk by his side. He'll think you want to play. Don't yell or push him, he'll take it for a game. Say NO firmly and ignore him. He will quickly understand that this is not the behavior you expect of him.

Does your dog seem to enjoy this moment? He asks for more? Go for cani-cross!

Musher and I started free, first 500m to test then 1km and 2km. When Musher runs free, she stops every 50m to sniff something and therefore ends up behind me. So I can't see what she's tinkering with and especially if a danger is coming. And since she's a gourmet, I don't see if she eats junk food. I quickly opted for cani-cross!

We started cani-trail in a second time. It's a more demanding sport where you have to know how to manage your effort to get to the end of the course. Race rhythms are very changeable: big climbs, big descents… In these two sports, it goes without saying that you obviously have to know how to manage your dog.

Margot and Loxen also started off-leash. Margot was a keen runner before she got Loxen. She chose a beagle because it's a "small" dog known for being a "big" athlete—the ideal dog to share her passion with. And indeed, they were a perfect match in that respect!

Doing canicross with your beloved companion requires a few purchases. You'll need to equip your dog with a pulling harness . Running with just a collar is out of the question! Some dogs quickly learn they can pull their owner and love it. Choosing the right equipment is therefore crucial to avoid injury. There are a wide variety of harnesses on the market.

I tested three harnesses: the I-dog pulling harness , the X-Back One canicross harness , and the Omnijore harness from Ruffwear. Musher has completely taken to the Omnijore harness!

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The new harness is not made the same, the attachment point is offset behind the dog. No more worries there. Small note: Loxen is a small dog, Margot had a lot of trouble equipping her because the equipment is more intended for large dogs.

I tested 2 lanyards, a short one of 1,1m (2m in tension) and a long one of 2,1m (almost 3m in tension). I tested the shortest first. The dog is very close to either, I learned to run like that. I have to say that in monotracks or singles in the mountains, it's not always easy.

• Uphill, the pace is low so I can look ahead Musher to analyze the terrain and choose where to place my feet between the rocks and roots.
• Downhill, I look between Musher and me but with such a short leash, it's not easy! It seems a little strange to you what I am saying here if you have never tried this sport with your dog but you will understand very quickly once your first try is done...

I tested a longer lanyard. It is much more pleasant because we have the possibility of analyzing the terrain between ourselves and the dog. On the other hand, what I like less is that I watch Musher less. And what I love about canicross is being one with my dog. Before adopting Musher I ran with the music blasting in my ears; without that, I tend to listen too much to myself at the slightest pain… hihi.

As a team with Musher, I'm focused on her: the position of her ears tells me if she's okay, if she felt something, if she saw something... Depending on what it tells me, I ask her slow down, stop or go!

On the practical side, it also wins (2 side pockets that you can reach without squirming in all directions when running, great! and a water bottle holder in the back). For canicross, canirando or canitrail practitioners, there are two schools: harness pros (like me) and belt pros. The Omnijore harness can be worn as a belt, the two straps that transform it into a harness can be unclipped.

For the moment, I admit that as the gear is still relatively new, the courois slip and tend to loosen on their own when I run and suddenly the harness goes up to the level of my kidneys. At the slightest jerk of Musher: ouch, ouch, ouch. On the other hand, the Ruffwear Omnijore is much better padded at the back. And as always on Ruffwear products, all adjustments are easy to make.

One last piece of gear advice: your shoes! Don't neglect this essential accessory. Running is freedom, it's escaping into nature, it's experiencing a rush of sensations (even more so when you're trail running!!), but without good shoes it can quickly become a nightmare with pain, unstable footing (if your dog is full of energy, you'd better be able to hold him back ! ), falls…

And if you have to be careful with your shoes, you also have to be careful with your dog's paws. If your dog has fragile pads, forget the runs on rough terrain, he could injure himself. Asphalt is also avoided as much as possible in the summer months, as it is far too hot for their paws. And then, as for us, running on asphalt is traumatic for the joints. The floor is rigid, there is no cushioning. Don't do all your training on the road, vary the pleasures.

Before starting each session, consider warming up both of you. With Musher, we start in small strides, free. It allows him to do his business, sniff a few twigs and get going slowly.

My dog ​​loves the water. I try as much as possible to choose routes where we come across at least one body of water so she can cool off. Never mind the time, we stop her for a few minutes to throw some sticks in the water. In fact, Musher is doing a duathlon: run, swim, run! At the end of the session, we do the same thing, taking the time to slow down and let her run off-leash. Of course, in the middle of summer, since it's much too hot where we live, canicross is out of the question. We opt for dips in the pool instead… by the way, to learn all about that, I recommend reading our article “ Splash! The Dog in the Pool ”.

During the session, I always carry water with me in my trail backpack for Musher and me. I have a collapsible fabric bowl to serve him water. I only give him small amounts to avoid stomach upset. On the way back, the same, I wait a bit before serving him a huge bowl.

Doing cani-cross is driving. Why am I saying that? If your dog has the “will to go”, that is to say that he wants to tow and that he gets a kick out of running, you will have to succeed in following behind and guiding him. You are a team, and you are the captain. You will therefore have to teach your dog some basic commands such as right, left, forward, stop,…

On the distance side, start small and increase slowly. I can't give you a max distance, you know your dog best! Just know that a dog can't say stop when he's tired, be careful. Note that in competition, race distances do not often exceed 10-12km...

To start with Musher, I joined a canicross club near Montpellier. We did a few sessions together so she could see other dogs doing it and understand what I expected of her. Living too far away, I had to give up joining. Shame..

To run together, you can also join a Facebook group of enthusiasts who live near you. Margot joined a group in Lyon and runs with Loxen and lots of friends very regularly. It is by meeting practitioners that you can glean advice for improving your skills.

There are more and more races organized in the four corners of France where champions and amateurs meet in a good mood. It is also an opportunity to run together and meet people. You can meet dogs of all sizes and all levels. No matter the team, the main thing is to have fun together.

I end the article by thanking Margot and Loxen for kindly sharing their session anecdotes with me. It allowed me to enrich this new article.

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