Doing canicross with your dog is great!
Hello Wouafer's! Many of you already practice canicross with your dog(s) and others are planning to take up the canine sport soon. So, I interviewed several canicross fans in the community to tell you about this sport they practice with their dogs. I'm sure they'll make you want to put on your trainers to go running with your dog: canicross is truly an exceptional sport. Complicity, endurance, team spirit, shared happiness... I hope you will enjoy this article and will manage to convince you if you are still hesitant to get started in this sport of pulling your dog.
I let them speak to you about their passion and their dog, W'ouf couse! Equipment, advice, canicross clubs… they talk to us about everything without taboo about their favorite canine sport.
Pauline and her 2 dogs form a top canicross team!
It's a sport that has always appealed to me. Having been horseback riding for more than 15 years, sharing the effort with an animal pleases me a lot.
We are members of a dog club in the 61: sportydoggy61. Our training with the club takes place once a week. Club members wishing to train more than once meet to organize other training sessions between canicrossers. It's even more fun together! It is a family club with a very good atmosphere.
We will run exclusively in the forest on walking paths. So we mainly practice the canitrail. We never run on the road because it's bad for dogs paw pads.
I love this pulling sport because it allows me to think of nothing except our buddy and the effort. A real moment of sharing for two. Thanks to canicross, the bond with the dog is completely different. She comes out even more beautiful and we are now much more accomplices.
This year we only participated in the Woofrun because due to the current context linked to Covid-19, the other races in which we were to participate have been cancelled.
As far as our equipment is concerned, I use a harness, a elastic lanyard and pulling harness from the i-dog brand.
You can contact Pauline on Instagram if you have any questions for her: @pac_o_kinai
Astrid and her dog surpass themselves together by practicing canicross
We started canicross 3 years ago. I was then living in Britain. I looked to see if there were any clubs near my home. And once Murphy was old enough to run I introduced myself to the club” Canidetense” and there… A real revelation!!! A new passion was born, and I met a new family. For a year, we have been Alsace and we joined the Spyridon.
We practice canicross out of passion. I love seeing the energy my dog exudes when I pull out the harness, the encouraging looks he gives me when I drag my paw. His gaze becomes even more sparkling than usual. By joining the family of canicrossers we both discovered sides of ourselves that we did not know. We reveal ourselves together, we surpass ourselves together. Our bond is getting stronger every day.
I am a competitor from birth so we have obviously tested a multitude of competitions. Unlike other sports I have practiced, I can tell you that the objectives are not the same. By participating in canicross races, we seek to have fun and share more than a podium... We have done a lot of competitions but our fondest memories are the Trophée des Montagnes in 2019 and the Trophée des neiges in 2020. These competitions are physically tough, and this further strengthens our bond because we have strengthened our bond in the event.
I could talk for hours about this passion that I share with my dog and I really advise you not to hesitate and get started. You will not regret it !
Go follow Astrid and Murphy's canicross training on Instagram: @astrid_murphy68
Laura and Okapi: inseparable canicross partners!
I knew canicross before the arrival of Okapi. I've been doing it for 3 years now. I was doing canicross in Paris with friends as soon as I found a dog! With the female dog of my parents, my friends or those I kept at home! Everyone got something out of it: I practiced a sport that I loved and the masters had dogs that were calm and happy to let off steam! And yes, because there are no specific dogs for canicross, cani-MTB ou cani-scooter. Everyone can practice them as long as we adapt to them. I have already run with Cocker Spaniels, a German shorthaired pointer, a jack russell, Poodle… And I have even seen in competition pinschers do Cani-MTB !!
Now I practice canicross with Okapi and we are part of the cani pirates club. It is a club located in the Paris region. Practicing this sport in a club is so much more rewarding! In addition to the fact that we meet other enthusiasts, that we train and progress together, it also allows the dogs to socialize and have new playmates! And to be part of a club is also to belong to the FSLC, the Canine Sports and Leisure Federation. Over the years there are more and more members, we are now nearly 3000 licensees with 100 clubs throughout France, a big family! 🙂 This sport, which was little known a few years ago, is gaining more and more followers who often start very young! On the FSLC website, you can find the list of all the clubs around your home if you want to get started.
It was obvious to me that I wanted to practice canicross with Okapi but I needed to be sure that she would like it. I didn't want to force her at all. So I gave her time to get to know this sport, to enjoy it without ever forcing her. Okapi loves towing but only at the club or in competition. If we are both in the forest, she prefers her freedom and running next to me or sniffing the smells and playing with her friends. Towing without any objective does not interest her too much, but towing because there is a dog in front or a dog behind who wants to overtake her, that becomes interesting for her and it is in these moments that she will give her all! And I don't have a problem with that, the main thing being that she enjoys every moment spent together 🙂
We practice canicross because it's a great way to spend time together. Apart from canicross, we practice many other activities together: walking, hiking, paddle, kayaking, naps...
Basically, I didn't like running alone, but running with my dog is different. We are linked, each trying to outdo each other. Finally especially me who tries to hold on behind her 😛 As soon as she has a little slack, I'm there to motivate her by talking to her or running faster, and as soon as it's me who has a little blow slack, Okapi will tow a little more to help me. With this sport, we know each other better and we understand each other better.
Of course, I also practice on my own to improve myself and relieve her. Because having a dog towing in front of us is not everything, you have to be able to hold on behind and prepare yourself. Indeed, if you don't run fast enough for your dog, the only risk you take is to disgust your dog and make him no longer want to tow. I wasn't running “that fast” before, so I went to see a sports doctor, got insoles done, and started exercising regularly. Because progressing alone means relieving Okapi and improving our duo!
We participated in several competitions before this year's events, including the Canicross de Chelles and the Canicross des Cani'n furious. And we will soon participate in the WoofRun and the Regional trophy!
The first competitions were very difficult for Okapi. Despite the fact that she loves canicross and running in the club with all her friends, the atmosphere in the competitions is different. Of a sensitive nature, she is destabilized by all the dogs and humans around us who bark and shout! Departures are therefore stressful for her. We are the only duo to remain calm on the starting line and to wait our turn! I now have a technique for reassuring her on the starting lines. I surround her with my arms until we leave, as if to create a bubble around the two of us and thus reassure her and force her to focus on me. For my part, I make sure to be as serene and calm as possible to transmit this energy to him. By dint of participating in competitions and being surrounded by our friends from the club, Okapi is now much more serene than before and she is constantly progressing!
Departures with Okapi are always full throttle! She doesn't really understand the fact of preserving herself for the rest of the race. At the start we sprint, to my great despair because 500 meters further on I'm almost out of breath! Then the race is done according to his desire! She is not very regular in her stride so sometimes she will trot and then suddenly start pulling, often when a dog tries to pass us! Then she decides to take a pee break or a mud bath. It's a great cardio workout! In general for the finish lines, she starts to tow well again thanks to the encouragement of people.
Go follow Laura and Okapi's competitions on Instagram 😉 @laurita_okapi
Musher and Sophie : If you want to get started in canicross or canitrail, read all the pro tips for start canicross with your dog. You will see there are plenty of tips to start canicross, to know which canicross equipment to choose, etc.
Floriane, Nala and Night form a great canicross team!
We no longer reside in Golden Coast, Department 21, which inspired the name of my Instagram account. You may be able to meet us on the side of the Region Rhone-Alpes ; a region which by the diversity of its relief brings us a multitude of different training grounds.
As far as I can remember, I have always practiced physical activity, and more particularly running. 6 years ago, I adopted a little black and white fur ball. A year later, I bought the equipment and embarked on this adventure with my dog.
Canicross is the ideal sport for my dogs and me. This allows them to exercise because they have a lot of energy, and this activity also allows me to stay in great physical shape while sharing more time with my canine companions. It's a real sporting symbiosis that requires great complicity and they, like me, are totally addicted to canicross.
There has been a very strong bond between Nala and me since the start. This feeling was reinforced by canicross. When we are connected by the lanyard, I have complete confidence in her, we become one. Beyond the physical attachment, there is a real connection between us when we practice canicross. Her presence is very reassuring for me because being alone when you are a woman can sometimes be stressful.
As for Night, this sport is beneficial to her because she has a completely different behavior thanks to canicross: she is much less reactive, more sure of herself and calmer.
We participated in several canicross races. There are races all over France and it's a great way to discover new landscapes and meet fans of this canine sport who share the same passion as me. We can then exchange advice or share our experiences. These are moments of very appreciable conviviality. The atmosphere is always wonderful and benevolent. Respect for the animal is essential.
My best memory is the South Burgundy trophy: 44 kilometres, 8 different stages. It was a real challenge for us but what a wonderful experience for my teammate and myself, a strong moment when we were able to give everything in exemplary harmony. I will soon start competing with Night too!
The last thing to add about canicross is that all dogs can run! Canicross is not reserved for large dogs, you just have to adapt the distances and be attentive and in symbiosis with your animal. And above all, have fun!
Follow the Instagram account of Floriane and these 2 dogs to discover all their adventures: @canicrosseuse21
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I hope you enjoyed this informative article! I am delighted to have been able to introduce you to these 100% female canicross enthusiasts. I myself practice this sport with Musher. We're more of a “broom car” type but it's all about going at your own pace and having fun 🙂 Have fun!
Read also : Start canicross with your dog, Top 10 pulling sports, Top 10 canicross races
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