To be fair, I\u2019m sympathetic as I struggle into my own, which, rather like a rock-climbing harness, loops over each leg and fastens at the waist. It feels a bit like wearing your pants over your trousers. The final act of kitting up is the most important one \u2013 attaching a bungee line to both harnesses so that Morris and I are, quite literally, joined at the hip.<\/p>
We are about to try our respective hands and paws at canicross \u2013 running cross-country attached to your dog. <\/p>
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Sam and her Jack Russell rescue dog Morris get the feel of running together, attached by a bungee line to harnesses, on the trails at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in Kent. Credit: Sarah Medway<\/figcaption><\/figure> Canicross: Where it all began<\/h3>
Canicross, Ginetta tells me, originated with the dog-sledding community in northern Europe as a way of keeping dogs fit during the off-season. But over the past two decades, it has evolved from a niche activity into a popular sport in which you are just as likely to encounter a springer spaniel as a Siberian husky. <\/p>
\u201cWe\u2019ve had everything from great Danes to poodles take part in our events,\u201d says Dawn Richards, director of CaniX<\/a>, which held the UK\u2019s first national championships in 2006. I\u2019m hoping the sport might be just the thing for Morris, a socially awkward rescue Jack Russell with the copper top and limitless energy of a certain brand of battery, but zero recall.\u00a0<\/p>
![\"Canicross](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/01\/Canicross-fitting-harness-to-dog.jpg\")
DogFit co-founder Ginetta George shows Sam how to correctly fit Morris\u2019s canicross harness for safety and comfort. Credit: Sarah Medway<\/figcaption><\/figure> And they\u2019re off…\u00a0<\/h3>
Excitement fizzes in the crisp air as we prepare for the off. But when pack mates Coco, a German short-haired pointer, and Ted, a Hungarian vizsla, surge forward on Ginetta\u2019s \u201clet\u2019s go!\u201d command, Morris decides to take flying leaps at the bungee line instead.\u00a0<\/p>
Ginetta isn\u2019t fazed. \u201cHe\u2019s not quite sure what\u2019s being asked of him yet,\u201d she says. And she has just the solution. Standing 50m or so away, she rustles a packet of treats and calls him in a sing-song voice. \u201cMorris! Biscuits!\u201d All at once, I\u2019m whisked forward, getting a glimpse of the exhilaration of being \u2018towed\u2019 \u2013 even by a 7kg terrier. As we trot back to go again, I can see Morris is getting the idea \u2013 and liking it.<\/p>
I have been a runner for decades, and this isn\u2019t the first time I have taken Morris for a spin. But two things are different about today. Normally, I get Morris to run alongside me rather than out in front \u2013 partly because of his tendency to zigzag across the path and stop without warning \u2013 but also because to pull wearing a collar and lead would put too much strain on his neck. In the canicross harness, he is learning to forge ahead. It is great to see him bounding along, ears flat against his head, tail horizontal, giving it 100%.\u00a0<\/p>
One other difference is the company. \u201cDogs are pack animals,\u201d says Ginetta. \u201cIt\u2019s natural for them to run together. A group is great for novice canicross dogs because they can learn from the others. It also keeps them focused \u2013 they don\u2019t want to get left behind!\u201d<\/p>
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![\"Canicross\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/01\/Canicross-dog.png\")
After a false start, Morris relishes the idea of setting the pace. Credit: Sarah Medway<\/figcaption><\/figure> Canine connection<\/h3>
Cushla Lamen, a canine exercise physiologist with the CaniCross Clinic<\/a>, believes the sport can benefit a dog more than \u2018free\u2019 running. \u201cWhen you run with your dog in harness, you both learn how to adapt your running speed, turn the same corner at the same time and decide which side of the tree you are going to go, all of which strengthens your connection,\u201d she says. \u201cCanicross provides a much better mental workout for a dog compared to free running, while also building physical fitness, leading to an overall more contented canine companion.\u201d<\/p>
Ginetta agrees that canicross deepens the bond between you and your dog. She took up the sport 10 years ago with her German pointer, Coco. \u201cI wasn\u2019t a runner at all then, but Coco hadn\u2019t got on with gundog training and I was looking for an alternative.\u201d The pair enjoyed it from their first go and joined a local group. They have now run several half-marathons together.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cThe best thing about canicross is that you are doing something with your dog that benefits you both. It\u2019s very social, too; you immediately share common ground with others.\u201d<\/p>
It\u2019s also a great workout. \u201cAny running is good aerobic exercise, but running off-road on undulating terrain builds strength, balance, proprioception [the body\u2019s awareness of its location, movements and actions] and coordination,\u201d says Verity Halliday, a CaniCross Clinic running coach who specialises in biomechanics. \u201cCanicross has two additional benefits \u2013 it works your core muscles \u2013 especially the obliques \u2013 more than free running does because the harness is designed to pull from the pelvis, not the lumbar spine,\u201d adds Verity. \u201cBeing towed by your dog also helps develop your solo running speed, as it trains you to run faster than you could unassisted.\u201d<\/p>
If you doubt whether being pulled along by a dog could make much difference to how fast you run, consider that the canicross 5km world record \u2013 held by Englishman Ben Robinson \u2013 is a blistering 12 minutes, 24 seconds. That\u2019s a full 2 minutes 35 seconds faster than Robinson\u2019s dog-free personal best 5km time of 14.59. Canicrossers at the business end of the sport pick their dogs carefully. Robinson\u2019s dog, Blake, is a \u2018Greyster\u2019 \u2013 a purpose-bred cross between a German short-haired pointer and a greyhound \u2013 and a four-legged package of speed, endurance, focus and determination.\u00a0<\/p>
I wasn\u2019t expecting much in the way of a speed injection from my pint-sized pooch \u2013 but I was surprised how effortlessly I sailed up the hills thanks to Morris\u2019s pulling power.<\/p>
![\"Canicross](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/01\/Canicross-running-action-scaled.jpg\")
Ginetta and her dog Coco lead the pack along the forest path. Credit: Sarah Medway<\/figcaption><\/figure> Shared spirits<\/h3>
There\u2019s something other than a bungee line that connects humans and dogs in running. Both our species were born not just to do it, but to enjoy it. Evolutionary scientists propose that species requiring endurance activity for their survival evolved to experience pleasure from exercise \u2013 the so-called runner\u2019s high.\u00a0<\/p>
In a study at the University of Arizona in 2012, researchers found that in humans and dogs, levels of a neurotransmitter called anandamide soared after a brisk run, while in ferrets (for whom endurance activity is not typical) levels did not change. Anandamide is one of a group of brain chemicals, called endocannabinoids, that initiate the runner\u2019s high. The researchers speculate that in endurance-inclined species, these chemicals function as a \u2018reward\u2019 to encourage us to do it again. We run, we get a warm glow. We run together and that glow shines even brighter.<\/p>
And that, perhaps, is the unique gift of canicross. It\u2019s great that it gets you outdoors, in parks and woodland. It\u2019s great that it\u2019s fun and sociable. It\u2019s great that it gets \u2013 or keeps \u2013 you and your dog fit and healthy. But best of all, it is something that you and your dog can gain equal, and shared, pleasure from, unlike, say, sniffing a pile of horse dung or stopping to chat to someone in the park for ages.<\/p>
I wrote earlier that there were two things that made my canicross experience different from \u2018just\u2019 running. But I\u2019ve thought of another. Something less tangible. When I\u2019ve taken Morris running in the past, it\u2019s been me taking him on my run. With canicross, it feels like our run. Winding our way between the trees, dodging roots and leaping over puddles, we are a team.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cIt is great to see him bounding along, ears flat against his head, giving it 100%\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>
![\"Canicross](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/01\/Canicross-preparation.png\")
Ginetta agrees that canicross deepens the bond between you and your dog. Credit: Sarah Medway<\/figcaption><\/figure> Now try canicross <\/h3>
There are canicross groups, clubs and training sessions all over the UK. Your dog must be at least one year old to take part, but there are no other barriers to participation for either you or your pooch.<\/p>
DogFit has more than 50 groups in the UK, run by certified canicross trainers. They also offer an eight-week canicross couch\u20135k programme. \u201cIf you are new to canicross, it is advisable to start by walking with the kit, to get used to being hands-free and not holding on to the line, and for your dog to get used to the harness,\u201d recommends Ginetta. \u201cFrom there, you can progress to walking and running, incorporating some simple commands.\u201d There is further advice on their website, where you will also find their podcast, Talk Canicross.<\/p>
As well as being home to the CaniCross Clinic, Trailrunners has advice, information and instructional videos on canisports (biking and scootering as well as running) and an online beginners\u2019 programme. There is also a map showing local groups and events across the UK. <\/p>
CaniX has been running canicross events in the UK since 2005 \u2013 many races offer a \u2018short course\u2019 of 2km \u2013 the perfect distance for your debut \u2013 alongside 5km and longer distances. They also run the annual \u2018Fur Nations\u2019, a competition between canicrossers from England, Scotland and Wales. The 2019 edition was the biggest-ever canicross event held on British soil. <\/p>
The British Sled Dog Sports Federation<\/a> is the UK\u2019s official member body of the International Canicross Federation, which hosts the annual World Championships. <\/p>
There are canicross groups, clubs and training sessions all over the UK. Your dog must be at least one year old to take part, but there are no other barriers to participation for either you or your pooch.<\/p><\/blockquote>
Canicross kit<\/h3>
If you\u2019re going to run for anything more than a few minutes with your dog, you\u2019re strongly advised to use the correct kit rather than a lead and collar. You\u2019ll need a good-fitting harness for Fido, a harness for yourself (known as a waistbelt, despite the \u2018leg holes\u2019) and a bungee line with a clip at both ends. DogFit<\/a>\u2019s \u2018starter kit\u2019 includes all this, along with an introductory booklet and drawstring bag (\u00a389.99). DogFit\u2019s online form will help you choose the kit that is right for you and your dog.<\/p>
K9TrailTime<\/a> also stocks a number of popular canicross brands, including Howling Dog, Zero DC, Non-Stop and Arctic Wolf.<\/p>
You can get by in any running shoes, but trail shoes<\/a> are ideal for this activity, since their superior grip will help keep you upright on muddy or slippery terrain. Carry some water for both of you, along with some poo bags and, if your dog is as food-motivated as mine, some treats.\u00a0<\/p>
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