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I walk my dog using a skijoring harness. These are used in races with bikes or cross country skis, but I simply walk. I've taught my dog gee for right and haw for left and it works great, most of the time. Every now and then she thinks we either should turn the other way or not at all!
Just wondering if there were any other devotees out there?
I've attached a photo of my niece and Maya in the harness.
Skijoring Harness
I had one for my springer spaniels. It worked great.
Joey, did you walk, bike or ski with it? I'd love to try the xcrounty skiing, but in our area it's hard to find the trails. I'm thinking this winter to try out a pair of snow shoes. How do you think that will work?
I think my dogs would drag me all over the place if I tried to use a ski jore harness while snow shoeing!
No problem finding the trails where I live in Alaska. But I need to learn to ski first! I'd love to skijore with my elkhound. But my other dog would pull me up the first tree that had a squirrel in it, LOL!
Sadie, you are lucky to have trails! What kind of dog is your "other" dog? I've never shoe shoe'd, I'd like to try it. I also don't know how to cross country ski, I've never done it, but I'd like to do that too!
My dog likes to go after squirrels, and cats, and rabbits, etc., but I keep a sharp eye out for that and anticipate her lunge. She's never pulled me off my feet.
Now, my hubby, he takes her for bike rides, but he just uses a leash, and she's pulled him AND the bike over going after a rabbit. He broke his wrist this way last new years eve. It was a while before they went for a bike ride again...
Sofia is 1/2 Siberian Husky, 1/4 Norwegian Elkhound and 1/4 coyote. Her prey drive is unbelievable.
She wouldn't pull me off my feed while walking (she's only 50 lbs) but if I were on skis all bets would be off!
What happened to your hubby is too bad, but I sure can see Sofie doing something similar. During rabbit season I think my arms are longer...
Do they do the skijoring racing up there? I've seen it on tv, I think it was in either Maine or Minnesota? Not sure where. Western Michigan has a sled dog racing community, that is where we got Maya. Your dogs are beautiful!
We have lots and lots of winter sports stuff, ski jore racing I'm sure, plus Fairbanks is probably the Sled Dog Capitol of the world.
Let me put it this way, I was aquainted with Susan Butcher and went to our town celebration for Lance Mackey. :o) Jeff King used to live down the road from me (I moved because I bougtht a house). I hear sled dogs morning, noon and night...
Thanks for the compliments! I think it is hilarious that Ole, the purebred, isn't nearly as gorgeous as Sofia, the mixed breed/hybrid (hybrid in the TRUE sense of the word, a mix of two species).
