Welcome to Canicross

By Kelly Norton - RVN Runnymede Hill Veterinary Hospital

Approximately 5 years ago Lila (pronounced Lee-la) a wonderful, affectionate and extremely energetic 5 month old German Shorthaired Pointer cross Ridgeback crept into my life. She is a beautiful dog and has completely changed my life in so many ways. When I began off lead training she had the stubbornness of a Ridgeback with the hunting nose of a pointer. I have spent many walks listening out for the ringing of her bells waiting for her to return. Thankfully her recall has come a long way since then!

Lila reached a year old and she could run and run and run. My fitness levels were not wonderful so I decided that we needed to exercise together, without her chasing the Surrey wildlife. After a quick internet search I find articles on Canicross running. What is Canicross running? I hear you say. The simplest description is: canine cross country running aka Canicross. I wear a special running belt, Lila wears a specialist running harness and we are attached by a 2m bungee line. So I can run with my dog helping me-bonus!

I found a wonderful running group ‘Heart and Rushmoor Canicrossers’, after a few messages I had a very kind offer of a loan of all of the equipment (even a dog to help Lila learn) and I was invited to a trial social run We had all the gear we needed along with the support and company of other crazy ‘dog people’. Before I knew it on a warm May evening we were driving to a woodland area in the Rushmoor area to have a go a Canicross. 10 Kilometers, an hour and a half later and after being coaxed up the affectionately named ‘killer hill’ I confessed to having never ran more than 3km’s before. My muscles ached all over the next day and to descend the stairs I walked sideways. However, the pure joy and fun Lila had along with the support, the quiet relaxed dog that slept in peacefully and the encouragement of my fellow runners the muscle aches where forgotten Before I knew it we were hooked!

Canicross has the obvious health benefits for both myself and Lila. However, the benefits are far more extensive. The level of trust and the bond we have has grown and grown. Lila listens to my instructions and helps navigate the safest trail for us both. She has learnt directional commands, speed commands and how to get us both down steep hills without me either clinging to trees or skidding on by bum. But mostly, we are having a blast. We have made some fantastic friends (canine and human!) We have been to some superbly organised Canicross events as well as many dog friendly cross country races. Many parkrun’s will also allow single dog canicrossers.

Your dog does not need to be a large breed dog and you can build your fitness together. So if your dog is over a year old, has lots of energy and you fancy getting fit together then why not give Canicross a go?

If you think Canicross sounds crazy have look at Bikejor and Scooterjor!