Introduction to Skijoring
It’s not news that humans have a passionate love affair with dogs. For over 10,000 years humans have kept dogs as companions. We used them to protect us while we sleep, help us kill our enemies, obtain food, and hundreds of other tasks. Tasks they are good at. For example the Jack Russell Terrier was bred to kill rats which helped keep down disease.
One of the worlds first domesticated breeds was a version of the modern day Siberian Husky.
Siberian Huskies are very much culturally known as “sled dogs” and have retained a significant amount of their wild nature. Huskies (as they are commonly referred to) are known escape artists, and love to run. Siberian Huskies are fairly small, fast, and powerful dogs. They make adequate pets but will often require a significant amount of time and energy to domesticate.
Running, however is something that Huskies are amazing at! Athletic huskies can run up to 40km an hour! They can also easily cover 200km a day.
Huskies prefer to be part of a pack. This means most people will find they are more stable if you have two or more. Huskies also prefer cold climates. The colder the better. Anything below +10C is preferred by the breed. However if they are brought up in warmer environments their bodies will adapt, however are not suited to running.
When the weather falls below freezing, Huskies come out of summer hibernation and are always excited for adventure! If you have a husky, it’s fairly straightforward to get them onto their ancestral path.
It’s Not Cruel
Sled dogs have been pulling sleds for over 10,000 years!
Let’s put that into perspective.
Imagine how different where you’re reading this from looked 10,000 years ago. Was it all forest? Was it all desert? Was it covered under an enormous glacier? Was it under the water?
Put yourself right where you are now, 10,000 years ago. There were no houses, buildings, cars, electricity, and most likely few people. As humans we had not even discovered how to take metal from the ground and make things like swords and bowls! Most of the world was empty, and most humans were still living in tribes and wearing loin cloths.
Now imagine at this time in Siberia, your dogs ancestors were actively pulling humans on sleds, and hauling deer carcasses for food.
There is a saying in the mushing community: “you can’t push a rope”. This reigns true in for dog sports. If your dog is healthy. If their harness is correctly fitted, and you are respectful of their limits, skjoring and dog sledding is an amazing bonding experience with your dog. If you’re on a set of skis or a sled, and your dog does not want to run and pull you – your dog is not going to pull you. Nothing you can do will force your dog to pull you up the trail. Huskies will run and pull because they love running and pulling. When they are tired, they will slow down. When they are exhausted, they will stop running. When done with love and care, you are tapping into the ancestral, primal part of your canine companion that cannot be accessed any other way. Huskies are literally built for this job.
Begin With Skijoring
Skijoring is the simplest method to introduce you and your dog to pulling. It’s fairly inexpensive to get started, great if you only have one or two huskies, low impact on both you and your dog, as well as a great adventurous bonding experience!
If you live in a northern climate, the easiest way to do this is to visit a second hand store and buy a set of cross country skis, poles, and boots. Familiarize yourself with cross country skiing at local parks, and trails. You most certainly cant trust your huskies to pull you on skis safely if you are unfamiliar with the equipment. Don’t spend your money on the newest, greatest, and latest of gear if you’re not sure you will enjoy it. Older, antique equipment will work fine for your first winter. Hit the internet and your favourite search engine to learn more about different kinds of skis, poles, and boots.
The next things you will need to acquire will be a specialised pulling harness for your dog. The importance of a proper dog harness cannot be stated enough! An ill-fitting dog harness will cause severe and permanent injury to your dog!
There are many companies that offer correct pulling harnesses for your dogs. This includes Alpine Outfiiters, and Non-Stop Dog Wear. Most pet shops will not carry specific pulling harnesses which are designed to disperse pulling weight and allow your dog unrestricted movement under load. Get out a tape measure, and follow the instructions on each website to ensure you get a properly fit harness.
For yourself, a good rock climbing harness is a great investment. They are available at most sports retailers and can sometimes be purchased used. They need to fit you correctly. Do not re-use your skijoring harness for climbing for optimum safety. You can purchase specific skijoring harnesses if you wish. However most people prefer rock climbing harnesses as they have great fit and are fairly comfortable. Ensure you get a size or two larger than you would expect. This is to accommodate your winter layering.
Once you have all your proper equipment, and are familiar with cross country skiing, you can hitch up your dog and take them out onto a local, flat trail. Most times a former rail-trail is a great choice as they are always flat, and well maintained. Just be sure to pick a miserable today to go out, so there will be less people on the trail. It’s best to be alone especially as a new musher your dog will be in charge as they are pulling you. Rail trails also have no sharp bends. Also very important if you’re new and can’t get yourself around the trail bend as fast as your dog.
Be mindful that the best way to stop your dog from pulling is to fall over. This is a great, and immediate brake. Again, flat terrain is best until you are experienced. There is noting worse than an unexpected down hill and complete loss of control. This can end up causing serious injury to you and your dog.
As with any activity, it’s best to find a local group, club, or mentor to help you get started. This will ensure you are taking all the correct safety precautions with your dog, and yourself. There are also certain municipalities which have banned dog sports, and could result in a by-law ticket.
Once you have had a few dozen shorter trips, you can hit the trails for a day out with your dog(s) and will find amazing satisfaction and adventure in skijoring and dog sledding. Huskies are built for, and desire this kind of activity. It’s fairly simple, easy and inexpensive to get into, and will get you outside in weather when you would much rather hibernate.
A Few Warnings
As an experienced musher with thousands of kilometres under my belt, I can assure you that it will be quite an adventure.
First and foremost, be sure to only by properly designed harnesses for your dog. If your boots aren’t any good, your skis bad, or your jacket garbage – you’ll be fine. You’ll have a couple bad runs and then buy better gear. If your dogs harness isn’t correct your dog will be unable to tell you of their discomfort. They can get chronic hip, back, and knee injuries that will cripple them for life.
Learn to fall: This is an important skill. When out skiing without your dog, learn to fall and recover. Repeatedly. Get great at learning to fall and not get injured. One of my most serious injuries was taking too many dogs skijoring. The dogs went right, I went left, and fell. My ski pole got caught during my fall and pulled my shoulder out of its socket. When I landed my shoulder popped back into place. That injury took me over a year to fully recover from. When you’re being towed at 20km/h up a trail and your ski hits a bald patch it may stop you dead. The kinetic energy of travel will still be there and you’re going to go for a tumble.
Controlled Falling is a great braking system: When out skijoring it’s not uncommon for your dog to see a squirrel. Sometimes that squirrel is on the other side of a ditch. When your dog is in full-out run mode they connect with their ancestral, primal self and will bolt after that squirrel faster than you can imagine. As a new skijorer, your best course of action is a controlled fall to stop the dog from dragging you into a ditch, over a cliff, or other danger. It takes a while, but you’ll get the hang of it.
Try to be alone at first. Most humans dislike bad weather. This is a great time to bundle up with your dog, and hit the trails. Especially when you’re new. Unless you are going with other skijorers, you don’t want your dog taking off after another dog, or jumping on other trail users when they’re 2m in front of you and you have no control over them. This can at least be humiliating and annoying and at worst end up being sued if your dog injures another dog or person on the trail.
Tell someone where you’re going! This is important! Lots and lots can happen when you’re on a trail in winter, away from people. If you’re skiing and you break a leg, and fall on your phone, it’s important to have someone know when you’re over due and go search for you.
Bring Supplies: Again if you’re alone on the trail ensure you have basic survival supplies such as matches, a lighter, water, small first aid kit, and other supplies to ensure if you do get stuck out there, you’ll be able to last until help arrives.
Below is a video demonstrating what running 5 dogs looks like. This was during a sled run as more than 2 dogs on skis is dangerous.
MILLIKEN, Grennan – First Dogs May Have Been from Central Asia, Popular Science October 19, 2015
BENSON, Kristi – Digging into our Common Ground With Dogs April 26, 2017
Koler-Matznick, Janice (2002). “The origin of the dog revisited”. Anthrozoös: A Multidisciplinary Journal of the Interactions of People and Animals. 15 (2): 98–118.
Wayne, Robert K.; vonHoldt, Bridgett M. (2012-02-01). “Evolutionary genomics of dog domestication”. Mammalian Genome. 23 (1–2): 3–18
“WORKING DOG”. therealjackrussell.com. Jack Russell Terrier Club of America.
Brown, S K; Darwent, C M; Wictum, E J; Sacks, B N (2015). “Using multiple markers to elucidate the ancient, historical and modern relationships among North American Arctic dog breeds”. Heredity. 115 (6): 488.