what is canicross?
Canicross is the sport of running cross-country attached to your dog. Sled dogs have coexisted in partnership with humans for many thousands of years in the northern regions of North America and Siberia. This unique human and dog bond is evidenced from archeological findings dating back to over 4000 years.
Whilst the sport is very well recognised for the beautiful images of sleddogs and teams of huskies pulling sleds across stunning snowcapped scenery, it has become an increasingly popular sport in the UK where we have almost no snow any more.
The sport involves a human runner attached to their dog via a bungee line to a harness that the dog traditionally pulls into. It is classed as a dog powered sport and as such, dogs are actively encouraged to pull into the harness to aid the human across the course.
The sport of canicross is classed as a mono sport and forms one of the many disciplines of dryland mushing in the United Kingdom. In the UK it is also possible to bikejor, scoot and race dogs in teams of up to eight attached to a wheeled rig.
Many people enjoy the sport due to its ease of access, after all, you need a harness, belt, bungee and trainers ( and a dog of course) but suddenly you are free to get out and have fun with your dog.
If you enjoy it and feel like setting yourself a bit of a challenge, you can enter races or even get involved in the National Championship events held by the British Sleddog Sports Federation, which could give you a chance to represent Team GB in international competition.