Canicross Conversations

In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to vet Nick again, in our popular Ask the Vet Series, to find out about the biggest food-related dangers for dogs over Christmas.
Nick lists foods that are both toxic for dogs, as well as those that can cause tummy distress if consumed in large quantities, and there are some surprises in there! Nick advises what symptoms to look out for, and what to do in an emergency. 

Have you tried running with your dog? It's the perfect way to fit in exercise for both you and your dog. But before buying a cheap running belt from Amazon, consider our tips for how to get started in a safe way.
On November 23rd, an article was published in The Times titled "Why I'll Never Be a Dog Jogger Again", about a bad experience the writer had about trying to run with her dog. She broke a rib which meant she couldn't run or exercise to her normal level. It's frustrating, and in this episode, we wanted to show you how you can run safely with your dog and enjoy the fun of the trails together. 

In this episode, Louise and Michelle interview Chris Smart, who has recently returned from racing in Leipa at the ICF with his Eurohound Chili. He gives us a unique insight into international racing, and tells us how it motivates him to improve more than racing in the UK. Chris is also new to bikejor. 

In this week's episode, Louise and Michelle speak with Dan Floyd, for our Canicross Stories segment. As regular listeners know, we've been doing this series for a while to highlight unique experiences from our Canicross community.
Dan is an especially interesting guest because he does a lot of running by himself and with his dog Mylo, but not always in the typical canicross style. For example, he still participates in parkruns with Mylo on a handheld lead, which sparked an intriguing discussion since parkrun's recent rules changes. It's rare we get to talk to guests who still do parkruns with their dogs, so hearing Dan's perspective was enlightening.
Dan began his road running journey approximately nine years ago, with an initial 10k time of around 55 minutes, but since then, has achieved a 32-minute 10k and a 2.36 marathon with aspirations of going sub 2.30 for the marathon. 
Dan hasn't always had a dog, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was doing a lot of walking, he welcomed Mylo into his home. Right from the start, he recognized his new companion's potential as a running partner. Now they are completing parkrun together, with Mylo on a handheld lead as parkrun rules state, in under 17 minutes. They are also running longer distance together, covering about 60 miles per week.
Dan is a strong advocate for diversifying training routines, which includes sometimes running Mylo off lead, and varying the types of terrain they traverse.
Remarkably, despite what appears to be a natural talent for running, they have never participated in an official canicross race, but we chat to Dan about accessing these over just one day instead of a full weekend. We also chat about Dan's goals to set up a canicross group locally, in Lichfield.
For those interested in following Dan and Mylo's running adventures, you can find them on Instagram under the handles @Mylo_in_Lichfield and @Floydieruns

Staying active with your Canicross dog during the off season can be a challenge. Joining hosts Louise and Michelle in this week's episode is expert agility trainer Sue from Hare and Hounds training, who shares expert tips on the many benefits of agility for high-energy dogs. Discover how it can improve focus, recall, and provide much needed mental stimulation between races. 
We also chat about our own experiences getting started in agility and the lessons we've learned along the way. Whether you're looking to tire out a reactive dog or simply keep your canicross partner fit, this episode has takeaways for dogs and handlers of every skill level. Tune in to pick up actionable advice on introducing agility into your training.
https://www.hareandhoundsdogtraining.com/ 

We continue our series on exciting sporting events by featuring a company doing things a bit differently. This Cornwall-based events organiser, Purple Gecko, started out hosting standard trail races, and has since responded to demand to include canicross.
Purple Gecko sought expertise from the canicross community to develop a Canicross Championship Series, and now have eight, possibly more, canicross races on the calendar for the 2023-24 season.
Where else would you want to canicross than in the beautiful county of Cornwall. Most races avoid the coastal paths for safety, but all the courses take advantage of Cornwall's natural terrain.
https://www.purplegeckoevents.co.uk/

As part of the Event Series, Louise and Michelle interview BSSF Vice-President Howard Clark about their races.
The interview raised a lot of important issues about sled dog sports in Britain however, and we chat through hopes and aspirations for the future of the British Sled-dog Sports Federation. We delve into international qualification, age categories, the challenges of finding suitable locations to race, and lots more.
NEW: We discuss changes to vaccination rules for competition
DID YOU KNOW? BSSF membership provides insurance which covers you to race.
More info on the BSSF website 
You can find Howard on his Instagram @k9velocity

Back on Episode 60, you may remember we interviewed Ellie, who had just completed the first ever edition of the Ultra Cani-Trail. In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to organiser Johnny Fletcher as he prepares for the next edition.
https://www.canitrailuk.co.uk/ultra-cani-trail

Continuing with our exciting event series, Louise and Michelle chat to Emily Thomas about what inspired her to set up this exciting event which happens annually, early on in the canicross season.
The disciplines of canicross (running with dogs) and bikejor (biking with dogs) have been growing rapidly in the UK for the last 10 years, so Emily and her colleagues organise a canicross run, an aquathlon (running and swimming), a duathlon (biking and running) and a full triathlon.
Next year's event in September 2024 will be on sale in Spring 2024, and you can find out more on the Tri Dog website or Facebook page.

In this episode, continuing our event series, Michelle and Louise chat to Katie from Trail Dogs