Canicross Conversations

Today we chat to Lara Trewin. Lara adopted Tilly, her German Shorthaired Pointer, from Spain 4 years ago, and never expected her to completely transform her life by leading her to canicross. Canicross has helped Lara not only to form a strong bond with her nervous rescue Tilly, but it has also led her to a new career as a canicross instructor with DogFit UK. We chat to Lara about the ups and downs of adopting a rescue dog, and how canicross has been transformative for them both.
Throughout December, Lara and Tilly are running every day to raise funds for the charity that rescued her from a Spanish pound. You can follow the link to donate to SeBPRA here, and all money raised will go directly to those dogs being helped by SeBPRA for all shelter, medical and food needs
You can follow Lara on her Facebook page or Instagram page, or visit her website.

Louise and Michelle chat to Tracey McLennan who specialises in dogs with a high prey drive. 
Pretty much all dogs - apart from companion breeds - are bred to do something with prey animals, whether that is finding animals which have been shot, such as spaniels. or to hunt animals such as sighthounds, or to catch and kill vermin such as terriers.
Understanding the motor sequence in all predatory dogs - such as pointing, orienting, eyeing, stalking, chasing, grab or kill bites, dissecting and consuming - is crucial to understanding our predatory pets, but this sequence has been disrupted by breeding.  
Tracey chats about the types of behaviour to look out for in your high prey drive breed that may be a precursor to their instinctive need to hunt prey, and strategies for how to build confidence in your high prey drive breed and learn to trust them off lead.
You can find out more about Tracey's work at www.bestdoglearningandstuff.co.uk and join her free Facebook group here

We chat again to Hannah Lyon, a vet and behaviourist who works with dogs who have problems with other dogs. We chat about the difference between a dog behaviourist and a dog trainer, how and why canicross can help reactive dogs, and what we as dog owners can put in place to help our reactive dogs. 
If you haven't listened to our episode with Hannah all about fireworks yet, do check it out here
You can get in touch with Hannah via her Facebook page Dog Meets Dog

Do you know what it means when you see a dog wearing yellow?
In this episode, we chat to Sarah Jones, who founded My Anxious Dog, after realising her working cocker spaniel Bella was very anxious around other dogs and people. Sarah is raising awareness of her #YellowArmy of dogs wearing yellow, and how it is helping other dog owners keep their dogs at a comfortable distance so Bella can continue to enjoy her outside space without being fearful. We also chat about how canicross is helping Bella become less anxious.  
#DogsInYellow Day is happening on 20th March 2022
You can learn more about My Anxious Dog here and follow the Facebook page here

In this bonus episode, Louise and Michelle chat to vet and dog behaviourist Hannah Lyon about how to help dogs who are anxious or scared of fireworks through this difficult season.
 
Hannah gives lots of advice, including:
How to differentiate a normal fear reaction from a phobia  (2:00)
How pets with muscular-skeletal pain can develop a greater fear of fireworks (5:50)
Tips for getting through the fireworks season (7:00)
How our reactions can affect our dogs' reactions (8:00)
How to train a puppy not to worry about fireworks (10:00)
How to create a safe environment for your dog (15:00)
Using synthetic pheromones (17:00)
Should we ever leave a dog on their own while fireworks are going off? (18:10)
When to talk to your vet about medication (20:00)
How to desensitise your dog to the sound of fireworks ( 21:05)
What to do if your pet suddenly develops a fear of fireworks (24:00)
Knowing when to contact a behaviourist (25:30)
Here's a link to the Sounds Scary therapy which Hannah mentions
You can contact Hannah via her Facebook page Dog Meets Dog

Louise and Michelle chat to DogFit founders Gail Walker and Ginetta George about their experience of starting up DogFit to help introduce the joy of canicross to others.
 
Gail and Ginetta have very different running backgrounds, which brought them to the same canicross social group, where the idea of DogFit was born. DogFit now prides itself on introducing beginners to the sport - not just another kit supplier, they are the place to go to find out what the best kit is for their dog, buy good quality kit, find a qualified person to help them get started, and find out lots of information about the sport. 
 
To find a DogFit trainer near you, visit www.dogfit.co.uk

In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to ultra-running journalist Lily Canter, who writes for Trail Running Magazine and Runners World. She is soon to feature in a special article in the January 2022 edition of trail running magazine about when she tried canicross running for the first time, with Louise's dog Pickle. This weekend, Lily has competed in her first canicross race with Pickle, and we chat to her about her experience of trying canicross for the first time with somebody else's dog, how it differs to normal running, as well as the various challenges of adopting a rescue dog.
 
If you have enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, and leave us a review.
 
You can find Lily on Twitter @lilycanter and Instagram @lilycanter

This week we chat to Georgie Lambert, who reveals her extraordinary story from non-canicrosser to international canicross medallist with her dogs, Benson and Bee.
Georgie reveals how she got started in competition, and her top tips for beginners to the sport of canicross racing.
Georgie talks about:
how the start of each race works (10:21)
tips on how to keep your dog calm at the start (13:34)
warm ups for your dog (15:47 and 31:37))
the GB selection process for international competition (17:05)
choosing a dog bred for canicross racing (20:08)
advice for a first-time racer (29:24)
Links to canicross races:
www.dogfit.co.uk/pages/canicross-events
www.thebssf.org.uk/race-and-events/information

This week we chat to Dr Juliet McGrattan, former GP and author of two books, her second of which, Run Well, has recently been published.
Juliet joins Michelle and Louise on the run with her dog Honey this week, and answers common running related questions, such as:
5:30  How do we recognise the signs of overheating in ourselves?
9:35 Why do your fingers sometimes swell up when you run?
11:13 Hayfever and running
13:37 Why does your nose run when you're running?
16:02 As we head into autumn and winter what are the main things runners should be looking out for in our bodies?
18:37 Strength and conditioning for runners
22:53 Running technique and canicross
25:34 Recognising when to rest an injury and when to seek specialist help
28:05 Warm ups
30:00 Preparing your mind for a run
31:00 Should you run with a cold?
33:41 Heartrate while running and how do you know if there's a problem
 
You can contact Juliet and find out more about her book on her website www.drjulietmcgrattan.com
 
 

In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to canine researchers, canicrosser Anne Carter and vet Emily Hall, about how to spot the early signs of heatstroke when exercising your dog. Not just an issue over summer, but something to be aware of all year round.Early signs of heatstroke in dogs can include:
Excessive panting, that doesn’t ease when you stop the activity
A longer, or spade shaped, tongue
A reluctance to move, or lethargy
Changes in how your dog moves, such as poor coordination
If not caught early, severe heatstroke can be fatal, and preceding symptoms can include:
Confusion
Seizures
Diarrhoea and vomiting, which may contain blood
Bleeding under the skin
Losing consciousness
It’s important to cool your dog quickly, if you suspect it is suffering heatstroke.
Stop the activity you’re doing
Find shade
Douse the dog in water (river, hose, wet towel, whatever you can find, or use car aircon)
Get your dog to a vet quickly if you’re worried
Dogs don’t just die in hot cars; a lot of dogs overheat by over exertion, and not just in hot temperatures (this includes walking as well as running), as they can’t cool themselves as effectively as we can.Thanks to Anne and Emily at Hot Dogs Research. You can read all of Anne and Emily's research at https://heatstroke.dog/