Canicross Conversations

This season, we talk to canicrossers across the world to hear their stories of what inspired them to take up canicross.
In this episode we chat to Mel Grier, who is based in Scotland with her dog Breagha. Mel is a member of West Lothian canicross and is a keen canicross racer. 

In this episode, we chat to sports dietician Alexandra Cooke about how we should fuel our bodies to perform at our best. Alex really simplifies nutrition and hydration for us, and busts some myths too!
You can follow Alex on her Instagram @thesportsdietician  and find out more on her website thesportsdietitian.co.uk

In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to dog trainer and behaviourist Zoe Willingham about why some dogs develop a dislike or fear of harnesses, and how we can help dogs overcome this aversion. We also chat about muzzles, and why they might be helpful. 
You can follow Zoe on Facebook and find out more Best Behaviour Dog Training here: https://www.bestbehaviourdogtraining.co.uk/

Something slightly different for today's episode: Louise interviews Michelle about how best to get started if you're brand new to running. Michelle gives her top tips for building a running routine, how to know you're running at the right pace, warm ups, cool downs, stretching and following a training plan.
You can find out more about Michelle's online coaching here: www.mileswithmichelle.co.uk
Photo credit: Proviz Sports

This week, Louise chats to Sarah Gillam who is a DogFit canicross trainer living in Germany with her 3 dogs. Sarah's background is in sports technology, and she works for a trail running footwear brand so gives us lots of tips about trail running in general, as well as footwear. Sarah is also a qualified personal trainer and nutrition coach.
Follow Sarah on Instagram @run.and.smile and find her website here: www.trainandsmile.org

Join us for a canicross run in the West Pennine Moors today, as Michelle and Louise (and Poppy and Pickle) meet for the first time in real life. We have a chat about running, fitness, kit and what the new year might bring.
Louise currently has a Pilates for Runners course on sale focusing on:
Posture
Strength
Flexibility
The course goes through both standing and mat Pilates exercises focusing on the muscles as a runner you need to strengthen as a runner.
The course consists of 12, 10-minute videos.  You have access for life and can take as long as you want to go through the course all for £27. Find out more here: https://studio44pilates.com/pilates-for-runners/
 

We chat to veterinary physiotherapist Dominique Armitage-Riley about how to tell if your dog has a muscle imbalance, how common injuries are treated, and how dog owners can help prevent injuries in their active dogs. Dominique gives us plenty of tips on warming up and cooling down your dog before and after exercise. 
You can find Dominique on her Facebook page or via her website, Yorkshire Animal Therapy

In this episode, we're joined by Dr Caroline Taylor, also known as the Slim Pet Vet, to chat about the best time to start canicrossing.
We chat first of all about whether lockdown has affected our dogs' health and wellbeing, and how canicross can be a tool to help pets lose excess weight safely. Caroline also tells us how to check our dogs' body condition to know if they're overweight or not.
We also talk about the best time to start a young dog canicrossing, and how over-exercising a puppy before its growth plates have fused can cause a myriad of problems later in life. Did you know, for example, that neutering a dog too early can stop the closure of the growth plates, so dogs grow a little bit bigger, and their bones consequently aren't as strong.
 
Lastly, we chat about the importance of warm ups and cooldowns for your canicrossing dog, and the injuries we need to be aware of that might affect our dogs.
 
You can join Caroline's Facebook group Slimline Canine here

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