Tell us a bit about you and your dog/s
My Canicross story starts with adopting a beagle harrier called Pippin two years ago. She had a hard start in life – bought as a lockdown Puppy, once her owners went back to work she was confined to a crate all day while they were away. When we got her she had a host of behavioural issues, including severe separation anxiety, an inability to settle in the house, not listening to commands and toileting everywhere she shouldn’t, including her own bed.
Tell us a bit about your canicross experience so far…
As a keen runner of some years, I couldn’t wait to start running with Pippin, but at the same time, I was very apprehensive. Surely she would be all over the place, pulling me in all directions, not listening to instructions and frankly a hazard to myself and others! But it didn’t go like that. The first time we ran together something amazing happened: she just trotted alongside me, sometimes going out front, but there was no erraticism. It was probably the calmest I’d ever seen her outside the house. Now pretty much every run for me is a canicross run. Pippin has quickly learnt commands (“on” is particularly important for the scent hound in her!). The miles we cover through canicross mean she’s much more relaxed in the house, she also no longer howls every time we leave which means me and my wife can have a social life again!
Tell us about how canicross has helped you and your dog/s and your biggest achievements
If it wasn’t for canicross I think it would be much more challenging to have the calm and balanced dog we have today. Running has always been what grounds me, and I‘m so grateful to share that experience with Pippin every day.
What are your goals and plans for the future?
Our future goals are to do some distance canicross races. She’s not a big puller, and I’m not a fast runner. We’re far happier to just trot along together for hours at a time.
