Canicross – A Fun New Way to Exercise With Your Dog

Canicross is the popular European sport of cross-country (“cross”) running or walking with your dog (“canine” or “cani”) pulling you. The dog wears a special harness and you wear a waist belt attached to the harness with a bungee line or towline. Canicross is growing in popularity throughout the U.S. and Canada as a dryland sport to keep sledding dogs in shape during the off-season, but many people just want to enjoy working out with their dogs hands-free without a leash. By pulling on the line, your dog helps you run faster and farther without causing you to fall. With the positive reinforcement clicker training method, you can teach your dog the basic skills required for canicross.

Any medium to large breed of dog over one year of age weighing 30 pounds or more and without hip dysplasia can learn to canicross. Dogs can learn at any age, but the best time to start training is when they’re puppies learning basic obedience skills. This is where clicker training begins. To be successful in canicross, your dog must understand basic commands for starting, stopping, turning and continuing past distractions.

The following commands are used in canicross:

“Hike” – start running or run faster

“Gee” – turn right

“Haw” – turn left

“On By” – ignore the distraction

“Easy” – slow down

“Whoa” – stop

“Line Out” – run ahead and pull the tugline tight

With clicker training, you can teach all of these commands. After your dog has mastered the basic obedience commands such as sit, come, stay, and down, you can begin clicker training the skills needed for canicross. Train your dog to stay with you on a loose leash and to stay just ahead of you. Whenever the dog naturally runs ahead and pulls the tugline tight, then say the command "line out." Click and treat every time your dog lines out in front of you. With every skill, allow your dog plenty of time to learn to associate each new skill with a treat. Through clicker training, you will learn better dog communication and will become more attentive to your dog’s behavior, signs of tiredness or pain, weaknesses, and strengths. Take it one step at a time and create a good training foundation to keep the activity fun and safe.

Canicross is an excellent physical and mental workout for your dog, building his strength, endurance, and self-confidence. Clicker training and canicross build a strong bond of trust and respect between man and dog.

Learn more about Canicross at:

American Dryland Mushers Association

CaniX.UK

Ehow.com

Skijor

Clicker Training and the Reliable Recall

When my son was about 3 years old, I often took him to a park across the street from our house. It was a great park for kids and dogs – big trees bordering the park and lots of lush green grass to run and play in. As my son was scavenging the grass for hidden treasures one day, my eye caught sight of someone with their dog coming into the park at the other end. At that moment, I saw the dog, a medium-sized mixed breed, spot my son. The dog started running across the park at full speed toward him, and his focused look caused me to fear for my son. I didn’t want to create a fear of dogs in my son, so I watched for about 10 seconds as the dog picked up speed racing across the football field-sized park, his owner yelling for him to no avail. When the dog was within about 150 feet of us, I very calmly picked up my son and said, “Hey, Andrew. Look at the cute puppy”! The dog ran right up to us and jumped up on me. His speed would have knocked Andrew down hard. His owner called him again, and with my son firmly in my arms, the dog turned around and starting trotting back.

 

I remember thinking that if I ever have a dog, I’ll make sure he’s trained to stop immediately and come back to me when I call him. Not only to keep children safe, but to keep my dog safe from running out into traffic or some other unsafe area.

 

The next summer, we got Andrew a puppy. Remembering the incident at the park, I researched training methods and discovered clicker training and the reliable recall. I learned that the best time to start clicker training dogs is when they’re puppies. Just like little kids, puppies are curious, excited, and into everything. But puppies want to please you. So I used the clicker to train our puppy to sit, lie down, heel, and other behaviors.

 

After a few weeks of clicker training, we began spending about 10-15 minutes every day clicker training and practicing the reliable recall, “Come, Woody”! (Yes, he’s named after Toy Story’s fearless sheriff Woody, Andrew’s favorite Disney character.) The reliable recall is described by animal trainer Kathy Sdao as the ability to “call your dog once and she immediately begins running straight toward you as fast as she can, and then stops within touching distance. Sitting in front of you isn’t necessary, but it is important that your dog be close enough for you to hold her collar and attach a leash.”

 

As Woody became accustomed to the command, I used clicker training and the reliable recall regularly in different situations: with distractions, with noise, when he was playing with my son and when he was playing at the dog park with other dogs. There have been several situations when I needed to use the reliable recall, and almost every time he has come. I’ve since clicker trained him to play Frisbee and do a number of tricks, such as play dead and shake hands. I still use clicker training to keep reinforcing “Come, Woody”!

 

Woody loves to play with little kids, but I still remember that day in the park with Andrew. I would never want a parent to fear for their child that Woody would hurt them, and with clicker training and the reliable recall, I keep Woody a safe distance away.

 

Diane Andrews
Dog lover and clicker training fan

Halloween Safety for Dogs and Cats

Trick-or-treating and wearing costumes is fun for children, but this holiday is not so much fun for dogs and cats. Although your pet may be very social, when a person in costume comes to the door, your pet may become scared or over-excited. Even pets that love children can react unexpectedly when there are so many children ringing your doorbell, yelling “Trick or treat!” and looking unfamiliar in strange costumes. Some animals will run away, some may bolt out the door, and others may become aggressive or start barking furiously. The clicker training you’ve worked on with your pet will help him stay calm. Use the clicker to make your pet sit, stay, come, quiet, or even to lead him to his safe place.

In the excitement to find their favorite treats in their bag, kids will drop candy or leave it lying around. And kids love to share their treats with their pets. But chocolate can be toxic for dogs and cats. Use clicker training to teach your dog or cat to “leave it” so you can stop him from eating candy if he starts to pick it up.

Keep your pets inside. It’s unfortunate but true that for some people, doing tricks to dogs and cats is “fun” on Halloween. This is one reason it’s so important to clicker train your pet to “stay” so that they don’t run out the door while you’re handing out candy. Even better, put your pet in their safe place, away from the door and the excitement.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) provides a list of Halloween safety tips. They remind pet owners to be careful of electric cords for lighted decorations – dogs love to chew – and lighted pumpkin candles that can easily singe your curious pet or be knocked over and start a fire. The ASPCA also suggests putting costumes on your pets may be very cute or funny, but can overly stress your pet. And, as always, “make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can be a lifesaver, increasing the chances that he or she will be returned to you.”

Clicker training your dog and cat is not just about basic behaviors and clever tricks. Clicker training builds trust and respect between you and your pet, and in special times, such as Halloween, you show them your love by protecting them from potential stress and safety issues. Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Involve the Kids! Clicker Training Fun for the Whole Family

Clicker training is fun and easy to learn for the every member of the family, including kids. Clicker training doesn't require physical force or control, so kids can train even a big dog. By the time children reach the age of 6 or 7 and have developed good hand/eye coordination and a sense of timing, they can master the command-click-reward timing. Younger children can help deliver the treats and rewards.

 

Parents, you should do the initial clicker training with the dog. Wait until your dog has learned that a click means a reward is coming before allowing your child to use the clicker. Spend a few minutes several days a week working with your child and dog to teach your child how to use the clicker properly. Help your child start with simple commands such as “Come,” “Sit,” and “Lie Down.”

 

 

When your child and dog have mastered these, let your child try training your dog to do some fun tricks like shake a paw and chase his tail.

 

Clicker training helps kids become more confident in handling dogs and teaches kids to not tug or yell at dogs, which could cause a dangerous reaction from the dog. It’s important that kids learn to give only positive reinforcement; the dog is to be rewarded for doing the right thing, not to be punished for making a mistake.

 

When your whole family is involved in clicker training, your dog will take commands from anyone in the family. Teaching your kids how to clicker train your dog will help to build a loving relationship and bond of trust between your child and your dog.

 

A Clicker Trained Puppy Is a Happy Puppy

Puppies love to chew, bite, bark – things that come naturally to them. But these behaviors are not acceptable in your home. Like children, dogs need to know their boundaries. Start clicker training soon after you bring the puppy home to encourage your puppy to develop desirable behaviors and to curb negative ones.

To use the clicker successfully, you’ll need to teach your puppy to associate the clicker sound with a treat. The first step is to click once and give him a treat. No need to over-feed him – just give him one small piece of his regular food and adjust the amount you feed him at meal time.

By starting clicker training with your puppy as soon as you bring him home, your puppy will learn the clicker training technique and will want to perform the behaviors you desire. As he learns to recognize the sound of the clickers, you can start clicker training to house train, heel, sit, stand, stay, and come when called. Later, you’ll be able to teach him games and tricks. One of the keys to successful clicker training is learning when to click. You must click at the exact moment your puppy performs the desired behavior.

Your puppy wants your praise and approval. Help your puppy live happily in your home and give him the best start in life by starting the clicker training technique early.