Now that the holidays are over, and we finally are getting some snow (this IS Michigan, after all), are you looking for something new to enjoy with your winter-loving CBF (canine best friend)? Skijoring may be your answer.

It all started when someone had the idea to let their dog pull them on cross-country skis. Nobody knows for sure where exactly the sport started, but it seems to be a variation of an older Scandinavian sport known as pulka (no, not polka–no dogs dancing here!). All that’s required is a person on skis harnessed to a dog that wants to pull. Since most dogs have an innate desire to pull (and anyone walking a young, strong, large-breed dog will attest to this), there’s not much training involved on the dog’s part, other than not pulling the skier into a tree. (Ouch.)

Not much equipment is required for skijoring. All you really need (besides at least one dog) are cross-country skis, poles, and the right harnesses to attach the dog to you. You can use one dog–or more if you like. (One to three dogs is the norm.) The dogs are hitched to a dogsled harness, the skier wears a skijoring harness, and the two are joined by a length of rope, usually about 8 feet in length, longer if more than one dog is used.

Special skijoring harnesses are available, which clip to the skier’s waist and may also have leg loops to further stabilize it. Some participants use a rock-climbing harness. Since there are no reins to guide the dogs (this ain’t no horse and buggy ride!), they must respond to the skier’s commands. You won’t usually see a dog under 35 pounds skijoring, but since the skier can provide some of the power if necessary, all it really takes is an enthusiastic canine puller to get moving. You’d think that this sport would appeal mainly to the northern breeds, such as Siberian Huskies, Malamutes, and Samoyeds–but any energetic dog will do.

Skijoring competitions may be held by a local club, or they may be sanctioned by one of three international organizations: ISDRA (International Sled Dog Racing Association) for the United States and Canada; ESDRA (European Sled Dog Racing Association) for Europe; and IFSS (International Federation of Sleddog Sports), which sponsors World Cup races everywhere and also holds a World Championship race every two years.

Most races are between 5 kilometers and 20 kilometers in length. At the World Championship races, teams are separated by gender (the skiers, not the dogs) and whether the team is one-dog or two-dog.

Training your dog for skijoring is similar to training him for dogsledding, as the commands are the same for both sports. The commands are:

1.’Hike’–start running.

2.’Gee’ or ‘Haw’–to turn to the left or to the right.

3.’Whoa’–this is a no-brainer.

4.’On by’–this means ‘please ignore any distractions’. (Easy for a human to say…)

Speaking of distractions, the dogs must be trained to avoid distractions and to keep moving in the commanded direction. During competition, the team may be passing another skijoring team, and it’s not a good thing if one dog decides it’s time to wander over to the other team for a friendly ‘hello’ sniff!

The skiing strides used for skijoring are the same as for cross-country skiing–the ‘classic’ diagonal stride, unless racing, in which case the ‘ski-skate’ stride is used. Skis are hot-waxed from tip to tail to keep ’em sliding smoothly and the dogs running swiftly. (Imagine rapidly gliding along, and then your skis stick suddenly in the snow…not a pretty sight.)

If skijoring sounds like something you want to try, you and your dog are now primed to hit the ski trails! Keep warm and have fun!