Discovered a fun new sport

17 years ago

Not quite sure what it's called... Bladejouring? Doggerblading? It involves a dog harness, the skijour tow rope, a helmet, wristguards, kneepads, elbow pads, a pair of rollerblades, and a minimally-hilly route in our neighborhood.

Izzy and I just got back from our fourth foray in the past week, and she is panting contentedly at my feet as I type. She does a doggy happy dance when she sees the harness, and even though we haven't worked on the Gee and Haw commands at all, she's pretty easy to steer by just jerking on the tow bar in the direction I want to go. I'll overlay the commands once I get a consistent response out of her.

She doesn't do much heavy pulling (I think I might weigh too much for just one dog to pull me on cross country skis) but she does get to pull a little, and gets to run at a pretty good clip.

I hadn't been on my blades in nearly ten years (my last outing was pretty disasterous) but I used to go with my whippet all the time... Except my whippet wouldn't pull me like Izzy will.

Whatever it's called, this is a really fun sport!

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Comments (8)

gandle
17 years ago
Way to go Michelle and Izzy.
treehouse
17 years ago
Julie used to run our dog, Lucky, like that when both were younger and we lived in town. The neighbors couldn't figure out who had more fun...them watching ...Julie skating or ...Lucky pulling and running.

You look like you two are having a blast!!!!!

Jan
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acorn
17 years ago
Looks like fun.
andie_rathbone
17 years ago
Did you pick this up from teh Dog Whisperer? I've seen him do that in on-line skates on his show. DH thought it would be a great idea with our dog. However, he's so nutty & tends to change directions at teh merest sign of just about anything, I thought it would be a fast prescription for a trip to the ER for DH
Janis_G
17 years ago
Makes me wish I knew how to roller blade.
Have the kids tried it out yet?
jazmynsmom
Original Author
17 years ago
Yeah, Jan, makes me wish I knew how to rollerblade (better) too! I'm really kind of rusty (and very wary after that serious accident ten years ago), hence, all the protective gear. I might replace my (circa 1992) blades if I can find some with better braking technology. Surely they've improved by now? In the meantime, I just slow down by going in the grass.

I haven't allowed the kids to do it because it does take a good deal of attention to detail to ensure that there's no slack in the rope so Izzy doesn't get tangled in it and get hurt, and to deal with her occasional tendency to run next to and behind me. Also, I have to be 100% certain they'd choose to crash before they bladed into my dog. None of my young playmates are coordinated enough to accept this amount of responsibility... yet.

Andie, nah. Though I've seen him do it, I was really just looking for another way to harness Izzy's desire to pull. My summertime choices were bike and blade. (Pulling small kids in a wagon leaves too much opportunity for the wagon to crash into her unless I owned a different harness set up, and I don't think she's big enough for this.) I've done both with my whippet in the 90's, but one time I had my whippet run next to me while I rode my bike on a blacktopped trail and he tore up his foot pads pretty badly in the process... so I nixed that idea pretty quick. I'll never allow a dog to hurt themselves like that ever again...

The nice thing about the tow rope is... if she goes in a really stupid direction, I can always let go and she comes back to me... also, it's long enough that I can accommodate for a direction change, but still keep her close enough to ensure her safety... It's a learning process for both of us, but we're learning to work as a team.
Janis_G
17 years ago
You're going to miss Izzy when she goes off to college.;0)
tibs
17 years ago
I guess there is actully dogpulling, like tractor pulling and horse pulls. There is a little weighted sled and everything. Met a guy who had trained his dog for the sport. dog loved it. Neighbors turned him in to humane society for cruelty to animals. Hope no one turns you and Izzy in! Wonder if I could train the orange fuzzball cat to do this. He has waaaay to much energy.

Discovered a fun new sport

Comments (8)

gandle

treehouse

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Discovered a fun new sport

Comments (8)

gandle

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