Canicross
Canicross is a great way to keep you and your 4 legged friends in shape, and in terms of dog powered sports, it's one of the cheapest and most accessible disciplines to start with. Canicross is the sport of cross country with your dog, all breeds of dogs are able to do canicross in one way or another. Canicross equipment also makes walking and hiking easier, the belt inherently gives you a lower centre of gravity and enables you to use the power in your legs and body weight to hold and guide your dog, the belt will also enable you to navigate rough terrain with ease. Active K9 has all the gear you to get you up and running.
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The gear required:
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Dogs wear a specialised harness which allows them to pull comfortably and safely, there are few different styles we have to offer down below but we recommend harnesses that allow full movement for your dog helping make pulling and running fun.
Harnesses
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Line Harness |
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The Line Harness is a great first harness to start with. It has a great freedom of movement for your dog and is adjustable to make sure you can get a great fit! It makes running and pulling a comfortable and rewarding experience for them. It also has the added benefit that your dog can't back out of when stopped for a break and is our harness of choice for beginners and people who want their harness for their daily walk! The Line Harness comes in sizes for all breeds, if you need any extra information on fitting please contact us. |
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Free Motion Harness |
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The Freemotion Harness is a fully adjustable full-length harness. Full-length harnesses allow the dog to use a lot more of their power to pull you along helping support the chest and breastplate, the Freemotion has been designed to pull from a high pulling point and is recommended for more experienced dogs and canicrossers! |
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Running Line
It is important to use a Running Line that has an elastic quality to it. This helps take the shock and jerking out of pulling for the dog and will help aid against potential injuries from shock loading. The length of the Running Line recommended is 2m.
Canicross Belt
There are a few different styles of belts that Active K9 stock. For canicross, you want a belt that is lightweight, comfortable and doesn't ride up your back. The Running Belt is the most popular choice for those who are serious about competing in canicross as it ticks all the points lifted above. The Running Belt feature a free running d-ring which enables your hips to move freely side to side. An alternative to the Running Belt is the Trekking Belt, whilst not specifically designed for canicross, it functions exceptionally for dog walking and hiking applications.
| Running Belt | Trekking Belt |
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A big thank you to Ballsoutrunning for collaborating with us on this article.
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