Happy September and welcome to the Canicross Event season 2021.
I really hope we can get out in more groups and do more races this year (2021/22). I was lucky last year to be able to do a few.
BEWARE
September can still be hot and we need to still be aware of heatstroke in our dogs. If you are not sure what you should be looking out for have a read or listen to the chat fellow Canicross instructor Michelle Mortimer and I had with Anne Carter and Emily Hall from Heatstroke.dog about spotting the early signs. You can listen here
If you are new to Canicross or a seasoned Canicrosser doing race events with our dogs is great fun, and if like me when I did my first one, I had forgotten how competitive I was! But don’t be put off about giving these ago, most events will do a Novice 3K race and it’s a great way for you and your dog to soak up the atmosphere.
Remember, everyone is a dog person and you know how friendly dog people are!
There are two types of events you can enter, specific Canicross events or joining regular races which are dog friendly.
Canicross events
These are great if your dog is reactive or nervous or you don’t think you have quite the command control at the moment.
The event is timed with dogs (and you) going off individually at 20 secs intervals. This gives you the time and space for you and your dog to get sorted.
The dogs do tend to get excited, as Pickle does and we go off at a high speed. It’s so important to warm up first.
Check out the list at the end of this blog.
Dog friendly races
Some races are dog friendly. Most Park runs are but it’s always important to check first. Most regularly races will require you to use the 1.2m lead when racing. Find out more here.
Virtual Races
If you are not ready for an in person race yet then why not try a Virtual one. There are plenty around if you google them but DogFit do one each month with a great medal at the end of it. Find out more here
Canicross Events 2021/22
Canicross Midlands
2021
- 9th & 10th October Box End Enter here
- 6th & 7th November Marston Lodge Enter here
2022
- 22nd & 23rd January Lincomb Equestion Centre Enter here
- 19th & 20th February Cannock Chase Enter here
- 15th – 18th April Catton Hall Enter here
For events further a field here are some great websites to keep an eye on: –
Races that welcome dogs
Check out
Virtual Races
I will update this if i hear of any more races in the coming months.
I’d love to see you at some events so do let me know which ones you are booking on too. You can let me know here
