# Skijorring



## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Post started because this was mentioned by someone on the board so thought I would begin the post.

Can golden do this 

It would give a good workout, and I am thinking keep them in good condition over the winter months but not sure about doing it with them. What are your thoughts 

Oh, and if so....how do you train them for this


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

I think any dog who likes to pull, has some confidence, weighs at least 40-lbs and is in good physical shape can be a skijoring dog. I would think these qualities would apply to many (or most) Goldens, don't you? Our last dog was an American Eskimo (Kimo or just 'Mo' for short)... don't let the breed name fool you, its heritage is as a typical mid-Western farm dog and a circus performer... they are small-ish, mid-30 pounders for the standards (the large ones, there are 2 smaller sizes) and about 15 or so inches in height. My skijoring experience began with Kimo. I needed to exercise Mo in the winters, where here snow is often a foot or more through much of the winter. Chemical-salts on the roads make the simple walk through the neighborhood hazardous... but a young dog (say 1-1/2yrs to 5 or 6years of age) needs a lot more exercise than merely walking with a human could ever give. Around this time I decided I would like to try cross-country skiing and began this activity for my own well-being. Well eventually 'discovered' skijoring with Kimo. Though little Mo had all the 'heart' in the world and would really pull for me, he was just really too small... so I'd harness him up and we'd skijor for maybe a mile and at that point I'd disconnect him and from then he'd just simply accompanied me as I finished XC skiing. We continued this activity for maybe 4 or 5 winters before both of us 'retired' from the sport. So that is the full extent of my experience with the sport of skijoring.

So, yea, I think a Golden will do real well at pulling a person on skiis and I do intend on finding out this winter with Sidney in harness. I would like to converse more on the subject but right now I'm so busy. So until I can get back here, you could go here http://www.skijornow.com/skijornowhome.html if you'd like to read up a little more on the sport.


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## My2goldens (May 25, 2005)

Went to the website in your link, what a cool sport. Looks like a blast and the dogs all seem to love it. I did see a Golden in one of the pictures. I wonder how they do with the snow in their pads. We're in NJ and don't get nearly the snow you do, but I have a hard time with ice and snow "balls" in my dogs pads. Wearing booties does not look practical for this sport. What do you do??? :scratchch


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Here, I just groom down the hair on the bottom of the paws My2goldens.


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

My2goldens said:


> ...I did see a Golden in one of the pictures...


Yeah, I zeroed in on that one too. A friend of mine had a really big Dalmation (about an 85-pounder) that would pull him at breakneck speeds until he would just let go of the towline (actually it was just a plain old leash)... so I'm sure a single Golden would supply more than enough 'Go' power.



My2goldens said:


> ...I wonder how they do with the snow in their pads. We're in NJ and don't get nearly the snow you do, but I have a hard time with ice and snow "balls" in my dogs pads. Wearing booties does not look practical for this sport. What do you do??? :scratchch


Some people recommend putting vegetable oil on the dog's feet/pads and swear by it... too messy for me so we never tried it with Kimo (Hmmmm... I wonder what Rain-X would do). What I do is make sure all 'extra' hair between the toes are clipped and any hair between the foot pads is no more than 1/8" long (I regularly shave the hair between the foot pads using a surgical blade in the clipper)... even so Kimo would pick-up ice-balls after an hour of running in the snow and it would bother him so much we would pack-up and go home. However Sidney, last winter, had no problems with snow/ice-balls... he either wouldn't pick-up much or even if he did it just simply didn't seem to bother him nor slow him down.
And yes, I too agree, booties suck... they would never stay on little Mo's feet for more than a few yards and then would disappear into the snow not to be found again until the spring thaw.

Oh and if you're really serious about getting into this sport this winter, I might suggest this site http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/blackice.htm for the very best in prices for skijoring stuff and very high-quality I might add... its where I got all my stuff for Mo and where I buy my collars for Sidney.


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## My2goldens (May 25, 2005)

Wow, thanks for all the info. And your colorful way of wording. Makes reading these post's so worth while  . Right now I do Competion Obedience Training and Rally Obedience Training with both Annie and Lucy. Keeps me quite busy and can get quite expense! I don't know if I can afford another sport right now . And I suspect I would need to travel to try this venue. But I love being informed and having options.I will definately look into the website. And, will make an extra effort to keep my girls pads short and clean this winter! 
Annie & Lucy's Mom


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