It happened that I was ordering a harness for the dogs from a specialty supplier over the phone.
I explained the training we were doing and that I was using two leashes.
My supplier, Jack, responded with something like “that sounds really neat, have you considered using a skijoring set up instead of leashes?”
I replied, what’s that? How would that work?
Skijor belt with quick release, no leg straps
He then described a belt almost like a climbing harness that I would wear.
The dogs harness would be hooked to the belt thru a bungee shock absorber and rope lines.
My hands would be free instead of holding two leashes.
There would also be a quick release for “emergencies”. I didn’t fully understand how this setup would
operate, but it sounded like it might be an improvement over our current situation.
I had Jack send me one with the harness.-
When we started using the skijor set up, it was an introduction to a whole new world!
It reminded me of the difference between driving an old car and then switching to a late model high tech marvel!
But whoa, wait a minute, I can almost hear my gentle readers saying…
What is skijoring? I too had to find out.
Turns out that it is a winter sport, originally used for transportation, that originated in Scandinavia.
The technique involves 1-3 dogs in harness, connected by lines to a belt worn by a cross country skier.
The belt includes a quick release mechanism, as mentioned, for emergencies.
What emergencies? Picture a fallen tree across the trail.
Your dog can easily jump over it while connected to you by your rope line.
You are on skis. You cannot jump over the tree with your skis on.
If your dog doesn’t stop, you have an issue, therefore, the “quick release” hardware, which releases the rope line to your dog.
(BTW I have never cross country skied.)
In any event the experience with my dog powered walking system changed for the better,
The large skijor belt, almost like a rock climbing harness, gave my body more support,
I was already using two support braces just to be able to walk with my dogs, but even more support was better!
Having my hands free improved my balance. I could still hold the rope like a leash if I wanted to, but the load transferred to a larger section of my body thru the belt.
Skijor belt with leg straps, quick release
The bungee shock absorber, included with the kit, made all motion gentler for me and the dogs.
The net result was that we had better balance and smoother movement.
We also moved more as a single unit and less like dog walker and walkee.
And all this from using skijoring equipment on dry land with no skis. Thank you Jack!
Wow, we were getting better! The dogs could do more which also helped me more!