So I was wondering equipment you all need for two dogs to skijor. Ive been doing alot of research The x back harness seems to be the best. I know i need 2 of them and a skijor belt. and some kind of line that connects the two dogs most sites talk about it being bungee also do you need to use a certain kind of skis or will cross country skis do. And others say you can make it yourself so im slightly confused there. any help would be much appreciated.
skijoring question.
- Thread starter sisco16
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cross country skis are what you want. A bungee is on the line from the belt to the dogs, it helps soften the starts so it isn't so jerky on you or the dogs. It will be built into the line. You can buy a two dog line and there is a small connector that should come with the line. I got my stuff from here: http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/
I"m happy with it and the price was nice. I saw other stuff that might be a "nicer" but it was also way more pricey and this equipment works great.
You could probably improvise and make some of the stuff yourself, but I would invest in a decent harness. If you haven't done this stuff before and don't know what is involved you aren't probably going to make very good equipment. I think I paid under 100 bucks for the equipment for two dogs, not including skis.
I"m happy with it and the price was nice. I saw other stuff that might be a "nicer" but it was also way more pricey and this equipment works great.
You could probably improvise and make some of the stuff yourself, but I would invest in a decent harness. If you haven't done this stuff before and don't know what is involved you aren't probably going to make very good equipment. I think I paid under 100 bucks for the equipment for two dogs, not including skis.
thank you yea i would rather buy it im sure its well worth the investment. There is a place just outside of town i can buy some stuff but they only have the x back harness and the skijor belt. So i would still need the towline an a few other things not really sure what the towbar is for. Probablly a good thing im getting the book skijor with your dogs in a day or two. Im not planning on skijoring untill next year just wanted to start getting myself ready and the dogs it says you need to train them to pull first although the way they pull on the leash i would think it would come natural lol.
It depends upon your comfort and ability as to what skis you want to use. Talking to BCMoffat about it, when people skijor at sled dog races, they use skate skis. They are also helping ski, not just are being pulled by the dog. But, they are only meant for groomed trails, and the person on them has to have a decent level of ski ability.
People do use classic cross country skis, but they are more useful with a slower dog and I've heard you may need a longer tug line to keep the dog off your skis as they are pointing into the dog more often than not.
Third option is metal edged skis.. but many associations warn against it as you could cut the dog. That said, some people prefer them as there is more stability to them and they can handle groomed and ungroomed trails. For a beginner without the balance for a skate ski, sometimes it is suggested to try a back country metal edged ski.
I've read that there are back country skis without metal edges.. best of both worlds, but I've never seen one. Then again, I teach downhill skiing, where if you don't have a metal edge you can't come play
So really it depends upon you, and what your goals are as to the type of ski you want to buy.
People do use classic cross country skis, but they are more useful with a slower dog and I've heard you may need a longer tug line to keep the dog off your skis as they are pointing into the dog more often than not.
Third option is metal edged skis.. but many associations warn against it as you could cut the dog. That said, some people prefer them as there is more stability to them and they can handle groomed and ungroomed trails. For a beginner without the balance for a skate ski, sometimes it is suggested to try a back country metal edged ski.
I've read that there are back country skis without metal edges.. best of both worlds, but I've never seen one. Then again, I teach downhill skiing, where if you don't have a metal edge you can't come play
So really it depends upon you, and what your goals are as to the type of ski you want to buy.
I thought teaching to pull would be easy too. It was more difficult for my older dog, as she is so used to being by me, but can be out in front too. But when she felt the pressure from the harness she never wanted to pull (past training stuff).
I had to be out in front getting them to pull to me ( I have nobody helping me). I used a motorcycle tire at first and only one dog at a time. Then I worked up to pulling with me walking along side instead of out front and finally got where I could run behind while they pulled the tires. I introduced right and left, but is nowhere near ready enough for trails. on smaller groomed trails it wouldnt' be a problem, as they'd just follow the trail anyway. But I haven't gotten past the running behind them. Then winter really set in and I only have downhill skis, have to get the cross country ones and that really isn't in my budget for this year. So besides pulling nieces and nephews in a sled we haven't done much with it this winter.
Living in Fondy you won't need any fancy ski, lots of groomed trails and snowmobile trails around there. I wouldn't worry about getting a back country ski, just an entry level waxless xcountry ski will work fine for there.
I had to be out in front getting them to pull to me ( I have nobody helping me). I used a motorcycle tire at first and only one dog at a time. Then I worked up to pulling with me walking along side instead of out front and finally got where I could run behind while they pulled the tires. I introduced right and left, but is nowhere near ready enough for trails. on smaller groomed trails it wouldnt' be a problem, as they'd just follow the trail anyway. But I haven't gotten past the running behind them. Then winter really set in and I only have downhill skis, have to get the cross country ones and that really isn't in my budget for this year. So besides pulling nieces and nephews in a sled we haven't done much with it this winter.
Living in Fondy you won't need any fancy ski, lots of groomed trails and snowmobile trails around there. I wouldn't worry about getting a back country ski, just an entry level waxless xcountry ski will work fine for there.
thanks for all your help. You must live near by ive never heard people call fond du lac AKA fondy unless they live here lol its an okay town just not much to do. Was looking for something more to do that me and my dogs can enjoy together. Your right theres lots of good trails I was really looking forward to going at the keikafer trails I take them walking there alot. its a nice area.
enjoy it while you can. I've lived in a lot places, each has its own things that make it unique. I evenutally want to move back to norther WI so it is easier to escape into the outdoors with my dogs more. But you never really find out what you want till you experience some other things. BTW, my cousin became a vet tech in Madison and now lives in Minneapolis.
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I owned an Iditarod sled dog kennel for many years and recently retired. Now I skijor with my german shorthair pointer and boxer. I would not recommend the X back harnesses as they put pressure mid spine. The best harness out there is the Taiga brand H-back which runs parallel on either side of the dog's spine. I use both kinds of skiis, depending on what the trails are like, and have a belt harness for me and an 8 foot bungeed towline. This is one of my great passions and is an amazing experience. Start right away and use a bike if you have no snow...or a scooter. Dogs inherently love to pull and harnessing that raw energy is awesome!