Bikejor session

Big thanks to Nathan for posting his videos, here is Nita and me having a little run out. Don't worry Nathan, no competition compared to you guys. I got a new action cam so was trying it out hence the end bit. PS The video is 1080p but youtube deems it necessary to make it look poop. It looks great

aww shes done well for only a few times bless her shes a wee steam train

Mia05 wrote:aww shes done well for only a few times bless her shes a wee steam train

Aye she is getting there. Its difficult as she is having trouble with her paws but today they were good. She loves it and howls and chatters as soon as I get the bike out. I took her out earlier but the video didnt record, she ended up lying in a massive pool of muck water and got chased by another dog but didn't bat an eyelid, usually if they go for her she retaliates, so clearly doing her good

nathan gets a wax for marley and laskas paws to protect them her chattering is cute

Mia05 wrote:nathan gets a wax for marley and laskas paws to protect them her chattering is cute

Oh that may help. Its her mange thats giving her grief. SO annoyed at her last owners for leaving it 2 years. Poor lass. Breaks my heart

wow wow wow someone has caught the bug! she runs like a natural and getting so excited already you can tell she loves it! that is a fantastic vid mate and well proud of you both. promise me you will keep it up as she is so so good at it, some people spend months getting a dog to line out like that. and she tracks well which is a big bonus only thing is loop the line around the headstock of the bike and then through the bikejor arm or she may have that off and be away with the excitement. to say I'm chuffed is an understatement, you have done a fantastic job. use "mushers secret" paw wax once a week which will help protect her paws. can get from amazon cheap. and its brilliant stuff. I hope to see more staffies in bikejor next season with Nita showing how its done.
BTW youtube always craps my vids out too. it down scales them but after a couple of days they run okay on mobiles etc but full screen on a pc they seem blockey

Ains, fab vid fella. Nita quiet clearly loves it and gets soooo excited, like Nath says, keep at it you two are really working well. Love the way it gives them a good run which to be honest is what they need and that its about man and dog working together and not the dog doing all the work

Nathan wrote:wow wow wow someone has caught the bug! she runs like a natural and getting so excited already you can tell she loves it! that is a fantastic vid mate and well proud of you both. promise me you will keep it up as she is so so good at it, some people spend months getting a dog to line out like that. and she tracks well which is a big bonus only thing is loop the  line around the headstock of the bike and then through the bikejor arm or she may have that off and be away with the excitement.  to say I'm chuffed is an understatement, you have done a fantastic job. use "mushers secret" paw wax once a week which will help protect her paws. can get from amazon cheap. and its brilliant stuff. I hope to see more staffies in bikejor next season with Nita showing how its done.
BTW youtube always craps my vids out too. it down scales them but after a couple of days they run okay on mobiles etc but full screen on  a pc they seem blockey

Thanks dude, we are indeed going to keep doing it. The first time I put the harness on her she was chomping at the bit so to speak.
I originally had the line around the headstock but she was a bit close to the front wheel and with us just starting out I wasn't confident enough that she may suddenly stop and I don't brake in time. Next run out I will loop it round there though and see how we go so thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the tip on the stuff for her paws too. Just this minute bought some.

I guess the next thing is how do we go about entering competitions. While I'm not expecting much, it will be fun to do.

lastly, a massive thank you to you for posting the videos, not only has it got me off the sofa and exercising again but its also given Nita a great outlet in releasing her energy, I really do appreciate the help and tips you have given too. Definitely owe you a few beers

-Ian- wrote:Ains, fab vid fella. Nita quiet clearly loves it and gets soooo excited, like Nath says, keep at it you two are really working well. Love the way it gives them a good run which to be honest is what they need and that its about man and dog working together and not the dog doing all the work

Thanks Ian, I agree. It really does help her by giving a good run out and me too. One tired pooch afterwards.

thats great well done ! its great exercise and yeah will definitely be agreat outlet for her, I think things like that can help behavioural issues a lot

Lol re the beers, one day mate. if you want to get into comps its easy and fun. Its not massively competitive and more like lots of people who love dogs getting together for a fun day out.
The season has pretty much finished now and will be starting again in September when it starts to get cooler. the closes one to you I guess is the Canicross midlands group. I took part in one of them at Eland Lodge Derbyshire earlier in the year and it was great. will be doing all of their series next season myself.
Use the summer to train but try and keep it in the cooler times of the day. For the best results aim to free run Nita for as much as possible (slack in the line) she will pull you out of corners etc which is where the dog assistance comes in. Its a bit of a knack but keeping the line out while still free running keeps everything smooth when the power shifts from you to Nita.
Most races are only 5k and the dogs get up to that distance quite easily with a bit of steady training. just keep it progressive as staffies have a big heart and a very strong willingness to please which leads to them attempting a 50k run straight away.
In training I also carry water and a folding material bowl so if they start to flag I can pull up and give them a drink. they don't need a lot in one go,just a few mouthful's.
I must say I am very impressed with the way Nita Runs, she is a natural and tracks perfectly. Dont stop on the directional commands though as they come in useful but I think you will find she will just run most courses without needing any directions.
cant wait to see the next vid mate she is a star and I'm sure you will have lots and lots of fun together. but be warned, it gets very addictive lol. I like my lay ins but now get up at hatefull o'clock at the weekends to run the dogs and still come back with a big smile.
Just need a few more on the forum to get involved and we can have Team SBT at the races and before you say anything Mia, Scotland is the home of UK mushing! its in your blood!

Awesome info, Nathan. I'm really looking forward to giving it a go, even if its meeting with like minded folk and enjoying getting the pooches out in the fresh air.

Had another bash yesterday. Unfortunately when I arrived I found out I had lost my wallet, 30 mins searching the car for nought so my mind was on that. Commands were a bit poor however there was one point when I thought to myself what you meant about you not taking the corners like you wanted. A few seconds later I missed one lol. I also encountered a massive hill early on and the bike decided not to go into a lower gear (new bike so things had stretched)



I've cut the video in parts as Nita decided to take a poo and we also stopped for a breather. Oh and the wax arrived yesterday, first application put on.

Looking good again mate, she really is a natural at bikejor. Personally I think you will do well in the comps if she keeps pace like that and follows the trail. I always walk mine before a run to get the pee and poo out the way lol but sometimes they still have to go. the race at Stowe last year Laska decided to go poops in sight of the finish line, and yes you still have to bag it. I had to sit there while she had what seemed like the longest crap ever and we got overtaken by two riders. couldn't help but laugh crossing the line with a poop bag swinging from the handlebars. That is the nature of this sport though, dogs first, competition second.
You are both doing brilliantly and hope to see you both next season mate, really impressed with Nita you should be proud of her!