Adventure is out there, and our dogs make it better.
Did you know there’s an activity that combines the thrill of high-speed snow skiing with the joy of walking your canine companion? (No, we promise it’s not too good to be true.) This sport is called skijoring, and it’s growing in popularity throughout the United States!
Here’s your ultimate guide to skijoring with dogs. What is it? Who might enjoy it? And how do you and your best friend get started?
At its simplest, skijoring is a winter sport where a skier is pulled by a horse, dog, or even motor vehicle. It merges the velocity of downhill skiing with the more approachable terrain of its cross-country counterpart.
Skijoring has roots in dog sledding traditions, though no one is sure exactly how it all began. Here’s a high-level timeline of some important moments:
You can find pet-owner teams enjoying modern dog skijoring in any environment that gets enough snow.
Many hobbyists have embraced skijoring for a few reasons:
Recreational skijoring typically uses a classic skiing technique (similar to walking) that might vary from team to team. There are no hard-and-fast rules to casually enjoy the sport!
Dog skijoring competitions, on the other hand, are more structured environments where teams race around a track. Here’s what they look like in the United States:
While skijoring originated as a means of quickly covering long distances between mining sites or hunting traps, it’s now mostly about having fun with our canine companions.
Anyone who has ever loved a dog can tell you how magical it is to spend time with these amazing animals – and cooperative activities allow us to feel even more connected.
While dog-owner teams of all shapes and sizes can come to enjoy this adventurous sport, some find it more natural than others.
Skijoring isn’t like running a marathon or entering a powerlifting competition (phew!) but it does require skiers to be in reasonably good shape. While the amount of exertion depends in part on how successfully your dog can pull you, balance and general strength are important regardless of your companion’s size.
On top of the core and leg muscles required for successful skijoring, you’ll also need to have ample time to work with your dog!
In general, dogs above 35 pounds have the greatest success pulling their owners on skis – but smaller canines can skijor as long as their humans are willing to provide more additional power.
While dogs in the working and sporting groups tend to enjoy running and pulling more than others (northern breeds and pointers are often particularly adept) each dog is an individual. It’s less about what breed your dog is and more about whether they’d really enjoy the activity. Even your toy poodle can give the sport a go if you’re both excited about it!
If you have a puppy, you should wait until their bones and joints are fully grown before encouraging them to do any intense exercise. This can mitigate the risk of hip dysplasia and other injuries down the line!
“Full grown” can vary a bit from breed to breed (your veterinarian will be able to help you make the right decision). In general, it’s safe to give your dog more rigorous exercise around 1.5-2 years of age.
To skijor successfully, your dog needs to be agile enough to run through snow and strong enough to pull some of your weight while they do it. Here’s how to see if they’re up to the task:
Skijoring might sound a little overwhelming at first – but if you’re willing to put yourself out there, you and your dog can be charging through the snow (or maybe even racing around a track) in no time!
Overview of the gear required to skijor, especially highlighting the importance of a harness meant specifically for pulling
Most flat terrain is a good option for skijoring, provided there’s enough snow cover – but many cross-country skiing spots (both official tracks and nature loops) either don’t allow dogs entirely or restrict them to certain times. Chances are you’ll have the best luck with multi-use, dog-friendly trails or fields!
Can’t find any public parks well-suited to your new hobby? You might be able to find a Sniffspot that’s perfect for skijoring practice. Some of our hosts provide private areas that are plenty big enough to give it a go.
You can search for Sniffspots near you on our listings page!
A little respect goes a long way. Here’s how you and your dog can practice proper skijoring etiquette:
It’s particularly important to be polite in shared public spaces. When we give our canine companions a good name, more environments stay dog friendly!
New things can be a little uncomfortable – especially to our dogs. We can’t explain to them what skijoring is all about verbally, so it’s only fair we take things slow to make sure they’re ready to hit the snow with us!
If your dog is already comfortable wearing a harness, they might adjust to a skijoring setup more quickly – but it’s still important not to push them too far. Here’s what to do:
Many dogs have never been around skis or poles. Here are some tips to see how they feel:
Skijoring is a blast – but it can also be dangerous. The sport’s high-speed nature demands clear communication between you and your dog!
Your best friend should know how to:
Even if they don’t specialize in skijoring, a good force free trainer will be able to help you teach your dog some key sport skills. A private lesson program might be the perfect fit – each session will be tailored to your individual dog and goals!If you don’t have access to an in-person trainer in your area, you might consider ways to get involved virtually by following hashtags like #skijoring on Instagram or finding a pet professional who offers video lessons.
Today, most dog owners start skijoring simply because it’s something new to do with their companions. If your goal is nothing but fun, that’s fantastic!
You might be interested in actually entering a skijoring competition, though, and that’s really cool too. They’re the cousins of sled dog races: high-speed cooperation between human and dog with more of your own power added in.
The best thing you can do before committing is spend some time at competitive skijoring events (without your dog at first). This will help you see if you and your pup would enjoy the environment – and give you the opportunity to chat with people invested in the sport!
What matters most is enjoying the time we get to spend with our pets.
It’s okay to adjust our goals over time. Maybe your dog will be a complete natural – and you’ll realize competing would be a blast! Or maybe you’ll scrap your skijoring race dreams because they feel like too much pressure. (After all, while competing together can be a great joy, it’s good to remember our pets have no concept of track awards or prize pots.)
If you don’t have access to frozen terrain but love the idea of skijoring, don’t worry – you can still experience the thrill!
Consider similar sports like canicross (your dog pulls you while you run) or bikejoring (they pull you on your bike). These are great fun on their own and make perfect skijoring practice in the off season. If you ever do find yourself in the ideal winter environment, you and your best friend will be ready to go!
Similar equipment and health needs apply to canicross and bikejoring. You won’t need skis, but you’ll still need a harness that’s safe for your dog to pull into – and if you opt for the bike route, you’ll want to make sure your setup is secure.
As always, it’s important both you and your dog are feeling physically and mentally ready to tackle a new adventure.
If skijoring has piqued your interest (and pricked your dog’s ears) there’s no reason to hold back. With the right knowledge, attitude, and just a few pieces of equipment, anyone can give it a go!
Remember these top tips for a successful skijoring experience with your furry best friend:
There is so much misinformation out there, we want to make sure we only provide the highest quality information to our community. We have all of our articles reviewed by qualified, positive-only trainers. The trainers that review our content are reviewed by other trainers to ensure that we have the best quality filters on our content.
This is the trainer that reviewed this article:
Kaia Wilson
CPDT-KA, Owner - Dogspeed Training
kaia.dogspeed@gmail.com
dogspeed.dog
Find us on instagram
Does your dog ever growl when you walk by their food dish? Maybe they get possessive of treats, carrying them far away and giving you side-eye when you start to approach — or snarling at your other pets or children if they get too close.
As almost every dog owner is aware, the nose of a dog is an amazing thing. Just as they can pick up sounds we can’t hear, their sense of smell and ability to pick up scents is well beyond ours. In fact, dogs have 40 times the number of olfactory receptors as humans.
More than 80 million Americans rely on their service dogs to help them navigate the world. Task-trained assistance animals perform a huge range of life-changing—in many cases, life-saving—services: These dogs act as eyes for visually impaired handlers, provide mobility support, alert to seizures and blood sugar crashes, interrupt anxiety attacks, remind their people to take medications, and so much more.
You thought your dog was house trained. Your home was clean from puddles of pee, those dreaded middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks were behind you, and you loved every minute of dog ownership… until your four-legged best friend started using the bathroom inside again. What’s going on?
Ah, poop. We humans think it’s disgusting… but many of our dogs seem to love the stuff. If you’re wondering why your canine companion tries to eat feces (either their own or that of other animals) you’re not alone!
Do you have a water-loving dog looking to burn some energy? There are countless dog parks to visit throughout our country — but some of them become far too hot in the midday sun to be safe for your pets to play. That’s why we’ve put together a list of some of the best dog water parks throughout the United States! At these locations, your pup can frolic, splash, and swim to their heart’s content.
* All Sniffspot articles are reviewed by certified trainers for quality, please see bottom of article for details *
Does your dog destroy every toy you give them? Is your house littered with remnants of fabric and stuffing of all different sizes? Are you tired of investing in “indestructible” toys only for your pup to still dismantle—or worse, get bored of—them in just a few days?
You’ve been told your dog needs regular exercise. There’s a reason “walking the dog” is a classic daily activity: Frequent excursions give your pup a chance to experience the world, maintain a healthy weight, and — most importantly — spend time with you! Consistent physical activity can also improve their strength, muscle tone, coordination, and mental ability over time.
* All Sniffspot articles are reviewed by certified trainers for quality, please see bottom of article for details *
Many dogs have gotten a bad reputation over the years for being "dangerous breeds." Rottweilers are among them. Like pit bulls and other large, blocky-headed types of dogs, these powerful and beautiful animals are often assumed to be aggressive.
Your dog is reactive. They’ll see another dog, person, or other stimulus in the environment (like a car or bike) while out on a walk and suddenly go crazy at the end of their leash. The barking, lunging, and growling feels embarrassing for you — and it’s clear that your pup isn’t having a great time either.
Does your dog display reactivity to other pets or people? Maybe they’re a new rescue pup and are still settling into your home. Or they were sick growing up, so you missed their critical socialization period. Possibly they’ve had a bad experience after being raised as a normal puppy.
Do you have a reactive dog or suspect you may have one? You’re not alone!
* All Sniffspot articles are reviewed by certified trainers for quality, please see bottom of article for details *
From 2009 to 2020, there was a 40 percent increase in the development of public dog parks. Designated spots for canine exercise have become commonplace in every major city in North America — many pet owners won’t even consider renting an apartment that doesn’t have its own fenced-in pet area for their canine companions.
Thousand Oaks, California has been a safe haven for Sniffspot host, Jen, since childhood. Having grown up in busy Santa Barbara, Jen, an introvert from an early age, would seek out solitude and serenity away from tourists attractions and droves of people visiting from elsewhere. “My grandparents own 60 acres about a 30 minute drive from here, and I grew up spending every summer and every holiday visiting them on the ranch,” Jen explained. “In Santa Barbara, we wouldn't go to the beach on the weekend because that's where everybody was, so you'd find places off the beaten path where the tourists weren't. For me, the ranch was just my happy place.”
Ellen is the host of Country Pasture Getaway, one of Sniffspot's most popular sniff spots. She has taken the time to write up the lessons she has learned about how to be a great sniff spot host.
Just 20 minutes outside of the busy city of Portland, Oregon, and settled right on the banks of the Columbia River, you’ll find what countless visitors have flocked to the area in search of – mountain views, crisp, clean air, and running water for miles. What you might not expect to find, however, is a hidden oasis designed just for dogs and their people, owned and operated by a farming couple and enjoyed by visitors on two legs, and four.
Fran is the host of Ranch Setting, one of Sniffspot's most popular spots. She has taken the time to write up the lessons she has learned about how to be a great Sniffspot host.
Looking for a space to play with your dog no matter what the weather’s like outside? Look no further than our list of the best indoor dog parks in the United States! These climate-controlled spaces are growing in popularity as pet ownership increases throughout the country. As a bonus, many of them also offer dog training, boarding, grooming, or daycare services on the premises.
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog? We’ve got you covered! It’s hard to narrow down, but we’ve put together some of the best off-leash dog parks throughout the country so you can plan your next adventure — along with a checklist of what to bring, what to know beforehand, and some frequently asked questions.
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog in Las Vegas? We’ve got you covered! Take a look at the best local dog parks to plan for your next adventure in Sin City.
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog? We’ve got you covered!
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog in Portland? We’ve got you covered! Take a look at the best local dog parks and plan for your next adventure in the City of Roses.
Discover the German Shepherd Dog, a breed celebrated for its intelligence, loyalty, and versatility. Known for its impressive size and smooth, graceful movements, German Shepherds excel in various roles, including as guide, therapy, bomb detection, and police dogs, while being a devoted family companion.
Discover the Labrador Retriever, a breed celebrated for its playful nature, affectionate temperament, and trainability. Labradors are known for their friendly demeanor and adaptability, making them perfect family companions and versatile working dogs. As one of the most popular types of retrievers, Labs are ideal companions for various lifestyles and are recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) as an excellent breed for families.
Discover the Golden Retriever, a popular breed celebrated for its affectionate, playful, and trainable nature. Considered a large dog, Golden Retrievers were originally bred in Scotland for hunting and retrieving game beginning in the 1860s. Today, they're recognized by the Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club (AKC) as one of the most beloved companion dog breeds.
Discover the American Staffordshire Terrier, a distinct breed celebrated for its playful, friendly, and loyal nature. Often confused with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a separate breed of British origin, the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff) is considered a medium-sized dog. While both breeds share some similarities, the AmStaff is generally larger and has been developed as a distinct breed in the United States.
Discover the Australian Shepherd, an AKC breed celebrated for its trainable, playful, and affectionate nature. Despite its name, the Australian Shepherd is actually a native breed to the United States, originally developed to breed on farms and ranches. Considered a medium dog, Australian Shepherds were bred for herding beginning in the 1950s. As one of the high-energy breeds, Aussies are known for their boundless energy and need for regular exercise, including aerobic exercise.