Dryland training walks

Anyone who has taken a workshop or a private lesson is welcome to join in the Snow Motion training walks, which are aimed at getting beginner dogs and handlers used to working in the club atmosphere.

There is no cost for joining the walks, but those located in city or provincial parks require you to take out a club membership.

See our Calendar page for the time and location of the training walks.

The walks are also useful for experienced teams to reboot their dogs' abilities, as the walks concentrate on teaching the basic mushing skills:

* getting a taut gangline, or the "line-out" command

* gee / haw commands

* passing and on-by commands

* how to pass another team and keep your dog(s) going

* how to walk side-by-side with another team, to get ready for winter trail runs

The dogs get used to working around other teams. The handlers get a social outing with fellow dog owners. We gain a little muscle on both sides of the gangline. We all get excited when it snows! What's not to like?

Bring a harness and leash for your dog, good shoes for yourself and water to drink. If you have more than one dog, you may opt to train one at a time.

Remember that dogs shouldn't be allowed close to other teams in harness. We don't want tangles or aggression. So don't let your dog "touch" other dogs, unless they know them.

Training walks are done both at a walking pace and at a light jog, depending on the situation. Walks go ahead if it's raining or snowing. They last about an hour.

At the start of the walk, you will see people taking their dogs out on scooters and bikes for a trail run. These are club members who are confident their dogs remember their skills, and are looking for exercise to get their dogs in shape for the winter.

The walks continue until we have enough snow base to start our group runs on the trails.