What blind men and an elephant can tell us about living with Laird

In the last blog, I told you about Laird accidentally grabbing my hand (thinking it was part of a food wrapper) and struggling to let go. My hand was sore and a little swollen afterwards, but nothing more.

Our brains love to jump to conclusions, it's so much more comforting (and often efficient) to make an assumption rather than collecting yet more information.

Yet as the parable of the six blind men and an elephant shows, if we only have part of the picture we might make some pretty huge mistakes.

Here's what might have happened if I took the situation with Laird on face value, with a "dominance lens":

• Laird is unwilling to give things up to me
• He is stubborn, and does not respect me
• Laird should have given the wrapper to me, and by refusing to let go of my hand it meant......

and so on...

Stepping back a little, and looking at the whole elephant (situation)

• Laird was tired, so unlikely to be thinking clearly
• The kitchen was dark enough it would be hard to see my hand underneath (!) the wrapper (and his beard)
• On later examination, Laird had a claw split right down to the quick which probably happened on our afternoon walk, pain is well known to decrease tolerance and increase the chance of using an aggressive strategy
• Laird has NEVER acted in this way before, or since
• Laird has a history of struggling to give things up especially if he might be able to eat them

Did I have a dangerously dominant dog?

Or a grumpy, tired adolescent dog who was in pain and hasn't entirely learned to surrender treasure...

I hope you can see how badly this could have gone for Laird and I if I acted on that first set of assumptions!

A wee challenge for you

1. Notice the next time your dog does something that you don't like, or find annoying
2. And ask yourself why it might be happening?
3. Don't use labels as 'reasons' (stubborn, stupid, doesn't listen)
4. Do step back and look at the whole elephant....

I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts, and of course you're welcome to post in our FaceBook group with your examples or questions.

Happy thinking!

Morag, the Collie Girls and the Big Yin



(Freya and Laird showing off their new jumpers from Boo Woo)

Choose a Challenge for your Dog this weekend!

Unusually we have a couple of spaces left on some of our weekend activity workshops, up for grabs to the quickest fingers and keenest dogs.

Click the links for more information and book your space.

Saturday 19th October 13:30- 16:30
Parkour Progressions for Sensitive Dogs (S Rated for dogs that struggle around people/dogs)
PawPark, Sand Hutton

Parkour Progressions (S Rated)
 
Saturday 19th October 13:30- 16:30
That's not a sheep! Herding Dog Games
PawPark, Sand Hutton

Herding Dog Games

Sunday 20th October 09:30-12:30
Salvage Seekers -teach your dog to find your keys!
Sand Hutton Village Hall, just outside York

Salvage Seekers Book Here

How Max and Gina survived the school holidays - part one of the progress reports

An update from Gina with Max, one of our amazing dogsbodies as well as being a dedicated client! 

Laura’s recent blog about how Parkour had made their holiday more enjoyable got me thinking about the last few weeks while the children have been off school. (missed the blog? catch up here)

I guess most people who have a dog, but no children don’t give much thought to school holidays.

However, for me and my dog Max it has previously been a challenge that we have survived, but only just.

The problem is that I live in Bridlington right in the middle of the tourist area and Max struggled around pretty much all dogs and most unfamiliar people, not a good combination on a sunny August day.

Previously we managed the situation by either getting up at the crack of dawn or driving somewhere quiet hoping that we didn’t meet anyone else.

This summer we not only survived the tourists, we have actually made progress towards our goals. 

We started with Well Connected Canine last year, initially with 121 help then progressing on to rehab club.

However, more recently we signed up for the special workshops designed for dogs that struggle in normal class situations such as Scentwork for Sensitive dogs, Parkour and the Foundation Skills weekly classes.

I had previously under estimated the benefits of Max being able to work in safe set up scenarios and the difference has been amazing and lovely to watch.

The classes usually take place at Paw Park, so the open space makes it easier for the dogs to cope and each dog has its own “safe area” allocated which is screened off from the rest of the class.

We are currently working on a “wait” while I peer suspiciously around corners, walls and cars in search of any dogs or dubious looking people before deciding if Max can move forward or we do a quick let’s go in another direction.

So, is everything perfect with Max now?

Not yet - I still have to think about where we will walk, I have to constantly check Max is relaxed and coping when we are out.

The difference now is I have learned to be more relaxed myself and have more skills in my training tool box to use, although scent work is by far the most often used and I can often be found throwing and sticking cheese around Bridlington.

My next goal is to get Max closer to other dogs without him becoming worried, so I have booked on to Social skills for dogs that struggle, I want to be your friend?!

Who knows on my next update Max may have a new friend, that’s if I have not been taken in for questioning regarding my odd behaviour lurking around corners and throwing cheese around the town.

I know there are new classes starting soon and would recommend anyone who has been attending 121s or rehab to talk to Morag, Clare or Laura to see if you and your dog are ready for the next step. 

Gina and Max 

Since this was written Max has also been practicing his small talk at Social Skills for Dogs That Struggle. Learning how to politely greet Seamus, quietly flirt with Summer and more...having a new BFF might not be that far away!

The next blog will have a rather mixed bag of updates from me (Morag), Clare and Laura...

What's on at WCC for Sensitive Dogs?

If you feel like you have a Sensitive Dog, get in touch to talk about how we can help you both enjoy life together with less stress (email: info@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk)

Completed an Orientation or Behaviour Assessment with us already? One of these activities might be just what you’re looking for!  Look in the private Facebook Group or email us for the booking link (that way we can make sure you book onto the most suitable session)

“The training worked!” When a plan comes together...

“How did you get your dogs to do that?” someone shouted over at me in the park yesterday.

I looked over, wondering what he meant.

Freya as usual, was insisting on training and doing tricks at me while Brontë wimbled happily by my side. Laird was thundering back towards us.

The chap wanted to know how I managed to get my dogs to come back when I called them. He had a little Lhasa apso who was very definitely staying on lead.

“With cheese and balls” was my mostly serious answer!

We had an interesting conversation about making sure we give our dogs a good reason to come back to us and how we might start training it.

And then, I came home to open my email and found a message from Jane and John (not their real names) who have been working hard to stop their big retriever crossbreed from charging off to greet other dogs and ignoring any suggestion from the owners that she might want to come back.

Your training works!

It was busy with dogs today so it was a good test for her. She did very well and we were really chuffed. We then met some friends who have 3 dogs. They kept remarking about how calm she was compared with when they’d last seen her 2 or 3 months ago. She was almost laid back with the other dogs!

Recall, or coming back when asked to, is one of those essential life skills.

It can turn walking your dog from a tiresome task into a pleasant enjoyable experience.

And when we talk about recall, I need your dog coming back promptly when you call or whistle them. Not just coming back at the end of a play session or after chasing the rabbit!

It’s a deceptively simple process, but you have to be consistent in your training and only take tiny little steps forward when your dog is really ready.

The not-so-secret Secret Recipe for Recall

• start playing games that encourage and reward your dog when they pay attention to you (parkour, scentwork, tracking, hand targets, and anything else) 
• stop letting your dog run off and ignore you (long lines are your friend) 
• start teaching a brand-new recall cue (a word or whistle pattern) and link it with the best ever reward for your dog (find their crack cocaine) 
• practice the new recall in very low distraction places to begin with (inside the house, in your garden, in a secure field and so on) 
• gradually build up the level of distraction and always be willing to drop back a stage if your dog is struggling

If you're reading this email or blog, and have an nagging sensation that your dog's recall is not as good as it could be, why not commit to recall being your summer training project?

• It’s never too late to sharpen up or introduce a reliable recall. 
• It really can save your dogs life. 
• And it will improve their quality of life and yours! 

I would love you to come and post in our small friendly private Facebook group if you’re taking on the summer recall challenge. https://www.facebook.com/groups/WellConnectedCanine/

What steps are you taking so that your dog isn’t practising the wrong thing?

And do you know what your dogs crack cocaine really is?

Of course, if you’d like a little bit of extra help and expert coaching, there is always our three-week intensive training programs.

Find a 3 week intensive

We offer level I and level II Baby Come Back courses to sharpen your skills, and you can ask us for a private course too!


Happy recalling

Morag, the big Yin (it’s nearly his one-year gotcha Day) and the collie girls 

P. S. Our recall is a bit of a work in progress. Freya is pretty reliable except if she gets too far away and finds a real bunny, but Project Squirrel has been a great success. Laird is pretty amazing unless he is actively on the hunt for something, and deer are our personal nemesis right now. But I promise we are working on it, and I’m using exactly the same techniques that we teach you in our courses!

P.P.S. yes, it has been a while since I emailed and blogged to you all, sorry about that! I've been a bit poorly lately and am still recovering so don't be surprised if it takes me a little longer to reply to emails or messages


What else is going on in WCC Land?

Sat 25th May Gundog Games

Sun 26th May Herding Dog Games 

The unanticipated side-benefits of training (or, why you should just listen when Morag tells you to do something…)

So last week Laura sent me a draft blog article.

It's always nice when I get a wee break from writing, and it's even nicer when the title is basically - do what Morag told you to in the first place!

And though I might claim otherwise, it's not really because I have all the answers. But it turns out some of the core skills that are important to me actually help with a whole range of other potential challenges.

For background, remember that the first dog all of my very own that I adopted (Finn) was a beautiful but troubled border collie. We had to work through baring and lunging at dogs, biting people and children, and much more.

So it was essential that we had good lines of communication, Finn needed to be able to focus on me and respond quickly, plus my sciatica meant that walking nicely was non-optional.

Does loose lead walking and obedience training solve everything? Heck no!

But when your dog understands

• it's important to check in
• that dragging you down the street isn't a good choice
• calm behaviour pays dividends of cheese....

then suddenly life in general can become much easier to deal with.

Read all about how some simple training games helped Brian and Seamus cope with seeing other dogs AND two cats on their walk two days after the session - it's the closest we can get to a magic fix!

I have to start this blog with a small confession – I have never really got round to training my dogs to walk nicely on the lead.

This isn’t to say that it hasn’t been on the training list but, fundamentally, I have small(ish) dogs who I do like to pull for some activities and the fact that they pull at other times hasn’t really bothered me.

So it keeps getting pushed back behind other priorities.

Recently though, Brian and Seamus have been getting quite barky on walks when they see other dogs – Seamus just wants to be friends with everyone and Brian has had some unfortunate encounters this year that have left him a bit suspicious of bigger dogs that he hasn’t personally vetted.

To combat this, we’ve been working on switching their brains on at the start of walks with a combination of nice lead walking and focused attention.

Today, we went for a twenty minute toilet walk and used our strategy as usual, with the result that we were able to be calm with all 10 (!) dogs that we met on route.

Then, as we left the little nature reserve that we walked in, we saw a cat dart across the road.

Seamus and Brian’s usual response to cats is best described as horrendous.

They forget anything else exists and it involves a lot of barking, squeaking, scrabbling and straining on the lead because WANT TO HUNT THE CAT - it is deeply obnoxious.

So, I steeled myself… …and they both just stared.

Intent focus, yes, and a little bit of squeaking from Seamus, but with their brains pre-switched on, there was none of the usual cat-related chaos.

They were both able to check in with me (ish) and even walk almost-nicely past the spot where the cat had run into.

Then we turned the corner and I watched as Brian saw a second cat ran away from us down the street and just sat down, while Seamus stood next to him and visibly shook with the effort of holding himself back.

A few more check-ins and we were even able to carry on walking nicely all the way home.

Self control is a muscle, not just for our dogs, but for us as well. It would have been so easy for me to just not bother with the training regime this morning (“eh, it’s only a short walk for toileting and I’m tired, what harm can it do?”).

But then I doubt we’d have been anywhere near as calm with the many dogs we met on our way round, so by the time we met the cats Brian and Seamus would have been wound-up and already frustrated.

I guarantee we’d have had all the usual chaos, and I’d never have had the chance to see how calm and controlled my boys can be if I set them up right.

And really, if that’s not motivation to carry on with the training plan, I don’t know what is!  

Laura, Brian and Seamus

 

What’s on at Well Connected Canine in York?

New 5 week class blocks starting on Mon 8th and Wed 10th April covering sports foundation skills, good companion obedience, sniffing school, parkour AND bodywork plus relaxation.
You can see the full programme here:
grab a weekly class!

And if you’re not sure what’s right for your dog just email me to chat it through (morag@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk)

Or if you’d rather opt for a short, sharp focused set of lessons, why not try a three week intensive to concentrate on nice walking (Stay By My Side), coming back (Baby Come Back), and polite behaviour (Mind Your Manners).

These have been really popular so make sure to book on early or you might miss your chance!

3 week intensives here


Want to try out a new sport?

Why not check out our evening Taster Workshops in Parkour (urban agility for dogs of all ages and breeds)

Getting Started with Parkour


Or enjoy running with your dog as a team!  Canicross really is for any breed (over the age of 1yr)

Canicross Introduction (evening)

Are you ready to dip your toes into breed specific training?

Try our half day workshops (Gun Dog Games or That’s Not A Sheep – for herding breeds)

Gun Dogs and Herding Breeds - Oh My!

What’s pain got to do with it?

Pounding, throbbing pain.

Vision blurring.

Nausea rising as the bones in your skull try to separate.

Imagine feeling like that as you stand in the queue at the supermarket. And then someone crashes their trolley into you (by accident).

There’s a good chance that the words that would spill from your mouth might not be the most polite things you’ve ever said. Because when we are in pain, our tolerance goes down, we are more easily frustrated, we are more likely to lash out, and frankly everything just feels worse than normal.

But you would be able to explain to the person that you were sorry for overreacting, it’s just that right now you have a really bad headache.

Our animals don’t have that as an option.

In fact, by the time we notice that they might be in pain, things are often pretty bad. One of the first signs that our pets might be experiencing pain is often a change in their behaviour. It could be an increase in sensitivity to loud noises, or it might be your pet becoming grumpy when you ask them to move off the sofa.

Last week, I saw a lovely little beagle for a review meeting. Samson (not his real name) had completed a set of puppy visits at home some years earlier. Samson was a cheerful and friendly little dog, a real delight to work with. So, when his owners got in touch to say that he was reluctant on walks, didn’t seem to be excited to greet his family when they came home, and had started to lunge and nip at passing joggers….

There are lots of training and behaviour interventions that we might use in situations like this. For example, we might look at ways to increase interest and excitement on walks and we might start to pair up seeing joggers with getting delicious treats.

But before we jump into trying to change what the animal is doing, it’s important to check why this might be happening in the first place. Usually, this means thinking about how the animal is feeling as well as how the animal is behaving. And when there is a sudden change in behaviour especially involving apparent aggression, we always want to rule out physical problems as a contributing factor.

When I met Samson at our training venue, I had the chance to pet him as normal while I chatted to his dad. I noticed that Samson was less comfortable with being handled than he used to be, and there was some trembling in one of his back legs. So, Samson’s dad went away with a wee plan to help keep Samson safe for now while we arranged for a very thorough vet check.

It turns out that Samson was it was suffering from a very low thyroid level as well as a nasty ear infection. Both of those conditions are now being treated, and we’ve noticed a big change in Samson’s behaviour in all situations. Samson’s family still has some training to do to help make sure that Samson doesn’t carry on being worried about joggers, but we now know that the underlying painful condition is getting better.

This is just one of the reasons why professional behaviourists work on veterinary referral to ensure that your dog has no medical issues contributing to a behaviour problem. We don’t want you to waste your time trying to change a behaviour problem that has a medical cause. Medical issues which can contribute to behaviour issues range from abscesses, joint pain, thyroid imbalances, skin problems and neurological issues.

If you’re reading this and you've noticed a marked or sudden change in your dog’s behaviour, the first port of call should be a good chat with your vet. Then you will want to seek referral to a Clinical Animal Behaviourist - you can easily find these listed on the ABTC website.

Physical problems and pain don’t always underlay problem behaviours, but it’s really important that we rule them out before we dive into a training solution.

Morag Heirs PhD, Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Well Connected Canine Ltd  www.wellconnectedcanine.co.uk

What’s on at Well Connected Canine in York?

New 5 week class blocks starting on Mon 8th and Wed 10th April covering sports foundation skills, good companion obedience, sniffing school, parkour AND bodywork plus relaxation.

You can see the full programme here:
grab a weekly class!
And if you’re not sure what’s right for your dog just email me to chat it through (morag@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk)

Or if you’d rather opt for a short, sharp focused set of lessons, why not try a three week intensive to concentrate on nice walking (Stay By My Side), coming back (Baby Come Back), and polite behaviour (Mind Your Manners).

These have been really popular so make sure to book on early or you might miss your chance!

3 week intensives here


Want to try out a new sport, or dip your toes into breed specific training?

Why not check out our evening Taster Workshops

 

Or half day workshops (Gun Dog Games or That’s Not A Sheep – for herding breeds)

*and if you haven't already gotten the Tina Turner song as an earworm, just click here: 

You're welcome!

Stop in the name of safety!

Frosty mornings are my favourite.

There’s sparkling twinkling glitter on every blade of grass and leaf.

The mud is a forgotten memory.

And the nippy early mornings seem to bring out the zoomies in all my dogs!

But, there’s also the dreaded icy pavement to negotiate while the fields beckon with their wide open spaces.

This morning I stepped onto the front step saying “steady dogs, let’s not die on the ice just yet!”.

Now you know that for me nice walking is pretty important because of my long standing sciatica problem (previous blog), but I reckon it suddenly gets much more important for everyone when its icy.

And it’s not fair to expect our dogs to magically not pull on frosty mornings if we tolerate it on other days…

Nice walking, or loose lead walking, or “stop pulling my arms out of their sockets!” is hard to train, and there really aren’t many quick fixes.

Here’s a wee summary of how you could approach the problem: 

Want more help?

Why not book onto a three week intensive that concentrates ONLY on nice walking on lead – Stay By My Side.

These sessions have a maximum of just two dogs per trainer, and give you very specific homework tasks to practice each week.


Happy frosty walks!

Morag and the Beasts

What’s going on in WCC land? 

 

Three Week Intensives: Stay By My Side, Baby Come Back, Mind Your Manners 

Classes run on Mondays (foundation) and Wednesdays (advanced) in the evening at Yorkshire Museum of Farming

See the full set of options here 3 Week Intensives

Gundog Games Workshop – ONE SPACE LEFT

Learn how to have fun with your dog's natural instincts rather than fighting them!
Open to gundogs, gundog crosses (cockerpoos, labradoodles and more) or any dog that wants to have more fun.

Book to spectate OR bring your own dog

Scentwork and Sniffing School 

Channel your dog’s natural talent for sniffing with our Introduction to Scentwork workshops, and then enrol in Sniffing School for structured weekly challenges.

• Introduction to Scentwork EVENING (6th + 13th Feb 7pm) Yorkshire Museum of Farming
• Introduction to Scentwork DAYTIME (Saturday 9th Feb 9.30am) PawPark, Sand Hutton
• Sniffing School Level 1 starts 27 Feb at 7.30pm (5 week course)

 

 

Helpful Hounds returns! 16th February

Clare is leading two workshops focused on teaching your dog just some of the things Assistance Dogs do every day.

The introductory session is ideal for dogs who are new to these skills, while the progression session is designed to advance your learning.

Attend as a handler with your own dog, or come as a spectator to observe and practice at home!

Venue: Shipton By Beningbrough Hall

9.30am Foundations workshop
1.30pm Progressions workshop

Helpful Hounds 16th Feb

 

 

Introduction to Canicross Workshop: Sunday 27th January 

Expert kit fitting, basic skills tuition and a short guided run to put it all into practice!

NO NEED TO BE SUPER FIT!

Wigginton near York 
2pm Sunday 27th January

Book Intro Workshop

*whispers* have you set any resolutions yet?

So it’s a new year, apparently! 

I have to confess, I’m not super into the whole new year-new you/new training thing. Not because I don’t set goals, but that’s not a once per year thing for me.

Here at WCC we run on 4 x mini years (12 week years, or Morag Years as Clare likes to call them!), which gives us four times as many new year – new start opportunities!

The problem with most resolutions is they’re unachievable, much too vague, and the deadline is so far away that we lose any sense of urgency…

Working in shorter blocks of time, with clearly defined goals really does change everything. 

If you’re not convinced, why not read the lovely message that came in from Laura & Roman.

They’ve worked so very hard through 2018, and made amazing progress from taking long car trips, attending rehab class, relaxing during firework season and having “Monty Don” moments in the garden!

"If anyone's feeling determined but also a bit unsure about how to go about making some real progress with their dog, can I recommend working with Morag on a 12 week plan. I did this with my lurcher, Roman, last year and we made huge and unexpected progress.

Morag helped us define our overall goal, then break it down into smaller objectives, which we worked on for 12 weeks, adjusting as we went along. We had regular Skype calls to keep us on track which really helped.

Our overall goal was to go to Morag and Clare's Rehab Club, so we could practice being around other dogs. Unfortunately, the location is about an hour's drive from where we live, and Roman was very unsettled in the car on long drives. 

Before we could think about how Rehab Club could help us, we had to think about getting there! So our smaller objectives were for Roman to be able to travel longer distances in the car, without getting anxious, to be more relaxed about visiting new places, and to be more settled in the car on his own.

Each week we had specific aims, like introducing new drives, increasing the length of drives, practicing the Relaxation Protocol in different places and in the car.

By the end of the 12 weeks, we'd progressed to a couple of practice drives to where the Rehab Club takes place, and have now been to Rehab Club about 5 times, where we were able to work on Roman's reactivity to other dogs, which has also improved a lot. 

I found the plan quite intensive but the structure helped me keep on track. I was also able to see clearly how much progress we were making. And of course, I couldn't have done it without Morag's patience, encouragement and humour"

So what’s your small, achievable and clearly defined goal for the next few months?

Feeling brave? Post it in the FaceBook group, that’s where I’ll be putting mine shortly!

 

What's going on in WCC Land?

Don't miss out on your WCC fix this month, we have seminars, workshops AND adult classes start back on 21st January.

• Book 10 week classes or 3 week intensives up front and pay online (don’t forget to use your codes) 
• Book a 10 week class but spread the cost over three payments (instructions here ) 
• Book 10 canicross classes and get one free OR book each week individually

Book an evening seminar


Book 10 week block classes

Book a 3 week intensive

Special Reward Codes

Our glamorous assistants can use their special discount codes, and anyone in the WCC family who books more than one class (paying up front) can use your special dedication code. If you think you should have a code, but can’t remember it please email the office for help (info@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk)

Just how anti-social are your dog walks?

Walking down the railway line at night.

Hoping that it’s late enough, dark enough, raining enough, that no one else will be out walking their dogs.

The screaming cacophony that erupts when your dog spots another canine around the corner.

The embarrassed half smile you share with the other owner as you wrangle your dog past, wishing that there was something else you could do.

Let’s face it, it’s really not fun to be the person holding the lead when a dog loses their mind.

It might be excitement, frustration, fear or anxiety – but it looks and sounds horrendous!

And it’s not much better when you’re on the receiving end.

Lots of dogs get upset or join in if another dog barks or lunges at them. Now we’ve got two or more dogs who are getting progressively upset!

WCC’s top tips to cool the situation

If your dog might start the barking (on lead, on a walk)

• Avoid narrow paths and walks without easy escape routes
• Consider using scentwork games and fun in the house or garden rather than walking at busy times
• Carry super tasty interesting food to distract your dog with, and practice doing it when there AREN’T any other dogs around too
• Move away from the other dog as soon as you can, turn and run away if you need to!

What to do if another dog kicks off at yours?

• Use a cheery voice and distract your dog with some treats (having another dog bark = tasty food)
• Smile, breath and practice feeling compassion for the owner of the other dog
• Move yourself and your dog out of the way
• Keep your dog busy and focused on you if the other dog is passing close by

I hope your late night walks are calm and relaxing, but just in case they’re not you might want to book into a Rehab Club date for some extra help.

Happy walks

Morag and the WCC Team

What’s going on in WCC Land?

We’re back from our short break (and birthday celebrations for Clare & Morag) so it’s all systems go for the new classes and sessions.

Rehab Club

Open to anyone who has completed at least a 121 session with us already. Suitable for dogs who struggle around other people and/or dogs whether worried or excited. These are small group sessions lasting 2hrs with refreshments and supportive coaching to get the best from you both.

Running monthly on Sundays (South Cave) and Tuesdays (South Cave & York), the next club is on Sunday 14^th October 

Rehab Club Dates

Sunday Sports & Social Club

A relaxed friendly group of WCC peeps who get together to share cake, drink tea and even do some dog training. We’ve space and equipment for most dog sports plus great trails for running or walking.  South Cave venue.

Next Club date: Sunday 14^th October 2pm

Tell us you’re coming, and get a reminder with directions

I’m coming to Sunday Sports & Social

Canicross Classes (Tuesdays @ 7pm)

If you’ve ever fancied trying to run with your dog, or taken part in an intro workshop but failed to make it a regular habit, why not sign up for our weekly Canicross Classes!

You can book just one or two classes, or grab the whole ten week block and get a discount (use this code COMMITEDCANI-X to get one session free).

New to canicross? You MUST attend week 1 for an intro and kit fitting.

Classes start Tuesday 16th October, 7pm

You DON'T have to be super fit or running far to join in, but you WILL need a headtorch!

Canicross Classes

Week	Date	Location (postcode)	Skills focus
Week 1	16th Oct	Heslington YO10 5EW	basics & running in the dark
Week 2	23rd Oct	Wheldrake Woods YO19 6BG	trail technique & passing
Week 3	30th Oct	Huntington YO32 9RE	consistent pulling
Week 4	6th Nov	Welburn Woods YO60 7ED	hill techniques
Week 5	13th Nov	Knavesmire YO23 1EX	race protocols, start line and sprints
Week 6	20th Nov	Heslington YO10 5EW	Commands, directions
Week 7	27th Nov	Wheldrake Woods YO19 6BG	Technique and directions on narrow trails
Week 8	4th Dec	Huntington YO32 9RE	Pace changes and building speed
Week 9	11th Dec	Clifton Ings (Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride) YO30 5XZ	Consistency and pacing
Week 10	18th Dec	Knavesmire YO23 1EX	Mock race!

Book canicross classes here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13187434&