Dog Scootering a journey

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MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by MPbandmom »

Yesterday I tried running both dogs separately. A friend of mine ran Sky and I ran Sirius. The idea was to use Sky as a "rabbit" and see if I could get video of Sirius running for the Dog Scouts of America scootering/skijoring badge. Sirius ran really well. I hope my video shows enough of it to earn the badge. It seems that I failed to turn the camera back on after turning it off at the beginning because we didn't get started as quickly as I had anticipated. So, the part where she was really running well, didn't get recorded. :( I turned the camera off and then back on again after a potty break by Sky. The camera was mounted at such an angle on my handlebars that I seemed to get better video of Sky running than Sirius. :( I turned the camera off and on one more time during a dog evasion break and left the camera on for the remainder of the run until it shut itself off. I also adjusted the camera a bit better as Sirius was running off to the side close to the canal which was outside of the camera range. She seemed to do a lot of stopping to pee, lap up water in puddles, stop to sniff etc. None of which she had done during the portion of the run that didn't get recorded. :( I have video of the dogs getting a water break. I have video of my first ever scootering/bikejoring wreck. Sirius stopped to poo and for whatever reason, instead of hitting both brakes like I normally would, I only hit the back one, and that did absolutely nothing towards stopping the bicycle. Having the front wheel turned sideways by the tugline once I had passed Sirius by was a very effective stopping method, if not very graceful. Thankfully we were going slowly enough that I received no remarkable injuries. Unlike some of the club members who experienced much the same thing and came out with black eyes. The crash seemed to further adjust the camera angle so that it showed Sirius running batter after that, but this was about the time Sky started flaking out on us. I have video of Sky stopping repeatedly once she got freaked out by my friends bicycle.

I am going to attempt to get the badge with what I have rather than attempt to do the run again. I hope I can assemble enough commentary and documentation of our distance traveled that will fill in the gaps of the video and that will work. If not, I may give it one more try, but I will start out with the intention of running only a mile.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by MPbandmom »

Earlier this week I took the scooter and bicycle in to the bike shop for their annual check up. I also had warning bells installed as I have learned that this is required on the canal towpath. A group got together for a run yesterday morning, but I had Thanksgiving preparations to do. Well my husband was doing the preparations and it didn't seem right to blow out of the house and go bikejoring while he did all the work. :wink:

No one from the club is running today because the club specialty is tomorrow and all of the samoyeds are getting bathed and primped today in preparation for that. Sky had seemed off this summer after her surgery, but has recently perked up and I had decided that I would start her out around the neighborhood to see how she did. However, I signed up to do a 5k sometime around Thanksgiving so gave some serious consideration to heading out to the canal as I was certain Sky could do the distance required to meet the 5k. My aversion to going out there solo prevailed however, so I took Sky out for a run over to the local park this morning.

It quickly became apparent that the issue Sky had developed with the squealing brakes on my friends bicycle had transferred to the non squealing brakes on my scooter. Every time I hit the brakes, Sky would stop, look at me in a very worried manner and assume a perfect heel position with me between her and the scooter. This is a dog who NEVER walks at heel. If she gets freaked out by something her normal response is to go to my right side and heel there. The scooter was on my right side, so she heeled on my left.

The only time she perked up a bit was when a couple of squirrels ran past in front of us. :( She did pull a little, but it lacked her usual joy and delight in being able to run and it wasn't at a speed that would allow for bikejoring. Every time I hit the brakes she became worried. She did eventually seem to adjust to them some, but clearly wasn't happy about them and the brakes are an essential part of running the dog.

We made it a shortened loop around the park and as we had a poo bag to deposit and the dog park was empty we stopped by there for a little while. I disconnected the tug line from the scooter and swapped it out for the leash that I had carried in my bag. She ran around a bit, and then a car came in so I called her to come. She came racing up to me with a big grin on her face and I moved her from the large dog area to the small dog area since I figured it would take me longer than usual to get out of the dog park as I had a scooter to collect and get through the gate.

Two sibes came in. One obviously a puppy. There were also children that came with the sibes. Sky had a delightful time running back and forth along the fence with the sibes and children. Then we headed out and walked back home.

Sky had her first scooter run of the season today. It has been a very short season. I'm not sure where we go from here. Obviously we will continue to walk and have good times together. Am I really passionate enough about scootering that I want to borrow someone else's dog to be able to run with the club? I love running my dog, that I know well, that doesn't catch me off guard, that is bonded to me. I am not sure running some other dog that is not mine would be the same experience. At the same time, it could be a better experience since I might not have to stop every time we encounter another dog and move off of the trail. Time to do some serious soul searching, analyzing, and thinking.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by MPbandmom »

Friends suggest trying Sky for a run at the canal. They pointed out that since we have been taking walks to the park recently, Sky was probably thinking walk and the presence of the scooter confused her. I am not 100% convinced as she was definitely having issues with the sounds of the brakes rubbing on the rims and I had suspected that her last run last season went afoul due to brakes screeching on rims behind her.

However she did seem to adjust to the noise a little bit, so perhaps the opportunity to run where she is accustomed to running will get her over this issue.

Of course they took a two year old male into the rescue today, and I find myself thinking........no, I can't do it. I have my hands full with these two.

I have been trying to figure out how I really feel about sibes. When I see them at the dog park,or otherwise out and about, I think how cool and cute and awesome. I want my next dog to be a sibe. They have a shorter coat and I feel like they are more suited to our climate. They are still mushing dogs, and did I say I have always had a soft spot for sibes with their blue eyes? Then I see them at a dog show. I don't know what it is about sibes at a dog show, but I am not impressed with them in the least. :?

There is a lot that I like about the samoyeds. I just have two issues with them. Their coat, and their coat. The coat takes a lot of care and work. The coat means they are pretty much constantly hot. Well, maybe a third issue, kind of more of an observation that I find somewhat confusing, and the confusion may stem from, again, the coat. When Sky runs in harness, I really like her movement. It seems as if she is walking on air, She just seems to glide almost effortlessly. Like her legs are fine tuned springs or something that touch the ground, compress slightly and lift off.

I have never ridden behind a samoyed, but have viewed many videos made by club members and they just seem to bounce kind of like pistons going up and down. I can't figure out if it is the stride or the fur that gives this appearance. From the side many of them have beautiful and fluid motion, but from the back, they just look bouncy. I also think Sky is proportionally longer in the leg which might make for the difference in appearance in the stride.

Movement is definitely something I need to learn more about.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
Erica
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Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by Erica »

I know Ami's fur makes him seem more bouncy than he really is. There's a lot of rebound within the long fur!

I'd definitely suggest hanging out with some pet huskies, if you can; they are, from what I've heard, a breed you either love or hate to have. I follow a blog of someone who has 5 huskies and a husky mix. Here is her FAQ page which has some info about living with huskies. :) I think, going off of the info there, you might not have much of an issue - especially with doing scootering and fulfilling their instincts through that.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by MPbandmom »

Thank you Erica.

I am beginning to think it may be a color of the husky thing that I have an issue with. Of course conversely, I have never met a samoyed that I didn't like. I have met a few that I wouldn't get my dogs anywhere near, but then there aren't too many dogs that I would get my dogs close to anyway. I'm thinking at some point in the future to see about fostering perhaps both breeds. I know people who run huskies and Samoyeds together and I know people who own Samoyeds and Buhunds. Buhunds aren't exactly pulling dogs although I have seen some used for scootering.

There is a Christmas parade this coming weekend. I won't take my dogs as I took Sky one year and she about had a nervous breakdown due to the large numbers of dogs of various breeds staged in an area that required everybody to get along, which they didn't all do. Then during the parade itself, there were dogs in the crowd of spectators on flexi leads darting out into the parade line visiting dogs that were in the parade. :shock: Seriously people do you want your dog to become a snack or cause somebody to wreck? I was supposed to stay beside another scooter team at the end of our group, but the dogs in front of us kept stopping for people in the crowd to pet them. This wouldn't have been much of an issue, had the two dogs at the back not been ones who can take issue with other dogs being too close to them. The other person managed to pass those who were stopping to visit the crowd, but every time I tried to catch up, they would head on their way again, so Sky and I ended up bringing up the rear solo. Which might have been kind of fitting to end with the brown dog wearing the white angel costume. :lol:

Then the closest dryland race is coming up soon. A part of me is tempted to enter, which must be my crazy side considering the failed first run and the fact that Sky has yet to run in harness this year. It is also a hilly race with a water crossing. There is a sportsmans class with a 2.5 mile option instead of the 4 miles run by the other classes except canicross which is 1.5 miles. I have spectated at this race before. In fact, this is the race that introduced me to the samoyed. There is more room to spread out and I don't think there would be the crowding at the starting gate issues as were at the race that I had entered Sky in where she likewise almost had a nervous breakdown. The biggest problem is that it is a two day race and I would only be able to attend one day, so I think spectating is likely the better option.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by MPbandmom »

Sky retired last year and I miss scootering. I think more so this year than last year. I have determined to take steps to remedy this situation.

I have also determined that there is a Samoyed in my future. I have gone back and forth on this because of the grooming requirements of the breed as well as their environmental needs ie, they like it cool. I have been concerned about having a Sammy in our climate. As I spend more time with the breed and their owners, my concerns in these areas are diminishing.

There is something about the sammies. I have long been aware of it in a kind of vague sense, but recently at a club function the effect was so intense that the source was unmistakable. I have always felt a comfort around the sammies that I don't generally feel around other dogs. Sure, I feel it to a certain extent with my own dogs, but sammies are special. While having what I considered a wonderful time at the club function, two samoyeds entered the room and I felt an immediate wave of calm and contentment pass over me. That pretty well sealed the deal.

I do need to be patient a while longer. 2019 is my current goal year for acquiring a Samoyed. That could move up or back depending on how those things go that one can not really anticipate or plan for. Our cat is 18 years old with CKD, but for the moment is still getting around, eating well, and generally being a cat. Vet's who see her never believe she is as old as she is, so she could still be around in 2 years, or she could be gone sometime before then. If she is gone sometime before then, that opens the door to possibly adding a Samoyed before 2019.

In the mean time, I will be starting to put feelers out to some recommended reputable localish breeders that I am looking for a breeder boomerange should they have this situation arise.

I have been advised that I should begin the paperwork and approval process with the local breed rescue about 6 months before I am ready to adopt.

I will be joining the local sled dog club. I feel that I need to support this organization's work in our local area. I also feel they will able to share valuable experienced knowledge on mixed teams.

Eventually I hope to have a two dog team. Only one of those dogs will be a Samoyed. I will need to find a good match for me and to run with my Sammy.

Time flies at my age :lol: I intend to enjoy long walks with my dogs, hanging out with friends and their sammies, and maybe starting to volunteer at some of the dryland races around here and attending meetings and offerings of the Sled Dog Club. 2019 will be here in no time.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
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Nettle
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Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by Nettle »

It's commendable that you have put so much thought and research into this, and I hope it all works out as you want :D you certainly deserve that.

Be prepared for the right Sammi to turn up at the wrong time....dogs do that.....
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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MPbandmom
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:18 pm

Re: Dog Scootering a journey

Post by MPbandmom »

Thank you Nettle.

The having the right dog show up at the wrong time does seem to be the downside of seeking an adult as opposed to a puppy.

Of the breeders I have been recommended to contact, one has only had one boomerang ever, and the other two only slightly more. All of them only breed every few years to preserve their lines.

It seems that the odds are more in line with ending up with a rescue. The good part of that is that I am well known to one of the ladies in the rescue and she already has a pretty good idea of what I am looking for. She is also the one who recommended the breeders.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
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