How to Ski Jour with your Dog

Have some fun while giving your dog some exercise-have him/her pull you on skis! This instructable will show you how.

Step 1 Prepare Yourself

You will need:
1 dog harness
1 bungee cord
1 dog leash
1 fanny pack or belt
1 pair of nordic skis and boots
1 pair of poles
1 dog that's ready to pull!

Prepare yourself physically: dress warm and, depending on your skiing ability, balance, and obediance of chosen dog, you may consider wearing a helmet or other safety gear. ;)Put on skis, boots, poles, and the belt or fanny pack (a good opportunity to show off your inner geekiness)

Prepare yourself mentally: Get ready for an adventure!

Pick your location:I went out on our frozen, snow-covered lake because the conditions there are amazing, but it may be easier to find cross-country trails at a ski resort. Just make sure dogs are allowed on the trails.

Comments

[airsoft master 25]

awesome idea

[schlimmerkerl]

Our dog is also a Aussie mix (but he has a smooth coat and Doberman markings-- i think i just added his picture) who loves to pull. I tried skis, but he hated the harness we had at the time. So we got into scooting (www.dogpoweredscooter.com) and took off the very first time-- he's fearless and smart. Can't wait till winter (not really, but i'll try it.)

[DainiusGB]

yeah i had this big german shephard (see my instructable's video) who would pull me along in a sled when i was little.

[zjharva]

nice aussie..... my family has an aussie puppy.

[Rainey]

Great Job! I started skijouring this winter with my golden retriever, Louie. I also built a kick sled for Louie to pull the little kids in the neighborhood around...they all love it. It's a great way to exercise your dog too. Now I'm working on making a lightweight summer dog buggy for Louie to pull.

[GorillazMiko]

Great pictures! Great Instructable as well! Amazing job. And by the way, just hit the orange REPLY button to reply to comments. Your dog is cute! +1 rating.

[shortone]

Yes i do know how to reply to comments...but thanks for telling me anyways! ;) Thanks for the compliments...that's one thing i love about this site is the "be nice" policy. it's so positive! :D and i'll be sure to tell my dog that someone thinks he's cute.

[echodawg]

Nice Job.
If you want to find the proper gear to Skijor then check out Nordkyn.
The equipment is well made and very well priced.
They provide instruction on how to measure your dawg and then ship
you custom collars, harnesses and backpacks, everything you need.
They even rebuild anything that wears out if you send them the old hardware.

http://www.nordkyn.com/

[shortone]

Hey thank for all the positive! I just got my dog in November or December, and we have snow where I live then, so I haven't tried it in summer. I did get pulled on roller blades by a dog once... and our old dog used to pull my little sister and me in a sled all the time when we were little kids!

[wrique]

Nice job on your first instructable; great choice of subject matter! Have you ever tried this in summer with roller skis?

[Brennn10]

This is great!! When I was alot younger, I would tie strings to my dog, and have her pull me in a sled.

[wxdude]

Great stuff! I'd like to give it a try next winter...