Chariots of Fur
September 4, 2008 8:41 PM   Subscribe

Canicross is a dog sport that isn't well known in the states, but is gaining popularity in the UK and Europe. It's a little like running with your dog but a bit more technical, a little faster and way more fun.
posted by freshwater_pr0n (30 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
My dog would love this.

But my dog would also use that lead attached to my hip to pull me into a tree, through some mud, and down a hill before trying to get me to play fetch, possibly with my detached arm.

Seriously, though, thanks!
posted by flibbertigibbet at 8:48 PM on September 4, 2008 [2 favorites]


The soundtrack to the linked video is about the most awful Stuff Mart-brand techno drivel I've ever heard as delivered by an underconfident type talking herself through the process of leaving her house to socialize for the first time. Who the hell gave Meg Griffin a vocoder?

Other than that, pretty cool.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 9:05 PM on September 4, 2008


the lady in the soundtrack going "I found a place where we can boogie at night" while an older man is dragged along by what looks like a small corgy.

the lady in the soundtrack going "grab your coat, get your keys, 'cause whatever you're drinking is on me~~" while an overweight gentleman trots along behind his extremely shaggy labrador-looking dog

i mean, i hate to be all cynical, i'm sure it's extremely fun, at least pretty fun
but
who on earth thought this song would be 'cool' to play over a video of a bunch of people with too much free time on their hands being dragged along by their dogs?
posted by Frikki at 9:40 PM on September 4, 2008


That race looks awesome when the human is many, many times bigger than the dog.

Which means I need to gain 200 pounds and run it with a toy chihuahua puppy.
posted by suckerpunch at 9:40 PM on September 4, 2008


I prefer felicross, where my cat falls asleep on my stomach while I'm stretched out on the couch reading a book. It's more a marathon than a sprint.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:40 PM on September 4, 2008 [15 favorites]


a bunch of people with too much free time on their hands

Running for fitness is such a ridiculously enormous waste of one's free time.
posted by Brittanie at 10:05 PM on September 4, 2008


It's a little like running with your dog...

Uh, I watched the video and thought it was exactly like running with your dog.
posted by grounded at 10:12 PM on September 4, 2008 [4 favorites]


Well, it's no dog scootering, but it still looks like fun.

Damn, I want a dog so bad.
posted by infinitywaltz at 10:21 PM on September 4, 2008


> I prefer felicross, where my cat falls asleep on my stomach while I'm stretched out on the couch reading a book. It's more a marathon than a sprint.

Dude, I so got you beat, because I can totally nap on the couch with the cat on my chest, not just when I am reading a book.

It's team felicross also, because one pushes the other off (or they both wedge themselves inplace) over the course of a lazy afternoon.
posted by mrzarquon at 10:40 PM on September 4, 2008


Running for fitness is such a ridiculously enormous waste of one's free time.

I completely agree.
posted by agress at 10:49 PM on September 4, 2008


. . . the lady in the soundtrack going "I found a place where we can boogie at night" while an older man is dragged along by what looks like a small corgy.

Nooo! It was a Jack Russell, I think.

Dammit, I watched that looking for a corgi. A corgi would rule at this sport. Actually, my corgi would rule at this sport if she weren't blind, and if she weren't, well, highly averse to moving at a pace faster than a slow trot for more than 45 seconds at a go.

Okay, so my corgi would be ass at this sport. But she'd look cute!

And as far as the music goes-- come on! Listening to some polyurethane disco chanteuse croon the word "Boog-eh!" over and over while watching people stumble flailingly down hills after their eager, slobbery dogs is just about as good as entertainment gets in this world.

Hell, if it were allowed, I'd be tempted change my username to "Boog-eh!" right now.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 11:26 PM on September 4, 2008


Makes me think of skijoring, which looks like more fun to me, though I've had neither skis nor dog in a while.

Just a couple of the sacrifices I have made for my rigorous felicross training regimen.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:33 PM on September 4, 2008


Ah, there is also bike joring, which also has a bad techno soundtrack.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:43 PM on September 4, 2008


Skijoring is more bad-ass with horses.
posted by grounded at 11:52 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Shouldn't the dog be running the person down from behind?

Fail.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 12:14 AM on September 5, 2008


Now what would make canicross really more fun would be jumps (for both man and dog), water traps, obstacles to climb, and ziplines :)

Skijoring with horses however looks awsome..

(/me goes back to honing his felicross skills!)
Thank god my pc was muted when I played both canicross videos, and did you know that Wépion - where both canicros events took place is the belgian capital of strawberries?

posted by nielm at 12:36 AM on September 5, 2008


I just let my dog clean my monitor
posted by DreamerFi at 1:23 AM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites]


DreamerFi, wow. In effect, it's sort of a friendly, boogly-eyed goatse.

I'm going to watch it again now.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 2:15 AM on September 5, 2008


Booty Luv - Boogie 2nite
posted by dhartung at 2:43 AM on September 5, 2008


Brittanie
i would normally let this comment slide, however, just so noone misunderstands my point

running, with or without dog, for fitness, or whatever other reason one might have (the law maybe?) is a perfectly good use of free time

however

thinking up a way to make running with your dog more 'technical' then proceeding to go through the woods setting up a course and giving everyone numbered jerseys and last but not least, thinking of a name for the whole spectacle is something i would like to think is a bit of a waste of time, maybe?

(but i'm sorry, it's just that lately i've been watching too much bbc so i have this urge to act like an ass) (i'll stop now)
posted by Frikki at 3:11 AM on September 5, 2008


First of all... clever title.

Second -- I just want to take this moment to publicly challenge anyone in Arizona to a canicross battle. Seriously, I know some great loops where we could run something like this.

Here's the deal: Gus and I, we've been running like 35 miles a week, competing in "normal" races for awhile. I feel like we might be the fastest running human / dog team in the area, because no one really seems to step up as competition. That makes it true, right?

Obviously, a race is the only real way to settle this. Sure... there's the Frank Kush Human / Dog 5k around Tempe Town Lake, but that's more of an event for little kids, certainly nothing compared to a proper trail run.

(As an alternative, anyone who wants to drag race me on dog pulled skateboards can meet me down on Mill Ave some morning for a pre-dawn illicit street race.)

This event type is kinda weird.... I'd never heard / thought of it before, but the emphasis really does seem to be on having the dog pull you along. In a way, that's kinda clever, if you're doing short distances and aren't dealing with crazy terrain. It looks like most of the races are short, like less than 6k. Going over 10km, I bet it'd get pretty ugly for most dogs. I kinda like the extra control of the leash in my hand, too... but I bet you get used to the waist thingy.

Of course, running with the dog, I've put so much goddamned effort into getting him to not pull, it's kind of ironic to think we could have been the stars of a sport we'd never heard of. (Although, some of those times are actually pretty fast...)
posted by ph00dz at 5:46 AM on September 5, 2008


Running for fitness is such a ridiculously enormous waste of one's free time.

Not like watching someone else run for fitness. On a youtube video. On Meatafilter. Then commenting on it. Hmm.
posted by nosila at 5:56 AM on September 5, 2008


A little late in the game, I know, but to me, the cheese-house soundtrack perfectly shades how the dogs feel and parodies how the people feel at the same time.

The dogs are super-stoked, and the humans seem to take it pretty seriously. It makes the videos feel like they're straight out of an 80's sport movie, such as the esteemed Rad.

I love how some lady's dog in the bike joring video linked in the comments stopped immediately after the start to sniff the first tree they came to. Doggies sure are cute.
posted by nosila at 6:07 AM on September 5, 2008


I think calling this a sport is being a bit generous, worthwhile use of one's time or not.
posted by JaredSeth at 6:36 AM on September 5, 2008


Well, if running without a dog is a sport, I suppose it's still one with a dog.

Combining dog agility with parkour, now that would be something to see...
posted by Foosnark at 6:57 AM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites]


Hooleee crap, horse skijoring is just too badass.

Sorry dogs, go back to dragging your owners around.
posted by anthill at 7:28 AM on September 5, 2008


Horse skijoring from a POV camera...
posted by anthill at 8:11 AM on September 5, 2008


I always thought skijoring was done with reindeer, which sounds WAY more awesome than horses or dogs...

I guess you could use moose or elk too, which would be incredibly badass.
posted by dolface at 10:27 AM on September 5, 2008


Skijoring looks like fun. Its kind of like skate-joring only with less potential for catastrophic injuries. I don't recommend it. Skate-joring being a newly minted phrase for getting on your skateboard and letting your animal roll you down the street, usually over a curb or into a tree. Good times for about 90 seconds, especially when your dog is afraid of anything with wheels and is desperately trying to run from you and the board the whole time.
posted by premortem at 2:03 PM on September 5, 2008


This is exactly the sort of thing that will stop intelligent life from visiting earth.
posted by Frasermoo at 6:11 PM on September 5, 2008


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