My hubby and I moved to our house in September and it faces a middle school (whose mascot is... the HUSKIES!). They have this huge field behind the building for their soccer/football/track programs, as well as a couple of outdoor basketball courts. For as long as we've had our dog, we've been good and walked around the outside of the field, obeying the "No Dogs, No Trespassing" signs... until Friday night, when my hubby discovered a section of the 6' chain link fence that flops down flat and we can walk over it into this HUGE fenced in and very secure field. He figured that since it was a weekend, and that there were no school events, it'd be OK. Well... he created a monster. Last night, when we took Nikolai for his walk, my usually non-pulling dog, was pulling like crazy to get to the "secret entrance," so after the soulful "Mommy, Please? Pretty Please? Com'on, PLEEEEAAAASSSEEE" from my dog, and my hubby's begging, reluctantly, I gave in and we took him over and let him loose to SPRINT like a mad fiend for about an hour under cover of darkness. Watching him run, full-tilt boogie to the other end of the field and back in about 5" of snow was truly, a sight to behold. He is *SO FAST* holy cow!! I know, deep down, he is a sled dog. And, now I'm thinking I need to order him an x-back harness and gangline, and get myself some snow blades and really get out there with him!! But alas, we don't really have access to this wonderful place (we'd be trespassing and I'm sure they'll fix the fence, eventually), and those things are expensive, and we don't really get this much snow very often, and... I shouldn't be encouraged. But it was really, really fun. Too bad my iPhone doesn't take good pictures in low light situations.

Well...you *could* get a multi-sport harness and gangline or scooter tow-line. And then order a scooter like I did...or get a trick scooter which isn't very much but at least you could get Nikolai pull you on the scooter which you could do more of during the year. And if you end up getting snowblades, when you get up to the mountain trails, you can have him pull you on blades. I know there's a trail right along I-70 in Vail that is packed and I have seen people run, x-country ski, snowshoe with dogs on this trail.

Adanac Sleds has a nice multi-sport harness (which we bought for Ginger) which allows the dog to pull from the chest.

http://stores.adanacsleds.com/StoreFront.bok

But Alpine Outfitters may have something similar - but we do like the one we got from Adanac.

...SO TEMPTING!! I wonder if anywhere would be able to rent this stuff for us, as I don't have the cash for such fun equipment yet. :-(

Yes, there is a place you can rent equipment. However, they strongly advise to use your own harness, if you have your own of any kind, so that it properly fits your dog.

The place is called, 'Claudia's Fun Equipment'
I know the owner...she's very nice!

i would like to also meet this Claudia owner

im still waiting on my order of lines and belts from Adanac Sleds

kate it does not cost to much to get the ganglines and attachment for the front of your bike to start off with its like $30 or something like that, i got ours from alpine and love it! but for sure get a harness!

I will be in talks with this "Claudia" person in the near future, I'm sure. Hahaha...

I have a basic harness from PetSmart we use with the Walky Dog. We also have his Champion Car Seat Belt/Harness System. We also bought the Approach Backpack/harness, so I think Chris would flip out if I bought yet ANOTHER harness, even if it had lots of different uses... *sigh* It's on my list of things to spend money on though. ;-) Besides, he's a really small guy and we're hoping he'll put on a little weight before we buy a sort of "recreational" pull harness.

I'm still waiting for the x-back harness from Alpine. They got hit with a lot of custom x-back harness orders in December for the races that are starting and then once of their seamstress got sick so they were backed up. They said they were going to send the ganglines on the 5th, so I'm expecting to get it soon (I hope) since they said they were going to send it priority.

I did get the multi-sport harness from Adanac and it's nice. It's a little big around her ribs, but the main thing is that it fits her neck and chest.

I'm going to try my ice climbing belt first off the hitch up to Ginger when we snowshoe and see how that works - it looks like a skijor belt with leg loops so I figure why not?

If you ever want to try scootering with your Sibes, just let me know! Not sure it'll be a good thing to try on snow pack but if you got skis, you can go to Cresent Park and ski and have your pups pull you! It's 1.5 blocks from my house and I saw someone on skis in the park yesterday

Like I said, 'I never understood how people could have more than 1 leash, collar, food bowl, etc.'

....AND NOW I understand why!!!

cmanding wrote:

Like I said, 'I never understood how people could have more than 1 leash, collar, food bowl, etc.'

....AND NOW I understand why!!!

TRULY!!! Nikolai and Cosmo have quite a tidy collection of "stuff" much to Chris' chagrin. I feel like every time I head to a pet store, they have something new and different and interesting and suddenly VERY necessary, and well... he feels like I've reached that limit and need to wait a while before getting anything else.

I hear ya! I think I have all I need for Ginger....for now. But then again, that can change if I walk into a new pet store...

(I my industrial Pfaff.)

That sucks that you can't use the field there. We have a similar setup here with a middle school, but the field is twice the size of what the school uses. The only signs are for no sports without a permit and no vehicles. My guys love it when I let them do hot laps out there. I only do it about once every other month or so. Helps quell that super excitement a bit.

Just imagine that's me, turning green with envy.

Our middle school is on the same "block" as an elementary school too - so it's really, REALLY huge (maybe three blocks long by three blocks wide in total). There's the 6' fence down the middle, but even so, the fenced portion has a soccer field, football field two basketball courts and additional "staging area." They let people in to the Elementary School field half but it's kind of hilly, has a massive play structure and it's not completely fenced in. Plus they have the No Dogs signage everywhere.

Try Nordkyn Outfitters in Graham, WA, for harnesses, waist belts and collars.
http://www.nordkyn.com/
They have equipment for mushing and skijoring.
I've used their collars and harnesses on three dogs.
Their stuff is well-made. I recommend it.

cmanding wrote:

Like I said, 'I never understood how people could have more than 1 leash, collar, food bowl, etc.'

....AND NOW I understand why!!!

It's so wonderful to see them run free like that. Probably one of my favorite reasons to go to the dog park I absolutely am enamored by them when they run

jalepeno wrote:

Try Nordkyn Outfitters in Graham, WA, for harnesses, waist belts and collars.
http://www.nordkyn.com/
They have equipment for mushing and skijoring.
I've used their collars and harnesses on three dogs.
Their stuff is well-made. I recommend it.

DOGGONNITT!! A new store to visit! That could mean something new for 'G-girl'...

.