Skijoring Equipment

[Rott-n-GSDs]

I'm currently in the process of training my two German Shepherds for Skijoring. It's been quite the adventure!

When I first looked into Skijoring, I was really disappointed in the equipment available. What looked to me like low quality equipment was relatively expensive. First off, of course, were harnesses. Most Skijorers tend to use the "x back" harnesses popular in sled dog racing. Like this:


Not only does that look uncomfortable to me, it's only available in a few basic colors (red, blue, black) and is made of nylon, which I'm not a fan of. X back harnesses are also not very adjustable and you can't get a perfect fit on a dog, particularly not a GSD, which are built differently than the huskies these harnesses are intended for. The way the harness works also puts a lot of pressure on the dog's back.

All Things Bright and Biothane (All Things Bright and Biothane) had a solution for me: biothane skijoring harnesses! I had lots of fun colors to choose from, and the harnesses would be custom fit to my dogs. The way they are designed puts the pulling power back where it should be: into the chest and front rather than the back and rear (particularly important for me, now that one of my dogs had an ACL injury).

See how great they look on my dogs?



Note the comfy and functional padding right where it's needed:


Another bonus: the biothane material is PERFECT for snowy/wet conditions. It doesn't soak up water, and simply wipes clean!

[Rott-n-GSDs]

The next piece of equipment I needed was a skijoring line. Some people simply choose to use a straight line with no shock absorption but I do NOT recommend that. The first time my dogs took off quickly before I was prepared I was VERY thankful for the built in bungee on my skijoring line!

Another important feature of a towline is a quick release. (Why is a quick release important? Imagine yourself bumping down the trail behind two runaway dogs, with no way to detatch yourself from them). A standard quick release is made of metal, but I wanted something different for safety reasons (I imagined a metal quick release snapping back and hitting me or worse... the dogs!).

I ended up purchasing my line from Alpine Outfitters: Alpine Outfitters - Your One-Stop Shop for Quality Working Dog Gear - Tel: (360) 659-3800 Their prices were right, and the lines are well constructed.

This is the line I got:

With one modification. Here is the soft quick release I chose:


If I had it do do all over again, I might continue my search for a better quick release. The snap you see on the modified quick release does NOT stay snapped, but so far the velcro has been enough to hold it. If some day my dogs take off merrily down the trail without me due to a faulty quick release, I'll let you know.

[Rott-n-GSDs]

The next piece of equipment is a skijoring belt (what I like to call the "human harness"). I was extremely disappointed in what was available. The prices were high, and the belts simply looked uncomfortable.

Alpine Outfitters belt (the most reasonably priced):Alpine Outfitters - Your One-Stop Shop for Quality Working Dog Gear - Tel: (360) 659-3800

Ultra Paws: Ultra Paws® Skijor Hip Belt-Ultra Paws

Skijor Now (belt is shown at the top of picture): Skijor Now: Beginner Package w/ X-Back Harness

Skijoring belts are designed to fit low on the hips, putting most of the pulling pressure on your low back. This simply didn't seem ideal to me. As you can see, the prices are quite high, considering the small amount of material you're paying for. They were also impossible to find secondhand. I decided to do some research and discovered some skijorers had started using a "seat style" windsurfing harness. Genius! The pulling pressure is more evenly distributed and they're easy to find secondhand. Plus, I would be paying for a lot more material with less flimsy construction, which somehow made me feel better.

I found my Dakine seat style windsurfing harness, complete with the "spreader bar" I'd need, for around $30 on ebay.


Yes, it does look like I'm wearing a giant black diaper, but I'm comfortable, the price was right, and it works the way it should!

[Rott-n-GSDs]

The last piece of equipment I'll talk about is considered optional. If you have two dogs, you can choose to use a neckline. A neckline connects two dogs together. The benefit of this is, if you're skijoring in the woods, you won't have one dog go on one side of the tree, and the other dog on the other side. You can imagine the results!

Here is a neckline:


Here it is in use, on my dogs:


I was told that if you're going to use a neckline, start out with one so the dogs get used to it.

[Rott-n-GSDs]

You will note that I didn't talk about an important piece of equipment for the human: skis! Well, we haven't exactly gotten that far in our training. However, I've been told that the "skate ski" style cross country skis are the best. I have a relatively decent pair and hope to give them a try when there's enough snow on the ground. I'll update after that!

[wildo]

What style of harness is that from allthingsbiothane? I don't see a specific skijoring harness on their website.

[Rott-n-GSDs]

Originally Posted by wildo

What style of harness is that from allthingsbiothane? I don't see a specific skijoring harness on their website.

It's a tracking harness, slightly modified. If you contact Martha (the owner/craftswoman) and tell her you're interested in skijoring harnesses and you were referred by Nicki, she'll know what you're looking for.

[Lenny]

Ruffwear put a new system out that looks pretty good. But I know nothing about joring.
Omnijore? Joring System - For All Dog-Pulling Activities - from Ruff Wear

[Rott-n-GSDs]

Originally Posted by Lenny

Ruffwear put a new system out that looks pretty good. But I know nothing about joring.
Omnijore? Joring System - For All Dog-Pulling Activities - from Ruff Wear

Yes, I saw that, and it looks pretty decent! I have a Ruffwear Webmaster harness and was satisfied with the quality.