Deep in the Forest of Dean, on a crisp March morning, 120 dog owners are gathered for the start of a race. Event organisers have marked out a 5km (3mile) course around the Gloucestershire forest and now a crowd is gathered at the starting line, where two Siberian huskies strain in their harnesses. The signal to start comes: “Hike on!” cries the huskies’ owner, and the dogs scramble away, pulling him into a fast jog in their wake.

A few moments behind the husky team, in a staggered start, come labradors, retrievers, poodles, collies, cocker spaniels . . . their owners all running behind. They are connected directly to their dogs via bungee cords, which link harnesses on the dogs to belts that the pet owners wear around their waists. When the dogs bound away, the owners run after them, with an added spring in their step thanks to the dogs’ pulling power. This is cani-cross, short for canine cross country, a sport that began life in the Scandinavian dog-sledding community but which is rapidly gaining a British following.

Initially practised by dog-sledders (who are also known as “mushers”) as a training exercise during the snowless, off season, it aimed to teach Siberian huskies to pull a harness. Since then cani-cross has been embraced by the doggy community at large: almost all breeds, from labrador to poodle, can participate, along with owners, who range from children to pensioners.

Proponents of cani-cross describe their hobby as a “turbo-charged run” and though UK events are still small affairs, the mainstream running community is beginning to take notice: cani-cross recently featured in Runner’s World magazine. So, is cani-cross set to be the UK’s next fitness craze? Or is it just a case of a few mad Englishmen and their dogs?

Nicky Robinson, a sleddog enthusiast from Gloucestershire, was one of the first to bring the sport to Britain. In 1995 she acquired two Siberian huskies and began attending events on the UK rig-racing circuit (in rig-racing, dogs pull competitors who stand on a wheeled sled). To keep her dogs exercised, she decided to start running with them in harness: “I discovered something quite surprising: I loved it,” says this self-confessed former exercise-phobe. “Soon, I was doing 6km every morning. Before this, the only place I’d ever run was to the off-licence. Huskies pull hard and there’s something exhilarating about the extra power. Then again, sometimes they want to stop to sniff a tree, and that’s fine too. It’s all about teamwork.”

Robinson’s informal hobby was transformed, though, in 2001, when she saw an article in a dog-sledding magazine explaining that running with dogs in harness is considered a sport in itself in Europe: “I was thrilled. Wasn’t it likely that lots of British people were cani-crossers too without knowing it?”

That’s how she came to organise the first UK cani-cross event in the Forest of Dean in 2003. She advertised for competitors in Dog World magazine and 27 showed up. Now, the UK’s largest cani-cross organisation, called CaniX UK, organises regular events all over Britain that draw competitors with a wide range of dogs. Golden retrievers, labradors, Jack Russells and bull terriers have all taken part. In fact, CaniX UK says any breed can participate except for snub-nosed breeds, such as pugs, which have difficulty breathing.

No special equipment is needed — you can cani-cross with a lead and collar — but a harness, cani-cross line and belt are recommended. This get-up leaves both hands free and also transfers force to your dog’s strong chest and shoulder muscles, instead of the neck. Super-fitness is not a prerequisite: there are 2.5km “have a go” courses, and short courses for children, as well as 5km courses for those who are really keen. Most cani-crossers run with only one dog, some with two and, according to the rules, dogs must stay in front of their owners.

Jane Morris, 55, from Frome in Somerset, is a regular on the circuit. She had been running with her white poodle, Chantelle, for 20 months before she saw Robinson’s advert in 2003: “I just love running with other cani-crossers and Chantelle gets so excited on the start line,” says Morris. “She does provide a bit of forward momentum, but on hills she looks around at me as if to say ‘I’m not dragging you up here’. ” Morris recently ran 5km with Chantelle in 28 minutes, about four minutes faster than she would without poodle power. “I train with Chantelle four times a week, and we often draw comments. Chantelle gives me extra motivation to run before work; it’s like having your own personal trainer. My fitness has really improved.” Even Robinson’s husband has taken up cani-cross, running with their miniature poodle, Hugo.

The sport, though, can also cater to the most serious runners. Simon Layman, 39, from Wiltshire, is an army staff sergeant who first saw cani-cross while running a 1,000km race in Biel, Switzerland, in 2000. “I run a lot with my squad, but it’s very disciplined and it also feels pretty solitary,” he says. “When I run with my two huskies, Sashka and Takoda, there’s a real sense of oneness with the dogs. You have to become adept at shouting the direction commands; there’s constant communication. Running becomes a whole new experience.”

Last year Layman cani-crossed the Wiltshire Neolithic Marathon last year, (41.8km) across Salisbury Plain. He swapped dogs en route; the longest section he ran with a single dog was 14km. “These animals can travel thousands of kilometres across the ice when pulling a sled,” he says, “so 14km is no trouble.”

But for dog owners who prefer their exercise a little less intense — even those who don’t exercise at all — cani-cross could point the way to a new kind of exercise regimen. Laura Williams is a qualified personal trainer and fitness expert. “Broadly speaking, you’re going to get the same health benefits out of this as you would normal running,” she says. “That means better heart and lung function, stronger leg muscles and

higher bone density in the legs, and a stronger immune system. For those new to exercise, I’d say aim for three sessions a week, of 20 to 30 minutes. If running is difficult, try alternating 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking, then gradually increase your running time.

“Running is great exercise for weight loss. With cani-cross, if your dog is pulling you along, that will decrease calorie burn and other health benefits. But, if involving your dog in your exercise regimen gives you the motivation to stick with it, then, ultimately, it’s got to be good.”

Time will tell whether cani-cross becomes Britain’s next fitness craze. There’s no doubt, though, that the sport is finding recognition at the highest levels. Since 2003 the International Federation of Sleddog Sports has held an annual dry-land world championship to complement its “on snow” event, and cani-cross is included. Bengt Ponten, the federation’s president, says: “This sport started life as a niche summer pursuit for mushers, but it has grown beyond that extremely quickly. Now our world championship usually draws about 60 top cani-crossers. Here in Sweden cani-cross is becoming popular because we’re getting less snow. But you could just as easily do it around a park in London or Manchester.”

Eileen Cook, the race organiser of CaniX UK, echoes these words. “Britain is too sedentary,” she says. “But we’re also a nation of dog lovers; cani-cross in the answer. We have 1,000 members on our database, from children to 70-year-olds. When new cani-crossers pass their first finishing line and hear the crowds cheering and see how happy their dogs are, they are hooked.”

INVOLVING A DOG IN YOUR EXERCISE HELPS MOTIVATION

MUSH, MUSH

Dogs have a natural pulling instinct. If at first your dog won’t pull, ask a friend to run in front with treats. Be patient; you have probably spent years encouraging your dog not to pull. Choose a short, flat course for your first training runs. Give positive reinforcement once finished. Grass and dirt trails are best for cani-cross. Dogs can develop impact or pad injuries if they run for too long on tarmac. CaniX UK organises regular events across England. To join CaniX UK or to enter an event, visit www.canix.co.uk. Annual membership is £10; for adult members race entry is £8; juniors, £4. For nonmembers, adult race entry is £12, juniors £6. The CaniX season runs from October to May. Summer running is avoided because dogs can overheat or dehydrate more easily than human beings. The next CaniX UK event is at Cheltenham Racecourse, on April 22. Entry closes April 18. Equipment can be purchased at www.canix.co.uk or www.culpeppers.co.uk. Make sure that you have been checked out by a GP if you don’t do regular exercise. And get your dog checked by a vet. Cani-cross is not recommended for dogs that are under one year old.

Puppy power
Teaching his young dog new tricks in agility classes allowed the relationship counsellor ANDREW G. MARSHALL to quit his hated aerobics class at the gym and get fit with man’s best friend

My work as a psychologist is incredibly sedentary. I’m either at a computer writing or in my therapy office listening to couples fighting. So I desperately need exercise to help me to unwind and keep fit. I used to swim, but my brain kept recycling my clients’ problems. The gym was just boring and I could not face any more “body pump” — aerobics with weights — after they started using dreary Jane McDonald songs for shoulder lifts.

The answer came from the puppy training classes that I’d just finished with my dog, a border collie/Brittany spaniel cross, called Flash. The trainer was starting dog agility classes at a local equestrian centre. The idea is to get your pet around a course of jumps, tunnels and obstacles in the quickest time and with the fewest faults. (A bit like Horse of the Year show, but with dogs.) After the first five minutes, I knew that I would need to be pretty fit to keep up with Flash, who had been aptly named.

The experts in dog agility, as seen on the TV at Crufts, can basically stand in the middle of the course and direct their dog. At my level, I have to sprint to keep up or Flash loses his concentration and goes over the wrong jump. Not only is it fast and furious but you have to give commands, remember left from right and make certain that you don’t trip over your dog.

As you can imagine, it’s impossible to think about work, too. The class size is the same as body pump — about 12 to 15 — but the age spread is wider, from teenagers taking the family dog, to retired people who are exercising to recover from a heart attack or a stroke. Nobody worries what they look like because it is impossible to appear cool while trying to coax a dog up one end of a seesaw.

Each weekly class lasts an hour and a half and there is a bonus weights workout too: lugging the equipment back into the store afterwards. However, the best thing about agility is that a dog will guilt-trip you into going out even on a cold winter night. So six years on, I’m still as keen as ever.

I’ve dropped the body pump and the gym and, instead, I take Flash for at least an hour and a half’s walk each day across the fields around my village, supplemented with a night of agility. Occasionally I return to the pool at the local leisure centre and glance through the gym window at the people on treadmills running nowhere. That’s when I know that dogs are not only man’s best friend but our best training partner, too.

For more information and a list of clubs, visit www.agilitynet.com

Andrew G. Marshall is a marital therapist and the author of I Love You But I’m Not in Love With You (Bloomsbury, £10.99). Read his column Are We Normal? on page 18

DR TOBY MURCOTT THE HEALTH BENEFITS

Do dogs help fitness? There have been a number of studies looking at whether owning a dog encourages people to exercise. The results are not clear-cut, but there is a general view that it does. A 2006 US study of 1,282 dog-walkers concluded that it may. A similarly sized study of Australians, in 2005, agreed with this tentative conclusion and suggested that more research needed to be done. However, a 2006 Canadian study of 351 people stated simply that dog owners took more exercise.

It can work both ways, too, as shown by the People and Pets Exercising Together study. Published in 2006, it indicated that overweight dogs and their overweight owners lost more weight during the programme than dogless individuals.

Are there other health benefits to dog walking? Pets act as “social catalysts” and increase interaction between people. A study carried out at the University of Warwick in 2000 showed that being accompanied by a dog meant more interactions with strangers. Even a scruffy dog-walker had more hellos than a smart, solo stroller. Toby Murcott is a former BBC science correspondent

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