# Scootering!



## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I took Maisy out with the scooter for the first time today, she was amazing! 







Right after I turned the camera off, she suddenly lit up and just started really moving, it was surprisingly exhilarating considering that it wasn't really THAT fast. We only went around the block, but it was really fun.

Lessons learned: 

Her "on by" was surprisingly solid, I guess the pulling is just so fun and self-rewarding that a couple of squirrels and dogs on walks weren't worth stopping for. 

On walks she does great with Gee and Haw, but when she's going fast she seems to automatically want to turn left at any intersection. I started around the block clockwise, so we were making all right turns and I think it was a bit confusing and frustrating for her for me to insist on Gee. So next time I'll go counterclockwise so I can use it to cement her Haw. 

Passersby are really fascinated by scootering! 

A couple of stills, too:



















Thanks for looking!


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

That is awesome! She really looks like she is having a great time!

If Gracie were a little bit bigger, I may try it . However, her prey drive is a bit too high and I may get killed!

So, Gee is right and Haw is left?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

theyogachick said:


> However, her prey drive is a bit too high and I may get killed!


That's been my fear, too, but we saw a couple of squirrels and she really only glanced at them or slowed slightly, but then picked up again with the verbal commands. I was really surprised, but pleasantly. 



> So, Gee is right and Haw is left?


Yes!


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

What a GREAT little dog!!!! GEEZ! Maisy is totally working. I'm so impressed to see her actually in "work mode" with head down, tail down, totally focused and concentrating on her gait. Wowee! She is gonna be a great mentor for Squash!!!

Funny how they tend to ignore wildlife when in harness, huh?! It definitely depends on the dog - and I have a few that would rather take me for a wild ride than listen to "on by" - but I'm always, ALWAYS amazed when we pass squirrels, geese, or even deer! i shouldn't be, by now, but the difference between walks and harness work is just so profound it's amazing.

I can't wait to see more of your videos! Now you gotta get a helmet cam... uh oh, it's starting...!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

nekomi said:


> What a GREAT little dog!!!! GEEZ! Maisy is totally working. I'm so impressed to see her actually in "work mode" with head down, tail down, totally focused and concentrating on her gait. Wowee! She is gonna be a great mentor for Squash!!!


I don't even really know what breed she is, but she acts like she was born for this! The second best thing about bringing Squash home was discovering this whole world of pulling sports that are just the best outlet ever for her. It's so wonderful not to fight her tendency to pull. (The first best thing being Squash himself, of course.  )



> Funny how they tend to ignore wildlife when in harness, huh?! It definitely depends on the dog - and I have a few that would rather take me for a wild ride than listen to "on by" - but I'm always, ALWAYS amazed when we pass squirrels, geese, or even deer! i shouldn't be, by now, but the difference between walks and harness work is just so profound it's amazing.


I was actually really worried about this because she does have a pretty substantial squirrel drive, but... she just wasn't that interested. So amazing. 



> I can't wait to see more of your videos! Now you gotta get a helmet cam... uh oh, it's starting...!


I'm beginning to understand why this stuff is so addictive! LOL


By the way, what do you think of the fit of her harness? It was so hard to measure her because she is a wiggly little thing.


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Yes, it's definitely addicting, isn't it!? Just wait 'til you hit the snow! You'll never want winter to end! (OK, maybe that's an exaggeration.  )

I was thinking her harness looks a bit big. The back loop (where you attach the tugline) should start right at the base of her tail. In the video and photos, it looks like it starts somewhere in mid-air behind her butt a little bit. 

Granted, I've run dogs in harnesses too big before, in a pinch. It's not the end of the world! But if you run her regularly in it, it could start to chafe, especially since she's a shorter-coated dog.

I forgot to mention this earlier, but I get such a kick out of passerby reactions. LOL! Most folks are genuinely fascinated and stop me to chat, or ask questions. Sometimes you get a really rude guy that sneers, or the type that thinks it's cruel to hook the dogs up to a vehicle and ask them to pull! Hopefully you won't run into many of those people - I think the problem is probably worse here in Ohio than up in more traditional mushing country like your state.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

What exactly is the scooter? Is it one of those 2-wheeled things I see kid's ride? How on Earth did you manage to balance, hang on, and videotape at the same time?!


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

It's bigger than the kid's Razor scooters and the like. Here's a website with some photos:

http://www.digglerstore.com/scooters_dog_home.html

They call them "mountain scooters" because they're built like mountain bikes but you stand on them instead of sit down. Very sturdy, stable and durable!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

nekomi said:


> I was thinking her harness looks a bit big. The back loop (where you attach the tugline) should start right at the base of her tail. In the video and photos, it looks like it starts somewhere in mid-air behind her butt a little bit.


I was worried it was a bit too long. It fits really well around the neck, I guess I just have to get one that's a little shorter in the body. As we get closer to winter I was thinking of splurging on one of the sheepskin padded ones anyway, so maybe I'll just use this one until then. Squash's fits about the same as hers, but I kind of intentionally did that so he could grow into it a bit. Again, I'll probably replace it with the sheepskin padded one as we head into winter (and he may have outgrown this one by then anyway!)


And yes, Labmom, I got the scooter from Diggler. It's similar to kids' razor scooters but the base is much wider and the tires much more robust. It also has brakes like a bicycle. It's actually incredibly stable and easy to balance on. I'm not going to make a habit of using the camera at the same time unless I get a little mount for it on the handlebars (or a helmet cam!), but it wasn't as hard as you might think.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

Gotcha. How fun! I'd break my neck for sure though. I'm such a klutz. I cant even hardly stay up on a regualr bicycle.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Gorillapod

A flexible tripod that can hook onto/wrap around handlebars, railings etc. You can buy them on amazon, ebay etc also.


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## mjoy07 (Jun 17, 2011)

wow! how i wish i could teach my dog to drag the scooter too,

Great job Maisy!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Shell said:


> Gorillapod
> 
> A flexible tripod that can hook onto/wrap around handlebars, railings etc. You can buy them on amazon, ebay etc also.


Sweet! Thanks!


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

love the pics and video! I can't wait for the cool weather to come back to hook up my dogs again!


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Me either, Erin!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Thanks to Shell, I got a gorillapod, and here's our latest outing (a repeat for those of you on FB):


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## Mizuno (Jun 9, 2010)

This is... in one word... awesome.

Deebs is probably too small to pull the scooter (and myself), and my one dog who IS big enough? Would look at me like I was insane.

More videos soon! (this was a nicely worded demand! )


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Thanks to Shell, I got a gorillapod, and here's our latest outing (a repeat for those of you on FB):


Cool, that made for a good video. And now you'll be finding excuses to attach your camera to all kinds of things


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

How neat! I wish I could do that. The video was good. I watched both of them. You said you weren't sure exactly what breed Maisy was. I sure do see the rottweiler in her. They were bred to pull and be total guard dogs. Maybe that is where she gets the desire to do so. She sure looks happy with her job! Have fun!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I've been adding Squash to our scootering adventures. After practicing going up and down the alley, I scouted out some local trails to go scootering for real - today is the first time we went.

The dogs were amazing. Our weakest point is before we actually get started. The dogs "line out" well but then they tend to either mill around and get the neck line hopelessly tangled with their harnesses, or they walk back to see what I'm doing. So we will have to continue to work hard on that. 

But anyway, behold. I sort of have a team at this point.


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## BellaPup (Jul 7, 2007)

ROFL.....that is so very cool! Those are some terrific pups!

I wish I could rent one to see if Bella would take to it....but typically she spooks if something is "following" her....LOL


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

haha love how Squash keeps pushing Maisy off the trail. 

Got all my equpiment for bikejoring with Jubel now just need to teach him to run out front and pull. Can't wait to join in the fun.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I can see a total improvement since the first video. Good Doggies!


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

Oh how I so want to do this with my husky! I'd be terrified of Faolan taking off after something and dragging me into a tree, though. I'd prefer to use a scooter, seems safer than a bike, but they are so darned expensive!


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Squash is too funny. Smell all the things!!! Denali was like that at first too.

Daenerys, have a strong "leave it" before you start. And make sure your bike has good brakes! Your bike should be able to stop him no problem. I would love a scooter too but I just use my bike. I've crashed once which was scary but it was more my fault than hers I think. I did tell her "woah!!" and she didn't listen which may have saved me. My husband was speeding up and ahead and she was trying to chase him down. It was just around a corner and my tires slipped off the sidewalk and then bumped against it parallel. Sent me fishtailing and I hit a tree. Hard enough to bend the shifter thing down 90 degrees and I had bark embedded in some screws. Chain fell off. I scraped my thumb on the tree and my calf got a little scraped by the gears and that was it. Certainly scary though, and one of the many reasons I hate biking on sidewalks. Most of the paths are dirt but sections are sidewalk and I hate it. Nali will run in the grass along the sidewalk which is good, I would worry about the impact on her joints on hard surfaces. Dirt paths are best.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

There are a lot of trees around here that I could hit, so it scares me no matter what I might be riding! Plus unless I want to do this next to a busy road I will have to drive to somewhere else. I guess I better start looking for places to do this since I have many months before I can start! Pup is only 3 months and 3 weeks old! Lol.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Daenerys said:


> Oh how I so want to do this with my husky! I'd be terrified of Faolan taking off after something and dragging me into a tree, though. I'd prefer to use a scooter, seems safer than a bike, but they are so darned expensive!


You know, the scooter FEELS safer, but I don't know if that's reality or in my head. Maybe it would be easier to hop off of in the case of a skid, but I got tangled up in it and fell just carrying it out my back door once (my one and only scooter accident so far, and the dogs weren't involved at all!) so maybe not.

It's also kind of funny, all the dog people I've showed this too are like "oh! that looks like fun!" and when my husband got home from work and saw it the first thing he asked me was if I wore my helmet. 




Sibe said:


> Squash is too funny. Smell all the things!!! Denali was like that at first too.


Believe it or not it's about 100x better than it used to be - although he's only been in front of the scooter a couple of times we've been doing canicross for a while and he went through a really pee obsessed stage that was... interesting in harness. Fortunately Maisy is a good partner.


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

SO cool, Sassafras! I've never scootered before but I may have to give it a try sometime!



> I'd prefer to use a scooter, seems safer than a bike


I don't know why but I've always thought a bike would be safer. lol Maybe its because I've never scootered before? I have no idea but when ever I say that a bike seems safer people tell me I'm crazy.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Oh how I wish Soro was a puller at times...
Your dogs look like they're having a blast 

Actually, I asked this on another thread but is there a formula for how much weight a dog (considering breed, age, weight) can pull?
Also, can you turn a fit but not-conditioned companion dog into a casual Scooter/Bikejor/Sled dog? Like, not competition level but if once a week you wanted to go and bikejor...

I'll probably never be able to get Soro into pulling because he doesn't seem to enjoy running or pulling. But I might try to teach it to him anyways, and go up and down the block once or twice if I can make it fun for him for even 5 minutes!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Canyx said:


> Also, can you turn a fit but not-conditioned companion dog into a casual Scooter/Bikejor/Sled dog? Like, not competition level but if once a week you wanted to go and bikejor...


I hope so, because that's all I'm doing! Seriously, this is all for fun and exercise. I only do the scootering 1-2 times a week with them, the rest of the week they get walks and other "normal" exercise.



> I'll probably never be able to get Soro into pulling because he doesn't seem to enjoy running or pulling. But I might try to teach it to him anyways, and go up and down the block once or twice if I can make it fun for him for even 5 minutes!


I tried taking Pip out with Squash once, and although he ran along happily in the harness he had NO interest whatsoever in pulling. Since the other two do it so naturally and enjoy it so much, I let that be the end of Pip's career. So I don't know if you could teach a dog who wasn't into pulling to pull or not because I didn't push it at all. In theory it seems like you could, if you can teach dogs to do the zillions of other things that we teach them to do.

And now, pictures:

HoverSquash!










Lining out.










Crazy ears.










Post-scootering.


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

!!!!!!!!!!! I love this thread. 

I just ordered my x back harnesses and am trying to be patient.... its not working too well. 

How are the commands coming along? Did you perfect them before jumping on your scooter or?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

+two said:


> !!!!!!!!!!! I love this thread.
> 
> I just ordered my x back harnesses and am trying to be patient.... its not working too well.


I understand. Both of their harnesses are a wee bit too big (long) so I have ordered new ones and I'm impatient for them even though these ones are still functional in the meantime. 



> How are the commands coming along? Did you perfect them before jumping on your scooter or?


They're coming along well. It seems like every time we go out, they get better and better. I had a foundation for the commands before jumping on the scooter, but they were by no means perfect. For me personally at least, we have to just get out there and scooter to learn how to scooter, if that makes sense. They are by no means perfect NOW, but we are in a relatively low to low-medium distraction setting (despite being outdoors... I go at times when there are very few other people using the trails and I almost never see other dogs there, just an occasional walker, jogger, or bicyclist) so we get to practice without being challenged beyond what they can reasonably do at this point. 

The nice thing is, at some point the pulling and speed themselves seem to become rewarding, so they're learning to ignore minor distractions for the sake of keeping going. They tend to keep each other in check, and if they both stop or pull off the trail, they tend to sometimes get tangled up and it's annoying, boring, and no fun for them to have to hang around neither running nor checking out what they stopped to check out while I untangle them, so I think there is a bit of... negative reinforcement? Negative punishment? Whatever, some kind of self-correction going on there that isn't really intentional on my part. 

It's awesome fun, they seem so happy (they both do their happy potty dance in the backyard when they see me taking the scooter from the back porch to the car) and I am having a blast myself. Win win!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

We got some new properly fitting harnesses and have been going about 1-2x a week. Just a short brag on voice command progress:


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I haven't posted many pictures lately, so here's a few. 

This is one of my favorite pictures from the scooter. Look at her work. <3










Lining out practice (I hook them up to my trunk latch for this).










I love how I happened to catch him with all 4 feet off the ground... Hover-Squash!











Those are from the past few weeks. Today, my husband came with us to the park and took some pictures. I don't get to see them from the front ever, and it makes me happy to see how freaking happy they look. 






































Thanks for looking!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Oh, and ps... WEAR YOUR HELMETS KIDS. A week or so ago I took a spill off the scooter and hit my head... cracked the helmet (and replaced it right away), but my noggin was fine. HELMET ALWAYS. /mother hen


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

sassafras said:


> Oh, and ps... WEAR YOUR HELMETS KIDS. A week or so ago I took a spill off the scooter and hit my head... cracked the helmet (and replaced it right away), but my noggin was fine. HELMET ALWAYS. /mother hen


Glad you had your helmet on!! I didn't wear mine at first because we went sooo slow. Fast runners would pass us. But now that she really runs I always wear it. Been tempted to wear elbow and knee pads as well.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

Sibe said:


> Glad you had your helmet on!! I didn't wear mine at first because we went sooo slow. Fast runners would pass us. But now that she really runs I always wear it. Been tempted to wear elbow and knee pads as well.


Amen. Anytime Misty is hooked to my bike I have on a helmet (in case that rabbit is too tempting). If there isn't a dog involved I sometimes go without (I know - bad) but I am never without when a dog is involved.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Yea, the funny thing is, even though I wear them, before this I'd always been a teensy bit skeptical because bike helmets just look so darn flimsy. Not anymore. I got up and walked away without so much as a headache, and I pretty much landed on my temple. I didn't even realize it was cracked until I was looking over all my equipment and stuff later after I got home. Now I'm a true believer. And my husband keeps suggesting elbow and knee pads, although I'm considering it I'm not quite sold on those yet.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

My husband came with us again today, handy for pictures!










Then Squash caught sight of him...











Lovely this time of year... too bad fall has to end...










Thanks for looking!


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I need to switch from a one dog setup to two dogs. Currently Nali doesn't pull but I know Kaytu will so I need a real line instead of just using a flexi lead lol. Where did you get the red line you have, and the neck line?

How is it attached to the scooter? Do you have a closeup pic of that?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I got the red double bungee line from a local outdoor store, but I think THEY get them from Skijor Now, maybe? Before I had the double line, I just used a coupler between a single line and the dogs. I got the neckline from Alpine Outfitters.

There's just this simple little thing that fits on the scooter (the scooter looks weird in these pics because I have to take the handlebars off to fit it in my car):



















If that's not clear, let me know and I'll take some pictures outside tomorrow.

And... a good excuse to post awee brag...


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

wow! You guys really get moving. And Maisy is just awesome... you have quite the sled dog there! And Squash... well... lol. He tries.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Thanks, that does help a lot


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

Have you ever thought that Maisy has some catahoula in her? I know I'm probably seeing what I want to see.
I've seen a bunch of black/rust and black/brindle houlas while cruising breeders.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

+two said:


> wow! You guys really get moving. And Maisy is just awesome... you have quite the sled dog there! And Squash... well... lol. He tries.


She is amazing, isn't she? I'm just in awe of her every time we go out. Other than directional commands I haven't had to teach her a thing. She's just a total natural and she loves it SO much. One day my husband came with me to take pictures, and as we were getting everything ready I stopped for a minute to talk to him about something. I had her leash in one hand and her harness in my other hand, and apparently I was being to slow for her taste because she shoved her head right into the harness while I was standing there, LOL.

Squash is learning, and he's SO much better than he used to be, but his focus and interest still wax and wane. When he's feeling really silly and not into it, he'll try to wrestle with her, which is interesting because she does not break for ANYTHING except emergency potty stops. 



Tofu_pup said:


> Have you ever thought that Maisy has some catahoula in her? I know I'm probably seeing what I want to see.
> I've seen a bunch of black/rust and black/brindle houlas while cruising breeders.


I've had at least one other person ask me that. Catahoulas have not been very common up here at all, but a lot of the local shelters have been pulling dogs from southern shelters more and more over the last several years, so anything is possible. I usually call her a hound mix.


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

Gotten the knuckleheads out to skijore yet this winter, Sassafras?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

We have not gotten enough snow to ski, but the trails are too icy to scooter.  So I've just been walking in harness/skijor belt and practicing commands. It's supposed to be in the 40s here all week so if the trails de-ice I might be able to go scootering this weekend. 

This winter really, really sucks.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Well I still haven't been on skis yet this winter but believe it or not it's been nice enough to break out the scooter this week...

Canicross is nice but I can't run fast enough for them to really let loose...









I just really like their shadows in this picture...


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## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

Nice!!! They look they are having so much fun



sassafras said:


> Oh, and ps... WEAR YOUR HELMETS KIDS. A week or so ago I took a spill off the scooter and hit my head... cracked the helmet (and replaced it right away), but my noggin was fine. HELMET ALWAYS. /mother hen


Just wanted to add YES! I fell off my bike over the past summer, hit my head, had some minor brain trauma, was in the hospital for a few days couldn't walk or do anything without help for 2 weeks and even after that 2 weeks it was a painful process to get back to normal . . . wear a helmet!!!!


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