Small but Mighty: Canicrossing with a Sheltie

Cheese!

I got Taco as a puppy and waited until he was over a year old before I started canicrossing with him. He loved it from the start, and in May 2023, we joined Wessex Canicross. I still remember our very first run. It was pouring with rain, and poor Taco was completely soaked and shivering. He was quite a nervous boy back then and a bit scared at first – not too fond of having the harness put on or of the loud (big!) barking dogs in the pack. But that all changed once he started running – his little legs went ten to the dozen – it seemed to give him newfound confidence!

Canicross tends to attract larger dog breeds – you don’t often see 8 kg shelties taking part! We did quite a lot of runs with the club, usually around 5 km, but I wanted a new challenge – something to motivate us to keep training together. I found that many canicross events were far from me, making long drives a significant commitment for just 30 minutes of running. I knew Taco, and I weren’t fast enough in 5 km races to compete against large dogs like pointers, so I looked for canicross races over longer distances. I came across Cani-trail UK and signed up for their 24.5 km event!

Taco and I spent months training together. When the big day came, I was quite nervous. It was our first event, and I wasn’t sure how we would find it. Fortunately, Cani-trail UK events are inclusive, and everyone was so friendly. We were lucky to have a dry day and to meet some lovely people on the run. We were very rarely alone and finished in 3 hours 7 minutes, which I was very pleased with, especially given an elevation of over 640 metres. Taco was just pipped to the post by a toy poodle for the title of smallest dog to complete the route! But my boy was happy to receive the free sausage and bacon at the finish, along with his own medal!

Long-distance running with a small dog is an adventure! For their size, shelties are strong and sturdy. As working herding dogs, they are muscular, show endurance, and like to have a job to do. They are also loyal and sensitive and respond well to gentle training. I do a lot of off-lead work to build fitness and keep Taco stimulated. On a long run, he is usually at my heels, herding me! As we increase our mileage, I build in lots of play stops. He loves nothing more than chasing a stick along the trails, a good reminder to us both that the trail is our playground. I take Taco with me on every practice run to prepare his short legs for long distances – small dogs often put in twice as much effort as larger breeds.

Taco is small, but mighty and his medal collection is growing … fast! To date, we have completed the Cani-trail UK 24.5 km race, two half marathons, two 35 km runs (unfortunately cut short due to flooding after heavy storms!), a 12 km Beat the Black Dog charity race and a 10 km night run.

A flying Taco!