Louise and Michelle interview Sarette, the owner of Wilson for our regular Canicross Stories feature. Sarette chats about her running, competitiveness, and what the dream team will be getting up to for the rest of the year.

You can follow @woofswithwilson on Instagram here 

Louise and Michelle have a chat about how they can improve their running through discussing all the elements a training plan might contain, including strength training, hills, intervals, fartlek runs, tempo runs, long runs. 

Here is the link to Louise's Pilates course mentioned in the podcast.

Here is the link to Michelle's website if anybody needs run coaching advice

This week, Louise takes us on a live tour of Goodwoof, as she teaches Pilates with dogs, and chats to various cani-sports exhibitors, including canicross (of course!), bikejor, and scooterjor.  

Louise and Michelle chat to Jason Pascoe from Non Stop Dogwear about harnesses.

Find out:

• the difference between long and short harnesses

It's a fact-filled episode with absolutely loads of useful information, so grab yourself a cuppa, or pop in your headphones and head out for a walk with your dog, and listen in.

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review.

You can find @nonstopdogwear on Instagram

How do you get into canicross after having spent your childhood fearful of dogs?

In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to Inein Victor Garrick who found running later in life, and decided to get a dog after meeting a few canicross runners in his running club. They are now a member of Cardiff Canicross group, and are enjoying being part of the racing scene.

We challenge those perceptions of whether running with a dog is easy, or challenging! What do you think?

You can follow @vikto_garik_runs on Instagram.

In this episode. Louise and Michelle chat with Barkrun founder Claire Martin. 

When parkrun decided to no longer permit the use of waist belts for running with dogs in April 2022, many people in the canicross community understandably felt excluded.

Barkrun was already in existence prior to this, a play on words for those who loved to participate in the free weekly timed 5k with their dogs, with regular runners sharing photos and running news, but when news of the parkrun rule change broke, Claire, a long time canicrosser, set up a Facebook group, encouraging runners to arrange to meet up to canicross their dogs at 8am before parkrun at venues where it is safe and allowed to do so (public land). The group encourages barkrunners to have a little impact on parkrun as possible, while also supporting (i.e. participating and volunteering at parkrun) where they can. 

The group now has in excess of 3000 barkrunners, and new barkruns are popping up all over the country. We chat to Claire about the last couple of months, and what the future might hold for Barkrun.

You can join the Barkrun Facebook group here

Like the Barkrun Facebook page here

In this episode, Michelle interviews Louise about Pilates, and why every runner could benefit from it.

Find out how to get started if you're brand new to it, and how to plan it into your week, around your running and canicrossing.

Find out more about Pilates here

Join Louise's Facebook group for runners and canicrossers here

In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to Rachel Spencer about our relationships with our dogs in our homes, and just how much a part of the family they are.

• Is your dog allowed on your bed or sofa?

About Rachel 

Rachel Spencer is a freelance writer specialising in the pet industry for national newspapers and magazines focusing on human interest stories, health, trends and technology. She works with pet business owners helping them raise their profile in the media and clients have appeared in the Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, BBC Breakfast, Mail Online, Daily and Sunday Express, and a host of pet titles like Edition Dog, Your Dog, Your Cat and industry titles including Pet Gazette and Pet Business World. Each week she shares tips on how small businesses can secure coverage on the Publicity for Pet Businesses podcast. Rachel provides consultancy services and runs a publicity coaching programme helping pet businesses stand out from the competition. 

Find out more at www.publicityforpetbusinesses.co.uk 

You can also find Rachel here:

https://www.instagram.com/rachelspenceruk

https://www.facebook.com/rachelspenceruk

https://twitter.com/rachelspenceruk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelspenceruk/

Kate Mellor didn't have a dog when she decided she would love to try canicross; she saw it on a TV programme and decided it looked so much fun, so set the wheels in motion to adopt her collie lab cross Flash.

Collecting Flash just 2 hours before national lockdown came into effect in 2020 meant that Flash's puppy training and socialisation looked quite different to most puppies, but knowing that the duo were aiming to do canicross once he was fully grown, Kate had the time and the patience to carefully train him in all the canicross commands.

Now, two years later, the team love to race together, and can't imagine life without canicross.

What kit do the team use?

• Non Stop Freemotion Harness

You can follow Kate and Flash on Instagram

Image by James Kirby

In this episode of Canicross Stories, Louise and Michelle chat to Nat, who runs every day with her dog Esme, Nat and Esme have developed a strong bond while canicrossing, and have completed ultra distances together.