Julie Thue Holthe I Everything you need to know about skijoring Season 5 Episode 1
Share
Blanka
Welcome back to a new episode and a new season of our podcast, Unleashed. Today I'm here with Julie Thue Holthe - national team and World Cup winner, Nordic style athlete. Welcome!
Julie
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Blanka
And today we will be talking about skijoring. So, Julie, could you tell us what skijoring is?
Julie
Skijoring is a winter sport where the athlete gets pulled by a dog, and the skier is wearing skis. And the dog has a harness.
Blanka
What equipment does one need for this sport?
Julie
In skijoring, it's important to have skate ski boots and skate skis because you need to have good control on your skis. And you also need a belt so you can get connected to the dog. A good leash and a good harness. I like to use the Nansen nome or Freemotion harness. So a proper pulling harness.
Blanka
And, you mentioned the skating skis and skating boots. So, in skijoring then, it's this skating technique that one uses.
Julie
Yes. That's important to be a good skier and have good balance. That helps a lot behind a dog.
Blanka
So would you then recommend for people to be able to ski well before they start with skijoring or like, how does the skier's level have to be before they head into the sport?
Julie
It helps a lot to have a good balance, and good balance comes with good training. So I really recommend going with some ski classes before you go out with, especially a strong dog. If you have a smaller dog, it's easier to start without so much training before.
Blanka
Are there any specific dogs that are maybe better suited for skijoring than others?
Julie
I think you can use every dog. It depends on your goal. If you want to compete, I will recommend using a GSP or a GSP mix or a pointer. But if you just want a training buddy, you can use any type of dog.
Blanka
Yeah. Like you can just go out and have fun. Not everybody has to go with super speed. I am not the best skier, but I find it helps a little bit with the balance almost when the dog is pulling. Then like I almost have no time to fall, but like the dog is just pulling me out of these situations. So it's a very cool sport.
Julie
It is. Absolutely.
Blanka
Do you see any beginners' mistakes, like when one starts that is a common mistake that people make?
Julie
I think the most common mistake I see people make is to go too far and too fast with their dogs. And then they get their dogs injured, and they get tired and lose their motivation, and then they don't have any good dog anymore because the dog is tired of going on those long trips every time.
Blanka
Skijoring is like the distance is pretty long, like it's 10 to 15km. How can one prepare for such a distance?
Julie
I think it's very, very important to train on the distance you’re going to compete in and don't start in a race without knowing that your dog is capable of the distance. But I also think it's important to have those short sessions, where you're just out for fun, and the dog has more than enough energy to do more, but you stop the exercise long before the dog gets tired. I think that's a key to getting the dog motivated for more.
Blanka
Because, like, dryland season let's say one goes up to 6 km (3,7mil) on the races. How do you build the distance or do you, like maybe not race in the dryland and then focus only on the Nordic style? Or like, how does one go from 6 km to 15 (9,3 mil)?
Julie
I'm so impressed by those who are competing both in dryland and winter season because I think it's hard to reach that distance so early in the season, in the dryland season. So this year I have skipped the dryland season because I think it's too hard for my dogs to compete in those both distances. But I go slowly forward. To build up the distance, you have to go slowly. And I used to have them free running in the start. And then I build it up so they can pull longer and longer.
Blanka
So first to build, like, a good endurance base with, like, a lot of free running and then just add on the pulling.
Julie
Yeah. And then I pull a little bit, and then they free run, and then you interval them. So I build up the distance that way so they can run all the kilometers in their paws, but not pulling the whole way. And then near when the season starts they are pulling more and running less.
Blanka
Talking about training, how do you combine your training and the dog's training? Can you combine it or do you train the dogs and yourself completely separately?
Julie
You can combine it, and I do that sometimes, but I like to train myself first and then go out with the dog. So I don't have a lot of spare time. When I'm combining the trainings, I like to train intervals. Then the dogs are training one interval, and then they have the rest, and then I go solo without the dogs and the dog is free running. And then I switch. And that's the perfect way to have intervals for us both.
Blanka
You have been doing amazing this past winter season, and I think you have big goals for this upcoming season as well. How do you train yourself? It's probably very interesting for our listeners to hear how a very professional athlete is training for this sport.
Julie
Yeah, I train a lot, actually. I have like one to three, one to two hard sessions a week. And I also have one to two long-distance slowly. And I also train a lot of core. It's around 12 to 14 hours a week for myself, in a perfect week. But I study besides, so it's not always. I managed to have this much time to train, but that's the perfect way to do it.
Blanka
And when you do like these hard sessions and long sessions on skis and roller skis?
Julie
Yeah, in the summer I do a lot of rollerskis, but also I do a lot of running. And in the winter, it's mainly cross-country skis, but I also run, inside.
Blanka
Skijoring - it happens obviously when we have snow in the winter. So there is a big variation in temperatures. What temperatures do you train your dogs in and what temperatures can dogs do skijoring in?
Julie
I think it's perfect to train when it's like, -7 degrees C (19.4F). But you can train up to -18 degrees C (-0.4F). And that's also the limit for the competitions. But I always... I was outside today, actually, and then I take some paw booties on the paws because I wanted to protect them. And I also use the Blest jacket or some light jacket to protect them from the cold because they don't have a lot of fur.
Blanka
There’s not much fur on these GSP types of dogs.
Julie
They get pretty cold, fast. I also say that many people don't know that with the cold, it's actually like when it's very cold. It's not about that like, oh, they will get cold and you have to dress them up. It's about it's the same with people. Like if you breathe in very cold air, then it's actually not good for the lungs. So one has to be very careful with the dogs because they are not good at taking care of themselves. I try to not train when it's super cold, and I would rather skip the training than make the dogs ill or injured by the cold.
Blanka
When you train in these colder environments, are you doing a longer warm-up for the dogs compared to, for example, dryland seasons?
Julie
Yeah, I can start with them free running and then put them in the harness. I let them pull. I think it's important to be warm, but that's also in the dryland season. Yes. It's important to warm them up before you start.
Blanka
We talked about your training, but how does a training week for one of your dogs look like currently?
Julie
Now it's not so much snow outside, but I try to reach the snow. I like to have, like, 3 to 4 good sessions a week. And I would rather skip a session than always have four. It depends on the dog if it's tired. And it was a heavy exercise yesterday, I skip the next one. Because I think it's all about the energy that the dog is capable of on the next workout. I don't want to go out and work out, and then it's not what I planned. But I also think it's nice to not always follow the plan. If you see that your dog is tired, it has an off day. I quit the workout as fast as I saw it was not working as planned.
Blanka, We have a lot of complete beginners who have probably never done this sport before. So how do you recommend for someone that, yeah. Whose dog has never done skijoring before or maybe is new to even pulling sports? How would you start with those dogs?
Julie
It depends on the age of the dog, but if it's a young dog, I will start to teach them the harness, wearing the harness, and making it positive. Go out and play in the yard or something, and it's fun to wear it. And then I would start with positive feedback when the dog is in front of you or giving you the behavior you want and then give it positive feedback and start slowly. Don't go fast forward. Take it slow and see. It depends very much on the type of dog. Some dogs are ready just when you take on the harness, and they want to pull. And some are super scared of the skis. So take your time and look at your dog, and yeah, I think positive feedback on the right behavior is the way to go. Don't be angry with your dog. Be positive. It has to be fun. Because dogs remember in pictures. So if they are thinking, oh, this was fun last time, then they will want to do it next time as well.
Blanka
If a dog is scared of the skis then would you first just take them along when you're skiing free running or how would you get them used to it?
Julie
Yeah, I think that's a good way to start with the puppy. Just let it be around skis and see how it works. And, what's the way you put the poles down? And yeah, they know that you can break, and they know the sounds. Some dogs get scared when you're breaking with the skis. So yeah, just bring them along. I also see it like the conditions change so much. So sometimes when it's icy, then suddenly the dog is like, oh what, what is that sound. I never heard that sound before. So it's a lot of things for them to get used to. And when they're puppies, I make a lot of sounds, so they get used to it. So they don't get scared when you suddenly get a loud sound when they're older.
Blanka
You talked about, like, you want them in front of you, but sometimes, like, on downhills, the dog cannot run as fast as you ski. Like, what do you do then?
Julie
Break. Just break downhill and make sure that the leash is always straight and tight. And it's so helpful to have another dog with you that's like, they can help each other. That's helpful for me. But I have always had GSP and GSP mixes and it runs in their blood. They want to go forward. So it's super easy with that breed.
Blanka
But it's like it's very, I think even with them, it's very important to give them this confidence that okay, like the leash will be tight no matter what. And it's never like pushing them.
Julie
Yeah. They trust you. So don't ruin that trust.
Blanka
If you could just give one tip to our listeners today, what would that be?
Julie
Go out and try skijoring and yeah, just be confident and have fun with your dog. It's super fun to do skijoring.
Blanka
Thank you so much, Julie, for sharing your tips with us, and a lot of good luck for the upcoming season. We will be cheering for you.
Julie
Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.