On Saturday, May 13th, the Cani-Crinqués canicross club held the 2023 Canibouette race in St-Louis St-Edmond-de-Gratham sanctioned by the Mushers et Athlètes Canins du Québec’s (MACQ) governing committee under the umbrella of the Candian Association of Canicross. ZENFULdog’s fearless leader, Kendra, was there with her dedicated training partner—Ren to participate in their first-ever competitive race as a solo team!
The MACQ is a Quebec provincial initiative but hosts events closer to her area in Ontario than most of the Canadian Canicross events. Their mission is to hold events that cater perfectly to human and canine happiness. MACQ’s physical endurance events are designed to spend dogs’ physical and mental energy while developing an incomparable bond between dog and pet-parent.
Ren & Ken’s Journey
There were certainly both canine and human nerves in the air when Kendra and Ren took off for their 2.5-hour journey by car to reach the race grounds in Québec. Kendra was prepared for the trip with water, snacks, bowls, blankets, extra leashes, double of everything (even an extra cross-back harness in case something broke), two bungees, two canicross belts and ice to keep everything cool! She brought along treats for reinforcement during travel, environment familiarisation and a reward after the race. She was understandably nervous to drive through Montreal’s notorious traffic but Ren kept a calm demeanour the entire way making her an excellent road-trip companion.
The Start
As soon as they arrived on the racing grounds, Ken and Ren were greeted by helpful, francophone volunteers who helped them find an ideal parking spot and showed them how to set up. They were one of the last teams to arrive so they were already surrounded by lots of people and dogs. There were all kinds of teams with huge vans and areas specifically set up to accommodate dogs while keeping them out of each others’ spaces. The set-up was familiar to Kendra from her days of attending horse endurance events. Kendra quickly noticed she was the only team of two but knew it was best for them because it was their first race and she wanted to focus solely on her dog during this brand-new event.
Kendra got into her canicross gear while Ren chilled in the car with windows down on this lovely, cool, May morning. Next, they headed out together on a decompression walk so Ren could get to know her whereabouts and sniff wherever she wanted to. She took Ren off the racing grounds and down the road to sniff and escape all the noise and other dogs. She was happy to notice Ren wanting to go back to the action after having a break. Once Ren seemed eased into the environment, Kendra asked volunteers for their race number and made sure to notify them that this was her first official, non-virtual race as a team. She expressed being open to any help and advice that could be offered and mentioned how far they had traveled to compete. Every volunteer was extremely accommodating. They brought her to the office to register and she was encouraged to bring Ren in with her. They even had little gifts for dogs inside the office, like dehydrated foods. This is where Kendra discovered that she and Ren were first in line to start, meaning that up to 44 teams could pass them on the trail which was a stressful thought. Kendra decided to take it in stride and work with it. She took Ren back to the car and set up their area of shade and water and made sure anything she needed was accessible to her. They spent another hour and a half walking around the grounds always reassuring one another with an undertone of excited energy.
While they were familiarising themselves, the first race started which was the 5km. When the 3km started next, they were close enough to the start line to see what they were getting into. It all looked so exhilarating. They stayed a good distance away so that Ren would not be upset by it but were still able to sus out what to expect. Hearing the noise and excitement became palpable as their excitement and anticipation to run together grew. Kendra tried to keep herself and Ren calm and focused to make sure not to become obstacles to competitors since they were newbies. She knew they would both feel the drive and excitement because they love the sport, but she wanted to make sure to be focused on following the rules, doing everything right and keeping everyone safe.
Half an hour before their start time, Kendra took Ren to an empty field to do warmup exercises and starts (practice take-offs). They continued to do that until almost the last minute to keep Ren focused and not overly stimulated too early. A lot of people were already lined up in a pit for the 1.2 km when Kendra and Ren started heading to their position at the front of the waves. People seemed overall happy and relaxed even with dogs leaping in the air. People were letting their dogs be themselves with waves of barking as their soundtrack. Kendra had been a little worried about the start line because of how competitive Ren can be especially when dogs are rude or pass too closely. Amazingly, she only became slightly agitated and snappy once in retaliation as they passed by all the teams to line up. Everyone was just trying their best.
Once they made it to their position at the start of the line, Kendra made sure to announce to everyone nearby that this was their first race so they would know if any rules were broken, that it was not intentional. The only broken rule pointed out to her was that she had forgotten Ren’s collar in the car. Kendra would not ordinarily use a collar but understood its use as a rule for this event in order to hold dogs closer to the front of their bodies when they are all crammed together in a small space lunging and barking. A collar would have given her better management over Ren’s face to help her settle in that setting.
Kendra describes the man competing next to her in the front of the line as a “6-foot giant” who was also a beginner and very sweet and helpful. He fist-bumped her and encouraged her but she felt like she was up against a gazelle. He was calming his dog, was very thoughtful and gave Kendra tips from other events he had done. Because it is a short run, she had sprinkled some small treats into the grass while waiting for take-off. Every ten seconds, two dogs go out in waves of two teams that did not know each other beforehand. Kendra held Ren back as she did not want to compete with the gazelle and she wanted to start off easier with Ren. She held Ren lightly and Ren did not budge at all. She waited then whispered to Ren, Let's GO. Kendra was very impressed by Ren’s perfect start!
Turkey & The Race
Ren started barrelling at a high speed and Kendra could barely keep up. She wondered what had ignited this competitive passion in Ren and then saw it—there was a turkey on the trail! Ren was chasing after the gazelle and his dog who was chasing after the turkey. The turkey eventually went after Ren and Kendra in the bush but Kendra was able to redirect Ren and they were able to follow behind the giant and his dog again.
Shortly after the ridiculous but hilarious excitement with the turkey, a lady and her dog came to pass and let Kendra know so that she could pull over to the side. Ren listened and was good about being held back but every time there wasn’t a dog to chase, Ren, as a husky, lost a bit of interest in racing. That being said, she took those moments to pee and enjoy herself and Kendra got much-needed breaks after all the anxiety to take a breath and calm her breathing.
Sometimes, large groups would ask to pass and they lost a lot of time pulling over but Kendra felt like it was the best option for their first race. Ren did air snap at teams that passed too closely instead of giving space but the teams were overall polite and respectful. They were just trained to pass differently than how Ren and Kendra were used to. Kendra took a mental note that that was just another element to work on to be more competitive at these events in the future. Kendra and Ren stopped one last time when another competitor was hurt and they stopped to offer to help. Other competitors passed them during that time. After that, it was smooth sailing at full speed ahead to the finish line with nobody else passing them.
The Finish
Ren and Kendra flew past the finish line and saw the people they had met at the beginning who congratulated them—notably the gazelle with his wife and baby. From there, they headed straight to a pool for Ren who was hot and a bit stressed. Kendra praised her and was so proud of her! She took her for another hour of walking around the grounds to cool down. Ren did not lunge at any other dogs or make a sound. Kendra’s mind was blown by how well-behaved Ren was as well as how respectful everyone at the event was. Kendra loved the finish line and thought it was brilliant to have immediate access to the little refreshing pools for the dogs. The event was beaming with water, hoses, pools, and emergency personnel.
She had to leave with Ren for their long drive home before the end of the event and was disappointed to miss the prizes and finishing ceremony. Kendra gave Ren her reward, frozen chicken legs, as soon as she was showing that she was tired and done. Ren was out for the entire way home and they both slept as soon as they got back.
Kendra’s Review
At this competitive level, Kendra could see that there was an awareness and respect for working animals doing their jobs. Everyone seemed aware of the dangers of letting dogs get into each others’ faces on leash. There were pens, chains and small leads set up with small ropes between cars to make sure everyone was aware of where each dog was and of each dog’s space. Seeing how others set up for this type of event, Kendra noted that next time she will bring cones or electric tape and posts she has for horse rides, not with electricity but just with rope to pen off their area to guarantee nobody accidentally stumbles into their space when tired or unfocused.
Kendra only faced one accidental moment of a dog going into Ren’s space but Kendra was able to interfere and correct the situation without interference. She was happy to see that people were not rude or excusing their dogs’ rudeness as friendliness. This awareness created a safe atmosphere and it was breath-taking for Kendra to see so many people showing love and respect to their dogs by committing to working hard to engage in these activities with their dogs to improve their lives.
Takeaways
Kendra is happy with her decision to compete in the 1.2 km as a beginner. She did not want to feel like she was slowing people down who have more experience and are more competitive. She told herself and Ren repeatedly throughout the event “I trust you” and this experience validated that she and Ren are indeed ready for this level of competition. This event helped her to confirm Ren is not set back or upset by engaging in a competitive race with so many dogs around.
The entire Canibouette event was a well-organized, incredible experience that Kendra definitely wants to participate in again. Kendra describes the experience at Canibouette as “pure magic!” She is going to keep setting goals for her and Ren by signing up for more MACQ races starting in September. She always loves to run but finds it especially invigorating to compete with teams at a level of competition and excitement attainable by engaging in official races. Caniwalks and hikes are amazing but canicross races are an incomparable vibe of “letting your dog rip” which is thrilling. Not to mention how accomplished you feel about yourself and your dog when you’ve completed a goal like this. Like any addiction, there is a depression that sets in after the high, but then you just sign up for your next one!
Great job Kendra and Ren! Thank you, Kendra, for sharing your experience at Canibouette for this feature. Don’t forget you can also follow ZENFULdog Training on Facebook to stay connected to your like-minded dog-loving community every day!
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