As someone with two very big winter dogs – a husky mix and a malamute – I’ve always been interested in skijoring. It’s a sport that involves cross-country skiing while tethered to your pooches. You still do most of the work, but the dogs give you an extra boost each time you kick off.

Last weekend I went skiing with my wife and my friend John. I had an old harness, some rope and a leather belt. (I’m not springing for a $164 skijoring kit just yet.) My idea, sort of, was to tie myself to one of the dogs and take a 100-yard test drive.

The weather was gorgeous, about 45 degrees. The snow, while a bit slushy in spots, was still a couple of feet deep. We chose an open meadow near the Big Hill Ski Area near Spearfish — but not close enough to the Big Hill trails create conflict; I know serious cross-country skiers don’t like dogs – and clicked into our skis.

Rocky, with John and Nancy, takes a lunch break.

The pups had a great time running through the snow, but they showed zero interest in skijoring. Kody, the husky, and Rocky, the malamute, ran all over the place. They were having too much fun to do any serious training.

I decided not to ruin a great trip with a Cesar Millan moment. I let the dogs do what dogs do, and skied under my own inept power.

However, we did see someone else skijoring.

A man with two beautiful, well-mannered huskies came skijoring toward us while had lunch. But when he laid eyes on Rocky and Kody, he turned his team around and headed back down the canyon. He apparently didn’t want to get tangled up in a game of doggie butt-chasing.

Maybe next time.