Louise and Michelle are joined by Stuart Nuttall, who shares his journey from school cross-country and triathlon into the world of flyball, canicross and bikejor. After years of endurance sport, including triathlon and Ironman training, Stuart found that dog sports offered a new way to stay active while spending more time with his family and dogs. Stuart talks about meeting Louise at Crufts, getting into canicross through off-season fitness work for flyball, and how his young dog Maverick has opened up a whole new set of goals. The conversation explores the crossover between flyball and canicross, including focus, passing, drive, confidence, strength and conditioning, and the importance of building fitness gradually. There are plenty of relatable moments, from buying “just one more” bit of kit, to Maverick chewing through his harness on the start line of his first race. Stuart reflects on imposter syndrome, learning from others, looking after paw health, and why he sees himself as the weaker part of the human-dog team. This is a great episode for anyone curious about combining different dog sports, starting canicross with a young dog, or simply enjoying getting outside and being active with their dog. Timings0.00 – Introducing Stuart and how he met Louise at Crufts0.36 – Stuart’s early canicross experience and running with his dogs1.42 – From school cross-country to rugby league and returning to running3.08 – Getting peer-pressured into his first triathlon4.14 – Representing GB in duathlon and triathlon events5.05 – Why coaching and being open to learning matters6.10 – Moving away from triathlon and towards family dog sports7.36 – Using running to help keep the dogs fit for flyball8.51 – What flyball is and how Stuart first discovered it10.56 – Setting up a flyball team and competing at Crufts12.27 – How travelling for flyball changed Stuart’s view of canicross events14.12 – Maverick’s breeding, drive and introduction to sport15.58 – Why canicross is not “just running with your dog”19.01 – Commands, passing dogs and the crossover with flyball focus20.40 – Why Stuart was most proud of Maverick’s control around walkers and loose dogs21.24 – Stuart and Maverick’s first canicross race with Trail Dog Events22.50 – The start-line harness chewing incident24.19 – Flyball season, canicross season and fitting it all in24.59 – Discovering the speed of canicross with a strong dog26.17 – Stuart’s goals for the next canicross season27.03 – Building Maverick’s distance and endurance gradually28.08 – Strength and conditioning for injury prevention28.22 – Paw care, nail care and learning what Maverick needs30.07 – Imposter syndrome at races and comparing dogs, kit and speed31.11 – Understanding the power of purpose-bred canicross dogs33.41 – Why the human needs to train too34.04 – Will Maverick choose flyball or canicross?34.56 – Giving Maverick the right opportunities35.20 – Where to follow Stuart and Maverick online35.57 – Future duathlon plans and whether a triathlon could happen37.01 – Final thoughts: canicross can be whatever you want it to be Links mentionedCheck out our episodes with Toby Lambert and Lindsay from Cani-Fit Stuart on Instagram: @stunuttallMaverick on Instagram: @negativeghostrider31