Skijoring, anyone?

How about bikejoring?

Or maybe some canicross?

There's a whole new realm of "sports" taking off in this country, with its own vocabulary, but basically it boils down to this -- getting pulled around by your dog.

Maybe you're one of those whose dog already does that everyday on your walk to the park, but we're talking about more than that -- about what's generally referred to as "dog-powered sports."

It includes everything from dog sledding on wheeled rigs, to tethering your dog to a bicycle, skateboard, scooter or roller skates.

Last summer, at the beach, I got into the habit of bicycling with Ace. He loved it. And I loved the way it wore him out -- that contented kind of worn out, as opposed to the working overtime for your crummy boss kind of worn out. I loved the purposeful look on his face as he ran alongside me, and the way he came to react to the words "bike ride?"

My dog loves exercise. Me? Not so much. So dog-powered sports, I'm thinking, may be in our future.

The best way to get started, the experts say, is with some "canicross," which, though it bears a striking resemblance to walking the dog, is more than that. In canicross the dog is attached at your belt, and the dog pulls you.

From there, you might step up to skijoring, which is when your dog pulls you on cross country skis (the skis being attached to you). Skijoring originated in Scandinavia and means "ski driving" in Norwegian. Or bikejoring, which ... well you can figure it out.

They are all variations on dog sledding, something I got to do once, while on assignment in Nome for the Iditarod. It was a brief ride, and only as a passenger, with a burly Alaskan very close behind me guiding the sled. Despite the intrusion on my comfort zone, it was exhilirating, and I've always wanted to do it again.

This scootering -- except for the price of scooters (see dogscooter.com) -- looks like it might be worth a try too.

Keep in mind, if you're going to do it, do it right -- read up, or take some lessons; watch the video above; use a proper harness; and most important of all, allow plenty of time for rest and liquid refreshment.

Make sure the dog gets some of those, too.