Looking for a way to get your dog outside this winter while actually enjoying yourself? Grab your skis and man's best friend, it's skijoring time.

Skijoring is a great way to get your dogs, and yourself, outside. Lorne Volk is the coordinator of Snowmotion and an avid skijorer over the past number of years, and he loves the team aspect of the sport.

"The first thing I tell [beginners] is if you are here to be pulled by your dog, we'll give you your money back," Volk said. "It's a partnership."

That partnership is one of the attractive qualities of skijoring or kicksledding, which is gaining members across Manitoba as a fun way of getting your dog and yourself active.

Skijoring is similar to cross-country skiing, where you use the polls and the skis to get from one point to the next. The difference is that you hook your dog up to your waist and allow him to pull you as well. Working together, the rider and his partner can reach speeds above 30 km/h.

Kicksledding is "dog-sledding for people in the city," according to Volk. A smaller sled is hooked up to as many as three dogs, and along with the dogs, the rider kicks the ground with one leg at a time to speed up.

"There is something nice about working in a team," Volk said.

Volk says most dogs who have problems don't have anything to do. "Dogs need a job," Volk believes.