Cani-luge: Tobogganing with your dog
Julie and her two dogs form a great sports team! Julie's favorite sport: sledding with her dogs. She discovered a real passion for cani-luge! It involves sledding while being towed by two or more dogs.
I never had the opportunity to test this with Musher. And yet I'm sure it's a great dog-friendly activity that allows you to share good times with your dog! I interviewed Julie so that she spoke to us in detail about this canine sliding sport.
His testimony will allow you to start cani-sledding with your dog! She shares valuable tips for getting started in this activity with her dog.
I now leave the floor to Julie. Let's go !
Julie and her two dogs: a cani-sporty team!
Hello ! I'm Julie and I'm 22 years old. After having lived for 3 years with my dogs in a converted van, we put our suitcases down for a few months in the Alpes de Haute Provence to create my dog accessories shop: Nordic Family Shop. In a few months, I will associate a family canine pension. The goal is to live from my passion and above all to be able to be H24 with my dogs.
My first dog is called Nordic. It's a karelian bear dog 4 years old. I wanted to have a dog after having recovered a dog alone at the edge of the road, which finally found its master. So I went to get Nordic 1 week later. It was love at first sight between us. It caused some hard knocks too, because yes, having a Nordic hunting dog in your life, it shakes you up, in every sense of the word. Nordic is the dog of my life. He is independent and explorer. His big flaw is that he barks a lot. I sometimes still hear it in my head even when it's not there! Nordic is also very, even too much of an explorer. I therefore equip him with a GPS collar to be able to follow him. He likes to do HIS ride, without worrying about the rest. My lifelong phrase is: “One Karelian bear, not two aha!” ".
My second dog is called Travel. It's a border collie 3 years old. I left for a weekend in a van with Nordic and came back 2 days later with Travel thanks to an ad found by chance. It was a skeletal 7-month-old puppy, who knew nothing of the outside world, who had apparently made several families. A 16-year-old girl was giving it at that time, surely a missed Christmas present… It came like a tornado in our lives. This little being, who has since regained weight and muscle, even if he will always keep a trace of the past. He is grateful every day and gives me the best of himself. We have been practicing the herd for a short time in order to meet his needs as a sheepdog. He is full of energy and loves to exercise!
My dogs absolutely share my whole life. I live for them, my whole life revolves around my dogs and each of my decisions is made in their interest. It's my life for theirs.
I practice a lot hiking with my dogs, we walk at least 3 hours a day! I need it as much as they do. We also regularly do big hikes in the mountains.
We also practice cani-luge and cani-MTB. We have for a period practiced the canicross, but Nordic and Travel are not fans, so I listened to my dogs and we quit the sport.
I love traveling with my dogs. We made a Europe tour by van in 2018, and traveled extensively throughout France. We do not know how to stay several months in the same region.
Cani-sledding with your dogs
The cani-luge consists of sledding while being towed by dogs. Cani-sledding is practiced with a minimum of two dogs.
Before each cani-luge session, I walk my dogs 15 minutes on foot to warm them up, then I equip them, then off we go!
We practice in short sessions (about 15-20 minutes) and with breaks. I prefer slight slopes and the flat.
To start cani-sledding with your dogs, the first thing you need to master is braking. It is essential to know how to brake in order to be able to do cani-luge sessions with your dogs in complete safety. No question that the sled will escape you and injure your dog by hitting it for example.
Musher and Sophie : Cani-sledding is a great traction sport to practice with your dogs, but you always have to check if the dogs are doing well. As in all traction sports, it is essential to listen to the dog throughout the session to see if the dog is doing well, and especially to stop as soon as you see that he is a little tired or he's fed up. The goal is to spend a moment of happiness and sharing and especially not to force your dog when he doesn't want to. And watch out! The cani-luge is different from the sled. It is not enough to take an old sled and a harness to start cani-sledding. You need the appropriate equipment as Julie explains to you just below.
Equip your dog for a toboggan session
Choosing the right equipment is very important for this sport, so that everyone is safe. The dogs are equipped with Manmat pulling harness, of a extendable lanyard, which limits shocks. For my part, I use a wooden sled, of the “Ancient” type.
Musher and Sophie : You can also start training with this scooter sledge, which you can also use with a single dog.
Regarding the protection of dogs against the cold, I apply coconut oil after each outing in the snow, then 1 hour later (they enjoy licking their paws). When we take breaks, I cover Travel with sound raincoat, it quickly gets cold when not in motion.
Musher and Sophie : Don't forget to provide water for your dog in a travel bottle for your cani-luge training. This will prevent him from trying to quench his thirst by eating snow, which can cause intestinal problems. After a cani-sledge session, you will need to fill your dog's bowl a little more because he will have made great efforts and will need to eat a little more.
Where to go sledding with your dog?
I practice cani-sledding with my dogs early in the morning or late in the evening on the footpaths next to the cross-country ski trails. It is necessary that the track be a minimum groomed in order not to exhaust the dogs. To my knowledge, there is no official track where this is allowed.
But in general, dogs are tolerated in the resorts when they are on a leash or on a lead.
I have many beautiful cani-luge memories. The most beautiful thing is the silence when the dogs are running and when I look up and see the snowy landscapes, time stops. These are wonderful moments, which I love to share with my dogs.
We don't practice any other sliding sports together, but I would love to invest in a sled next winter! I would like a lot sledding with my dogs.
Thank you Julie for this great testimony! It makes you want to try cani-sledding with dogs!
You can ask Julie questions and see all these beautiful photos with these two dogs on her Instagram account: @nordicfamily_