Top 5 tips: cani-scooting with your dog
Do you want to try a new activity with your dog? I discovered an activity of W'ouf: cani-scooter with your dog ! You will tell me : “what is this sport” ? Well, it's riding a scooter while being towed by your dog. Unfortunately, my labrador is not a big fan of canine hauling sports. During our canicross outings, it's more me who tows Musher than the other way around (aha). To find out more about the cani-scooter, I preferred to interview an expert in the field: Emilie and her dream team of 20 dogs!
For a successful cani-scooter session with your dog, I share Emilie's 5 tips with you. Equipment for you and your dog, advice for a safe session, tips: here is what you need to know to ride a cani-scooter.
The “will to go”: a dog that likes to tow
Before sharing Emilie's first piece of advice, let's talk about cani-scooters. It is a pulling sport which is practiced with one or two dogs, or many more, who pull a special scooter. The dog is equipped with a traction harness connected by an elastic lanyard to the device. It is not enough to equip your dog and buy a scooter to get started in this canine sport...
Emilie spoke to me about an essential point during her interview: the “Will to go”… Musher, my dog, does not have it and that is why traction sports absolutely do not interest her not, to my great regret. When I put the harness on her, she looks at me like “If you think I'm going to shoot your ass, you're kidding! lol”.
As Emilie told me, to do the cani-scooter or any other traction sport, you must have a dog who wants to tow otherwise the session quickly becomes catastrophic. This is the famous “will to go”. It is this desire to tow that huskies have at the start of sled dog races, for example: we see them barking, jumping, pulling like crazy... They are overexcited, almost possessed as soon as they put on the harness.
Does your dog have energy to spare? Do you think he might like it? Before you start a sport like cani-scooter, the cani-kart, the cani-vtt…make sure you have a dog that listens for directions like left-right, stop or ahead. It is absolutely essential, almost vital, because the accident happens quickly. And on a scooter, it can hurt a lot! Emilie knows something about it… Unfortunately, she has already had a few bad falls. Before you start, she advises you to start by teaching your dog his basic commands on walks or cani cross.
Equipment for your dog and you
Before any sports session with your dog, it is essential to check your equipment and your dog's equipment. In the previous article “Go cani-scooting with your dog” where Emilie shares her passion for the cani-scooter, she described the precise list of equipment she uses for herself and her dogs. If you're wondering about gear, read it.
Do you want to equip yourself to cani-scooter with your dog? The Canem Victoria specialty store offers you several dozen product references for you and your dog. Traction harness, elastic lanyard, scooter...: they will be able to give you lots of advice on buying the right equipment for you and your dog.
Before leaving, Emilie must check her gear: carabiner, line, harness, scooter, helmet (…). It always provides spare equipment in case of breakage. Finding yourself in the middle of nowhere with an ill-equipped or injured dog can quickly turn out to be very complicated. You have to be able to react quickly to set off again After 2 years of activity at the head of her company, Emilie knows something about it… You can never be too careful! And I would therefore advise you to always carry a first aid kit with you. In the event of a sore, you must be able to relieve your dog to take him to his veterinarian. In all your activities with your dog, it is an essential to never forget.
When she goes on a cani-scooter or cani-quad outing, Emilie provides small snacks for her dogs in case of cravings and especially water. Like us, during intense physical activity, a dog can feel sluggish and need a bit of energy to restart the machine… It also provides waste bags. For a big workout, Emilie advises giving soup to her dogs 1h30 to 2h before going on a run. Please note, it is strictly inadvisable to feed your dog just before physical activity so as not to take the risk of a torsion of the stomach, which is hyper painful and very often fatal.
The cani-scooter in complete safety
As always, when you go somewhere alone with your dog, always have the reflex to signal your exit. Emilie always takes her phone with her when she goes on cani-scooter outings with her dogs. In the event of a fall, an accident, an injured dog… it must be able to sound the alarm and warn. She always takes care to warn someone by indicating her place of exit and the duration of the exit. If something happens to her and she is not able to give the alert, someone must be able to worry quickly to warn.
And it's not Emilie who will tell you the opposite: “Telling someone may seem ridiculous, but anything can happen. On the same session: I was bitten on the arm by one of my dogs trying to separate them because they had caught a nutria and a few minutes later I went under my quad. Following the general fight for the nutria, I wanted to reattach the quad and a rabbit passed in front of the team of dogs. They went after him and the quad ran over me and hooop Émilie under the quad! “
Morality: warn!!! And if you have the laptop in your pocket, always remember to take an emergency charging battery. It's crazy how quickly these things unload!
A cani-scooter session: the well-being of the dogs above all
Whatever sport you share with your dog, you form a team with him: this activity must therefore be done in total respect with your canine teammate. You have to respect his abilities, his desires and his rhythm.
Before any session, Emilie has established a routine and generally lets her dogs let off steam for 1h to 1h30 in the garden so that they can stretch their legs. She starts with the brakes on so that the dogs channel themselves a bit and don't get exhausted from the start. Emilie is the guarantor of the well-being of her dogs. She acts as a coach, both in motivation and effort management. Depending on the course (duration, difficulty), she plans breaks to rehydrate her dogs and give them a breather. Depending on whether it's the start of the season or if it's the end of the season, the dogs don't have the same form: she adapts her routes like a real sports trainer.
During the session, she has her eyes glued to her teammates. On a scooter, you have to learn to be flexible, to use your feet safely, but also to manage your brakes to avoid ending up in the sun. You have to observe your dog(s) to know how to work in harmony with him, the right moment to push, to do it without generating a jerk for the dog's back, also respecting the tension of the line so as not to run into him... the speed at which we are going, the slightest mistake does not forgive. You must guide and accompany your dogs to ensure their safety.
After each session, she is attentive to the needs of her dogs: food, hydration, care... She takes great care to pamper her team of top athletes.
Join a cani-scooter group
Do you want to test the cani-scooter? Don't go it alone! Get in touch with a group or club near you and join their workouts. You will then be able to share your practice and benefit from their precious advice. Training plan, material, dog equipment, food, competitions… they will guide you with pleasure. You can find the name of clubs affiliated to the Federation of Canine Sports and Leisure on their site. Emilie was the president of the canine sports club “Will to Go sports canins nantais” affiliated with the FFST for 2,5 years.
The story of Emile and his 20 dogs
To end this article dedicated to cani-scooting on a high note, I would like to tell you an anecdote that Emilie shared with me: “I had two big accidents on a cani-scooter. The first was in Payolle where I sunk by hitting my front wheel on a rock on a bad, very greasy descent. Pulled by two dogs, I blew my helmet and it was very hard for me to get back on it… The second accident dates from last November. Dogs launched at 25km/h, we come across a hunter. One of my dogs, a youngster in training who lost his sight in his left puppy eye, freaked out when he saw the gun. He smashed it! I had to brake to avoid running over my dog except that I had to grip my front wheel a little too hard… I went over my scooter head first. I cushioned the fall with my hands… I left two knees there, I have to go for an X-ray soon and my pants are totally torn at the knees and buttocks because the rear wheel hit my back … “
The cani-scooter is a sport Too W'ouf but like any traction sport, it requires adequate equipment and a real knowledge of your dogs. To ensure his safety, that of his dogs and their well-being, there are some essential rules to observe. And Emilie testifies to it! Now you have no more excuses not to get started, in complete safety, in the practice of the cani-scooter! On your mark, get set, skate….
To find out more about what the cani-scooter is and the gear for this activity to practice with your dog, take a look at the article “cani-scooter with your dog”. To learn more about the story of Emilie and her dream team, discover their Portrait Wow Good.
Thanks again to Émilie and her dream team for this important information 🙂
In the meantime, for more info, holiday advice and dog-friendly tips, follow EmmèneTonChien.com on our facebook page et our instagram account : )