The top 10 pulling sports to share with your dog
Looking for a new activity to do with your dog? Do you want to get back into sport and want to share these moments with your dog? Your dog is bursting with energy and you wonder how to get him to spend? I recommend canine traction sports! Canicross, canirando, canivtt, caniroller, caniskate or in their winter version; caniraquette, caniluge and skijoring… there is something for all tastes, all paces, all terrains and all levels! Before you start, here is a presentation of each of these towed sports. As always, we will also take stock of the equipment needed to practice this kind of activity safely with your dog. You will also find a lot of advice for getting started in these different dog sports disciplines. And as a bonus at the end, a link to the Agendog where you will find the list of 2020 sports competitions for those who will take a liking to it!
Canicross: an increasingly popular dog sport
Let's start this top dog sport with a classic: canicross. You like to run and your dog has energy to spare: this is a sport that should please you. Connected to your dog by a elastic lanyard, wears a special canicross harness and you, a canicross belt ou a harness : it's up to you.
Don't run alone! Join a canicross club near you and get plenty of canipotos. What to find motivation, advice and challenge to progress and soon try canicross competitions. Find the list of clubs in the Canine Sports and Leisure Federation on their site as well as the schedule of competitions for the year.
You want to know more about this sport: read or reread the article Start canicross with your dog. I explain how to start, what equipment to choose and how to prepare your canicross sessions.
The coolest towed canine sport: cani-rando
The coolest… humm not always! Cani-rando is the hiking version of cani-cross. It seems to be less intense but if you go for an outing with a lot of positive and/or negative elevation, it can quickly become very sporty. The material and the spirit are the same in any case: the dog tows you during the hike. For this sport, you have to equip your dog with suitable equipment: no question that he pulls you by choking with his collar.. it goes without saying but I prefer to write it black on white.
Be careful, you won't be able to go cani-rando just anywhere! Indeed, some natural areas are protected and the presence of your dog is prohibited. Before setting off on an adventure, remember to read or reread the article Where to hike with your dog so that you don't end up with a big dog forbidden sign in the parking lot of the hike.
To know what to put in your backpack, take stock of dog equipment with the list of canine equipment to take in canirando.
The expert's view:
You have surely asked yourself the question of your dog's equipment for the practice of all these sports. Do I need to equip it with a new harness? Can his ride harness be enough? What type of harness should I choose? How to choose the right size ? Matthieu, expert in sports equipment for dogs brings you his expert view!
“For the practice of canine traction sports, a suitable harness is essential for the comfort and safety of your dog. It's a bit like deciding to go trail running in sandals. In themselves they are shoes but you will quickly lose an ankle and understand that you need shoes adapted to this demanding sport.
It's the same with traction sports; the walking harness on a daily basis is not suitable. A pulling harness is designed to allow the dog to tow. It has a strap that passes between the front legs of the dog and allows him to use all his pulling power. Walking harnesses have poor positioning on the dog in traction and can lead to running discomfort and ultimately injury.
In general, all harnesses fit all dogs if your dog has a standard morphology. Nor is there a harness for any type of canine pulling sport. There are several types of harness: sled dog type which encompasses the whole dog or shorter type canicross harness which stops in the middle of the dog's back. To help you choose the right shape of harness, follow this rule: the longer your line of line and/or your low point of attachment, the longer the harness should be on the dog. Thus the dogs running in front of the sleds have very long harnesses. For sports such as skijoring or caniskate with a longboard, as you have to move away from the dog a little because of the equipment, it is better to choose a longer line of line and therefore a sled dog harness, longer. You follow ?
For the choice of equipment, this will be done according to your feeling of running and the observation of your dog. This is an answer from Norman but I can't be more specific. I like to run with a certain brand of shoes on my feet, other athletes hate them and are much more comfortable with another brand. Everyone must find “the right shoe and harness for their dog! ”.
The Cani-VTT: 50km/h at top speed. Hat's Off !
Is your dog a speed freak? Aren't you running fast enough behind him? Do you feel frustrated at not being able to go full throttle? Test the cani-MTB with him! The secret of this sport: cycling! If your dog has the "will to go", the desire to go, you will need good brakes. Cani-MTB champions sometimes exceed 50km/h in top speed. At this speed, the brakes are your survival capital; as well as the suspensions of the bicycle. Do not expect to maintain a brushing effect! Do not panic: the helmet is obligatory!! Either way, it's a great canine sport to try out with your dog. On the equipment side, you will need to equip your mountain bike with a drawbar and your dog from a pulling harness specific.
To start caniVTT, I advise you to read or reread the article CaniVTT with your dog where Anne, Cani-MTB champion, shared lots of advice on one of this sport that has become her passion.
The cani-roller: a sport of W'ouf
This is a sport for daredevils. No hiking boots or trainers for this sport, but rollerblades and an extremely well-educated dog who obeys you. Your dog must indeed know and master all the commands of the left, right type and especially the STOPPPP! To get started, you will need to identify an area with a nice surface for skating unless you are equipped with all-terrain skates. Attention, it is usually a sport that is practiced rather in urban areas, therefore in areas where there are cars, passers-by, dogs… and also cats and pigeons! This therefore requires extreme vigilance to ensure the safety of your pet and yours.
In any case, it's an activity with guaranteed thrills, especially if your dog is crazy about traction. You will soon be WGV: a Wouafer's at High Speed...
To find out more, check out our cani-roller article.
Cani-skate or dog-skatting: guaranteed sensations
Oh yes: sensations guaranteed with this fifth canine sport in the top 10! It's not Pauline who will tell you otherwise…. This young Wouafer's has been practicing this sport for a few months with her dog, Tsingy. They found a great spot near Millau where to ride safely and without constraint.
Find all Pauline and Tsingy's advice for cani-skate with your dog in their article dedicated to this sport to do with your dog.
If previously, it was a question of being towed on rollerblades, now it is a question of being towed on a skateboard. On a longboard to cover some distance, on a mountain-skate to skate on the trails. In this sport as for all the others, there is no question of remaining passive, sitting on your skateboard... If your dog needs help, you will have to help him and propel the machine either to give the momentum at the start or to to accompany on the ribs for example.
The cani-scooter: a recent canine sport that is gaining followers
The scooter, you know? Perhaps you have opted for the electric scooter to get around or go to work? Forget your electric motor and switch to the canine motor! More economical, ecological and downright Too W'ouf !! If your dog adheres, you will certainly share incredible moments of complicity. It is a sport that is practiced on all terrains. There are many models of cani-scooters or dog scooters. What makes the difference between the models: the brakes, THE essential element for both your safety. You have to be able to brake and slow down your dog in case of danger.
As with all canine pulling sports, it is advisable to start training over small distances. Let your dog take a liking to this sport: it is better to frustrate him than exhaust and disgust him! And that goes for you too. To know everything about the canitrottinette, discover our article: TOP 5 tips for cani-scooting with your dog.
The cani-kart: the snowless version of the dog sled
Musher, my dog, is not called like that by chance… As far back as I can remember, when I was asked as a child what I wanted to do as a job, I answered “musher”. But living far, very far from the mountains, there was rarely snow at home… So, I gave up my pretty dream but if I had known that there was a “snowless” version of this sport, maybe I could have become a musher… who knows! The cani-kart works like the dog sled. The dogs do not tow a sled on the snow but an all-terrain kart.
If all the canine sports presented before are practiced rather with one or two dogs, the cani-kart is a sport for packs. It is rather suitable for Nordic type dogs, enduring and “profiled” for this type of sport. It is a sport that can be practiced all year round because there is no need for snow. On the other hand, as with all towed sports, heat is an enemy. For information, the canine sports federation cancels competitions when the temperature exceeds 20°C at the start. Above, the risks of heatstroke in dogs are far too large to risk endangering them.
Test a cani-snowshoe outing
In the top 10 towed canine sports, I presented cani-rando to you a little earlier: here is the winter version of this sport. Equipped with snowshoes, go on an adventure with your dog. Be careful, under its fun sport airs, it is rather physical and demanding for your dog. If the trail you are walking on is not groomed, your dog may sink into the snow with every step. He doesn't have snowshoes on his feet! Beware of the dangers of snow for your dog. He must not eat snow otherwise he will have serious intestinal problems. Depending on the quality of the snow, sticky, icy… it can form small balls between its pads which, with the friction with each step, can cause extremely painful lesions. Watch out for chilly dogs too, they may not be big fans of this kind of sport. To prepare for your cani-snowshoe outing with your dog, I advise you to read or re-read Cani-racket: a traction sport for dogs; you will find plenty of material advice there, in particular, and Manon and her Czechoslovakian wolfdog shared their good dog-friendly tips in the Alps and their lovely cani-snowshoeing experience.
Anyway, if you try a cani-snowshoe outing, remember to take a nice souvenir photo of you and your dog and post it with the #emmenetonchien! I want to see this 🙂
The expert's view
At this stage of the article, a health focus is essential. Should you prepare your dog's pads when you go winter sports with him? Does my dog need sun protection for his eyes in the mountains? Should I cover my dog because of the cold? Our expert in sports equipment for dogs, brings you his expert view!
“It is essential to prepare your dog's pads before your snow holidays or before your snow sports season. There are different products to prepare your dog's pads : these have a reinforcing action; they harden your dog's pads to make them more resistant to the friction of snow and the aggressions of road salt. This preparation is done over several weeks before departure and is to be renewed every evening during your vacation and the duration of the activities. Be alert to any limping from your dog during exercise. At the slightest lesion, equip it with a boot for dog to prevent the problem from getting worse, turn around and plan a few days of forced rest while waiting for the healing to happen.
As for the protection of your dog's eyes, I will answer you W'ouf Course! It is an essential. A day of skiing under a bright sun is a real torture for the eyes and the risk of corneal damage is great. It's the same for our dogs! And that's also why we recently equipped most of the mountain rescue dog brigades with mask for dog. So they can work without damaging their eyes.
coat side, I will gladly answer: gadget! For dogs that live outside and/or spend a lot of time outside, the coat is completely unnecessary. These dogs have a very dense and perfectly adapted undercoat. If your dog lives with you, sleeps with you and has more of a "couch dog" profile, it may be that this kind of material brings him comfort that he will certainly appreciate. Very short-haired dogs will also surely appreciate this little boost.
I would like to share one last piece of advice for all dogs who live and sleep outside all year round. If the carpet or the mattress seem to be good accessories for their comfort, they are enemies in winter. They capture moisture and stay wet all the time! To offer a cozy corner to your dog, in the dry, opt for a mulching of his niche with dusted chips. By lying in it, like in a beanbag made of polystyrene beads, your dog will form his mark and this will create a thermal effect around him.
In any case, as said above, if necessary, call our technical team who will be happy to help you choose the right equipment for your dog. We have over 40 years of experience serving dogs.
The cani-luge: a winter sport to try absolutely
This is a great winter sport to share with your dog. Your dog is harnessed to your sled. Before you start, there are some precautions to take. Your dog is not a horse or an ox! Don't expect it to tow your sled while you're sitting comfortably on it. As for the dog sports we have just talked about here, it is a sport to share with your dog, therefore a sport where you AND him are in the effort. It can help you and give you some momentum and power, but it won't do all the work for you. Also beware of the “slip” effect: whatever the sport, you must be able to hold your machine. In the event of emergency braking or an obstacle, your machine can become a real danger for your dog and hit him. Be extremely vigilant. Especially with a sled going downhill… I've already tried cani-sledding with Musher, we had a lot of laughs!!
Skijoring: a demanding sport for a sporting duo!
Before you start skijoring with your dog, you absolutely must know how to cross-country ski solo. This is essential if you want to have fun in this sport and thus share a nice moment of complicity with your dog. Cross-country skiing is a rather demanding sport that requires good physical condition. I tested cross-country skiing 7 years ago now and my butt still remembers it. I cracked my coccyx after a few repeated “heavy” falls and since then, I admit I have wiped this sport off the map! But I have not said my last word….
For those who master and who have a very sporty dog, it is a sport of pure pleasure. Snow, mountains, sun, you and your dog… the postcard decor is set: there's more to enjoy! Before you start, you will still need to identify the dog-friendly ski-joering slopes because it is not possible to do them everywhere... Little suspense because they can be counted almost on the fingers of one hand.
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I have met quite a few Wouafer's who practice several traction sports but I have never yet met a sports fanatic who has already tested all 10! Who takes up the challenge??? I couldn't leave you without telling you about another sliding sport to try out with your dog: cani-snowboarding. It is possible to test a towed variant but it is rather a sport where your dog will run next to you.
Here, this time, I think I have made the rounds of all the towed sports that exist. And if you practice one that I forgot here, you know what you have to do: come tell us about your sport Too W'ouf on the Facebook page of EmmèneTonChien.com or our Instagram account !