Before we get to winter sports that you can do with your four-legged buddies it’s good to remember the care that you shouldn’t forget about in this period.
If your dog is short-haired, dress them for the outdoors in an adequate winter outfit – especially when the temperature drops to zero. If the dog’s paws come into contact with thawing salt, wash them with lukewarm water after you come home. You can also treat them beforehand with a special protective product.
And of course, give good consideration to the physical fitness of your furry friend, and if it’s not used to long training even at more favourable conditions, start with winter sports slowly. Rather do the sport’s activity several times a day for a shorter period of time than once for long. You can gradually increase the training time and take from its frequency.
Skijöring – you’ll stretch both your body and your dog’s body
At a cottage, on a mountain holiday... Just anywhere where the snow terrain allows it, try skijöring, that is cross-country skiing together with the dog. This sport belongs to the category of those, that strengthen the relationship of the owner and the dog, and at the same time, skijöring requires their coordination. It’s also a condition that the dog be strictly disciplined.
In skijöring, the dog runs harnessed in a special strap in front of its master, who is following it on cross-country skis. This winter activity will be appreciated not only by Nordic breeds, but also by hunting breeds. Summer equivalent to skijöring is the modern canicross, when dog and human run together. Also joined by a strap.
Mushing – sport for the demanding ones
Mushing, or dog sledding, is not something that you should do with your dog only once. It’s rather a long-term hobby that requires real discipline. You surely know pictures and videos from mushing: a harnessed dog pack carries a dog handler on the connected sled. Nordic breeds are best suited for this sport.
With a medium-sized, fit dog (or even a pack) you can try a version of mushing and perhaps harness them to a sleigh that you or your children will ride on. However, the dogs must be disciplined, obedient and trained.
What else can you do?
In winter, you can continue even with sports that you’re used to from the previous months. If your dog fell in love, for example, with dogfrisbee, indulge it in its favourite activity even in the snow. Do you set out for running together? You don’t have to stop even in the winter. Just make sure that you switch to doing sports at low temperatures gradually and that the dog’s paws don’t suffer from thawing salt.
Do you do sports in the winter with your dog? How much time do you spend outside?
Cats are no longer the outside countryside homeless animals that come closer to a house just for a while when they are in the mood for it. Rather the opposite, they have started living in city flats and have adjusted to our lifestyle. However, it’s...
Rabbits are popular pets especially for city flats. It’s because they don’t require a lot of space and don’t need to go outside very often (no garden needed). However, it doesn’t mean taking care of them is easy and no time or efforts are needed. We...
It sounds lovely: a dog gets a command, it does it and gets a treat or a reward for that. It won’t end with one moment in the perfect case and it will become the basic idea of a whole training for a dog that will become an obedient pet using positive...
Every dog owner knows that feeling when (s)he has to leave house to work or (s)he can’t take his/her pet with him/her for any reason and (s)he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Can a dog handle the situation or will it bark and go on the rampage?...
Fear is natural for people and everyone has their own fears. While someone is scared of spiders, heights or confined spaces, others are scared of dogs. This fear is common in children who haven’t explored the world so well yet and who don’t know the...
Guinea pigs are popular pets especially in families with kids. They are small animals that can bring a lot of joy. If you consider buying a guinea pig, there are some aspects you shouldn’t neglect before making the decision. We talked about what to...
Have you heard about sport called Disc Dog? It basically consists of throwing a disc to your dog that fetches it. Disc Dog can be done as a recreational or a professional sport. For professional competitors, there are several disciplines for which...
Siberian Cat is quite a new breed that was only recognized by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) in 1992. It emerged from crossbreeding domestic cats and breeds brought from the Near East and it found its home in Russia and Ukraine where it...
Most of us have this long thought-to-be-true idea that one dog year equals to seven human years. So, if you have a two-year-old puppy at home, it is already 14 years old when compared to humans. Therefore, if you have a ten-year-old dog at home, it is...
Breast milk is, in the beginning of life, the best thing a pup can get from its mother. It is full of the nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. However, as the offsprings grow, milk needs to be supplemented with other food, so they are...
Cat lovers and breeders know very well that one cat is often not enough, and that there is sometimes a need to get another cat companion. However, this decision will affect the whole household and, above all, it is necessary to prepare the cat you...
Many of us are under the influence of the need to fulfill a dream of getting an unconventional pet, which the minipig certainly is. This trend has been present in the Czech Republic for about ten years. But don’t be fooled by those cute snouts, taking...
