Under the name of dogtrekking, imagine an orientation walk with the dog. Official rules rank it among extreme dog endurance sports.
What’s it about?
Under the name of dogtrekking, imagine an orientation walk with the dog. Official rules rank it among extreme dog endurance sports. As the name suggests, treks with a dog are characterized by both a more demanding terrain and the length of the route, which is around 100 km (the minimum according to the official rules is 80 km). The trek is usually for more days and counts with the possibility of an overnight stay in beautiful nature.
In the Czech Republic, it’s a relatively young sport that, according to available sources, appeared here after the year of 2000. And although a number of enthusiasts pursue this sport informally, there have been a relatively little dogtrekking events or undertakings (in the words of dog-trekkers) since then. What conditions do you actually have to meet as participants in dogtrekking?
Basic features of dogtrekking
Dogtrekking will train your orientation: the aim is to complete a previously set up route at an official undertaking, using a map, itinerary and within a given time limit.
Dogtrekking will test not only your physical fitness, but also mental. The demanding nature of the terrain and the whole-day stay outdoors with a sense of reliance on you alone, will do for anyone at first.
Dogtrekking will strengthen the mutual relationship with your dog partner, since you’re not alone for the trek, you have your four-legged partner with you, with whom you’ll deepen the relationship and mutual understanding thanks to the moments spent together and performed physical work.
Dogtrekking will support mutual fidelity: for the whole time of the walk, you have to be connected to your dog, whether using a leash or with a cord between the dog’s harness and the back wrap of the dog handler.
Dogtrekking will make adventurers out of you: hundred-kilometer distances, several kilos of load, time limit, spending a night under the open sky and the incredible feeling of satisfaction, when you arrive to the finish line. All of this will turn you into excited adventurers pretty soon.
Dogtrekking teaches respect: this dog sport doesn’t only teach respect towards nature, but to yourself and to your dog, but also to other participants and their dogs. You can walk the trek both together in a group or alone, if you prefer peace and solitude.
Equipment
And what will you need for dogtrekking? Among basic equipment of the dog and its master belong the following:
a leash and a collar;
extendable cord;
dog harness;
back wrap or belt;
dog backpacks or bags;
other accessories such as protective shoes for the dog (2 shoes per dog), for example, or a raincoat for the dog (optional).
At an official dogtrekking undertaking, the obligatory equipment for the couple dog handler – dog for their joint walk is determined by the organiser (in the so-called propositions). What you’ll always definitely pack in the backpack with you: a sleeping bag, sleeping mat (or an allu mat, blanket or a hammock), headlamp, map, first aid kit, dog food and water for the dog (min. 1 litre) including a bowl, food and water for you.
How to get started?
Dogtrekking, similarly as canicross, ranks among the dog sports which, according to the words of the organisers, are for everyone. So, it doesn’t depend much on the size or on the breed of the dog. However, what determines this discipline from the start, is yours and your partner’s certain physical fitness. But I’m a living proof, that it’s possible to survive an (unofficial) trek with the dog even without great physical fitness, that you’ll both improve with time anyway :-).
A great advantage is, that as with canicross, you can take advantage of the support of your dog and using its pull, if you’re connected by a cord between the harness and the back wrap, you’ll overcome the demanding mountainous terrain easier. You definitely don’t have to start right off with a 100km route, but you can try a shorter track for yourself (I recommend 30 – 40 km at least).
A whole number of outdoor agencies today already offer an “experience” in the form of one- to three-hour tours harnessed to a sled dog. If you don’t have your own dog, but you’d like to try this sport, this is an ideal opportunity. This option is already offered by some mountain hotels. Since dogtrekking largely takes place in mountain environment. You can take part in a dogtrekking undertaking in most Czech mountains as well.
Definitely don’t hesitate to get advice from internet forums, dog trekkers are generally very friendly and they will always help. Maybe you’ll even find new partners for trekking trips :-).
How do you like this dog sport? Have you already got some experience with it? Share it with other readers :-).
If your cat is going to pee or defecate outside its toilette, it is only seldom just an issue of training or hygiene. Cats are clever animals and they have no trouble to understand, where to go to toilette. Therefore, if they don’t abide the rules of...
We hear about the war in Syria almost every day. But have you ever thought about how does a war affect local animals and that the self-sacrifice must not always be made by an animal for humans, but it can also be the other way around? The person that...
Acupuncture wants to harmonise the body and the mind. Some of you may have tried it, it was a great help to me personally with issues with my back and breathing. Precisely owing to my positive personal experience, the possibility to indulge dogs and...
In the life of any dog, a situation might come up, when it is necessary to put on a muzzle. And if the dog is not used to wearing it, it might mean a stressful situation. I will advise you on how to avoid stress and how to get your dog used to wearing...
Same as in people, also our pets should go to regular check-ups to a doctor. We might neglect this quite often, but it is still something else in animals. A dog or a cat won’t come up to you to tell you, that they’re not feeling well. That’s why an...
The name distemper might be familiar to you, but do you know more precise characteristics of this treacherous viral disease? Let’s take it one by one from the historic roots up to the present day
Do you know, what dreams our pets have? Besides myself, also a number of scientists were interested in this question and they came up with various hypotheses. Would you guess what our four-legged friends dream about?
Maybe even you have a small four-legged stressed-out dog at home. In such case, read carefully, maybe you will find something here, what you haven’t tried yet, while trying to get your pet rid of stress.
You have probably encountered the opinion, that much more important than what you’re saying to your dog is how you’re saying it (the tone). But it shows, that dogs are able to understand the human language much better, than we generally credit them for.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.3px 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}
span.s1 {font-kerning: none}
All of us surely likes to take pictures of our pets. However, the photographs don’t always turn out according to our...
It could seem that the smaller the animal, the less care it would require. However, don’t let yourself be fooled. Even if you have a small mouse at home, a rabbit or maybe a guinea pig, you should adapt the care for them to the season and to situations...