Do You Know What Dog Mushing Is?

Sometimes you hear of things that sound vaguely familiar. This might be the case for you with dog mushing. You might have heard of the word, but you’re not sure what it refers to. Want to know more about it?

What is dog mushing?

Dog mushing is a recognized sport today. However, for years, people considered it as a mode of transportation. In fact, the name comes from the French word used to get an animal moving. You could translate it something like “march” or “walk.”

For obvious reasons, this sport is more common in cold countries, such as Nordic countries or North America. This is because you need snow to practice this sport. However, there are new versions that you can perform on land. These are popular in some countries, such as Spain.

Types of dog mushing

There are many different ways to practice this sport. Officially, this sport is practiced on snow. However, there are new versions that people practice on land as well. We’ll discuss these later. Now, let’s look at the ways of mushing in the snow:

• Sled. In this type of dog mushing, several dogs pull a sled with two participants on board. There are races and championships where various sled teams compete. In fact, there are also different types of sleds, such as the standard sled, a cart, or a pulka. These are different sleds, but the sport and competitions are essentially the same.
• Tricycle. This is a three-wheeled vehicle suitable for the snowy ground. Four dogs pull this vehicle.
• Skijöring. In this sport, the musher is on skis or a scooter. Then, one dog pulls the musher. This sport sounds like fun with or without competitions!
• Canicross. This is becoming a better-known type of mushing since you don’t need snow. However, this form of mushing is very popular and valued by participants. It consists of running with a dog attached to us via a harness. This allows the animal to continue to pull you on when you begin to get tired. In fact, the dogs help give you the burst of energy you need.

Do you want to be a musher?

Now that you know what dog mushing is, maybe you’re interested in practicing it. Mushers are anyone who practices this sport, regardless of the type. However, there are some requirements you need in order to participate.

Taking care of the dogs

Dogs that participate in mushing must feel comfortable in low temperatures. They also require different care than dogs used as pets. As a result, before becoming a musher, you need to be aware of how to care for these animals and, of course, provide for them.

Your dogs must be trained

All sports require discipline. This is also true of sports with animals. You need discipline and dogs will need it too. You’ll need dogs that are well-socialized and that are able to follow orders. To be an effective musher, you need to have well-trained dogs.

In addition, from the time they’re puppies, you should train them to drag objects. This is what they’ll ultimately need to do in the sport. However, you need to wait until the puppies are at least six to twelve months old before starting any training.

Feeding

Due to the low temperatures and the energy required for this sport, your dogs will need a special diet. This is an important aspect. However, you’ll need to give your dogs proper nutrition even if you don’t want to participate in any championships. It’s necessary just to preserve your animals’ well-being.

Did you enjoy learning about dog mushing? Maybe next time it snows, you can take your dog out and give it a go!