Been a huge lover of dog mushing I decided to get a Paw Trekker Scooter for our Irish Setter, Ole. Even though he isn't a sled dog he still loves to run, and boy can he run!
I spent 3 weeks training him up on the mushing commands before attaching him to the scooter. He took to it flying as he was used to going out with me on the bike.
He was already used to the commands, Steady for slowing down, Hup, Hup for going faster.The Paw Trekker Scooter is a great model as it has a Brush Bow to the front which allows for the dog to pull in the correct position. It also keeps the gangline from catching around the wheel.
Dog Scootering is a great sport and a fun way to exercise your dog. The scooter can be pulled by one or two dogs. Dogs from as little as 25lb can pull it in two dog teams. I really noticed a different in enegy level with our dog after his 30 minute run on the scooter. He is alot quiter and dosen't pace about the house.
How far you can go really depends on your dogs fitness level. Ole is used to going with me on the bike so we built it up through time. I wouldn't recommened you just attach your dog to the scooter and off you go. This has lead to alot of accidents in the past for human and dog.
Your dog needs to learn the basic mushing commands such as;
Gee Go right
Haw Go left
Hike/Pull Go forward
Whooa Gentle stop
Trail Stay on the trail
On By Go past eg past a distraction
Easy Slower
Hup,hup Faster
These are just examples - use whatever commands you feel comfortable with – just keep them consistent.
Always be aware of the rules of running your dogs with scooter.
No comments:
Post a Comment