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Canicross: dog sport for fit owners

Owners of dogs who love to run and who like to spend their time outdoors have the perfect opportunity to do so with Canicross. Because in this dog sport, the team has to cross country on six legs, so that people and animals alike get their money's worth.


Canicross

How Canicross works exactly, whether your dog is suitable for this sport and how to practice the popular draught dog sport correctly, you will find out below. We'll also explain what's important when it comes to feeding your Canicross active dog.

What is Canicross?

Canicross is a team sport, in which the team always consists of one person and one or two dogs. The name is a combination of the Latin word Cani for dog and the English term cross, which in this context can best be translated as cross-country.


The origins of this still rather young dog sport lie in Norwegian skijoring, where skiers can also be pulled through the snow by dogs. The first Canicross World Championship took place in Italy in 2002. In recent years, the sport has enjoyed increasing popularity and is finding more and more followers who discover canicross as a leisure activity with dogs.

How Canicross works

Canicross is a discipline from the draught dog sport. In contrast to other draught dog sports, the human part of the team is not pulled on a vehicle like a sled or a Dogscooter, but has to run itself instead.


The dog wears a canicross harness and is connected to the runner's waist belt by a pulling rope. The leash is about two meters long and has a back damping, so that the distance between dog and runner is flexible to a certain extent.


Canicross starts with either one or two legs. Since dogs are usually much faster than humans, the runner is pulled and must inevitably try to keep up with the speed of his four-legged teammate. In this way, speeds of around 30 kilometres per hour can be achieved with Canicross.

Train dog sport


The racing distance for Canicross is between one and ten kilometres, whereby a subdivision into sprint distance (up to 1,000 metres), short distance (up to 3,000 metres) and long distance (up to 10,000 metres) is common.

Canicross as an inexpensive introduction to train dog sport

Canicross is an excellent way to get to grips with the subject of train dog sport. Because comparatively little equipment is needed, so the costs are manageable. In addition to dog harness, belly strap and drawstring, you only need running shoes and sportswear to start with Canicross.


Apart from that, Canicross is an excellent way to get your dog used to the pulling dog sport. He learns to run in front of you, pull you and respond correctly to your commands. At the same time, the risk of a fall is significantly lower compared to dogscooting or bikejoring.

For which dogs is Canicross suitable?

Canicross is basically suitable for all dogs who enjoy running. However, it doesn't make much sense if you weigh 80 kilos yourself and now expect your little Jack Russell Terrier to exert a significant pull on you.


For this reason, Canicross is primarily for medium to large sized dog breeds that enjoy running, even if theoretically all breeds are allowed to start at tournaments, provided that the animals have reached the appropriate minimum age.

However, your four-legged friend must meet the following requirements for Canicross in any case:

  • A minimum age of 15 months for distances up to 5.000 meters, respectively 18 months for distances up to 10.000 meters is mandatory for tournaments and serves the protection of the growing musculoskeletal system.
  • Animals with joint diseases or heart problems should not use Canicross any more than pregnant or lactating animals.
  • High running ability as well as physical fitness and good obedience are important prerequisites for training and participation in tournaments without incidents.

Last but not least, you should keep in mind that Canicross also demands a lot from your own fitness. After all, unlike other dog sports such as flyball or agility, you are not largely passive, but must participate actively in the action and cover the same distance as your four-legged friend.

How to get started with Canicross

With Canicross it is important that your dog follows your commands reliably. Because speed and direction changes take place without eye contact. In order for this to work smoothly, you must practice with your four-legged friend.


For this purpose it can be useful to attend a training course in a dog school or a club for train dog sport. There you will learn the most important basics together, so that you can soon guide your four-legged training partner safely through the terrain.


Since your dog should not pull on the leash in everyday life, it is advisable to use the Canicross harness only for training and not when walking. In this way the four-legged friend learns when to pull and when not to.

Why the paw care is important with the Canicross

While your feet are protected by sports shoes when running off-road, your dog's paws are at the mercy of the often rough or stony ground. For this reason a good care after the Canicross is very important. 


We recommend Bellfor Paw Protection Ointment for this purpose. The natural ointment protects the paws of your quadruped with selected ingredients such as shea butter, insect fat and beeswax. This ensures that small cracks heal quickly and that your dog will continue to travel safely on all four legs in the future with the Canicross.

Canicross only works with the right diet

In dog sports, nutrition is of particular importance. This also applies if you do not run Canicross at competition level like Jule Prins from the Bellfor competence team, who even became world champion in 2017. 


Due to the additional physical strain in dog sports, your four-legged friend has an increased energy requirement, which you must cover with a suitable food. The best way to do this is with our Premium PUR Aktiv variety. 


The gluten-free dry food is characterized by a high fish and meat content and also provides your dog with particularly digestible carbohydrates from rice and corn as a valuable source of energy to meet the additional needs of canicross training.

High quality nutritional supplements for optimal performance with Canicross

However, sufficient water and high-quality food alone are not enough to ensure the best possible performance of your four-legged friend with the Canicross and to optimally support his health. For this reason it makes sense to supplement the diet with suitable preparations.

For dogs that regularly use Canicross, we recommend the following Bellfor products:

Bellfor Fitness Powder

Bellfor Fitness Powder provides your dog with valuable vitamins and minerals as well as essential amino acids from insect protein, which support regeneration, protect the muscles and contribute to lasting best performances with Canicross.

Bellfor Joints & Bones

Bellfor Joints & Bones with the innovative active ingredient complex Ovopet optimally supplies the joints of your quadruped with nutrients and effectively counteracts possible discomfort caused by athletic stress.

Bellfor Fitness Bar 

Bellfor Fitness bars contain the ideal blend of fats and carbohydrates that your dog needs for optimal energy supply during longer canicross runs, in order to be able to perform at full power to the last metre.

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