Whether Canicross, Dogscooting or Bikejöring - train dog sport lies in the trend. The classic among the train dog sports, however, is still the sled dog race. Even though nothing is known about when dogs were first used to pull sledges, sled dogs have a tradition that goes back thousands of years.
In Central Europe, sled dog races have established themselves as a dog sport since the 1970s and have inspired numerous dog owners ever since.
In the following you will learn how sled dog races take place, which breeds are suitable for them and what kind of equipment is necessary for the participation. We will also explain what the optimal diet for sled dogs is and what you need to be aware of.
Sled dog races are a great challenge for the participating animals. Even though in principle all medium sized breeds can be run in front of a dog sled, the use in races over longer distances is primarily reserved for typical sled dogs.
Sled dogs are characterized in particular by a high endurance as well as a pronounced cold resistance. With the appropriate training, high-performance animals are able to pull a dog sled within 24 hours over a distance of up to 200 kilometres.
The teams consist with sleddog-races of a dog-sled, to which partially more than 10 sleddogs are leashed. As a rule, a central pulling line is used, to which all animals are fastened individually.
The dog handler, who is called a musher at dog sled races, stands on the dog sled and steers the tense four-legged friends through acoustic commands.
The foremost four-legged friend is called leader. As a lead dog it has the task to convert the instructions of the Mushers and to set the speed for the remaining animals in the sleddog team. The so-called Wheeler is the dog that is stretched directly in front of the sled. All other animals are called swingers at sled dog races.
Meanwhile there are numerous sport federations in completely Europe, like for example the federation of German sled dog sport associations, which worry about the organization of sled dog running and provide in such a way for the fact that this dog sport becomes ever more popular.
Thus for example once in the year the sled dog world championship is delivered, with which the participants measure themselves on altogether four running days with one another. While at other sled dog races all dogs are allowed to compete in theory, at the World Championships only the classic Nordic sled dogs are allowed.
With regard to the distance to be covered, sled dog races are divided into sprint, medium distance and long distance races. In Germany, sprint races usually cover a distance of 10 to 20 kilometres and medium distance races a distance of up to 50 kilometres, whereas long-distance races usually cover several hundred kilometres.
The longest sled dog race is the Iditarod race, which has been held annually in Alaska since 1973, in which teams of up to 16 animals compete. The course has a length of more than 1,860 kilometres, which the participants have to cover in 8 to 15 days.
If you don't live in Scandinavia, you often have little opportunity to train with your sled dogs in the snow. As an alternative, it is therefore a good idea to practice with a training car for the preparation of sled dog races.
This way it is not possible to train under competition conditions. At the very least, however, the urge of the sled dogs to move can be satisfied and the endurance of the animals promoted.
Sled dog races are a considerable burden even for the best sled dog. A feeding according to demand is therefore not only essential during the racing season, but also during training. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before the health of the four-legged friends suffers and their performance increasingly diminishes.
The high degree of physical strain inevitably leads to active sled dogs having a significantly higher energy requirement than normal dogs. In order to cover this reliably, the choice of the correct dog food plays an important role.
For this purpose, we recommend that you use Bellfor Premium PUR Aktiv. This high-quality dry food is characterised by its high energy density and provides your sleddogs with an extra portion of animal proteins from meat and fish as well as digestible carbohydrates from the gluten-free cereals rice and corn.
In addition to a generally increased calorie requirement, your sleddogs also need more protein due to the physical load than is the case with a normally active four-legged friend. Proteins support among other things the regeneration and serve beyond that as indispensable building material for the receipt and structure of the musculature.
In order to ensure an optimal protein supply, we recommend that you supplement the daily diet of your sled dogs with Bellfor Fitness Powder. This natural food supplement provides your four-legged friends with all the essential amino acids and also supplies them with valuable vitamins and minerals.
At the beginning of the sled dog race, your dog's body mainly uses carbohydrates as a source of energy. However, the longer the load lasts, the more important fats become as a source of energy.
In order to maintain the performance of your sled dogs for as long as possible, it is therefore crucial to provide you with the right mixture of both macronutrients before races and longer training sessions.
The best way to do this is with the Bellfor Fitness Bar. This practical food supplement provides your four-legged friends with fats and carbohydrates they need for long endurance performances. At the same time, the Bellfor Fitness bar is very easily digestible and does not unnecessarily burden the digestion of your sled dogs during sport.
Beside the supply with food and food supplements is important for your sleddogs of course also a sufficient hydration. However, this so-called watering should always be moderate.
Because it does not help at all to supply the animals before the load with enormous amounts of water, which are possibly still enriched with raw minced meat or a portion of dog food. In practice, extreme watering can even lead to a loss of performance and make one or two additional breaks necessary.
In order to avoid both, you should therefore always adapt the watering to the actual needs of the animals and not exaggerate it after the sled dog race or a training run. After exercise, it is advisable to enrich the water with Bellfor Fitness powder and divide the total amount into several small portions.
Alternatively, you can also add the Fitness Powder to your sled dog's wet food and give them the water without any additives.
In order to avoid that the paws of your sleddogs are affected by wetness and cold, careful care is very important.
For this reason, we recommend that you use Bellfor Paw Protection Ointment not only after sled dog races, but also after longer training sessions.
The rich ointment cares for and protects the strained paws of your sled dogs with natural ingredients such as beeswax and insect grease and thus ensures that your four-legged friends can also give their best for the next run.
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