Being active – Dogscootering

I have already written a few blogs about activities you can undertake with your dog, and this blog fits in nicely with that list. Today we’re going to talk about Dogscootering!

Dogscootering

Since March I am the proud owner of a Yedoo kickbike, a cool bright green one. I wanted to cover longer (sporty) distances with Skadi, among others, without having to run myself (that’s not for me, haha). With a kickbike you get a full workout yourself, and so does your dog. So win-win!

What do you need?

The following things are useful to have when you go scootering with your dog:

• A kickbike (shocker, I know, haha), you can buy or rent one. There are various providers of (dog) scooters/kickbikes throughout the country. As mentioned, I have a Yedoo (the Mula) myself, which has a nice price and gets good reviews from other people who scooter with their dog. I am very happy with it myself!
• A well-fitting harness, I prefer a Y harness because it does not hinder the movement of the dog
• A bracket for your scooter that you can attach your dog to, or a hip belt. I scooter with the latter myself
• Water for both of you
• Phone is handy to have with you just in case
• Possibly a small first aid kit

Important to know before scootering with your dog

It is very important to remember that most dog breeds are allowed to run alongside the scooter, but not to pull the scooter along (mushing). Only sled dog breeds (with a pedigree!) are allowed to pull a sled or step (or whatever) in the Netherlands, all other breeds need a special pulling permit for this. This in connection with the ban on using a dog to pull carts etcetera, that applies in the Netherlands. Do you want to go mushing with a breed other than a sled dog? Then contact the RVO for an exemption.
The way I scooter with my dogs, it’s actually no different than cycling with your dog. The dog walks next to the kickbike, and together we move forward, each on our own muscle power. This must of course be learned and built up slowly.

Learn and build up

I start scootering when my dogs are preferably at least twelve months old. It is very important that your dog has first learned to walk without pulling, so if your dog still pulls a lot on the leash, go to your local dog trainer first to get started. Roughly speaking, I build up this way:

• First I train my dog ​​(from puppy) to walk calmly with me on a slack leash, without pulling. I do this with the clicker, ask your trainer for an explanation.
• If the dog can walk along nicely and is also at least one year old, we will walk with the dog on the hip belt, next to the scooter. I still just walk next to the kickbike/scooter, the dog first has to get used to walking along. You walk between the dog and the scooter.
• If this goes well, walk next to the scooter on the other side, so that the scooter is between you and your dog.
• If walking like this goes well, we scooter a short distance at a pace where the dog adopts a trot.
• This trot is very important! Your dog can keep this up for a long time and is not very stressful for the muscles. If your dog goes into a gallop you are going too fast, slow down.
• Now gradually increase the distance. There is no clear guideline for this, what your dog (and you yourself) can handle depends entirely on the individual.

Some important additions

Build up the scootering slowly! Start with a minute, for example, and go a little longer each time Take breaks in between.
Also pay attention to the traffic rules! Legally you are a pedestrian with your scooter, but it is usually safer to stay on the bike path and therefore actually behave like a cyclist. Be considerate of other road users and use your common sense.
Furthermore, a very important one: DO NOT go scootering in too hot weather! If it is warmer than 20 degrees Celsius, just stay home. An option may be to go scootering very early in the morning, when it is still nice and cool outside. Your dog can otherwise overheat very quickly, with all the consequences that entails.
And finally: only go scootering with your dog if your dog is in good condition. It is better to take a nice sniffing walk with a dog with complaints to the musculoskeletal system 🙂
Have fun!