Mary Kotuliáková | 3rd place of the ICF World Championship
My partner and I have been working on individual sled dog disciplines since around 2013. We have 4 European sled dogs at home. Dafné (born 2014), Ziva (born 2015), Kovu (born 2020), Remiel (born 2021).
Dafinka and I have several titles from the Slovakian championships in the bikejoring category (cyclist + 1 dog). Zivka and I devoted ourselves more to scootering (scooter with 1 dog), where, in addition to several titles from the Slovak championships, we also hold a bronze medal from the 2018 ICF World Championships . Kovuško is a successful competitor and also the holder of the MSR title in bikejoring from 2021 , and also in the scooter with two dogs, where we won the bronze medal at the MSR in 2022. Remiel - or Reminka - is our turbo racket and with her 23 kg she brought us to MSR 2022 for the gold medal in bikejoring.
But most importantly – our dogs are our family ♥ and their health and well-being is our first priority!
How to feed a dog before a race / training
I could probably list the entire offer of the Canis Labu e-shop :D
Our most used products are definitely the pre-exercise drink ( Speed & Power ) when you need to get fluids and some extra energy into your dog, and the post-exercise drink ( Recovery ), which supports overall regeneration by supplementing proteins. This somehow automatically includes the best balls under the sun! And it Dogule as a regular treat , Regule – to support intensive regeneration with a high protein content, and Turbogule – as a kicker before exercise or a quick energy boost.
We regularly use Speed & Power before the load and Recovery after the load... we also like to support regeneration with Regula . Especially during multi-day races, I appreciate the practicality of Turboballs, which supply energy without straining the body.
Nutrition of the dog in season
During the season, we maintain a higher content of proteins and nutrients (we add dietary supplements - e.g. Imunovital) or increase fat intake to balance caloric expenditure during the training period.
Outside the main racing season, we focus on the overall regeneration of the body. We try to keep the dogs in a "volume" which means a larger volume of food, lower energy expenditure. But that doesn't mean they just lie on the couch! ...although... they like to do that too.
Healthy sports with a dog
You have to find a balance for you and your dog. The selection and dosage of dietary supplements must be adapted to each phase of the training cycle.
We feed our dogs with high-quality pellets that are readily available wherever we happen to be with our dogs in the world. At the same time, we also feed with pellets due to travel. The idea of carrying meat with you for the weekend for 4 large dogs is not too much :D
So we chose a really high-quality brand that uses different sources of protein and can thus rotate the flavors, choose the fat % according to the season. The food should be easily digestible and suit the dog as an individual.
Tips to become a champion
In the beginning it's about having a dream. A dream that maybe no one believes in except you... Dreams without goals are just dreams. But the journey is the destination. On the way to the goal, you have to sacrifice those mornings when you get up early to train the dogs before work, those moments when you would rather stretch out on the couch but you devote yourself to the dogs again. In the winter, in the rain, in the mud... My only type of training is consistency. Be consistent, follow the plan you have prepared for you and your dog, but first of all, watch your partner.
