Activities For Norrbottenspets

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Activities For Norrbottenspets

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Introduction

The Norrbottenspets dog is a very old breed of hunting dog that was documented as far back as the seventeenth century in Scandinavia. They were used to track several types of game including grouse, fox, squirrel, and marten, and then corner or tree their quarry using high-velocity barking which can reach up to 120 barks per minute. While these dogs are typically good with most everyone, adults, children, and other canines, making them excellent family companions, they tend to focus most of their energy on one specific person, showing them extreme loyalty. If this energetic and determined dog is not given enough opportunity for both physical and mental activity, they can develop unruly behaviors such as problem barking and chewing, and may even become destructive.

Lure Coursing

Popular

0 Votes

Sunny Day

Moderate

Normal

15 - 45 min

Items needed

Coursing Blanket

Slip Lead

Activity description

Lure coursing is an emerging dog sport that allows dogs that have a naturally high prey drive to indulge their instincts to chase in a safer and more controlled environment. A lure, quite often a white plastic bag, is pulled quickly along the field in a zig zag pattern by a series of pulleys, mimicking the speed and quick direction changes of fleeing game. While the sport was originally developed for sighthounds, other quick and agile hunters, such as the Norrbottenspets, are also good candidates for competition. This breed is even eligible to compete in AKC sponsored lure coursing events as a Foundation Stock Service breed, along with the Azawakh, Peruvian Inca Orchid, Portuguese Podengos, and Thai Ridgeback breeds.

Step

Check your dog

Lure coursing is a fast-paced dog sport that can be physically demanding. Norrbottenspets are not prone to any specific physical ailments like heart or joint trouble, but if your dog hasn’t had a recent checkup, it’s still not a bad idea to set up an appointment to ensure they are in running shape. This is particularly important if your dog is older, overweight, or if you have any other doubts about their overall health. It is also important to ensure that their nails are kept short. Some pet parents wrap their dog's dewclaws in a specialized bandaging material.

Step

Find a club and prepare

While there are many small local groups and dog sport facilities that can instruct you in the sport of lure coursing and may offer a space to practice in, there are only four officially sanctioned coursing clubs: the FCI, the American Kennel Club, the Canadian Kennel Club, and the American Sighthound Field Associaton, although the Norrbottenspets is not eligible for inclusion in the American Sighthound Field Association. In order to acclimate your canine to the sights and sounds of competition and to evaluate their behavior, you may want to take them to a trial as a spectator prior to entering them into a competition.

Step

Run and recover

You may want to give your dog half rations on the morning of the race as this can help prevent cases of gastric torsion or bloat. When you first compete, it may benefit you to let the hosting party know as some courses allow those who are new to the sport to run the course once on their own at first and will instruct you on the proper usage of the coursing blankets and slip lead if you are unsure. Once your dog has completed the race, a cool down walk of at least fifteen minutes will help to prevent muscle cramps.

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Bark and Quiet

Popular

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Any Day

Free

Normal

5 - 15 min

Items needed

Treats

Activity description

This breed of small hunting dog has an unusually fast bark, around 120 barks per minute or so, and uses their bark not only to alert the hunter to where the prey is located but also to confound and confuse the animal they have cornered or treed. This unique and useful trait for hunting can become quite antagonizing when not in the field. It is important to get their barking at home under control as quickly as possible, and this is most effectively accomplished by teaching your dog to first bark on command, then to be quiet on command as well.

Step

Speak

Give your canine companion the command to speak and show them a high-value reward, when your dog barks two or three times in response, release the reward. Repeating this step frequently over the next two or three days until it is entrenched and the dog barks each time that you give them the command to speak.

Step

Quiet

When your pup has mastered the speak command, it is time to move on to the quiet command. It is important to start this training in a quiet, distraction-free environment in order to give your dog the greatest chance of success. Give your dog the command to speak, then show them a reward and follow up immediately with the new “quiet” command. Your dog will typically stop barking to sniff the treat, at which point you should praise them enthusiastically and give them their reward. Continue working on the quiet command in the chosen distraction-free environment until the dog reliably stops barking when the command is given.

Step

Quiet whenever

Once your dog is responding well to the quiet command in the distraction-free environment at home, it’s time to introduce some distractions. Start by working on the command in an area with only a few distractions, such as a quiet park nearby or a friend’s house that your dog is familiar with. You can slowly add distractions at home as well, like people walking by the house or children playing outside, in order to help to cement the command so that eventually you will be able to get quiet from your canine with just a word, no matter what the distraction.

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Canine Parkour

Popular

0 Votes

Sunny Day

Cheap

Normal

30 - 60 min

Items needed

Sturdy Harness

Four to Six-Foot Leash

Activity description

Parkour is a training discipline that was developed in France in the 1980s, which turns the everyday world around you into a constantly shifting obstacle course by using the objects in your environment, such as park benches, curbs, and even fallen logs, as the obstacles. While the parkour training method was originally developed for humans, it has quickly spread to the canine community as an exercise routine that both man and beast can conquer together. Parkour is an exercise technique that can be done just about anywhere, costs very little to participate in, and is constantly changing and adapting, forcing you and your dog to use both your mind and your muscles. Norrbottenspets were developed to chase a variety of different creatures through the rocky and uneven forests of Scandinavia, making them very versatile and sure-footed, good traits for a parkour partner.

Step

Gear up

It is essential to make sure you have a sturdy, well-made harness for your dog in order to participate in parkour. This will give you a better opportunity to get your pup out of trouble if they make a wrong step or they overestimate their abilities. The harness should be examined by you each time before engaging in this sport, checking to ensure that there are no defects, damage, or fraying to the gear. A four to six-foot leash should be securely attached to the leash to provide you with the control you will need to help your canine companion out if they happen to get into a difficult spot. You will also need to bring along fresh water for both you and your canine companion.

Step

Training the basics

There are a few specific behaviors that your pooch will need to know to safely navigate the terrain when participating in this form of exercise. Some of the actions that are frequently seen during parkour sessions include jumping gaps, slowly backing up, going under things, and balancing on all four paws on objects like picnic tables, logs, curbs, and even narrow posts. While treats are a useful reward when training for parkour, they should never be used to lure your dog into any situation in which they are hesitant or uncomfortable. Canine parkour should be about fun, not fear.

Step

The activity of canine parkour is one that can be practiced anywhere that your dog is allowed to go, without having to pull out a great deal of gear, and without costing a great deal. When you are ready for an exercise session, you can just walk out the door and go. It is important to be wary of the weather and environmental situations, however, as it is easy to slip on wet or icy objects and on hot days, and metal or stone surfaces that hold heat can cause damage to your dog’s paws.

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More Fun Ideas...

Flygility

Flygility is an emerging dog sport which combines the activities of flyball and agility training. Teams of four dogs race down a track relay-style, punctuated by flyball hurdles as well as other agility obstacles such as hoops, tunnels, or ramps.

Canine Freestyle Dance

Norrbottenspets are extremely agile and intelligent canines with a strong focus on their owners. While they can be stubborn when training becomes pedantic, they are likely to respond well to positive and varied training methods.

Conclusion

This is an energetic and lively breed that can handle a variety of environments as long as they receive enough mental and physical activity each day. They are intelligent canines with an independent mind and a strong bond to their owners. This cheerful and inquisitive dog has recently become more popular as a companion animal but can be difficult to find as they are still extremely rare outside of their native Scandinavia.