Tilen Strmšek

Tilen Strmšek

Canicross

Slovenia

My name is Tilen Strmšek I'm 32 years old and live in Slovenia. I have two racing dog’s - Greysters named Lynn (female 6 years old) and Bitcoin (male 3 years old) who love to run and are in love with Fitmin food. The Nutritional Programme we use from Fitmin provides all the benefits that give our dogs a healthy life and never had any problems using this food.

How it all started:

I have been involved in team sports since a young age. I trained and played football from the age of 7 to 23, and after that, I became a football coach for young players. I decided to stop playing football because although I was always willing to do everything for the team, I found that not everyone shared the same mind-set. This led me to discover dog sports, particularly Canicross, and I shifted my focus to a different level of team sports. (Canicross) I quit playing football and focused on a different level of team sports.

I believe that playing football has given me good body strength and the determination to train. I never had any problems with my ankles or knees, and running in the rain was nothing new for me. However, like many football players, I struggled with bad running technique.

What is Canicross?

Canicross is a sport where a dog and a human run together in a team. In canicross, the dog runs in front and the runner guides him/her from behind using verbal cues. It is, of course, also possible to run with your dog next to you. To get started with canicross, all you need are a canicross harness, a bungee line, a canicross belt and a pair of good shoes! «Canicross» means cross-country running with dogs. The word «cani» derives from Canis, the Latin word for dog.

I started with Canicross in 2016 with a dog we had at home at that time. However, I soon realized that this dog never learned to pull and it was just fun for him to pull for the first 200-300m. So, in 2017, I made the decision to get a dog specifically for this sport. When I started racing, winning positions seemed out of reach, but I continued training 2-3 times a week regardless of my results.

In the summer of 2018, I welcomed Lynn (Greyster) into my home. During the same year, I started training and racing with a borrowed dog named Art (Hungarian Vizsla). The owners would drive him to all the club training sessions to run with me, and that experience taught me how to enjoy this sport and work as a team. As a result, we started achieving good results, improving our times from month to month, and consistently finishing in winning positions in races. In the World Championships in Poland in 2018, we finished 26th after initially being 21st on the first day.

However, when Lynn was old enough to start racing, it was on a different level compared to what we had experienced with Art. Our connection as a team is something special. When I started racing with Lynn, achieving first place in Slovenia was no longer a question, and in races abroad, we consistently finished in 1st or 2nd place

This is a unique sport where you build a very special connection with your dog.

I never stop helping my dog, even if I am suffering. Sometimes, the little voice in my head tries to convince me to stop, but when I see my dog, my teammate, in front of me working hard, that gives me the extra energy to push through. We have travelled extensively for dog races throughout Europe. Croatia offers races ranging from 8-12 km in length with up to 500 meters of elevation. In Slovenia, we organize two races each year with the assistance of Fitmin company. The highest peak we have climbed is 2864m, in the Slovenian Alps, known as Triglav.

Lynn is eating Fitmin food since I brought her from Slovakia, she enjoys the food and she never had any problems. When she was young she was eating Fitmin Puppy food and now she is on Fitmin Performance. With Fitmin dry food, wet food and some vitamins she gets everything she needs for her running performance, regeneration and healthy life.

In the future, I would like to establish a larger dog hotel and organize Canicross training camps. Lynn and Bitcoin have been eating Fitmin food since they came to my home. They enjoy the food and have never had any problems. They are on Fitmin Performance food now. They get everything they need for their running performance, regeneration, and overall health.

We are both happy and thankful for the support from Fitmin, so Lynn can have her favourite food every day, every month. For her, it is important to have quality food to maintain her weight and stay prepared for everyday activities.