Hi everyone! Does anyone go biking with their dog? I can take Titan out for a 5 mile walk/jog and he is still ready to go for more after. I've been getting him used to being around a bike and trotting along a bike for about a year now. He moves well with the bikes when we turn and his stop/go is really good. I basically just trained him like walking. When we stop, he sits. When we go I just say "Let's go". I have a bike leash and bought the best sport harness I could find. We've been doing good. We are up to about 2.5 miles a day. I always use the same route so that he gets used to it. My question is, how fast should I be going? I keep him going at a good trot. If he starts running, I speed up. If he slows down, I slow down. He and I are pretty good at reading each other so if he's tired I will slow down or stop. The traffic is low in the area so I have no worries about cars. The other question is, how long should I go for? I'm trying to build up distance over time. I started with just 1.5 miles. He wasn't tired so we bumped it up to 2. Then from there we tried 2.5 miles. The additional .5 miles isn't much further up since we have to go back as well. We jogged 5 miles and he was just fine, but seeing as jogging is a lot slower than a bike, I figured we should work up to a 5 mile bike. If you do bike with your dogs, please let me know what you do. I'm always worried of over working him. Since we started doing this, he's become much more obedient and much more calm since we burn off all the excess energy. He still runs around the yard and plays, just isn't getting zoomies like he used to. THANKS!
Re: Biking with dog Hi , this sounds like fun and great exercise , not something I have ever done though ( think age !) ;D Its very sensible to build any hard exercise up slowly as you have done and to stop them from running too hard or for too long, especially in the warmer months when they may become dehydrated . It sounds to me like you are taking every precaution possible , do you take water for him ? I often go for long walks with my two, have done 6-9 miles before, so I dont think a five miler would be too much as long as its not in the heat of the day and he isnt running , a good trot should be fine
Re: Biking with dog I reluctantly stick my head above the parapit as one who has spent most of my life in high risk activities to say I would never take a dog for a walk whilst riding a bike. Firstly, no matter how well your dog is trained the risk of an accident particularly whilst riding on the public highway which would affect both the dog and owner is huge. Secondly, Labradors are large dogs and to exercise them at a constant speed over distances such as 5 miles cannot be good for the dog's joints. I am sure others better informed than me will have other views so I will bow out before causing offence. Roger
Re: Biking with dog No offense taken. When we bike it's usually through neighborhoods. We do have a few smaller highways around us, but I wouldn't feel safe even if it were just me biking. The reason I chose biking is because I felt like I was the one being taken out on a run. The bike just allows me to move at a pace closer to what the dog wants to move at and I don't end up feeling like Jello when I get home. lol. If we're talking about the dogs joints over an extend exercising period, wouldn't jogging do essentially the same thing?
Re: Biking with dog You can run/jog off road whereas it sounds like your cycling around the neighbourhood is probably on a hard surface. I think that matters; it does if you are a runner. Just something else to think about
Re: Biking with dog I agree with the hard surface bit. I appreciate it isn't much different to CaniCross which is more established, but I think you have to be really sure of your dog. Too active for me - and my dog who has hip dysplasia.
Re: Biking with dog I also think, like I said earlier, that its important not to allow him to run , this would be too much for his joints for sure over a few miles especially . Is this road or track cycling ?
Re: Biking with dog I definitely try to think about what he is running on. We bike on the side of the roads and through the parks. If he is able to, I'll bike on the pavement and let him run on the grass to give some additional shock absorption for him. What would be other activities that would be less strenuous on his joints? I can throw the ball for a bit, but I would like to switch it up from there. Swimming is great, but it's a bit of a drive to get to a place for him to swim. It definitely is a treat when he gets to swim though.
Re: Biking with dog How about agility - maybe there's a group near you. I am going to wait until my pup is over a year, perhaps 18 months old and start running with her. I won't go over 3 miles, having built up very slowly over several months (starting at 18 months old) and I am SLOW. I think the worry with dogs is that they will just keep on going when they should stop.
Re: Biking with dog I think there are risks in biking with a dog, but they must be balanced against the benefits. You've obviously thought about the traffic issue and done some good preparation I would avoid the dog having to 'gallop' except over short distance. As Kate says, a brisk trot should be fine, if you build up the distances gradually. If you are on roads or hard tracks, he will also need time to harden up his pads. It's worth having him checked over by your vet too, to make sure he is sound, before doing too much. It sounds as though you are being careful, and I stand to be corrected if there is evidence to the contrary, but I suspect your dog is having a lot of fun and benefiting from the experience.
Re: Biking with dog Thanks! He does seem to be having a lot of fun. We are being very careful. He did get a cracked paw when we sent in to day care about a year ago and have been careful since then. I'm always looking ahead to make sure we aren't going over anything that would potentially harm him. I did wait until he was at least 18 months to start running or giving him more structured exercise. I just know he needs it now. Thanks for all the advice and comments!
