Does anyone use riding or cycling or biking to exercise your dog?

I think its a great form of exercise & I must say my dog loves it! I fi take her into a park and let her off to do her own thing she stays stuck at my side.

So I take her cycling with me quite often and she loves the fast speed (not too fast of course), she's all puffed out at the end but shes wagging her tail and rolling about its brillaint. Im so glad I can share something with my dog that I enjoy to.

I would love to do biking with my dog. I'm afraid that they'll pull me & make me wreck though. LOL How can I train them to run beside me on my bike while I'm riding? I did this with a couple dogs that I had before, but they just automatically took to it. I'm not too sure that these ones will. Do you have any recomendations on how to train them for this? Thanks.

I wouldnt know about training or the proper way, but this is what I did.

I would run with my dog and I would try to get her to run straight & Beside me I did this so she wouldnt cross sides etc while I was on the bike and get ran over by me lol.

Once she would run straight I would just cycle slowly so that she could walk beside me and get used to it & really I just took it ffrom there and picked up speed ect.

One thing I would make sure she/he is aware of is that not to cross sides I did this by keeping her tight on the leash on the left side of me while riding slowly and she just sort of picked up to stay on the left side so I can now keep her leash loose.

OK. Thank you so much. I'll have to try that & see if it works.

I do! I also scooter with them which gives them the opportunity to pull as hard as their little hearts desire...and boy do they desire that! lol

I started biking by walking beside my bike with them then on my bike. I use a prong collar or a halti when i use a leash. Make sure you bring lots of water and watch your dogs feet. My dog Kimmie ran beside me offleash (I thought she would stop) mostly on grass until her paws bled and I cant fint booties anywhere.

Try to keep your dog away from hard surfaces, chech their paws, dont go too fast and bring lots of water.

Have you tried the type at Sports Stores such as Scheel's or cabela's for their feet??? Just an option

I just started riding with my dog Galya. He is about 7 months and is trained well enough to walk/run at my side consistently. However, dogs can be triggered and excited by certain things so I use a "gentle leader collar" to assist me in case he tries to pull away. With a normal collar he would pull the whole bike off the road.

On another note. I have been receiving a lot of bad attitude from onlookers. People shake there heads and give dirty looks at me. Today I confronted two separate people and asked what there issue was. Both said that they were "dog lovers" and thought that what I was doing was cruel because it was dangerous.

Anyone have anything similar happen to them? Or any tips on how to be safer when riding with Galya?

Thanks,

[mightymite]

Bike-joring is a sport. There's actually info on the internet on it. It similar to sled dog work except your dog is attached through his harness to a bike. Some people do it with scooters.

[stitchinsue]

I bike with my Aussie, it's a great energy burner! I bought
a walkydog. It's an attachment that goes on the seat post.
I highly recommend it! The dog can't cross in front of the
bike and you won't run him over. My hands are free and
when he pulls, I don't fall over.

I was using a buckle collar on the dog and doing well
until he saw a rabbit. He would become fixated on it
and run with his head turned. So, I have started to use
a halti and it's working out great!

The only odd comment I have gotten was something about
biking with the dog close to the cars. I put him on the left
side of the bike because that is the side I walk and train him.
Other than that I get positive remarks.

Sue

[stitchinsue]

I bike with my Aussie. I tried holding the leash, but I was just too unstable. He will also focus on rabbits, so it became unsafe for me to hold the leash. I bought a walkydog (no affiliation), and love it! It attaches to the seat post. When he pulls, the attachment absorbs the pull (it has springs), so I don't fall over. He also can't get in front of me.

Because he is so focused on rabbits, I was having a hard time redirecting his attention back to the bike ride. So, I tried a halti and it is working great! I now don't mutter under my breath to the rabbits to move as we approach. Then I start muttering don't move as we get closer.

I haven't gotten any bad reactions from people. In fact, most are fascinated with our riding. I'm going to miss biking with him when the snow starts to fly.

[rlang]

I found out recently that there are a lot of ways that you can bike with your dog. There are some informative videos as well on how to do this. I never knew there were so may activities you could do with your dog.

[Cycling Gypsies]

Originally Posted by Titchy Tiny Pup

Does anyone use riding or cycling or biking to exercise your dog?

I think its a great form of exercise & I must say my dog loves it! I fi take her into a park and let her off to do her own thing she stays stuck at my side.

So I take her cycling with me quite often and she loves the fast speed (not too fast of course), she's all puffed out at the end but shes wagging her tail and rolling about its brillaint. Im so glad I can share something with my dog that I enjoy to.

Every think of Cycle Touring with your dogs?

We don’t just have our house on our bikes, we also have our two dogs, Jack and Paco, along for the ride. That’s 60kg of furry luggage and another 50-60kg of non-furry luggage! Needless to say we don’t go quickly but we do go everywhere, refusing to let our extra load stop us from tackling hills with grades of up to 18%.

We have been on the road with our two dogs since July 2008. 17,000 km and 18 countries later we are heading into our second winter.

[Cúréaltach]

Been cycling with dogs for years now, and find just walking at human speed with a dog seems a bit strange if going any distance, ie over a mile. Because I have always ensured a dog walks behind or next to me and never in front (without permission) on or off lead, have never had a serious problem on the bike (I'm now touching wood & crossing my fingers). I always keep my dogs on the inside whether walking or cycling, so here thats my left for cycling & right for walking. As long as one doesnt suddenly start cycling for miles & miles and not building the dog up to it gradually there is no better way to travel. I never cycle faster than the slowest dogs trotting speed as running is what can damage the dogs paws. Having the dog running should be avoided at all costs as this is when things can get dangerous and sore for the dog. Though having said that a short sprint on a SAFE stretch of road can be great fun for you & the dog. Occasionally I let the dogs off the lead on a very straight (and quiet) downhill stretch of of road and race with them just to show them their pack leader is faster and has more stamina than they do (only just). The trick to great cycling is having a dog accept you as undisputed pack leader then you can travel for miles, the dogs get into traveling mode, line themselves up, put the heads down, tails straight out and trot trot trot (its like they are in a trance). Be aware of keeping them watered, not over heating, debris on the road etc. Remember Fish Swim, Birds Fly and Dogs Walk. Happy traveling
PS Total obdience to the Leave It command is pretty important re: cats, rabbits etc

[Vickie Mc]

Hi,

I'm new to this site and saw the post about biking with your dog. I belong to So Cal Working Snow Dogs Group in Costa Mesa where we meet every weekend in the early mornings and do Urban Mushing. Urban Mushing is basically the same as mushing in the snow, only it is on dry land. We do it with bikes, scooters, and 3 wheeled carts. The dogs love it, and so do the owners. And, your dogs do not have to be an Artic breed, there are people with Labs, Standard Poodles, Pit Bulls, and of course Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies.

You can find out more information on this sport at the Urban Mushing web site. Time Magazine just did a story on our group at Fairview Park and can be seen on the internet on the Time Magazine Site. Just go to Google, type in Time Magazine Urban Mushing and the video will come up.

Let me know if you have any questions.

By the way, I have two Siberian Huskies, Shadow is my male, and Nikita is my female (we call her Nikki). They love mushing and we do it every chance we get. We also go out to the desert and run with a friend of mine and his teams. There are groups all over the U.S. and here in California, there are quite a few groups that mush in different areas.

I am sure you can tell how excited I am about the mushing sport! It is really a lot of fun. And, I love my Diggler Dog Scooter! It is much safer than mushing with a bike, at least I think so, because you seem to have more control with the scooter. Mine has 20" wheels, front and rear disc brakes, and front forked suspension.

Take care,

Vickie Mc

[Todd]

I bike with my dog Lucky too. Usually everything goes fins. She trots on leash right beside me and never gets in the way. She's great with it. Occasionally though there could be a potential problem...

Like the time when she saw a rabbit and pulled me head over heels over the front on the bike onto my face in the grass...

[BorderCollieLuv]

It is so much fun! When we bike in busy/city/paved areas, we use the Springer attachment for the bike. But what we really enjoy the most is off road biking! We go to this one ranch where dogs are allowed off leash and let loose! Riley does great, stays on the trails and stays behind whomever is in front. The usually order is; my husband, Riley in the middle and then me in the back. Such a blast! We have one happy pup after that!

[angela]

Vizslaman, I really don't know why people would assume that biking with your dog is dangerous or cruel... I started biking with my 70-lb pit bull years ago, and have done it with every dog I've had since. I thought it would be really hard to train him because he was so strong and powerful and was terrible to walk on leash--constantly pulling. But he (and every dog I've tried this with since) took to it like a pro. It was like he'd been doing it all his life, and I didn't know anything about how to bike with a dog. I just leashed him (with a Halti), kept him on my left side and started off. We lived on a very wide, smooth street with almost no traffic so we had the road to ourselves. He would sometimes try to go faster than I was comfortable with but he took correction much, much better while biking than he did in any other situation. I don't know why, just seems like the dogs WANT to learn and do this. I used a small kid's bike with pedal brakes because it felt safer--I didn't have to use my hands to slow down or brake and I was close enough to the ground that I could just put my feet down if I needed to. My second dog was even more powerful and a little goofy so I thought she would be a real challenge but she was the best biking dog ever!! She loved nothing more than to trot down the street beside me on the bike--and it's such a great outlet for their energy when you're short on time or energy. The dogs get 2-3 times the exercise in half the time. There's always the chance that a squirrel/rabbit/etc might appear and distract the dog, so keep your eyes peeled and be ready to stop and hold the leash tight. But as long as you are alert and observant, and your dog is in "the zone"--and they tend to get into and stay in "the zone" when they get to a good trot--it's pretty easy to do and so far, in five years of biking with 6 different dogs (not at the same time! but I have done two together at the same time) I have not had a single accident. The dogs LOVE it!

[Juliette Morgan]

Originally Posted by PitBullLvr

I would love to do biking with my dog. I'm afraid that they'll pull me & make me wreck though. LOL How can I train them to run beside me on my bike while I'm riding? I did this with a couple dogs that I had before, but they just automatically took to it. I'm not too sure that these ones will. Do you have any recomendations on how to train them for this? Thanks.

I wouldn't bike with your dog just using a regular leash - can be very dangerous. I bike with Dougs my westie 2 or 3 times a week and he's 8. He loves it and so do I (I've been on a diet and lost 13 lbs). I use a dog bike attachment, called Walky dog and I see this product now has 88 reviews at Amazon and 4.5/5 stars so my husband did well to buy me this last Xmas.

[Dakota]

I bike-jor with my sled dogs in the fall for training for the racing season. I usualy run a 3-dog team but sometimes 4. I only run with a bike because I haven't found a good rig yet that will suit our needs.