Biking with a dog

amymeenieminymo

Has anyone trained their dog to run alongside while they bike? I'm getting a lab soon and I heard they have an insane amount of energy and needs lots of exercise. I thought it would be fun to train him to run while I bike, but I have a few concerns.

How do I train him so that he won't see something that interests him and run off and pull me over?

How do I know how far and fast he can go? I know they needs lots of exercise or they tend to be destructive, but I'm afraid I won't be able to go as fast as I normally do for fear of running him to death. Should I just reserve more leisurely rides with him?

Any info is appreciated, thanks!

AmyBrenn

You need to start with the basics of obedience training. You should make sure he understands "Heel" very well! Once you get that under control, you can start walking him next to your bike (walking the bike yourself) so he gets comfortable with walking along side it and you get comfortable controlling him next to the bike. Once he's comfortable with that, then you start with leisure rides and eventually moving up to faster rides. It's a risk though. The most important thing is that he understands and heels very, very well. Otherwise, you risk him darting in front of the bike, getting tangled up in it because he's too close or darting off the side and pulling you off the bike.

As far as length, dogs can go so much farther than humans, once they're beyond puppy stage and they've been exercising from the beginning.

naugustyniak

I say don't do it. If you want to do something with a dog, run or walk. My aunt was riding with her dog (very well behaved) and a lawnmower started up and startled the dog, it ran and jerked her. She wrecked the bike, broke her jaw and wrist. A bike is just too unsteady to have an animal, no matter how well behaved, with you.

Just a tip for the lab (I have a Dane/lab mix) make sure you GIVE them things to chew on. My dog would take everything. He even once took a sock right off of my foot. Once I started giving him things of his own to chew on/destroy, he stopped taking my things. Labs also have a tendency to stay in the destructive stage longer than other dogs (2+ years). They are great dogs, very loyal and protective but need to be trained A LOT. I love my dog. He is 7 now and the absolute best companion I could ask for.

AmyT88

I'll start off by saying I live in the country so the distractions are different, not many people or lawnmowers to start up and startle a dog, however there are animals and sooo many smells for a dog to being interested in. My dad road his bike with our first dog. Minimal training and never had a problem that I can remember. This dog would even go around to the other side of my bike help me up hills (the leesh would be around the bar that holds the seat up). I think whether you want to ride your bike with your dog is entirely your choice. I agree with the training especially if you live in a city. I guess our first dog was just special

Good Luck!

vanimami

Yes, definitely start w/ obedience training because that's important. we have a german short haired pointer and he is also full of energy. Also, you should not be running your dog until he's at least a year old, at least taht's what the vet told me, other wise they will be prone to get hip displaysia, etc. Personally, I wouldn't ride my bike w/ him because of hte possibility of me running him over, etc... but I know of others who do ride bikes w/ their dogs.

As far as how far you should go, that all depends on the dog. I take my dog for 5 mile trail runs and he's fine, but the dog will let you know when it's tired (in other words, he'll lay down and will refuse to get up (which my dog has done to me before :sick: ) Either way, good luck on your new pup and finding exciting ways to spend time w/ them. I love my pup and we take him everywhere we go so he can burn all that energy off.

AmyBrenn

I should also add that you need to be super comfortable on a bike yourself.

amymeenieminymo

Thanks everyone for the replies....I'm not sure what I will try just yet, but hey I don't even have the dog yet, so I'm getting ahead of myself. But the possibility of him running in front of the bike or pulling me off is really something to think about. I was walking my bf's sister's dog a few months back and he seems to have a chase reflex for bikes. When I saw a second biker coming, I put the dog on the other side of me and choked back the slack on his leash so he wouldn't lunge at the biker.

No good...he ran in front of me, I ended up stepping on his paw, he yelped and his teeth collided with my leg. I had a nice bruise for over a week. And all that from just walking a dog. It would definitely be way scarier (and dangerous) on a bike. Granted I don't know this dog as well as I will my own, but even the most predictable dog can be unpredicable sometimes.

I think I will just try running with him first. Maybe I can start over with my couch25K training (see my thread about not finishing it) when he is ready.

We definitely plan on training for him....I'd like a nice well behaved dog that doesn't bark at every sound and neighbor.

naugustyniak

We definitely plan on training for him....I'd like a nice well behaved dog that doesn't bark at every sound and neighbor.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Good luck with that one. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

stratdl

If you have a treadmill at home, you can train your dog to run on the treadmill, too. We're working on our youngest (just over a year old, in my ticker below). She's finally to the stage where she will walk with the belt running, but it takes a LOT of patience!

She's part beagle and still loves to chew on everything. I've heard that the vast majority of dog breeds get over their chewing stages around 12 months old, but beagles go at least 18-24 months with that. And it's definitely true so far! Hence the treadmill--tire her out so that she doesn't feel bored enough to chew on everything in sight. From what I have experienced, I'd have to say that the smarter your dog and the more energy it has, the more likely it is to chew because it's bored and has a lot of extra energy just waiting to be spent.

...all that energy can definitely be a plus for someone who's looking for a workout companion! My hubby takes the beagle mix for a light run every morning and it does help somewhat.

Oh, as far as training your dog (whenever you get it), take it for daily walks as soon as you bring it home. We did that with this one and she walks pretty darned good on the leash. All three of our dogs walk twice a day and I think they're pretty happy and well-adjusted.

Of course, this has nothing to do with biking with a dog, but I love talking about my canine companions!

Cheers! :drinker: