How far can I cycle with the dog?

[Lisa21]

That reminds me of the first time Millie went swimming. We were down by the river with a friend and her 2 choccie Labs and they were jumping in after a ball and swimming around and having a great time and little Millie bless her was watching and dying to join in but lacked the courage. She kept looking up at me as if to say can I Mum? Is it safe?

I kept encouraging her and eventually she took a huge leap of faith and belly-flopped in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was all ready to jump in after her if she got into trouble(even though I cant swim)but she was fine and after that she went in with them all the time!!! Theres no stopping her now

 

[snapper_37]

30 miles We've a bit to go to that then.

Exactly Snapper, easy pace nothing dramatic, it's both the company and a reason to get out somewhere off road.

Mate, it's your dog. BTW. Stop feeling guilty about doing the best thing. All I know is that Piatrou loved it and I really wish I could do it again with her. Their lives are too short to worry about what other people think.

 

[snapper_37]

T

I kept encouraging her and eventually she took a huge leap of faith and belly-flopped in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, I remember my last dog doing just that in Bala Lake. Lovely smell in the tent later

 

[Lisa21]

Yep, I remember my last dog doing just that in Bala Lake. Lovely smell in the tent later

LOL!!!

 

[CopperBrompton]

I had a German Shepherd / Collie cross, and she did 20 miles quite happily.

 

[Jim_Noir]

That reminds me of the first time Millie went swimming. We were down by the river with a friend and her 2 choccie Labs and they were jumping in after a ball and swimming around and having a great time and little Millie bless her was watching and dying to join in but lacked the courage. She kept looking up at me as if to say can I Mum? Is it safe?

I kept encouraging her and eventually she took a huge leap of faith and belly-flopped in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was all ready to jump in after her if she got into trouble(even though I cant swim)but she was fine and after that she went in with them all the time!!! Theres no stopping her now

I used to go swimming with my Dobermann, he loved the water. Had to go in one day down Whitby after him... North sea swiming isn't fun let me tell you!

 

[Alan16ac]

Dragging up an old thread here, but how do you find it cycling with the dog?
I'd like to take my Briard out with me as he loves a good run. Never cycled with a dog before, any advice?
He's a fairly large dog. Do these harness things that attach to the bike work?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Just one dog is for beginners! http://www.steephill.tv/players/you...pack+leader&dashboard=&id=df0clZxw6A4&yr=2013

 

[Crackle]

Dragging up an old thread here, but how do you find it cycling with the dog?
I'd like to take my Briard out with me as he loves a good run. Never cycled with a dog before, any advice?
He's a fairly large dog. Do these harness things that attach to the bike work?

Best advice I found was this

http://magazine.mountainbikeskills.co.uk/magazine/2008/04/pooch-appeal.html

Pretty much spot on.

You need to train him to avoid running in front of the bike, to go to heel and stay there, though you do end up with a stripy dog then and you need to slow occasionally and let him walk normally. You also need to build up the miles, all advice the article gives.

I cycle and run with mine, off lead in forest and path environments, not on the road. I don't take him to anything like a mtn bike centre, though some do but I don't want to be thinking about him as well as me. We've done up to 10 miles, not further.

Never bought a contraption so can't comment on them.

 

[aces_up1504]

we did 20 miles with our welsh/cocker spaniel last summer and she covered the ground no problem, we let her run off the lead and she loved it, quite often actually running a head of us . Was all done on a sustans trail.

 

[coffeejo]

My Lab loves coming out with the bike. I don't normally do more than 6 or 7 miles with her (on the road) and 10 is about as much as she's happy with. I've got one of the attachment thingies that works brilliantly whenever she spots a squirrel and tries to shoot off to the side.

(March 2012 - Back on the lead after stopping at a stream so she could have a drink and a paddle to cool down.)

It didn't take her long to get used to the whole concept - I started by riding up and down the drive with her off the lead so she got used to following, and then took it from there.

 

[Robson3022]

I have a Husky who absolutley loves this. I started running with him and eventually built up the speed and duration he can now go a lot further than I can. The trick is to make sure you come home before he does. If there trying to sit down or stop then youve gone to far. Great way to keep your dog fit! Just be carefull with Labs and other deep chested dogs feeding them before or after.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

not got to the end of all the posts, but I trained my friend's 2 (4 year old) collies (look like collies but were collie/springer spaniel crosses) to follow me on the bike. great fun and about the only way to tire them out. Used to only take them 5 miles but it was a very hot summer when I did that and I used to stop 1/2 way at a stream for them to cool down - they would just stand in it or even lie down on hotter days.
Started off with them on some rope (so I could just stand on it if needed), and once they were exhausted enough I just let go of the rope and let it trail (open area so not an issue) and after the first run, I just took the rope with us (they don't have leads beign country dogs and living in a large area at home) and they would come after me.

If they stopped to smell something I simply carried on and they had to catch up. the pack instinct with them was so strong, that it was fine (provided they did not smell a deer) and I would periodically call them. Never had any issues with other dogs because they would have a quick sniff and then here me call them and have to catch up. once the initial energy was spent, they would stay about 5meters behind my bike and I found I could not outrun them expect on stamina (not speed) - at least not off road on a mountain bike on sand... Never had any issues and they loved it - which was obvious and they never got in the way of the bikes, instinctively knew not to (at least after the first yell).
I wouldn't do it on tarmac because I know their paws were not hard enough due to them living in fields normally. Can't see the issue personally, but you do need to be able to control the dogs and be the pack leader.

Have also been doing this with my landlady's dog (she is now as well) but he can't run anywhere near as fast or far being an Irish Wolf Hound and we have to make sure we protect his heart. But he really enjoys it as well.

 

[Crackle]

I have a Husky who absolutley loves this. I started running with him and eventually built up the speed and duration he can now go a lot further than I can. The trick is to make sure you come home before he does. If there trying to sit down or stop then youve gone to far. Great way to keep your dog fit! Just be carefull with Labs and other deep chested dogs feeding them before or after.

Yeah, know about that. His bowl is raised as well.

 

[lulubel]

This is a fascinating thread, Crackle. I'm considering whether to get a dog that will come touring with me in the future. (It sounds like I just want a dog to take touring, but I mean I think I'll want a dog as a companion, and will want to take it touring.)

I'm toying around with the idea of:

• Small dog that will ride in a carrier on the bike when we're on the move
• Large dog (Dalmatian?) that will travel on his own feet, and distance will be to suit him
• Somewhere-in-between sized dog that can do a mixture of running and riding in a trailer

Obviously, because I'm talking about touring, the small dog idea is the most practical one because it means less food and water to carry, but I've wanted a Dalmatian since I was a little girl (yep, when I read 101 Dalmatians), and it's so tempting to just throw caution to the wind and say, "I can make this work." (Not a good idea, I know, so it's a good thing I'm not in a position to get a dog just now!)