Bicycling with your Dog

It would be wise to have your veterinarian give you an all clear to start. Some dogs don't have the structure for this kind of roadwork. Your dog should be able to at least sustain an easy trot at about 7 miles an hour without tiring or getting winded. Your first quarter to half a mile runs should seem effortless for your dog. If she has trouble keeping an easy gait or appears really winded you might want to consider a different form of excercise. I wouldn't roadwork a bulldog.

Make sure you and your dog are highly visible to traffic. Both my dog and I wear reflective orange vests even in the daytime. The more visible you are the less likely you will be hurt by a car.

START SLOWLY!
Very important to be aware of is the condition of your dog's pads, especially if she'll be running on pavement. Her pads will toughen up, but you need to start slowly and give them a chance to develop. You can use boots, but if you start with boots, you'll need to continue using them.
I have heard that tincture of benzoine can be applied to the pads, but I have not been able to find it to try.

You will be asking your dog to keep a sustained trot with a machine, and she should be physically ready for this.
You can't just hop on your bike and ask her to keep up. She doesn't have a lot of choice about distance or pace and you must be aware of and sensitive to how she's doing as you go.

I started by walking my bike and my dog together. (It helps to have someone go with you to help!) I kept the bike between us so she got used to working with it's wobbles and tires.
Then I had my husband walk her as I rode alongside.

When it was clear that she knew how to move with the bike, we went one quarter of a mile at a slow trot. After 2 weeks (3 days a week) we went to one half a mile. We work up one quarter of a mile at a time.

I try to pedal at a pace that will allow my dog to sustain an easy trot. Ocassionally we have little bursts of galloping, but as soon as she shows sign of falling back even a little, I slow down. You will develop a sensitivity to her pace and her gait as you go; you can feel her pulling forward, backwards or away from you and whether or not she is trotting or galloping.

There are 4 models readily available and which one you chose will depend largely on your preferance and your dog's preferred position. (Biker Dog photo right)

The Springer is the one I have not tried. It is a large metal U shaped device that uses a large spring. It is probably the most well known of them and I have seen it around for many years.

I have used each of the other 3:

The Bikerdog http://www.bikerdog.com/
The Walky Dog
The K9 Cruiser

The Walkydog is simple---an easily removed rod attaches to a bracket on your seat post-it keeps the dog right next to you and attaches above the collar. I found it best to set the post at 8:00. If the front of your bike is 12 nad you put the post on your left side, angle it to 8. On the right side, angle it to 4.
There is a spring in the rod that absorbs the shocks, but because the attachment is higher up, it feels a bit less stable than the lower ones. I find the bracket comes loose easily and pivots, bumping into the back of my leg. I like having my dog almost in heel position, but on the other hand, having her a bit behind feels safer for her.

The K9 cruiser attaches to the wheel hub and the frame bracket and puts your dog a little behind you, more at your heel. I like the lower attachment, but I think I like having her a bit more forward. It is sturdy and I think the safer of the 2 as well as being easier to ride with. You can leave the whole piece on your bike.

The Bikerdog is my personal favorite. It attaches to the rear frame of the bike and thus offers both a low attachment point and a more forward position. It also comes with a harness --basically a simple drafting harness-that seems comfortable and way safer for her than using a collar. The bone shaped (doinky) plate stays on the bike and the flexible plastic rod that you attach to the harness is easy to take off and put on.

With all of the attachments we have encountered tempting distractions, but she has not been able to pull me off course or over. There is a nice amount of information relayed through feel and sound; I can feel her drifting out, or turning back to look at something, and I can talk her back into position.

Again, it is important that your dog be structurally sound enough to sustain a trot and for you to ride at a rate that is slow enough so that she need not break into a gallop, but fast enough to keep her moving along.

It is very useful to have a set of words or signals to communicate your intentions.
"Ready?"
"Let's go"
"GOOD job" and
"slow up" paired with clear signals like straddling the bike or putting on the brake are working well for us. It's not the word so much that counts; consistency is key.

I'm interested to hear about others experience riding with their dogs.

The 4th Dog
A blog about me and my collie working as an animal assisted therapy team. Also news about our papillons and their sparkling careers in obedience and as world class chums.