Just wondering how many people here leash their dogs and go for a bike ride? Rose loves nothing more than that, Shortie likes it, but it's a very different pace and duration.

As some of you have read, I'm taking my mom's pup a few nights a week to strenuously exercise him in ways she is unable to. I tried to bike with him, but my bike had been put away for the winter and the first time I applied the break, it squeaked and he FREAKED! You would have thought I fired a handgun. I tried to reassure him and carry on like nothing had happened, but I was going to either have to let go of the leash or get pulled over. The poor fella was terrified.

So I thought that leashing him to the fence and biking by and tossing treats would help, but it must have been more traumatic than I thought. He wouldn't even take liver treats until I got a distance away! So plan B, leave him in the fenced yard and let him see Rose and I bike back and forth. He watched when we would get a few yards away, then just bolted to the front door every time we passed.

I broke Rose of a terrible fear of fireworks or gun shots with gradual introduction, and hope to do this with Hank. Any tips appreciated.

Maybe start by just having the bike around. No riding, just there.

Eventually getting to the point that he can take a walk with you pushing the bike.

I don't know how many baby steps will be in between the 2 things above, but you get the drift.

Being tethered to the fence may have only increased his apprehension in that to his mind, he was trapped and could not get away.

The idea was good, but perhaps enlisting the help of someone else who could assist FROM A DISTANCE. You are with the dog having a good time and with a bag full of his most favorite treats. At a distance, someone moves the bike slowly, it squeaks, you mark YES and treat with something wonderfu1!

You might also work on the bike (WD40, etc...) so that it doesn't make that noise.

My dog is trained to pull the bike....


though we started with ground training with a light metal grate that weighs nothing but makes ever scary noise from clanging to screeching. When he was 100% on that we moved to a drag with wheels (which introduces banging and weight into the equation, then from there we did the razor scooter which taught him to stop when his passenger goes flying over the handlebars at 90mph, and finally on to the bike which has been the best for both of us

 Quote: Jamie Craig

from there we did the razor scooter which taught him to stop when his passenger goes flying over the handlebars at 90mph, and finally on to the bike which has been the best for both of us

Too funny

Sounds like you should gear up with pads and a helmet when you get ready for this activity.

I've seen a variety of contraptions being pulled by dogs. Usually, it's some teen-age looking kid and a razor. It always makes me smile to see the relationship there - the kid and the dog both seem happy as can be.

Jamie - do you hold onto the leash with your hand, fasten the leash to the front steering post - how do you rig being pulled by the dog?

i bike with my dog. i hold the leash loosely in my hand and have a prong on her, the only issue is when she stops suddenly 2 poo i get jarred....she knows not 2 stop to pee, but iguess pooing isnt a choice. i never did any training with her she just knew what to do, luckily my sqealing brakes dont bother her, lol.

I dont bike anywhere busy with traffic, not worth the risk in my opinion.

 Quote: Cat Richter

i bike with my dog. i hold the leash loosely in my hand and have a prong on her, the only issue is when she stops suddenly 2 poo i get jarred....she knows not 2 stop to pee, but iguess pooing isnt a choice.

LOL, I tried biking with my son's BC mix the other day. We were sailing along at a medium clip, and he darted across in front, yanked on the leash, dang near killed me to squat and take a dump. When you gotta go, you gotta go, I guess. It SEEMED to go pretty well other wise.

 Quote: rob abel

 Quote: jamie craig

from there we did the razor scooter which taught him to stop when his passenger goes flying over the handlebars at 90mph, and finally on to the bike which has been the best for both of us

Too funny

Sounds like you should gear up with pads and a helmet when you get ready for this activity.

I've seen a variety of contraptions being pulled by dogs. Usually, it's some teen-age looking kid and a razor. It always makes me smile to see the relationship there - the kid and the dog both seem happy as can be.

Jamie - do you hold onto the leash with your hand, fasten the leash to the front steering post - how do you rig being pulled by the dog?

Helmet is required on the bike....it's just common sense...if you're brave enough to try a razor wear leather padded in football gear...seriously, no matter how much you try to protect yourself, when you fall off one of those things you're going to hurt, at least try to avoid the road rash, and learn to jump the scooter over cracks and rough areas...teaching your dog a command like "NO NO NOT THE GRASS" is also a good idea )

I use a hand sewn leash I custom made with a heavy duty metal ring (you can sort of see it at the end of the video here ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZR_Fy1B0qA ) , then I string a bungie cord through that and hook that to the handlebars on my bike. I like this method because as long as the dog pulls it's a solid connection, it's easy to grab and pull in if need, and most importantly, if your dog bolts you can flip it off with a quick motion of the hand (I recommend practicing this first though lol). The other end clips to his harness of course

the bungie should get rid of the "shock" for both you and your dog since as jarring as the start and stop is for you on your bike, it's that bad for you dog...except he's taking it on his whole body in the harness. It also gives you some room for error when your dog decides he has to poop NOW, in the middle of the road, with no warning. The bungie absorbs quick changes of direction, sudden stops, and changes in speed as well the the gait of your dog (make sure you get a quality made one and thicker is NOT always better as the super heavy duty ones that could hold an anvil onto a jackhammer don't give enough to be useful)

That video is AWESOME! Makes me want to get out with the dog and ride!! Cracked me up when you got off road there and the video got shaky.

Thanks for sharing your setup - I think I can figure most of it out. How far ahead of the bike is your dog (how long is the bungee?).

Thanks, Jamie.

Very funny video! I especially liked it when he was obviously interested in something going on stage left.

Have you taught him directional commands yet?

He clearly enjoys this activity!

leih