Seriously, it would be so cool if I can be search and rescue handler! :P

Thanks Jen,

I'm curious in your picture, were your dogs pulling you? Were you on a scooter or something? Just curious

 Quote: jennifer mullen

check out some of the sled dog sites....they have lots of info. i just saw one that said to teach a dog to pull, always stay behind it, if it slows, just bump into it.

Great links Jennifer. I'd be a little leery of bumping into the dog having gone over bike handlebars countless times in the past. A scooter is so much more safer than a bike. I'd still would be scared of hurting the dog though.

I scooter with my girl and it didn't take a lot to get her to pull. She loves it, loves the speed and the feeling of scooting down a Trail under dog power is a feeling of freedom.

I use a Blauwerk Willy Scooter with the 20" wheels it's a nice ride for under $300 bucks. They say it is rated for up to 400 lbs. The only thing I find a bit of a drag is that the kick stand on rougher trials bangs and gets caught up on things. Other than that it is the bomb! Fits easily in the minivan to without having to take off the wheels.

I use a x-back sled dog harness and just tie the dog to the scooters riser in the center by the handlebar with a nylon lead with a double clip. I've heard people recommend using a bungee cord but I've never seen the need.

It is a lot of fun and great for the dog. Just watch out for squirrels and for goodness sakes keep your hands resting on the brake levers!

 Quote: Lindsay Janes

I'm curious in your picture, were your dogs pulling you? Were you on a scooter or something? Just curious

we were backpacking actually, but the dogs are allowed free leash when we hike/backpack (well, teagan won't be tomorrow, but we were soloing when than that picture was taken) (i just realized how weird it is to say 'we' were 'soloing')

i've never tried anything w/them pulling. sometimes they pull ahead hiking, but i generally try to reign them in as i don't like the impact on my balance if they're really going ahead.

the sled dog stuff seems good. i try to check it out b/c of distance running w/luc, and a lot of mushers obvs. run their dogs long distances.

 Quote: Geoff Empey

I scooter with my girl and it didn't take a lot to get her to pull. She loves it, loves the speed and the feeling of scooting down a Trail under dog power is a feeling of freedom.

Just like a Mali......anything fast with an edge to it and they will do it for hours on end.....

With many dogs the harness itself creates an opposition reflex and makes them put their weight into it and pull.
Should be a piece of cake. Just remember to build the dog's condition slowly or you can run his pads off.

I don't have a cohesive approach to this for you, but having gone rollerblading several times with my dog, a good way to get him to start pulling is to get my wife going faster and ahead of us on a bike. My dog has pretty good wife drive. This applies to pavement with no discernable natural path.

When we're on a tight, natural path through grass (this is when we're on a bike), he tends to just kinda pull naturally in the course of instinctually following it. I believe I read the sled-dog people talking about using the dog's natural tendency to follow tight, discernable paths to one's advantage in the teaching phase.

 Quote: Steven Lepic

My dog has pretty good wife drive.

 Quote: Steven Lepic

When we're on a tight, natural path through grass (this is when we're on a bike), he tends to just kinda pull naturally in the course of instinctually following it. I believe I read the sled-dog people talking about using the dog's natural tendency to follow tight, discernable paths to one's advantage in the teaching phase.

It sounds like it would be easy to teach that way. And lots of fun.

 Quote: Carol Boche

Just like a Mali......anything fast with an edge to it and they will do it for hours on end.....

Yeah she actually is way faster and probably has more endurance than my old Malamute X. Where the old Malamute X would step dead in his tracks to urinate or poop (much to my chagrin as I went over the handle bars) my Malinois just keeps on trucking it is like she is thinking that any type of stopping or slowing down ruins her fun. She has to stopped to do her business and watered or else I'm afraid she run until she dropped. She is nuts and I wouldn't trade that for anything!

If a dog is reluctant to pull it is easy to overcome that by having a chase person up ahead like Steven's wife idea. It's sorta like training a recall where there isn't a end point. Any dog once they figure it out that they are being allowed to pull IMHO will. We spend so much effort training them to not to pull with 'prongs' and making them heel. It is just giving them back what they wanted to do all along and they love it.

 Quote: Geoff Empey

 Quote: Carol Boche

Just like a Mali......anything fast with an edge to it and they will do it for hours on end.....

Yeah she actually is way faster and probably has more endurance than my old Malamute X. Where the old Malamute X would step dead in his tracks to urinate or poop (much to my chagrin as I went over the handle bars) my Malinois just keeps on trucking it is like she is thinking that any type of stopping or slowing down ruins her fun. She has to stopped to do her business and watered or else I'm afraid she run until she dropped. She is nuts and I wouldn't trade that for anything!

If a dog is reluctant to pull it is easy to overcome that by having a chase person up ahead like Steven's wife idea. It's sorta like training a recall where there isn't a end point. Any dog once they figure it out that they are being allowed to pull IMHO will. We spend so much effort training them to not to pull with 'prongs' and making them heel. It is just giving them back what they wanted to do all along and they love it.

LOL, I really can't wait! The scooter you were talking about is cheaper than the scooter at dogpoweredscooter.com. It is about $305 for a scooter and plus $250 for a single pulling system. I like how they make their scooters pulling by side.

http://www.dogpoweredscooter.com/

I'm not sure if I want to spend $300 on a scooter and plus a single pulling system.

Thanks Scott for the warning about the pads. I'ven't thought about it so I will take it easy and light. Last night, I went to skate again with my sister's help. She was walking cody in the front and I was holding the leash from the behind. I think we need a few training session to get him understand a few new commands.

 Quote: Lindsay Janes

LOL, I really can't wait! The scooter you were talking about is cheaper than the scooter at dogpoweredscooter.com. It is about $305 for a scooter and plus $250 for a single pulling system. I like how they make their scooters pulling by side.

http://www.dogpoweredscooter.com/

I'm not sure if I want to spend $300 on a scooter and plus a single pulling system.

I'm not to sure about having the dog at your side. I've done it for years with the dog out front and it to me would seem weird not being able to see what the dog was doing.

Plus I'd be worried about picking your safe ways through paths etc worrying about the dog and you getting between that big tree and fire hydrant at 20-30kmh! In single file you watch the dog ahead and watch the trail at the same time. What the dog does you just follow. If it ever gets too hairy you just bail out. Though since I've been on a scooter not a bike I have not had to bail, that is including some unplanned meetings with rabbits and squirrels! You just squeeze the rear brake and slide the back end around to face which way the dog wants to go, step off the scooter and stand firm not letting the dog go ahead.

$250 extra to me seems like a lot of money for something where just the scooter, a sled harness and a double clip bungee line would get you going.

Another thing you may want to invest in is a bell like what the fine folks at Leerburg are auctioning off here ..

http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/166066/page/1#Post166066

I have a old goat bell that I use. Not only does it warn people and animals that you are coming it allows you to keep both your hands on the bars and fingers on the brakes.

Have Fun!!