Cycling For Fun Archives - AllBicycleRider

If you enjoy cycling, there's a good chance your dog might enjoying going with you too. There are a few things to consider beforehand though, if you're thinking- can you go biking with your dog? In most cases, if your dog is healthy, loves to run around and is energetic- you will be able to take it biking with you, although it may require some training. There are a few cases in which you SHOULD NOT take your dog biking with you though, such as, when your dog: Is short nosed. Eg: if you have a pug. Has a heavy coat- it'll feel extremely warm unless you're cycling in very cold temperatures. Has pre-existing health issues. Is a puppy, i.e: younger than 18 months old. Such young dogs can damage their brittle bones by running around excessively. To be completely safe, you should take your vet's opinion on whether you can start training your dog for going on bike rides with you. How To Get Started Riding Your Bike With Your Dog Here are 7 things for you to keep in mind while getting started with biking with a dog: #1 Ensure the dog is trained to walk next to you without pulling away on the leash. This will take some time anyway. Positive reinforcement techniques work the best with dogs usually- i.e: immediately give your dog a treat it likes when it behaves like you want. This'll make it want to repeat the behavior. Once your dog is walking next to you without pulling away, focus on getting the dog to walk on a loose leash, and finally- without a leash. This might take you a couple weeks or months even, but is crucial. #2 Get the dog used to being next to a bike. Many dogs feel naturally uncomfortable around bicycles. When I used to ride a bike in New Delhi, so many street dogs would start to bark or try to chase my bike. Others- would just not care! You could stand the dog next to your stationary bike to see how it reacts or go for a short walk with your dog, while holding your bike next to you as well. Do this a few times to see if your dog becomes comfortable around the bike. #3 Test ride. You must've done something right if you're here. Now, just get on the bike and start riding. Go for a short 10 minute ride with your dog and see if it takes to the experience. Go around a park at a time when not a lot of people are likely to be around- crowded trails will just make the riding experience unnecessarily stressful. #4 Start going for longer rides. You can go for a ride everyday if you'd like, and can increase the time by 5 mins every 3 rides or so to see how much your dog can sustain. Do keep an eye on your dog while riding- especially whether it's able to keep up with your cycling cadence. #5 Have a way to call it back to you. While you're getting the dog used to walking without a leash, also train the dog to come to you on a particular signal. I'd suggest you record the sound of your bike's bell on your phone and train the dog on that sound. This way, when you're on the trail- you can ring the bell to get the dog to come back to you. If you're worried the dog won't hear a simple bell, you can even buy a loud horn for your bike- like this one on Amazon. #6 Constantly check in with your dog. Remember that the bike ride is for getting the dog exercise- not you. You must keep constantly evaluating whether it's getting tiring for the dog and when you should call it a day. Avoid going on tricky terrain or when it's really hot out. Also- keep an eye on how tired the dog seems after your ride and the next day- it may take a day or so to recover after the first few rides! Every dog will be different. #7 Do this if you struggle to bike with your dog without a leash. Get a bike leash attachment and go riding with your dog this way. In fact, this could be an intermediate step before you finally let go of the leash on bike rides OR this might be it- some dogs might always need the leash- and that's ok! Like I said, every dog has a different personality. If you're interested in this, I have two recommendations: If you want to buy a really good quality one, buy this one (not on Amazon). Second, if you prefer buying from Amazon- this one is my pick (it allows your dog to move about on either side of the bike while you're riding). Both of these recommendations have a heavy duty spring attachment to absorb the shock of your dog pulling in either direction- which is essential to ensure you don't fall off your bike! If Your Dog Loves Riding A Bike With You- Consider Bikejoring If your dog took to riding alongside you relatively quick and you think you might want to amp it up a bit, bikejoring might just be for you. Many of you might be hearing the term 'Bikejoring' for the first time, however. I only learnt about it when I started researching for this article. So- what is bikejoring? Bikejoring is a cycling sport where the dog's harness is tied to the front post of the bike, and the dog pulls from the front while the cyclist rides his bike. It's a very quick form of cycling, and requires a lot of coordination between the dog and the cyclist. You can do it recreationally, but there are lots of bikejoring competitions that people take part in. In fact- it's even an organised sport! It's fairly un-complicated to get started doing it too- you simply need a decent harness for your dog and a bungee cord to tie to your bicycle. That's it. 4 Things To Consider Buying Before Your Next Ride With Your Dog If you intend to seriously try out bikejoring or simply going for casual rides with your dog, you might want to consider a few items that won't cost you more than $200 total, but will probably make you feel much more comfortable while riding. #1 Dog GPS Tracker. Just in case you lose track of your dog's location while cycling, or it wanders off/gets distracted and peels away, you should have a GPS tracker attached to the dog's collar. Even if you think it's unlikely, if nothing else- it'll be great for your peace of mind. This one on Amazon is the most popular and highly reviewed by far. Just know that there is also a $8-12/month subscription charge that the company charges- like your mobile phone bill. In fact, most Dog GPS Trackers have this requirement of a monthly fee. The one key thing to mention here is that these devices rely on good cellular network to be able to relay the dog's position accurately- which means if your dog wanders off into an area with bad network, you might not be able to track it well. Alternatively, I also found this dog tracker on Amazon which doesn't rely on the phone networks or even have a subscription fee. It's a bit more expensive however, which is understandable. #2 Dog Boots. There is a serious danger of your dog getting hurt by any debris, stones or shrapnel that may be lying embedded on the terrain where you're cycling. Especially if you're going fast- which is why buying a nice pair of dog boots is highly recommended. #3 A Cooling Vest or a Warm Jacket. Depending on the climate in your area, you might want to buy either of these. Cooling vests help wick the sweat off your dog and keep it cool while you're out, while jackets are for cold weather. #4 Dog Water Bottle. Your dog is bound to feel thirsty, especially as you start increasing the ride time. Having a handy dog water bottle will make things much easier for you. Can You Carry Your Dog On Your Bicycle? If you want to go for longer rides with your dog and don't necessarily want it to run beside your bike, here a couple options for seating your dog on the bike itself (from least to most expensive): Backpack (if the dog is small enough) Dog basket Bike trailer for dogs #1 Get A Dog Backpack I've seen many people in London carry small dogs in backpacks while cycling around- but you can carry larger dogs like Labradors even in these backpacks. The best dog backpack I found, with the highest overall reviews (quality as well as volumes) is this one on Amazon. It comes in various sizes to accommodate small, medium sized, as well as large dogs. #2 Dog Baskets This is only for small dogs, by the way, and you have to be sure that the dog won't leap out of the basket and will be well behaved, as there are no harnesses. If you're interested, check out this basket or, for a more retro look, this one, on Amazon. #3 Bike Trailers For Dogs Saw this cute little dog trailer/push cart thingy the other day! Here's how they work: For bike trailers, ensure there is adequate space for the dog to sit, lie down and turn around. Also check the weight capacity and ensure it can handle your dog's weight. The cost of the trailer will vary depending on the quality of materials used for building it as well as things like shock absorbers, pneumatic tyres, weather proof canopy to protect the dog. A nice to have is also a harness to secure the dog to the trailer. The bigger trailers will, of course be more expensive- but in the overall scheme of things, you won't regret paying for a nice trailer when you're out riding and making memories! Here are my top 3 recommendations for dog bike trailers, based on size: For medium sized dogs: I liked this dog trailer on Amazon the best. This has weight bearing capacity of 40 lbs or 18 kgs and has an inside height of 18". For large dogs: This one on Amazon is the most suitable- it's got a much bigger size, with a weight bearing capacity of 88 lbs or 39 kgs and inside dimensions of 32"x24"x21". FAQ Is It Legal To Bike With Your Dog? Generally speaking, it is legal to go on bike rides with a dog in most parts of the world. In some areas however, specific leash laws might apply, so it is best to check the local rules. For the most part however, there are no practical restrictions, as long as the cyclist does so without obstructing road traffic or being unsafe for others on the road.How many miles can I run with my dog? On average, most dogs, even short nosed varieties which aren't built for running around will manage 2-5 mile runs, if trained properly. The dog breed matters a lot while determining how far it can run- as breeds like labradors, golden retrievers, etc are much better suited for running than others, and can even run up to 10 miles after some training. How many days a week can I bike with my dog? Most people should not run with their dogs more than thrice a week (with a rest day or two in between each run). If the dog is not used to running beside your bike, you should plan to start with a short 10-15 minute ride for the first week, and slowly increase the ride time by a few minutes each week, while evaluating the dog's fatigue levels and recovery post each ride.