# Biking with Beau



## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

I bike with Riley. He is hooked up with a harness to my bike. I have the Walky Dog bike attachment. You can get it on Amazon for $40 or so. It makes it much safer for you and the dog. It has a spring shock absorber in it so when the dog pulls he doesn't pull you over. Riley is very well trained and knows a lot of commands so it is very easy to bike with him. He knows stop, wait, easy, left, right, leave it, heel etc. It is very helpful if your dog knows these commands. I can bike right by people with dogs and other critters running around. Start off slow. I prefer to bike on trials where he can run free but I do bike around the neighborhood but since its all pavement I don't run him more than a mile or so. How old is your dog? If he is still young I would be careful running him on pavement.


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## BeausMama (Jan 14, 2012)

Beau is a year and two months old. I don't bike with him very long - just training him to do it right now. I don't know exactly what biking him on pavement means - but I'm on the pavement the whole time but he's on the grass except for when he goes across driveways. We don't go far, for fear that something will happen and we want my family to be able to come quickly to get either of us. We only go about 12 houses down the road and turn around. It's convenient, really, because I can teach him "Stop" at the stop sign, and turn around in an area without any traffic (a dead end portion of the road). 

I'll look into the Walky Dog bike attachment. Right now I'm just hooking his retractable leash to my bike handle, which he hasn't done anything deadly yet but the idea is scary lol. I knew there had to be something that existed.


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## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

When I take Riley around my neighborhood he runs on the road. That's what I meant about biking on pavement. With a young dog you don't want him running on hard surfaces till he is older. 18 + months old. Riley is almost 7 so I don't like to do to much running on hard surfaces. 
Definately look into getting a bike attachment. Hooking your leash to your bike could get you seriously injured especially if he takes off after something. Also make sure you get a harness. You don't want him pulling on his neck. 
Riley actually will pull the bike along at the beginning of the run. Once he gets a little energy out he settles jogging right next to the bike.


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## BeausMama (Jan 14, 2012)

This may be a dumb question - but is the idea for riding the same as for heeling? Like, should they stay beside you or is it okay for them to go a little ahead, further out, or lag behind a little? I've been keeping him beside me, a couple feet away in the grass. I didn't know if that was right. 

Also - he does have a harness that we use on walks and everything because I hate for him to get the leash under his legs and the harness prevents that usually.


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## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

BeausMama said:


> This may be a dumb question - but is the idea for riding the same as for heeling? Like, should they stay beside you or is it okay for them to go a little ahead, further out, or lag behind a little? I've been keeping him beside me, a couple feet away in the grass. I didn't know if that was right.
> 
> Also - he does have a harness that we use on walks and everything because I hate for him to get the leash under his legs and the harness prevents that usually.


I prefer that Riley stay right beside me. When we first start out he does get a little ahead but he can't go far since the Walky Dog is short. It attaches to the seat pole. So it does keep them pretty much next to you.


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Use a very short leash, my new puppy is already very good going along side the bike and he can't run in front or behind the bike because of the short leash


Tuco my new little puppy born October 2, 2012


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

At 3 months old you need to be very careful about biking your puppy. As mentioned above, they should not be running on hard surfaces until at least 18 months old (I prefer age 2 after final hip and elbow xrays).


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

He's not exactly running, I'm prolly moving at jogging speed


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

It doesn't matter. He's still doing forced exercise on a hard surface. You could be doing irreparable harm to is growing joints. I would suggest waiting to bike him until he's older.


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Hmm, i really don't see how that can do that much harm, Mac was walking along side my dads bike from 4 months old and he never had a join problem in his 16 years of life, has anyone else heard of this?


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I can assure you that others have heard of it. Here's the thing, you may have an anecdotal story of a dog that ran next to a bike from the time he was a pup. But if I'm right (which I am) then you are potentially setting your puppy up for long term joint damage by forcing exercise on a hard surface at much too young of an age. You are more than welcome to take the risk, but as someone who owns a dog with moderate hip dysplasia, I would never put my dog through that pain and limitations of degenerative joint disease for LIFE because I was too stubborn to stop biking him as a puppy.


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## JaimeNTJ (Aug 4, 2012)

I have absolutely heard of it. My vet told me not to start training Rosie to run with me until she is at least a year old, and to start her off with very minimal distances and build up. She also said to limit pavement activity.

I'm taking her advice vs. risking my dog's health. 


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

I know I'm risking ridicule for mentioning this again, but I plan to jog with Bella some day. Not while she's a puppy. Not on asphalt. For very short distances, with frequent walk breaks at first. And, at a very slow pace (about the pace she would be doing now on our daily walks if I let her  )

I doubt I would ever tie her to a bike and ride around on asphalt or concrete. Especially not while she's a puppy.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I think it's fine to jog with an ADULT dog. Once our dogs have their final hip and elbow clearances and I am certain there is no degenerative joint disease then I am fine with roadworking them next to a bike as well. They get slowly worked up to the distance in either circumstance. Just NONE of it happens when they are a puppy, and certainly not at 4 months old.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Tuco said:


> Hmm, i really don't see how that can do that much harm, Mac was walking along side my dads bike from 4 months old and he never had a join problem in his 16 years of life, has anyone else heard of this?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Has your young pup seen a Vet? If so, did you ask his/her opinion about this? I can assure you no Vet would say this is OK.

Maybe your dad got lucky with Mac but why would you even consider taking a chance like that? Google it......very, very painful. Please take heed. Your puppy doesn't have a voice to tell you.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Nairb said:


> I know I'm risking ridicule for mentioning this again, but I plan to jog with Bella some day. Not while she's a puppy. Not on asphalt. For very short distances, with frequent walk breaks at first. And, at a very slow pace (about the pace she would be doing now on our daily walks if I let her  )
> 
> I doubt I would ever tie her to a bike and ride around on asphalt or concrete. Especially not while she's a puppy.


I'm legitimately confused why this would cause ridicule. 

It sounds like a nice, safe plan. 



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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Brave said:


> I'm legitimately confused why this would cause ridicule.
> 
> It sounds like a nice, safe plan.
> 
> ...


Thank you. 


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> I think it's fine to jog with an ADULT dog. Once our dogs have their final hip and elbow clearances and I am certain there is no degenerative joint disease then I am fine with roadworking them next to a bike as well. They get slowly worked up to the distance in either circumstance. Just NONE of it happens when they are a puppy, and certainly not at 4 months old.


Speaking from 30 years of off and on running experience, too many miles on hard surfaces like asphalt, and especially concrete can wreak havoc on the human body. I've learned to stick to natural surfaces as much as possible. That would be my main concern with biking, unless that were done on natural surfaces as well. Maybe dogs can handle hard surfaces better than humans. I honestly don't know. 


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## JaimeNTJ (Aug 4, 2012)

Brave said:


> I'm legitimately confused why this would cause ridicule.
> 
> It sounds like a nice, safe plan.
> 
> ...


The same plan I have for my girl. I can't wait to run with her, but it's going to be a long process and her health comes first. She's over 8 mos now, we still have some waiting to do.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Nairb said:


> Speaking from 30 years of off and on running experience, too many miles on hard surfaces like asphalt, and especially concrete can wreak havoc on the human body. I've learned to stick to natural surfaces as much as possible. That would be my main concern with biking, unless that were done on natural surfaces as well. Maybe dogs can handle hard surfaces better than humans. I honestly don't know.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


It's not "many miles" on hard surfaces. For an adult dog with normal hips and elbows moderate roadwork is fine. But it is at a trot, not a gallop and is usually worked up to about a mile or mile and a half. It is not the dog equivalent of marathon running. Dog treadmills also provide similar exercise.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> It's not "many miles" on hard surfaces. For an adult dog with normal hips and elbows moderate roadwork is fine. But it is at a trot, not a gallop and is usually worked up to about a mile or mile and a half. It is not the dog equivalent of marathon running. Dog treadmills also provide similar exercise.


I understand what you're saying, but there's a guy in my neighborhood out biking with his dog almost every day on hard surfaces, and it's a lot more than 1 to 1.5 miles. I just saw them out there yesterday, and we have snow and ice everywhere. 

You're talking about very moderate distances. It might be difficult for some people to stick to that. 


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Hmmm ok


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Nairb said:


> I understand what you're saying, but there's a guy in my neighborhood out biking with his dog almost every day on hard surfaces, and it's a lot more than 1 to 1.5 miles. I just saw them out there yesterday, and we have snow and ice everywhere.
> 
> You're talking about very moderate distances. It might be difficult for some people to stick to that.
> 
> ...


When I bike my dogs, actually DOG because Jack is the only one who is old enough, it is solely for their benefit. It's not my exercise time. I do see how people would overdo it if they were trying to incorporate their own exercise into it. I'm just saying what I do with my adult dog who has OFA good hips and OFA normal elbows, which is biking at a trot for 1-1.5 miles a couple of times per week - in San Diego, so clearly the snow and ice is not an issue here.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> When I bike my dogs, actually DOG because Jack is the only one who is old enough, it is solely for their benefit. It's not my exercise time. I do see how people would overdo it if they were trying to incorporate their own exercise into it. I'm just saying what I do with my adult dog who has OFA good hips and OFA normal elbows, which is biking at a trot for 1-1.5 miles a couple of times per week - in San Diego, so clearly the snow and ice is not an issue here.


I agree. I doubt what you are doing is bad for your dog.


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