General Cycling Discussion - Another dog question

I have a chow-coyote mix who has a lot of excess energy. She has a big back yard to run in, but needs more exercise. So I have started taking her out with my bike on a leash. She runs along side my bike at 12 mph and does really well. After 20 minutes or so, she has had a good workout. But I'm worried her foot pads will wear out on the asphalt. I guess going on a trail with a mountain bike would be better, but all I have is a road bike. Anyone have any experience with this?

Growing up on a farm we had dogs that would run along with the farm tractors on the road, asphault and gravel, and they never had pad problems. Tractor speed in road gear is between 18 and 25 mph depending on the model. It always amazed me how these dogs could follow my Grandfather for miles on end while taking hay and feed to different heards often miles apart.:confused:

Grew up with hunting dogs around a lot. They would sometimes have problems early in the season with pad wear, but would recover with a little time off. It seems that they would build up pad thickness just like my bare feet in summer.

Check your dog's feet regularly. If you see signs that the pads are thinning, reduce (or stop) the distance for a few days. There are also boots and potions to paint on a dog's pads available from some hunting supply stores.

Bravo for you taking your dog running! Your pet will have a longer, happier life for it. And, most likely, be better around the house for it.
:beer:

I had a Pit/Boxer mix that ran with me for 7 years never had a problem. Kept the claws trimmed which was a bonus.

I had a Samoyed that ran with me for 8-9 yrs, no problems. We usually ran 5k
a day on cement and asphalt surfaces.
gino

I have heard of dogs suffering overuse injuries similar to humans from excessive running on concrete; shin splints, joint pain, etc.
What about trail running?

Don't worry. When my sister sent her dog from Boston to Singapore( temprate to tropical), she was not used to the burning tar roads and her paw started to peel. She couldn't walk probably for a week, but a new tougher layer grew and she never had any problem anymore.

the pads on a dogs feet are much like our hands and feet. meaning they get thicker layers over time and depending on the enviroment they are in. for example a office worker does not have as tough hands as say a contruction worker. a outdoor dogs pads are tougher then a indoor dogs are.

give it plenty of time and the pads should be able to handle any kind of surface the dog walks on.

Originally posted by gino
I had a Samoyed that ran with me for 8-9 yrs, no problems. We usually ran 5k
a day on cement and asphalt surfaces.
gino

do you still have your sammie? male or female? my wife and i have a 6 year old female. great dogs aren't they?