General Cycling Discussion - Riding with your Dogs

Anybody ride with their dogs? I want to try it but I can just envision my two taking off after a squirrel.
Can't be difficult, I see many people do it.

If your dogs take after squirrels, then yes it is very difficult and can be dangerous. If you have trained your dogs and have control over them, then I think it is fine. I ride with my dog often. She is trained to be about 2 feet from the bike and even with the rear wheel.

I pull our dog in a trailer occasionally. Like when the wife and I ride together. If we come to unpopulated areas, we'll let her out to run with us.

Anybody ride with their dogs? I want to try it but I can just envision my two taking off after a squirrel.
Can't be difficult, I see many people do it.

There is another thread on this. You might want to search for those comments.

Anybody ride with their dogs? I want to try it but I can just envision my two taking off after a squirrel.
Can't be safe, I see many people do it.

Fixed.

There is another thread on this. You might want to search for those comments.

And I ALWAYS search the forums before I post. You see what time the OP was, right? Must not've been thinking clearly yet. Thanks.


Fixed.

I wondered that too. Just cuz lotsa people do it, doesn't mean its safe.

EDIT: The search resulted in cyclists riding with their bikes, unleashed on trails. I live in a city with no trails, so my question would be more concerning leashed dogs in the city.

Anybody ride with their dogs? I want to try it but I can just envision my two taking off after a squirrel.
Can't be difficult, I see many people do it.

Absolutely, and as you can see she loves it, mainly because I am doing the work.

No way would I ride with a dog on a leash. Disaster waiting to happen.

You have to know your dog. Herding types would be the perfect bike dog- they would try to keep you in line. I have two big greyhounds. Their idea of a run is a 40 mph sprint for 500 yards, then collapse and cool down. They amble when they walk.

If you do it, consider the animal first. My dachshund would do his best to keep up until he was completely exhausted. He had the heart of a champion & the body of a weiner dog.

No experience with either, but you can use either a springer (http://www.springerusa.com/info.html) or a walkydog (http://www.walkydogusa.com/). Both mount to the seatpost/rear triangle which is far more stable than trying to hold a leash in your hand while riding.

If your dogs are obediant then so be it. But I've ridden many trails where the opposite is true and is very often dangerous. Mine get too distracted so I'll never try it.

No experience with either, but you can use either a springer (http://www.springerusa.com/info.html) or a walkydog (http://www.walkydogusa.com/). Both mount to the seatpost/rear triangle which is far more stable than trying to hold a leash in your hand while riding.It's kind of dangerous even with such gadgets, but then, so is biking even without the dogs.

One thing to be careful of is to not over-exert your dog. People generally have more endurance than dogs, and with a bike, it's even more pronounced. Dogs can't sweat like we do, and because of their inherent loyalty to their leader (you), can easily become overheated trying to keep up with you.

+1 regarding the overheating issue! We have a couple of double-coated Husky/Shepherd mixes who simply cannot get all of their daily energy out in one workout, because they would overheat first. Our shorter-faced dogs have their own overheating issues.

The dogs used by the local PD are worked in relays during the hot summer; a dog tracks or searches for about 15 minutes, then is relieved by another dog. This is true even at night, due to the extreme humidity around here.