lmike6453

I have been wanting a dog for 10 years now but purposely held off until I knew my life would be stable.

I am now 30, just bought a detached house 6 months ago with a big yard, and have a stable job. I have 2 spare bedrooms and basement that I can make a dog playroom. I'm ready!

However I live alone and work Mon-Fri where the dog will be alone for 9 hours. I intend to walk it and play ball for at least 15 mins daily. My girlfriend will take the dog during the day 1 day per week.

The weekends will be the most exciting where I religiously go on long hikes or bike rides. I need a dog that can keep up with the bike, but will be ok during the week.

I was leaning toward a Vizsla, but mixed so they are not overly energetic. Or maybe a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. I want a dog that doesn't shed much.

Thoughts?

Iride01 

Get ready to spend more than you ever spent on your bike. Personally, I don't have a dog or cat anymore as I now live in an urban area. If they can't run around freely, then I think it's wrong to keep them holed up inside till you can devote a moment of your day to them.

biketampa

How long are you hikes and rides? How about in addition to 1 day per week at your girlfriend's maybe 1 day per week at doggy day care. I recommend NOT getting a puppy. 9 hours a lone is too long for a puppy. Vizla's are energetic so that would be good for your hikes and bikes but they will destroy everything if bored. But not sure what breed you could mix them with? How would you go about that anyway? Have you considered going to a shelter to pick out a dog? Many shelters have "trial" periods for a couple weeks.

BlazingPedals

Maybe you need something really small that'll fit in a milk crate on your bike.

eric044

Maybe labrador.

northtexasbiker

Generally the dogs that can hang with you on your bike are not going to be good at the 9 hours alone part. Any dog can keep up with you on a hike (assuming you provide some water and such), depending on your bike pace and distance you may not really need a specific breed. If that's the case I would agree with the above poster and just get a shelter dog, or something other than a puppy. Besides when you get set on a specific breed unless it's something common you are likely going to spend a lot of money.

memebag

Dogs don't work that way. Dogs can't even keep up with a good jogger, much less a cyclist. Humans are optimized for long distance travel. Dogs are not. They will do their best to keep up with you, but they can't regulate their heat as well, and their stride isn't as efficient. Some will literally run themselves to death trying to keep pace with their human.

Doctor Morbius

Hate to sound like a commercial, but get a rescued dog from a shelter and not from a breeder. Shelters good. Breeders bad.

indyfabz

Girlfriends come and go.

nayr497

Completely agree! All our dogs and cats are rescued. Currently have two dogs and two cats, all found or pulled from a "to be killed" shelter. Yep, don't want to sound like a commercial, but paying for a dog when so many awesome dogs are just waiting to be put down is just really bad, in my opinion. There is nothing like taking your dog for a walk in the woods or giving them a pet and knowing you saved them and gave them exercise and love. It's a very nice feeling.

We also had a mouse until a few weeks ago. Our cats found it in the park and rescued it. Leigh live like 10x longer in her terrarium than the life span of a wild mouse. She was amazing. We called her t.v. for the cats, who would sit and paw at the glass for hours. Cool lil' gal she was.

nayr497

Agree with this as well, especially if they are big dogs. I run/walk my dogs every morning and every evening. They have a dog door and a 1-acre fenced in back yard that they use freely all day, so they're never, ever cooped up. We also now have a baby sitter at our house a few days a week, so they're also not alone all day. They keep each other company and also run around the yard together.

I too find it not okay to get a big dog and keep it housed for 8-9 hours a day. Just not good for them.

We have a 46 pound pointer and a 29 pound terrier/Italian greyhound mix. Pointer was a gun dog left in the woods, pulled from a kill shelter. Best dog I've had in my life. Terrier was found roaming the city streets and we got her from a shelter worker who had taken her home to try and adopt out. I *hate* small dog mentality of barking at everything, including something that can eat you alive. She has a bit of that and is very active and wants to be the center of attention BUT she's also an incredible alert dog for the house and very playful. Smart as heck too.

Can you fence in your yard and install a dog door? We did and it has been incredible. Really makes life much easier.

Also, not sure of your career with dogs, but I've always found mutts smarter and more trainable than purebreds, who can often been skittish and looney. Just my feeling on it. Some purebreds are awesome, but often need really dedicated training. I've been able to train my mutts pretty quickly and easily.

nayr497

And by run/walk I mean I jog them, via bike, to a nearby field/stream area. They then run off-leash for 15 minutes. I don't actually run-run them by bike. It's a 4 minute bike ride.

fietsbob

Iditarod Sled dogs .. get several they will pull you in a cart

northtexasbiker

While I agree that you are doing your community and dogs in general a solid by going the shelter route, but dog breeders are not bad, and there is nothing wrong with going to one. There are tons of good ones out there. Lots of bad ones as well. Just as there are good/bad shelters or good/bad anything in life. There are pros/cons of both.

mstateglfr 

Thoughts...
- dogs shouldnt run alongside people or bikes for at least 8months. Even then, its for maybe a mile. Not exactly appropriate for your 'long hike or bike rides'. Ive read and been told by vets to wait a full year. Just be aware in case you get a puppy. Lot of energy doesnt mean able to run distance.

- as mentioned by others, dogs arent built for stamina. They may love you and want to keep up with you, but it very well could be at the expense of their health(more prone to injury). Over-running a dog is a dumb thing to have to say when someone asks why your dog is limping.

- Are you planning to have the dog run with you on a road bike or MTB? Between the two, i really hope its MTB since that will allow for a better running surface and itll be safer(less people, cars, etc).

- dont ride with your dog attached to a leash. Thats messed up.

- dont ride where your dog is in the way of others. Thats rude and dangerous to both the dog and others.

- hiking with the dog could be really great...assuming the dog is trained to stay near you and not bother others.




Im a wet blanket, but there is a large gap between a idealized man/dog cycling relationship and reality. Jump that gap and make sure you are on the reality side before getting a dog.
Also- shelter/rescue dog. Less $ and often times less disease due to less inbreeding.

dim

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Jon T

As far as the cycling aspect goes, I feel sorry for ANY dog you get. They're DOGS, NOT Horses. They're not designed to run all day at top speed. Do you have a death wish for said dog? Sounds like it to me.
Jon

northtexasbiker

Rhodesian Ridgebacks can out pace a horse over long distances. That being said the OP does need to chime in on what type of riding he does because if he's expecting any dog to keep up with him on a road bike he shouldn't own a dog.

Iride01 

Yeah, neither horses or dogs are made to travel at bicycle speeds for a long time. Horses can pull all day, but not much faster than a walk.

2manybikes

Don't run the dog alongside on a bike ride. It's too much for the dog. Hike with him instead.

edit - Before you hike with the dog read up about dogs overheating in warm weather. There's plenty on the webz. It's very important. They can go heatstroke on a hot day. Even with lots of water.

ksryder

Don't take the dog biking. They're notoriously bad at using SPDs.

Seriously, get a shelter dog. It's a living being, not an accessory. And take it to dog day care or hire someone (look at the Rover.com it's like uber but for dogs) to come walk it a couple times a week.

_ForceD_

As a longtime dog owner...please don't get the dog if this is how its life will be. Long hours of loneliness followed by a whooping 15 minutes of play? The dog that you want following your bike on the weekends is a dog that can't live such a lonely, seditary life the rest of the time.

Dan

Lazyass

I live alone and have a dog but I'm retired and spend all day with it. I didn't get one until I retired. A 15 minute walk a day is nothing. I take my dog out every three hours for at least 15 minutes. Nine hours alone is not very cool. I feel bad if I have to leave mine alone for 4-5 hours. And then you have to think about what you're going to do with it if you want to go away for a weekend, or go on a vacation trip. Who will watch it? A professional pet sitter costs money and most require the dog to be fixed. When the initial thrill of getting one wears off you might regret it.

lmike6453

All, sorry for any confusion about the breed / puppy topic. I plan to adopt a rescued dog that is ~1 year old, where many of them look mixed with a lab or pibull or hound. I'm leaning toward a lab.

Hikes are 12-16 miles most of the time, bike rides on weekends will be ~30 miles if possible for the dog. I like the idea of doggy day care once per week to fill in a blank slot while not breaking the bank.

Lol...

I'm confused as I see a lot of videos with people taking their Vizslas on fast bike rides. Maybe they aren't long distance. How many miles can I expect a Vizsla to travel comfortably in a day with breaks in between, or a slower pace every so often?

lmike6453

I have a glass patio rear door, not sure if the doggy door is possible there. I've always felt bad at the thought that a dog will be alone 9 hours a day which is a main reason why I haven't gotten one yet.

But after talking with shelters and many friends / coworkers, it supposedly isn't so bad for the dog as one would think? Considering that you come home and spend time with it doing stuff daily and bond with it.

Thank you, I may need to plan my weekends accordingly to hike instead of biking road or gravel or touring. Right now I have been getting into commuting by bike during the week and may just hike on the weekends with the dog to be appropriate.

I plan to get into mountain biking in spring of next year, and that might be the ticket to take the dog with me on those types of terrains in PA.