LarDasse74

I got a new dog! His name is Wilfy. I have only had him out for a couple of rides so far as he keeps getting cuts on his paws (not from cycling). And he doesn't much like running on pavement - I ride with him in places where there are grass boulevards for him to use, but at every intersection and driveway he slows right down. I was going to take him to the trails at the end of my street this evening, but he was limping a bit when I took him for his afternoon walk. Soon we will hit the trails!!!1

Wilfy:

009jim

Lucky Wilfy to have such a good owner.

a1penguin

He's very cute! Looks like a young golden lab. He'll be a great dog.

SlimRider

Nice dog!

cocar

He's adorable! You can try getting some bag balm from the pharmacy and putting that on his pads a couple of times a day while they heal up, it should soothe them and heal them up faster. Then you can put it on them before you go riding to discourage cuts. Beware if you have carpet, the bag balm will stain it so you might want to limit him to tile right after you put it on. Your other option is to get him some of those booties for running....most big dogs will tolerate them OK.

DCB0

I have had trouble finding booties that stay put in the past. Perhaps I have never had high-enough quality ones.
I will go look for bag balm as soon as I get home. THanks for the tip!

DCB0

He is a golden retriever/shepherd cross. He is about 18 months old. He was a little wild and noisy for the first couple days after we got him - the previous owners realized they didn't have enough time to spend with him. But after a couple long walks, swims, and runs, as well as playing witht he other dog and the cats and kids, he calmed right down and seldom barks now. I think he will only get better, too!

DCB0

Thank you for saying so! THe reality is, dogs are much more dedicated to making us happy than we are to making them happy. All I can do is try to keep up with him!

My wife always teases me about my first dog, Lois, because I tried to teach her the concept of 'love' by giving her soft affctionate pets and saying "love" over and over. I think I was wasting my tie - not because dogs can't experience love, but because they experience it naturaly and don't need a word for it.

cocar

You want this kind, with the velcro at the top. Only ones that will stay on, IME.
https://www.petedge.com/product/Casua...oots/57141.uts

Good Luck!

DCB0

He is very nice! His main problem is occaisionally running off to visit other dogs - there are at least 10 dogs in our house, our neighbors on either side, across the street, and on either side of them. When he gets excited about another dog he doesn't listen so I either keep him on a leash or a bag of dried liver treats so I don't lose control while we get used to each other.

DCB0

I will look into that, thanks!

MRT2

No offense, but it seems cruel, and dangerous to ride with your dog.

DCB0

It seems you have never tried it.

tagaproject6

Incorrect.

DCB0

MRT2: Sorry for the glib response before.

Dogs evolved to run with a pack, and riding beside your dog is about as close as you can get – second only to trail riding where the dog is off leash. Honestly – most dogs love running beside a bike. You have to think about the dog when selecting a ride, and don’t run them too fast, make sure they get water and rest when necessary. You also can never forget you are riding with a dog, not just going for a ride, and you must always pay attention to what the dog is doing ALWAYS!
I have only ever had one crash caused by riding with my dog and it was because squirrel ran in front of us, the dog darted in front of me, I slammed on the front brake (I hold the leash in my right hand) and flipped arse over teakettle. The dog was unfazed except for the disappointment of not catching the squirrel.
I was visiting my friend in the next town a few months ago and I asked him if he ever went biking with is dog (a large black-and-white cross breed, well into adult doghood) and he said ‘no’ and he figured it would be too difficult to train him. My friend got me the dog’s leash and went for a ~200-300 metre ride with the dog happily trotting beside me. It is the most natural thing in the world.

I have asked veteranarians whose care my dogs have been under and they have al agreed it is a fine way to excersise and bond with a dog. THere may be some vets who are differently minded, but I have not met any.

MAK

Why don't you give Wilfy a break and try this?

Flying Merkel

Beware of running a dog on asphalt! That'll cut their pads for sure. Our greyhound broke out of the vet's office and ran down the street at full race clip. Fortunately some kind folks corralled her. Poor girl's pad were deeply lacerated. Keep an eye on the dog at all times. They will try their best to please & keep up with us until they are completely spent.

howeeee

No that is not true,,some love dogs it,,and it is very good for them to get exercise..but you have to be EXTREMELY careful. If the dog gets his legs caught up in the spokes,,you could kill him. I know someone that this happened to,,the dog didnt die but was injured to the tune of 4000 dollars to repair him and I dont think he ever fully recovered.

LarDasse74

Yeeks. Scary stuff.

My strategy has always been to make the dog afraid of the wheel.

The potential for injury exists, but is not too common. And yes, a high degree of awareness is required when riding with a dog - especially when the dog is on leash or running in close quarters. And the dog's health and well being are paramount - the route of a ride must be chosen that has appropriate terrain and distance for whatever dog you'd be running with. A 12 year old shi-tzu is fun to take for a single lap of a park, while a dalmatian or a sheep dog could go out on the trails all day if it is not too hot out and/or there are lots of places for the dog to go for a swim and you bring enough water* for the both of you.

Water.
I think it deserves mentioning that water is an important aspect of planning the ride. You can't assume you will find water along the way.

I intended to take Wilfy for a ride out to a swamp outside of town. The ride was supposed to take about an hour to an hour in a half: three or four blocks to one of the trailheads, which he can run partly run the grass on the side of the street; about 5 or 6 kms of riding, on some somewhat rough trails, then the ride back home. There would be a couple creek crossings where he could go for a swim to cool off, and possibly at the swamp, but the ground is very dry this year so it might just be a muddy area for him to roll around in. I also brought a single water bottle for us to share.
I knew the water bottle would not be enough, but I thought the streams would make up for it.
We got turned around in the trail system and hadn't gotten to the first creek after 45 minutes. I had already shared most of the bottle with Wilfy, so I decided to turn back. We got to one of the creeks about 5 minutes later and wilfy had a nice swim and lay-down in the mud, and supped greedily from the 6 inch deep water. We drank the remainder of the bottle on the way home.

Bearen61

Consider using one of these when riding a bike with your dog...https://www.springeramerica.com/.