Question about riding a bike with your dog

[rgf207]

I have a 3 year old, 60 lb. Lab Mix. We walk her about 2 miles everyday. She needs more exercise. We just got bicycles and we took her for a bike ride today. We went about 1 mile and she was jogging nicely next to me. How far can dogs usually run without wearing them out to the point of exhaustion? I would like to go a few miles, while stopping to give her water, but I'm not sure if that's too much

Any advice

 

[schmitty]

I know people who take there dogs on 10 to 20 mile MTB rides. Dogs have to train for it like people but they can do it. If she is fine after 1 mile try another. 2 miles isnt that much, bring extra water for the dog.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

We use one of these to exercise our 90 lb German Shepherd: http://walkydogusa.com/. I like it because you can keep both hands on the bike and it's absolutely impossible (or at least impossible for my dog) for the dog to pull the bike over.

I've done up to 10 miles with him with no problems... I just have to make sure to go slowly on the downhills. However, I also run with my dog and have run up to 20 miles with him, so he was used to the distance, but just not the faster pace.

I've read that you should increase distance for dogs the same as you would for a human, adding no more than 10% a week. So if your dog can comfortably do 2 miles this week, try 2.2 next week, etc.

Biking with you is a great way to exercise a dog!

 

[christiane]

I'm not a fan of dogs running beside bicycles and in fact, there is a by-law against it in my town.

But if you are going to do it, you need to work up her distance incrementally just like we do when we train. The most serious problem will be heat exhaustion as dogs really only release heat by panting and panting itself takes a lot of work. Dogs really aren't designed for distance, more for bursts of speed. If you are riding even at a moderate pace, remember she is running much faster so I would stop based on time, not distance --at least every 15- 20 minutes.

Another problem I see are worn foot pads which can be severe & crippling. This happens when the pavement starts to warm, but it doesn't even need to that hot outside, it can even happen at 70F.

I know young Labs need a lot of exercise but they don't know when to quit and are so eager to please they can easily get hurt trying to keep up during a long ride.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My lab mix loves the bike. We just do it occasionally. Walking 2 miles everyday is pretty much nothing to a lab.

Now DH is the one that does it because my balance really sucks.

I would say a lot of it depends on the weather. My dogs can go forever in cool temps. Once it gets above 70 degrees they are pretty toasted after 4 miles just on a walk.

 

[MM27]

I think my dog would be happier in one of these

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I'm not a fan of dogs running beside bicycles and in fact, there is a by-law against it in my town.

But if you are going to do it, you need to work up her distance incrementally just like we do when we train. The most serious problem will be heat exhaustion as dogs really only release heat by panting and panting itself takes a lot of work. Dogs really aren't designed for distance, more for bursts of speed. If you are riding even at a moderate pace, remember she is running much faster so I would stop based on time, not distance --at least every 15- 20 minutes.

Another problem I see are worn foot pads which can be severe & crippling. This happens when the pavement starts to warm, but it doesn't even need to that hot outside, it can even happen at 70F.

I know young Labs need a lot of exercise but they don't know when to quit and are so eager to please they can easily get hurt trying to keep up during a long ride.

I would worry about all of this, too. Especially the last sentence. A lab will keep going until it drops.

At least if you are running with it, you can sense how tired the dog is by how tired you are.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I'm not a fan of dogs running beside bicycles and in fact, there is a by-law against it in my town.

But if you are going to do it, you need to work up her distance incrementally just like we do when we train. The most serious problem will be heat exhaustion as dogs really only release heat by panting and panting itself takes a lot of work. Dogs really aren't designed for distance, more for bursts of speed. If you are riding even at a moderate pace, remember she is running much faster so I would stop based on time, not distance --at least every 15- 20 minutes.

Another problem I see are worn foot pads which can be severe & crippling. This happens when the pavement starts to warm, but it doesn't even need to that hot outside, it can even happen at 70F.

I know young Labs need a lot of exercise but they don't know when to quit and are so eager to please they can easily get hurt trying to keep up during a long ride.

I can see how riding while holding a leash would be dangerous (and have never tried it myself) which is why I only use a specially designed dog bike jogger while riding with my German Shepherd.

However, I'm not sure where you get your information that dogs aren't designed for distance. Tell that to huskies and other "pulling" or "travelling" breeds. Many dogs have a biological need to travel large distances, which we have sort of tamped down by domesticating them and making it so that they don't have to search for their next meal.

I started running with my GSD when we got him, which was also at the time that I started training for my first half marathon. Several years later, that GSD accompanied me on every single one of my training runs for my first marathon (which was done as part of The Goofy at WDW - the WDW half marathon and marathon in the same weekend!). This included 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 mile training runs. At the end of our 20 mile run, I was miserable, but Jack could have kept going for at least another hour. He LOVES to run and I almost feel like I need to keep running marathons just so he can keep up the long distances. We run all of our miles on concrete and asphalt and have never had any paw or joint problems. I do carry extra water for Jack whenever we run more than 5 miles and I let him jump in the water whenever possible (we live in Seattle so there's always a beach or lake or river around when I run!) to cool down.

I think running is one of the best forms of exercise for a dog. Running with a bike is no different - you just need to take it slowly in the beginning and watch your dog for cues that they're done.

 

[rgf207]

We did about 1 mile yesterday. I plan on doing that much today. We stopped to give her water and a rest. I also checked her paws last night and nothing was worn and it was 90 degrees outside yesterday. I just want to make sure she's getting the exercise she needs and deserves

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I'm not a fan of dogs running beside bicycles and in fact, there is a by-law against it in my town.

I've read that our city is also considering enacting a law against riding a bike with a dog since a horrible accident that happened last year. An elderly woman was walking on a path next to a lake. A man on a bike rode by with his dog running beside him on a leash. The woman couldn't get out of their way in time and got tangled in the leash. She fell backward, hit her head and died. There was a whole slew of letters in the newspaper demanding a law against riding with a leashed dog.

 

[Sparx]

I think my dog would be happier in one of these

I saw one of those today. I think those are just adorable. I like the dog strollers too, for the smaller, lazier dogs out there.

 

[daisax]

I think running is one of the best forms of exercise for a dog. Running with a bike is no different - you just need to take it slowly in the beginning and watch your dog for cues that they're done.

Dogs and humans do not move at the same pace, or have the same gait. A labrador retriever was bred through centuries to walk along man for miles while hunting, then run out and grab a bird and trot back. It was not bred to run 4-6 mph nonstop for miles.

Training will help, but be very watchful -- dogs will (and do) run until they drop. And it's hard to carry a 60 lb lab home.

 

[Carnie]

I watched a lady try to walk her dog while she was on her bike. The dog ran in front of her wheel and pulled the bike down hard. She got all smashed up.

I vote to find another way.

I used to dogsit for a Golden Retriever. The owner was too old to walk him, so she trained him to chase her car around the neighborhood. I felt like one of the world's greatest fools driving around the block with the dog running all over the place, but that's how she did it.

I don't recommend that, either.

 

[rgf207]

We use one of these to exercise our 90 lb German Shepherd: http://walkydogusa.com/. I like it because you can keep both hands on the bike and it's absolutely impossible (or at least impossible for my dog) for the dog to pull the bike over.

I've done up to 10 miles with him with no problems... I just have to make sure to go slowly on the downhills. However, I also run with my dog and have run up to 20 miles with him, so he was used to the distance, but just not the faster pace.

I've read that you should increase distance for dogs the same as you would for a human, adding no more than 10% a week. So if your dog can comfortably do 2 miles this week, try 2.2 next week, etc.

Biking with you is a great way to exercise a dog!

Rode 2 days with Shay. She really loves it. We are definitely ordering that gadget. It looks great.