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Riding With a Dog

Florida_boundFlorida_bound
in General Discussions
I recently got a rescue pup. He is Boxer/Pit Bull mix and about 8 months old. I want to buy a bike harness to attach him so he can run with me. Who need electric assist when I have canine assist? Here's the one I was looking at:
https://www.chewy.com/walky-dog-plus-bicycle-exercise-dog/dp/146032

Has anyone used these? It looks like I can mount it to the seat frame. I don't intend to take him far but if I can do 4 miles daily rather than 8-9 miles twice a week, I'll be better off physically? What do you think?
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Comments

  • TCEdTCEd
    That harness is used by riders on the recumbent trike FB page and they like it. I know a person that also uses it. Start slowly and let the pup adapt. Good thought on the rescue.
  • rollingnanarollingnana
    We use the Walky Dog plus successfully with our lab on my husband's Cattrike. My terra trike, Rambler doesn't have the best place to mount it(the supports aren't wide enough for the attachment.). I will be ordering a different leach. Also, our vet adviced to go slowly with the trike until he was a 1 year old, when growing is complete. He is almost two now and loves to trot and run along side us.
    TheDogOutdoor.com is a great company for active dogs and owners. There are several vidoes where the owner shows leashes and harnesses in use and gives some training tips.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    Thanks! That's the lead I was looking at.

    What kind of speed do you ride with the dog? I usually average 7 mph but have a lot of stop signs along the way.
  • TrikeBirderTrikeBirder
    edited December 2017
    I agree with the kudos for the dog rescue! I recently picked up a pamphlet titled "What Every Cyclist Must Know" - a state of Michigan publication I didn't even know existed. While I see no issues at slow to moderate speed on a trike, but there was a warning about the dangers of using a bike with a dog.

    I Had an employee who took his dog, harnessed to his df bike, for a daily ride for more than a decade without an issue. One day, his dog apparently took after a critter and through him to the ground. He suffered a concussion, went into a coma, and never woke up. So still be careful.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    That's why I think a trike is so much safer than a DF. This dog has a lot of strength but I have walked with him and he did very well. As soon as the harness arrives, I will taken my son and the dog to a vacant parking lot to try it out. I don't want to get on the street until I know he will behave.

    I also need to pack some small dog treats. I've got to reward him along the way!
  • TCEdTCEd
    Water for the pup also.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    The harness came today. I'm going to try it out this weekend. I'll try to make a video if I can.
  • JerseyhawgJerseyhawg
    Florida_bound wrote: »
    The harness came today. I'm going to try it out this weekend. I'll try to make a video if I can.

    Cant wait to see it, thanks.

    Glenn
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    I may have to get a different dog to be able to ride with one. I had my rescue dog on a chain hooked to the hitch of my SUV while I was installing the harness on my trike. He was able to slip out of the most secure harness I could find. I'm no longer sure I can trust him to stay with me. This might be a lot of money wasted!
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    Well, the temps got up to 70 before it started raining so my puppy and I went riding using my new Walkydog Plus harness. I posted it on my Facebook page but need to know how to post it here or get it on the Terra Trike Owners page.

    He did really well. We only went about 4 miles. I didn't want to hurt him. He really seemed to enjoy it. I connected the harness to the seat cross beam. I need to make some adjustments before the next ride.
  • TCEdTCEd
    That's great . Good for him and you.
  • TrikeBirderTrikeBirder
    It's always nice to have a plan come to fruition! Good on ya both. It will be nice to see the photos once you upload them.
  • mrbill5mrbill5
    4 miles is pretty far. Even for an older pup. If he appears to have trouble getting up anytime hours after the exercise you may want to cut the distance by half and see if he is ok.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    He is only 8 months old.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    We rode again yesterday and he seems to love it. I over-estimated the mileage. We only rode about 2 miles the first time and 2 miles yesterday.

    I'm not getting much exercise but it sure calms him down! I guess a few miles every other day is as good as 10 miles once or twice a week.
  • TCEdTCEd
    That probably is all he needs now as a pup.Their pads are not tough yet and vulnerable to the pavement. Good for him and you that he is enjoying the exercise and as he grows his distance will extend.
  • mrbill5mrbill5
    TCEd wrote: »
    That probably is all he needs now as a pup.Their pads are not tough yet and vulnerable to the pavement. Good for him and you that he is enjoying the exercise and as he grows his distance will extend.

    Yep. Totally agree. Pup skeleton's and muscles need at least 1 year to fully develop. 2 miles every other day is good to give him a recovery day. Just keep an eye on how he gets up. If he struggles then it was too much exertion.
  • Elrique64Elrique64
    edited December 2017
    If you are riding on concrete or pavement, watch his feet, too. Like @TCEd said, the pads aren't as toughened as an older dog's would be, so he could injure them and you wouldn't know it until you saw bloody foot prints on the carpet.

    Watch him after a ride to see if he's licking at his pads a lot. He could be hurt and you might not know it. Look in between the pads/toes to see if there's blood there. (Or a lot of wet fur from licking.)

    And let HIM set your pace. If he is hurting, having him lagging a bit is a good indication something isn't right. It could be he's hurt, or just plain tired.

    Stop frequently for water stops, too. Dogs don't sweat, except through their tongues and feet, and the water stops give him rest time, as well as a chance for you to check him out.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    I bought a folding silicone bowl and always take water with us. I did find another website that advises you to buy boots for them. I have to see if Chewy.com sells them.

    Is running harder on the feet than walking on the same surface? The roads are blacktop but a lot of the pea gravel is showing through. I could let him run on the grass but I'm afraid he will get burrs in his feet. They are usually found here in yards that don't use a sprinkler system.

    We are going to have rain and highs in the 50s until well after Christmas. We'll be watching college bowl games and playing fetch in the house for a while!
  • mrbill5mrbill5
    Running is harder on the whole body than walking. Both human and canine. Running is better for the heart. When we take our dogs to Myrtle Beach we try to avoid the roads that have the pebble, asphalt pavings whenever we can. My pups are approaching 10 years old and we are trying to avoid unneeded stress on their bodies, especially since one has hip issues.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    How do these look for protecting his feet?
    https://www.chewy.com/kurgo-step-strobe-dog-shoes-large/dp/56793
    I have to say I'm loving Chewy.com!
  • TrikesterHalTrikesterHal
    Oh, reminds me of an experience from a couple of years before I got my first trike or even thought about riding one.

    One day I noticed a man come up the street in front of my house riding a recumbent trike. Harnessed on either side of his rear rack was a large Weimaraner dog and he was moving along at a steady pace. I'd never seen anything like it.

    Some time later my wife and I were taking a walk. We noticed, probably this same man, stopped along the curb on this busy street. As I got closer I noticed the man was trying to twist around in his seat toward his dog (only one dog this day). The dog's harness was partially disconnected from the trike's rack and the man, who was handicapped, was unable to get up off of the trike to fix the problem. I managed to get the dog, a big, very strong Weimaraner, reattached. The man thanked me profusely and continued on his way. I never saw him again after that.

    Until I read this thread I hadn't thought about this experience in a long time. I have no idea who he was, what kind of trike he was riding or how the dog was precisely attached. What impressed me was just how strong the dog was and how impossible his situation had become. I was glad to have helped.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    Thanks for helping him. I hope others help me when I need it. My dog stops due to a distraction and can almost pull the trike sideways. I reach down and pet him occasionally just to keep him on task. My son has two Great Danes. I've thought of building a harness for them up front. They can be my electric motor!

    On a serious note, my harness is designed to connect to the seat pole of a 2-wheeler. They provided only a thin piece of rubber to put inside. I connect it to the back frame of my Rover seat. I had some other rubber but it's not holding the harness in place. Does anyone has suggestions on what else I could use?
  • TrikesterHalTrikesterHal
    How about bungee cords? Perhaps you can re-engineer this device to work on a trike.

    I think the major problem would be keeping the dog on task. One distracted, big, powerful, energetic dog is capable of pulling you six ways to Sunday! :o Imagine telling the nurses in the ER, "All I can remember is a squirrel running across in front of my trike..."
  • TrikeBirderTrikeBirder
    Maybe the ultimate solution would be to set up a Flintstones type car... just with a trike instead of a car. :o It would be funny just to see a drawing of such a vehicle... know any good artists with too much time on their hands?
  • Jeffh129Jeffh129



    Florida_bound wrote: »
    How do these look for protecting his feet?
    https://www.chewy.com/kurgo-step-strobe-dog-shoes-large/dp/56793
    I have to say I'm loving Chewy.com!

    Unless your dog is the one in a million, save your money. Most dogs HATE boots of any kind.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    Thanks for letting me know. I don't have money to burn so I'll use it elsewhere.
  • Florida_boundFlorida_bound
    Took my dog to the vet and asked how far he could run while I trike. The vet said he needed to work up to great distances but, as muscular as he is, 5 miles or more was not too far. It's going to be cloudy and in the mid 60s so we are going to give it a try. I haven't ridden in a few weeks. I really need this!
  • TCEdTCEd
    Regarding dog boots. We took our young german shorthair pointer to bass pro and fitted him with boots or sorta tried :) It was one of the funniest puppy acts I've seen. He resisted having them put on and then walked, staggered and jumped around until all four boots were off his feet. Took about 15 seconds.That's when we realized we should have tried this much earlier in his life.
  • Finn59Finn59
    Get a treadmill for both of you for those cold Florida days.
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