Bike riding with your dog in your neighborhood is so addictive you will never go back to walking!
Bike riding is a great way to give your dog a more satisfying walk since you can go at a quicker pace, not the boring 0.02 mph that many people walk. I also like the bike ride because I can go farther faster, and in this busy world, who doesn’t love that! Health-wise, your dogs are going to be moving at a faster pace and that keeps your athletic animals trim.
If you’re wondering how your dog gets any freedom, here is the answer. We always start and finish the walk with the bike but go to a park during the ride to give them off-leash freedom to play ball, meet other dogs, or just sniff around. We love this so much we have trained every dog, even visitors’ dogs!
Do not ride your bike with puppies. Check with your veterinarian about when your puppy’s growth plates will allow bike riding safely.
Before you start on the bike:
Be sure you have trained your dog to walk politely with no pulling next to your side on leash. Then you can easily move on to using a bike.
Be sure you are comfortable on a bike going at a slow pace and maneuvering on sidewalks and through neighborhood streets. It is going to be important for you to be confident and in control. This is not a workout for you, but it will be for your dog.
Some dogs are more sensitive to new and different things and may need a slower introduction. Other dogs will pick this up immediately. If your dog is the sensitive type, you may want to do a short walk with your dog, holding your bike and moving the tires, shifting gears, using the brakes, and moving the pedals. I would recommend this after a regular walk so they are more relaxed.
What collar or harness should I have my dog wear?
Collars are always controversial. Here is my personal opinion and why. Flat collars or slip chains can be too hard on the neck and trachea. You may be able to use a Martingale collar if your dog is already very well trained to walk without pulling. Same goes for a Gentle Leader or Haltie – if your dog is already comfortable with a nose-style haltie, you can try it, but no harsh pulls. Harnesses give the dog too much control, especially if you have a high-energy, large breed dog. My preference to stay safe and still make it fun for the dog is to use a training collar – plastic or metal. If you don’t know how to use a collar like this, hire a trainer. Training collars will be resting on the neck, and the leash will be slack the majority of the time. When you need to give a little leash guidance, you will do so lightly.
Pinch collars, also called prong collars in metal or plastic, are my favorite because when you give a light “pop” on the leash, the pressure is distributed evenly around the neck. They can give you a lot of control for safety. If you have been trained how to use it, your dog will not be pulling on the collar and will only feel it when you give some “feedback”. Your leash should be short, but loose when your dog is next to you. If you haven’t been instructed how to walk first using a prong collar, hire a trainer to coach you.
I also use a regular 4 – 6ft. leash about ¾” thick. Hold the leash by weaving it back and forth to sit on top of the bike handle under my hand. As mentioned earlier, always keep the leash short but loose with some slack.
As you are riding, keep your leash under your hand on the handlebars for quick correction, and never put your thumb in a loop or loop it around the handlebars.
Do not let your dog pull you by his neck as you ride.
(There is a sport called “joring” where dogs are in special harnesses and are meant to pull you. If you have a safe place possibly on country trails to do this, go for it. )
During the ride:
Be very aware of your surroundings! If you are uncertain about your dog’s reaction to some stimulus, stop your bike and wait it out.
Your dog is going to be getting a much more intense workout, so be aware of the temperature and whether the pavement is hot. Go out when it is cool and take water breaks.
Your pace will usually be between 5 – 9 mph. Ruby, our Vizsla, could walk fast at 11 mph without breaking into a gallop, whereas Mack, our medium-sized dog with shorter legs, preferred 6 mph. Adjust your speed as your dog ages, as they will need to slow down. This depends on the height and energy of the dog.
Cueing the dog for a turn:
Before turning, give your dog some notice by saying a word like, “watch,” just before you turn left or right. They will soon learn to pay attention to the direction of the tire. It is not necessary to say left or right.
Use a basket or backpack to hold water and a small bowl, balls, poop bags, or any other training supplies you might want to have available.
If you know how to give proper feedback with a training collar, you’ll be prepared to let your dog know to ignore all of the unpredictable things that arise.
What if an off-leash dog approaches?
If a dog runs out to you and your dog, stop moving and get off the bike quickly to assess the other dog’s approach. If I can see it is friendly and you trust your dog not to run away and you are safe and you are not around traffic you may consider dropping the leash to great your each other. If the other dog is acting territorial, I keep my dog next to me or behind me and stand still and a little sideways. Usually the other dog stops at about 10ft to give their warning or just assess us. I stay still and quiet, and as soon as they turn away, I start to walk the bike and dog away.
Can My Child do this?
Depending on how old your child is and the dog, it may be possible for them to walk the dog using their bike; however, be sure to master this yourself first and be sure you have them follow all of the safety guidelines in this post. In addition, I would accompany them to supervise this form of exercising your dog. I would consider it for a child as young as 12 years old, but this really depends on the child and the dog.
Other distractions…
Again, stop moving if you think your dog will respond erratically and allow the distraction to move past you, or you can slowly walk to keep things calm (trucks, cats, other animals, people with strollers, or other moving objects). Eventually, once you know how your dog responds to various situations, you can keep moving.
If your dog is currently overweight, start with a short bike ride and slowly build speed and distance. Maybe try a couple blocks to start. A good odometer as shown above can help you track your daily distance.
With practice, you can do this with two dogs at the same time, but again, your dogs should be trained to walk side by side next to you before you try this on a bike.
Have fun! You’ll never go back to walking again!
