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Does anyone ride a bike with your lab....

2K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  Daly 
#1 ·
We are looking for new ways to get Hudson exercise. Does anyone out there ride their bike and have their lab run beside them? I of course have to have him on a leash and am just wondering how big of a chore this could be? We have tons of trails around here and are kind of tired of just walking them. Looking for some comments before I get brave enough to try!!
 
#2 ·
SU takes Bandit when he rides his bike, he has to go slow and no trails, he's only 5 mos. old. I would try just going up and down the street first. It took Bandit a little getting used to.
 
#3 ·
I know someone who does this on a small bike, she is very small, with a small sog. She stops every so often so he can rest, and she carries water for him. He runs along quite happily beside her on his leash and does not get caught up. I know it took some time to train him but he seems to relly like it. They do this on a black top 1.75 mile 'track' around a huge county park.
 
#4 ·
I've been wanting to do this with Wriggley but not brave enough yet... I've seen the "Walky Dog" attachment (and SitStay gives it a pretty good review) that I've been thinking of getting and trying. I'ts supposed to keep the dog away from the bike and the leash is such that it can't get tangled. Very curious to see other comments.
 
#6 ·
I thought about this very briefly. I really like to bike and saw the product that allows the leash to hook to a bar extended from the rear wheel hub. Then I thought about a 90+ lb. lab deciding to change directions when he sees a bunny and taking the back end of my bike with him. I think it would be great excercise for an adult dog if you believe they won't pull hard to go their own way.

I would love to see some pics if you give this a try. :)
 
#7 ·
I have biked before with my dog, he is about 80 lbs. We have only been through our city streets biking as I am a beginner with this excercise as well. I don't know how well I would do on trail roads. I run him with a pinch collar to give me more control but basically he just trots along my bike and we both get excercise. He is a high energy dog and I can't walk fast enough to make him tired so I decided to try the bike. We can't bike right now because of snow but once the snow melts I plan on biking with him again.
 
G
#8 ·
Scout almost went under last summer trying to swim to me at the lake. I was on a raft out in our bay. Her will said "I want to get to you" but her body was running out of gas. She had already been walking with my son, ran down to the water and just jumped in. Very quickly she was going under - he jumped in after her and I scrambled to get to her from my raft. Our first lab would run after a ball until her feet bled. First time that happened I realized labs are not really good at self monitoring - they'll try to keep going even when a pad is split and bleeding or they're too tired from a long walk.

Me personally, I'd be very reluctant to ride a bike with Scout on a lead so she can run beside me. She would will herself to keep going long after we should have stopped.

Scout had joint problems that required surgery. My breeder told me this, and it was my experience - labs have very high pain thresholds, they won't show pain until it's very intense. If they show any signs of pain, you can be sure they've been feeling pain for a while.

Be especially careful with a young lab. They're still growing until @ 2 years old. To burn off energy when Scout was young, I threw a bumper in the fenced backyard. Soft grass to run on, and I could watch for when she was slowing down. Time to stop then.
 
#9 ·
Hudson is 19 months old now and weighs about 90 pounds. He gets walked atleast 2 miles a day, but up to 4 miles. This seems to be the perfect amount for him. I wouldn't expect him to run that far though. Heck, I don't know if I could ride a bike that far! From the comments posted so far, I think by the time it warms up I will be willing to give it a try. I have seen the device tht others are talking about that attaches to the bike. I might try that when the time comes.
 
#10 ·
At 19 months he is not quite old enough to start biking with you. I would wait until he is 2 years old just to be on the safe side. When the time IS right, it is crucial that you build up slowly to condition him to the new form of exercise. Start building up the time in 5 minute blocks; 5 minutes for a week, 10 minutes for a week, 15 minutes for a week, etc. You probably don't want to ride any longer than that without stopping. Off leash is different because he is able to stop and move at his own pace. ON leash he is being forced to keep up with you. Bearing in mind that continuous movement over long stretches is not a natural behavior for a canine (they like to stop to sniff/mark/etc.) breaks are very important.

Biking on hard surfaces should not be an every day thing. Even for a fit adult dog, pounding the pavements can be hard on the joints. A couple of times a week should be sufficient.
 
#11 ·
I have thought about taking Tal with me when I ride after he reaches the 2 year mark. Like others have said, until they stop growing it is not good for their joints to let them go for that long. If his recall is perfect I plan on letting him run beside the bike and stop frequently for him.

Most days I play fetch and keep away with him and when I botice him slowing down or it is close to 30 minutes (he is 7 months) then we stop. I also take him on about a 20-30 minuite walk before bed. At his age now I would never take him with me when I ride my bike.
 
#12 ·
Keep in mind, humans running on hard pavement is not good either, but MILLIONs of people around the world do it on a daily basis and they do not worry about what may or may not happen when thay are 70 or 80 years old. If you dog is in good health and 18+ months old and fully grown, then going for a job or a bike ride everyday is perfectly healthy for the dog. Could it cause damage, maybe, maybe not...but again if your dog is perfectly healthy - if you do see ill effects it won't be till the dog is VERY old. Doing this will not cause hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia if you wait this long to start.

So for the next 10 years your dog will be the happiest dog on the planet and then Maybe, just Maybe when the dog is Very very old you may or may not see a problem, but then again, maybe its from just being old....

Have fun...dogs don't live forever! Heck climb mount hood with your dog if its capable!!!

I had a dog that died a year ago today, the only thing that puts me at peace is all the fun stuff we did outside together that made him so happy...he only lived to 5, but knowing how much time we spent together enjoying life, makes things a lot easier when the time comes...

Just build it up slowly - that is great advice for any athlete.
 
#13 ·
My neighbor did it with his lab once she turned 2.5 years old or so. She is 11 years old now so they no longer exercise that way. But he told me he did it with her for years. But only once she was past the 2 year mark. I am not sure whether he did it on pavement or on a trail. However, I have been told that if you are to make your dog jog or run with you it's best if you do it on "soft" ground. Like grass or dirt trails and stuff. Not on pavement. It can be very bad on their joints.
 
#14 ·
gerst001 said:
Keep in mind, humans running on hard pavement is not good either, but MILLIONs of people around the world do it on a daily basis and they do not worry about what may or may not happen when thay are 70 or 80 years old. If you dog is in good health and 18+ months old and fully grown, then going for a job or a bike ride everyday is perfectly healthy for the dog. Could it cause damage, maybe, maybe not...but again if your dog is perfectly healthy - if you do see ill effects it won't be till the dog is VERY old. Doing this will not cause hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia if you wait this long to start.

So for the next 10 years your dog will be the happiest dog on the planet and then Maybe, just Maybe when the dog is Very very old you may or may not see a problem, but then again, maybe its from just being old....

Have fun...dogs don't live forever! Heck climb mount hood with your dog if its capable!!!

I had a dog that died a year ago today, the only thing that puts me at peace is all the fun stuff we did outside together that made him so happy...he only lived to 5, but knowing how much time we spent together enjoying life, makes things a lot easier when the time comes...

Just build it up slowly - that is great advice for any athlete.
There are two things that are incorrect about your statement.

The first is that humans know when they are in pain/too tired, etc, and know that the only thing "forcing" them to continue is him or herself. Dogs, when running next to a human on a bike, do not have that option. They can't say "hey, bucko, my shoulder hurts, can we do this tomorrow?" By the time that the human notices that the dog is in pain, oftentimes the damage has been done.

The second thing is that there is a big difference between good health and good joint health. The average pet owner will not know if their dog has good joint health until one of two things happens. One, their dog has its joints checked via x-ray, preferably by an OFA/Pennhip certified vet. Two, the pet owner pushes it with something like jogging next to a bike and the hips/elbow damage is accelerated and then obvious.

I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to run with your pet. I am saying that the 6 months between 18 months and two years can make a big difference with joint closure. I saw a lot of dogs when I was working at the vet clinic that had HD/ED exacerbated by someone jogging/doing strenuous activities with them too early.
 
#15 ·
We force our dogs to do almost 95% of the things they do in thier lives...the key is common sense. I take my dog to the park, when I see him get a little tired, I leave. If I took my dog on a bike ride and took a break, I would watch my dog and gauge if he wants more or less. I would watch the distance and the pace. Remember, a dog's pace is much quicker than ours. My dogs gait is full at around 4mph - a very quick walk or a very slow jog - this pace is good for even young dogs. they need full flexion for muscles to develop. Running and poucing is bad though...

Waiting to 24 months is a good idea, but I think a lot of it comes down to the individual dog. If you have a lab that stopped growing at 10 months of age and weighs 65 lbs and still weighs 65 lbs at 18 months, your dog is 99 -100% done growing...if your dog is still growing - wait!
 
#16 ·
gerst001 said:
We force our dogs to do almost 95% of the things they do in thier lives...the key is common sense. I take my dog to the park, when I see him get a little tired, I leave. If I took my dog on a bike ride and took a break, I would watch my dog and gauge if he wants more or less. I would watch the distance and the pace. Remember, a dog's pace is much quicker than ours. My dogs gait is full at around 4mph - a very quick walk or a very slow jog - this pace is good for even young dogs. they need full flexion for muscles to develop. Running and poucing is bad though...

Waiting to 24 months is a good idea, but I think a lot of it comes down to the individual dog. If you have a lab that stopped growing at 10 months of age and weighs 65 lbs and still weighs 65 lbs at 18 months, your dog is 99 -100% done growing...if your dog is still growing - wait!
You are right about using common sense and I think everyone on here would do that. I would bet most pet owners would run them and not be in tune to when they are tired. I won't take Tal with me biking until he is 2 because I do not want to risk damaging his joints. Even now I limit his play to 35 minutes...maybe 40 because he starts to noticeably tire at that point. He would keep playing fetch if I did not stop it. I hate stopping it because he loves the game so but I would rather end the game early than risk damaging his joints.
 
#17 ·
myfavoritedog said:
gerst001 said:
We force our dogs to do almost 95% of the things they do in thier lives...the key is common sense. I take my dog to the park, when I see him get a little tired, I leave. If I took my dog on a bike ride and took a break, I would watch my dog and gauge if he wants more or less. I would watch the distance and the pace. Remember, a dog's pace is much quicker than ours. My dogs gait is full at around 4mph - a very quick walk or a very slow jog - this pace is good for even young dogs. they need full flexion for muscles to develop. Running and poucing is bad though...

Waiting to 24 months is a good idea, but I think a lot of it comes down to the individual dog. If you have a lab that stopped growing at 10 months of age and weighs 65 lbs and still weighs 65 lbs at 18 months, your dog is 99 -100% done growing...if your dog is still growing - wait!
You are right about using common sense and I think everyone on here would do that. I would bet most pet owners would run them and not be in tune to when they are tired. I won't take Tal with me biking until he is 2 because I do not want to risk damaging his joints. Even now I limit his play to 35 minutes...maybe 40 because he starts to noticeably tire at that point. He would keep playing fetch if I did not stop it. I hate stopping it because he loves the game so but I would rather end the game early than risk damaging his joints.
The other thing is that it's very hard to judge a lab's "tiredness" at times. Labs love being with people, love doing things with people, and have a high pain threshold. Unless you're completely in tune with your dog all the time, don't go in extreme temps, etc, it's very easy to misjudge a lab.
 
#18 ·
If you have a lab that stopped growing at 10 months of age and weighs 65 lbs and still weighs 65 lbs at 18 months, your dog is 99 -100% done growing...if your dog is still growing - wait!
Don't forget that even when a dog appears to be done growing, the growth plates don't close until they are around 18 months old.

I would rather 'err' on the side of caution and keep forced exercise to a minimum.
 
#19 ·
Let me tell you my story.......
I was biking with our beagle Sadie 10 years ago. She was great with this never any problems. then one day, she pulled on the leash and pulled me off the bike. Needless to say, I broke my ankle (badly). We were a ways from home and finally yelled enough to attract some attention and get help.

Would I ever take a dog on a bike again??? Absolutely not. The risk is too great
Pat
 
#21 ·
When I was young a girl was riding her bike down the street with her dog on a leash. It was a poodle and for what ever reason the poodle ran into the spokes and had a leg caught. The screaming and yelping last with me till now. No way, even though it would be fun.

Also if a rabbit ran across the path my Darla would take me and the bike with her. Too dangerous.
 
#22 ·
We have tons of trails around here and are kind of tired of just walking them. Looking for some comments before I get brave enough to try!

I'd be afraid to try it because of the risk of dangers to the dog and me for the reason mentioned above.

Why not use a long line/check cord and do some training along with the walking? Retrieving, playing fetch is great fun and exercise for a Lab. I drop a Training Dummy on the trails Puff and I walk every morning and then send her back for it, sling it into a field to retrieve, put a towel over her head so she can't see where it lands and then train her to pay attention to my directions to find it.

I always have her leash draped around my neck to put on in case it's needed.

I agree, just walking becomes boring after the umpteeenth time.

We use the 2" x 12" vinyl Lucky Dog TDs and order them from http://www.gundogsupply.com
 
#23 ·
Daly comes biking with us - off leash however. We go more slowly, in a place where he's safe and able to be off leash. And not for too long....He loves it, he's able to stop and sniff, and race ahead and back at us as he loves to do.

He's not ready to bike ride with a leash. He'd get too excited and knock me over. And I don't know if I'd ever do it....on a bike it would be too easy for me to overexercise him without realizing it.

I also run with him and he's 18 months. I am an extremely slow runner - I think that's something people have to remember. There's a difference from people who run 7 minute miles and run with their dogs and people who run 11 minute miles with their dogs. Of course, it also depends on distance.

And yes, we have stopped before when he hasn't seemed into it.
 
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