Is Running Alongside A Bike Too Early At 6 Months?

[kyliegirl]

I am thinking it might be good to start training Echo to keep alongside a bike so I can take him for a run and be able to keep up with him, he loves to run, but he refuses to run very far unless I am with him, and honestly I just cannot do the amount of running he wants lol.

Is 6 months too early to start teaching him to run alongside a bike? He has alot of energy to burn and I do not have the same amount of fitness as he does to be running all day, when i do run he wants to run faster because he loves it, I am the only one holding him back lol, he hates not being able to see me (maybe a good thing since his recall is great)

Edited May 4, 2011 by kyliegirl

[Nekhbet]

not until at least 12 months of age, way too much impact on growing joints. I wouldn't even do it with my working Mal.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

attaching a dog by a lead to a car or bicycle or holding its lead while you are riding a bike is illegal on most public roads and footpaths according to the Australian Road Rules which Queensland follows.

So you'd need to find a private place to go biking with your dog or be confident about doing it off lead - though in most states that would require an area designated ok for off lead dogs - which usually isn't public roads or footpaths and cycle tracks.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Yes it's too young - dogs are just as capable of overdoing it as humans are especially if they are bonded to you and want to please you. You can damage his joints at this age. What breed?

I'd probably try fetch and find games instead, including ones where you hide the ball or object. Wearing out their brain is at least as important as wearing out their body.

[kyliegirl]

he is a dobermann SSM, I will wait until he is a bit older then

[raineth]

I actually think you could put some effort into training it at this age.

don't actually go and do laps with him or anything. But I think you could teach him the basic rules, such as not pulling and staying by the side of the bike.

You cold even start by just walking the bike and him together etc.

I think you could do a minute's worth of a slow running pace a few times a week, next to the bike without causing problems.

[trojka]

I actually think you could put some effort into training it at this age.

don't actually go and do laps with him or anything. But I think you could teach him the basic rules, such as not pulling and staying by the side of the bike.

You cold even start by just walking the bike and him together etc.

I think you could do a minute's worth of a slow running pace a few times a week, next to the bike without causing problems.

I was going to suggest the same thing. I didn't actually start running my dog next to the bike till he was over a year old, but I did start walking him next to the bike, teaching him not to pull and to be comfortable about being close to the bike, before that.

[Stolzseinrotts]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Good advice given!

I would start to teach him now about the manners needed when around the bike. It makes things much easier when the time comes which would be after 12 months of age.

[jacqui835]

I now do 15km bike rides with my dobe, but we worked up to that (more quickly than I had expected)only once he was over a year old. Prior to that, the only way I had of tiring him out was to take him to the dog park and organise play dates with his best friends. An hour or so of chasing and wrestling had him buggered.

But people have given some good comments about the mental exhaustion aspect - even to date, my dog is more tired if we've asked a lot of him mentally, whether that's through making him behave very carefully around children for a couple of hours (guests over at the house etc), or done some more training than usual.

I've unfortunately been sick lately, and wasn't up to my usual bike ride, so instead to drain his energy, we did 1/2 hour walk nicely on lead, 1/2 hour at the dog park and then learning a new trick. He learned to limp, touch his nose to my hand and whine on command (whereas previously he only knew bark), so it's been quite productive lol.

[mita]

When we were kids, my brother read somewhere that it was not good for dogs' health to run after bikes. So he made little carts that were attached to our bikes. His border collie, Peter, rode behind him & Pauline, my maltese, rode behind me. They looked like Romans in their chariots! Not a serious suggestion...just some nostalgia.

[luvsdogs]

Yes it's too young - dogs are just as capable of overdoing it as humans are especially if they are bonded to you and want to please you. You can damage his joints at this age. What breed?

I'd probably try fetch and find games instead, including ones where you hide the ball or object. Wearing out their brain is at least as important as wearing out their body.

You definitely want to take the exercise thing slowly especially with a large breed dog. Acording to Ian Billinghurst the only exercise a growing pup needs is play & eating raw meaty bones. Exercise his mind for the moment.

[sandgrubber]

Note, also, running on pavement is much harder on a dog than running on grass. I would feel ok with short runs on grass from a pretty early age.

[Guest english.ivy]

Are you near a dog friendly beach?

I also can't do the amount of running my Pointer can but we go to the beach a few times a week and he runs!! I just need to walk hehe. I started taking him when he was a youngster as the sand is soft and the water fun.

That's where we go when he's itching to let loose!

eta - our beach is 1km each way so that's also good exercise for me

Edited May 12, 2011 by english.ivy