Whippet Cycling!

Knowing my pair they would get themselves stuck in the wheels (w00t) on or off the lead

 

I too have just started to take the dogs out on the bike, on the lead, they look like they enjoy it as well, and i'm getting fitter, well i hope i am cos i'm knakered after it.

I started with one dog at a time untill they got used to the noizes and general routine, as you say, suddenly stopping for the toilet is a definate no no as well as crossing in front of the bike. :rant: It doesn't take long for them to learn when and where to stop.

I now take two dogs at a time on the lead. I have one of the long leads with clips either end. The dogs run along fine together once all the palaver with toileting is done.

I let the dogs trot (a quick walk) mostly with the occasional short gallop, so i take the two whippet males, Sonny and Indy, together. Then the two lurcher females, Kitch and Sky.

Its quite amazing the difference in speed between the dogs.

Pasha the afghan has just had his first lesson and believe me that was an experience and a half, :sweating: he's normally like one of them toys pinging about on a piece of elastic darting in every direction and he was exactly the same when i took him out with the bike, but once again after the toileting and sniffing was done and we got the speed up he walked alongside very well for his first time.

Only the two whippet famales, Summer and Faith, to get practicing with. Pauline has got a bike as well so we will be able to take four at a time.

Gwen (whippet ) is too young at the minute, Tejo (Portuguese Podengo) is also too young and Murphy (collie) is too old thank god :teehee:

I take them through the woods, which is tough going on the bike, then onto the road. (We are lucky, there are lots of little, hardly used, roads where we stay) and they walk a lot better on the road.

It normally takes about an hour and a half to walk with the dogs but it takes 50 minutes with the bike. :thumbsup:

 

i take my two with the bike , i always put harnesses on them so i dont pull them in the neck if they suddenly want ed to stop for a wee

But i mainly just go as fast as a trot just in case they saw a cat or something otherwise they would pull toward it

But cant really take them together for too long distances because of peggy as she cant cope with it any more ,so as the nights are drawing out i'lll be taking the bike with just Bow

I did have some one stop me saying it was cruel

 

A lot of my dogs exercising is done by cycling them. My husband takes them all out together on his bike almost every day. They behave very well. He trys to stick to majority of canal paths and fields (we are lucky that they are 30 seconds ride away from our front door) - this means their legs aren't pounding on hard concrete. :thumbsup:

 

I sometimes take mine up and down the railway line but only during the winter months (tho just realised not this winter actually :- " ) because it is way, way to busy during the tourist season. I think they enjoy it but if they have to go on a lead I walk and push, IMO its a little risky leading and cycling at the same time.

 

I used to do this with Tarka, he once pulled me in the canal as he went after a duck! Really good fun but I never felt brave enough to go with two dogs :sweating:

 

:lol: I'm sorry, but this did make me chuckle :lol:

The only thing I'd be concerned about is the constant jarring of limbs on roads, as dogs don't usually keep up a constant pace they stop and start naturally - but I have no scientific evidence for this - it would just worry me a bit.

 

Yip bikers here :thumbsup: Half of our racers excercise is biking.

They soon get the hang of it and they are all really well behaved, never had any problems from "constant jarring of limbs", that's a new one on me :thumbsup:

 

I sit on an invalid scooter and travel a sadate 4 mph with 8 whippets, ok till they see a rabbit or squirrel then they overspeed the motor to about 12mph with my arm almost torn from socket(It feels like it at the time) and yes they soon learn not to walk directly in front of the scooter.

 

the three older boys enjoy going out with me on the bike, though i don't go so often now

i use commands like 'Path' when i want them to get to the path, 'over' for crossing the road and 'close' when i want them my side of a lampost :lol:

when i started them out on the bike i attatched a lead to the end of a riding crop so i had more directional control over them :thumbsup:

the only one who was ever any trouble was Rosa, she never looked where she was going and once ran in front of me after a squirrel on the other side of the road, good job my brakes were good :sweating:

 

Tried it once with Kerri - the sensible one :- "

She stopped to wee, I fell off.

She tried to run under the wheels, I fell off.

She tried to run behind the bike, I fell off.

Eventually she just put the anchors on and forgot how to use her legs altogether. We used legs travel only from then on :b .

 

there's a guy near me who takes his GSD out with his scooter, it is a perfect pace for him, he is fit and toned and is one of the best moving GSD's i've seen in ages :thumbsup:

 

I used to take William out on a bike and did try with Owen and Bandit .My problem is we are on main roads here so its not safe really. Then one ay a woman was knocked of her bike not far from our house and killed and she was in a cycle lane so OH stopped me from doing it any more

 

The thought of an Afghan pinging around like a toy has really tickled me (w00t) I'm going to chuckle about that all day :thumbsup:

 

I have one of these wonderful inventions, called a Springer, for when we go out on the bike http://www.bikeyourdog.co.uk/ and it works briliantly by making sure he is at just the right distance not to get under the wheels, and the spring absorbs any pulling so if he jumps sideways after a rabbit (which he did a lot of at Centre Parcs :- " ) you don't fall off! I think they are brilliant, but I never cycle fast with him, just keep him at a steady speed and stop for drinks often. :sweating:

Here is a pic of us at Centre Parcs a few years ago :thumbsup:

 

Hi,

I too have one of those springers, they are brilliant. Thinking about getting another arm so that I can have one dog on either side.

Jenny

 

What a good idea using a springer. I've never seen one until now.

I used to cycle with Fred round the perimiter of our local glider airfield in the evenings when it wasn't in use, and he could either run alongside or run and catch up. It was quite tricky when he had to go back on the lead for cycling home again, but they do learn.

It's a shame I got rid of my bike when i moved to the High Peak from Oxfordshire. Too many hills now...I prefer to walk up them than ride up them :sweating:

What a great thread!

 

I initially thought this was a thread about a whippet on a bike!! :lol:

But I'm pleased to see that many of you cycle with your dog successfully. Hubby wanted to try this with Austin, but I wasn't sure how good he would be.

I am now thinking about trying Austin with the bike!