Thank you so much for this awesome informative video! I learned so much and you covered everything I was questioning as I too have a very high energy dog. (Catahoula leopard/American Staffshire mix). 🙏🏽
Pointer powered fun- best high drive dog exercise rig ever- freedom to gooo under excellent steering and dog control- the rider steers the dogs- no commands needed- the dogs add stability to the scooter- you don't crash with this design- on or off road, even busy urban sidewalks- urban mushing perfected- also good for agro, deaf and or blind dogs- d o g p o w e r e d s c o o t e r
I have always used a small roll up lead for bicycling with my dog. They all learned really quick. I do try and avoid traffic, on busy streets I will use the sidewalk, mostly I try and stick to low or no traffic streets and trails. cheers
My dog is pretty small (5 kg), she is a papillon and 10 years old. But she is very active and I noticed that she loves running. We can play fetch non stop for hours because she loves playing so much. Sure, now she gets tired faster with age, but I am wondering is this something I should try or not? Because I’m not the most confident biker and I live in the Netherlands where bikes are the preferred transport among locals. So they are very confident and I’m not so much. My dog is also anxious and hates loud sounds from the motorcycles and scooters that pass by, and often gets tangled in my feet or peoples feet and I trip over her. I’d love to give her a way to get her energy out that’s also a mission to get something from somewhere for me. Sounds like a great time. But I’m still not sure if it’s the best option for me self. Thanks for your video and any advice would be appreciated ❤🐾
Hello! I use the steel cut oats which is 1/4 cup oats to one cup (250mls) water but add a little more. Maybe another 10-20mls. You’ll find out the consistency you like after a few tries. Remember that if you add raisins that they soak up some of the water so you add that little bit extra. If you add frozen blueberries that ADDS water so you add a little less water. Hope that helps! 😊
Excellent video from an obviously knowledgeable lady with a passion for GSPs. I haven't got 'Atticus' yet, but he is on my to-do list. My wife and I need to relocate to Ticino in Switzerland first and I can't wait to go mountain walking with him - 'tis a dream I have.' William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream. Act IV, :)
Hello! I am wary of running a dog so young. I wait until they are a year old before running them anything over a mile. Their bones are soft until then. Once the bones have hardened, gradually bringing them up to 6-8mi on the bike is fine as long as you keep checking the paw pads, that there’s no limping and that the weather conditions aren’t too hot or too cold. Enjoy!!
I use a tow leash on my manual wheelchair to allow my Service dog to assist with pulling hands free (with the clip on his special side pulling harness), and to walk my pet dogs without getting tangled up in leashes (With the clip on their collars). It's insane how much easier it's made my life. There was definitely a learning curve, and some troubleshooting when we started, but now my dogs and I are happier than ever. My ability to tell right from left isn't reliable if I'm distracted (I know what direction I'm turning, but can't associate it with 'left hand' 'right hand' off the top of my head- brain injury and brain-fog are tough). The commands we use are a bit specific for the chair, or at least helpful as a chair user!; Turn-in (towards the Chair) Turn-out (away from the chair.) On-by (Stop turning/don't turn, continue or start walking in a straight line, or pass a distraction)a Get over (move away from the chair without turning) In-in (Move towards the chair without turning) Get back (Move backwards from my front castors, if they've crossed in front of the chair, or I need to turn sharply) Back-back (Moving Straight back, in line with the chair) Duck! (If they turn to far away from the chair, and end up facing backwards, they duck under the tow leash to face the right direction) Ease up (Slow down) Easy wait (come to a slow stop- we use these at cross walks, or checking to cross streets) Wait-Wait (Hard stop, usually with a step back to take tension off of the leash) Lets Go (Start walking) Hike Up! (Go faster) and the obvious Leave it!/Ah-ah! (ignore cat/people/barking dogs, etc). I use all of the commands with my service dog, and pets, and they've all picked it up very fast. I've even found that my fiance has started react to them if we're out walking, lol. A few notes for being in a chair- there are no disk brakes on the vast majority of chairs, and your hands are your breaks, so gloves are an important to save your hands, and stop your chair. The lower center of gravity, when compared to a bike makes tipping even less of a concern for me, but it does mean that the dog have an easier time pulling me to roll off course, so staying attentive to changes in the dog's attention/direction of travel, is key. The tow leash stops the dogs from hitting my large rear wheels, but because the frame of my chair is much shorter than a bike, the dog can definitely push around the end of rigid part of the tow bar, and wrap around the front of the chair, so teaching them not to- and also teaching them how to undo it- is a lifesaver. If you're working with less trained dogs, probably take a friend the first few times you go out, to help push/steer you, while you use a leash to help teach the dog what each command means, and what the boundaries are, and later, to act as emergency breaks if your comfortable taking the leash off and only using the bike tow attachment.
Thank you for such a detailed comment. I’m sure this will be very helpful to those in a similar situation. I’m so glad the bike tow leash has been so helpful! 😊
A Bikejoring set up is safer for both dog and rider. Side pulling, harnesses that do not allow full shoulder rotation, and running on concrete cause many physical problems for dogs
I've been training my dog to walk with the exact same word commands. To turn left, I say "left". "This way" to turn right. I was going to build a sulky, but found these tow leashes. I haven't got one yet, but I got on my bike today, and hooked up a leash to her harness. She took me right around the block. It was a little dangerous, but I'm going to make sure we get a safe set up. I agree with letting them set the pace, and having peddle power helps support the dog. Dogs love, love, love to pull. They like to take commands and work with humans. They love to have a job. A tired dog is a happy dog.
The most dangerous thing Ive ever seen . Dont do that! What if u need an emergency break?? ur Dog allways needs to be fixed to the bike, that ur able to use both breaks. look at us, my dog has 50cm up 8m leashed on a bike. big freedom if possible, short handling if neccessery in close situations. dont let em run on "Streetside" close to the cars. Sorry Jennifer, no good advive. maybe u wanna think about it again, what u tell ur audience
My dog is attached to the bike. I have full use of both brakes. The biggest issue in our neighborhood is dogs on flexileads on the sidewalk with dog owners not paying attention and their dog goes crazy and could reach us if Levi were on the right. Thanks for watching. Not dangerous.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it! The harness is the ergonomic harness from PetSmart. I understand that it has been discontinued actually. Disappointing.
Im glad the moment with the cat happened cuz that's exactly what i wanted to see. Id like to try biking with my dog but im scared we're going to get into a huge wreck when he randomly pulls after some wild animal he's seen.
If your dog gets very excited and wants to pull towards things when you are on a dog walk, that is a good time to train him not to. Distraction training. We did a fair bit of that and I've also taken my dog to intense training by Shield K9 (also has a RU-vid Channel!) for about 6 months. If the distraction is in front of you a fair distance away, you ride with the brakes on. If the distraction is to the side of you then keep riding forward and your dog will run faster but forward but will still be looking sideways. You really do need to have the dog attached at a LOW point on the bike. Not under the seat for sure and not just a leash in your hand unless you are very strong AND very comfortable on your bike.
I have a question. Does your dog wear foot protection from the cement and asphalt? The cement and asphalt are unnatural and hard surfaces. I go running with my dog but worry about his paws, feet, and other structures like joints and hips. I wear cushioned and breathable running shoes to protect my feet from the unnatural surface. But I don’t know how to protect my dog’s feet. I noticed that his paws seems to wear out and dry. When i touch his paws, he pulls back as if it’s painful. But he loves running with me.
Hi! great question. In the winter I use paw wax to protect the paws and prevent ice build up between the toes. works great! The other seasons I'm just careful to mix up my terrain and be mindful of the temperature. For example, I might do an early morning bike ride or run while the temperature is cooler and then a fetch on grass later on. Or I might opt for trail running instead of cement or asphalt. I used to do marathon training with my previous dog and we comfortably went 12-16miles on a weekly long run on sidewalks. His paws were fine with that. BUT I checked his paws regularly and if they seemed irritated I would make him sit out on the run and we would do a walk instead. That didn't happen very often though. Younger dogs have more sensitive pads. You might try doggie shoes but I never had any luck with those. I also think they would get very hot because dogs sweat through their feet...they need to breathe. Perhaps it's time to mix in trail running :)
@@JenniferWasylenko Thank you. Unfortunately I live in an area where I do not have access to dirt or sand trails. Only cement and asphalt. I think pets are not allows on the track field.
@@kleptomatic34 awe, too bad...is your dog young? Building up the tougher skin takes time and you certainly want to space out the time on cement/asphalt especially early on.
Looks very unsafe. The dog is tethered to the bike, so it can yank get you out of balance. You might need to do a fast maneuver (deviate from an obstacle, pedestrian or a car) and hurt the dog. I think it is a bad idea to have the dog tethered to the bike. Best thing would be for the dog to pursue you without a leash, which is not acceptable in cities.
The safety depends on several things. How well-trained the dog is, how confident you are on a bike, and what streets you plan on riding on. This is not going to be a great idea for a few people but it is a great idea for many. It sounds like it’s not for you and that’s ok. Myself and my dog are extremely safe and confident where we ride.
@@JenniferWasylenko Unless you are doing it away in a field, beach or parking lot, I don't think it is a good idea regardless of how trained the dog is or how "confident" your are on a bike. A million things can go wrong on the street. Don't you agree that a dog, regardless of its training can act unpredictably. If a vehicle pass close to you and hit the horn and you or your dog get startled. That happens and when it does you and your dog will be in serious risk of an accident. You mentioned a lot of times how animals might startle the dog. It only takes you not seeing what your dog is seeing for you both to be at risk. If he yanks at you and you loose control of the bike... what a mess. Not to mention the dog is a huge distraction. Cycling on the street already demands your full attention. It is not something you can do safely worrying about what it can do. I say that as someone who comutes on bike, 14km everyday. Being safe on a bike is not about confidence. It is about being prudent. And if it was only you taking the risk, that is ok. You are an adult. But the dog doesn't know better. He relies on the prudence of the owner.
@@JenniferWasylenko Like I said, acting safely is not something subjective. There are objectively unsafe practices. It's like saying "Ok, if text and driving doesn't work for you, that is ok. It's not for everyone." But ok, I've said my piece. Sorry if I sound preachy. I was just trying to make sure my point was understood correctly. It wasn't my intent to debate you or anything like that.
What does your dog weigh? I’ve got a 40kg male Labrador I’m trying to do this with but he will stop suddenly to sniff something so I’ve got to jam on the brakes
Hi! Mine is 38kg. So, close in weight. My dog wants to run more than sniff lol. If you also have a leash attached on the collar you can steer his head to stay forward. My dog is interested in cats and that can be fun. Lol.
@@JenniferWasylenko thanks, yeah mine would chase a cat too, in fairness it was our first time this evening and I only had the leash tied around my stem but he got the hang of it, I’ve ordered one of those clamp on bars like you’ve got, we will see how it goes 😁
Fantastic!! I find that if I spot the cats before he does that I can plan the solution. Sometimes it’s let him run straight while I apply brakes to slow him down and give the cat time to cross the road. Or if the cat is along the side in a driveway the solution is to ride faster to force him to run forwards. Works!
@@JenniferWasylenko thanks for the answer! But your holding your bike with the right hand and the leash with the other, I'm so confused. I'm adopting a dog soon and want to ride a bike with her 😍
No, actually my dog is attached with hardware (bike tow leash) to the left side of my bike. I also have a leash attached from my dog and then looped onto my left handle bar. It is only to steer his head away from something if he gets too interested or if the hardware becomes detached. But the leash is also there for both before and after the ride to walk my dog to/from the bike. Does this make sense? Let me know if you need more clarification 😊
@@JenniferWasylenko ah ok. Yes the tow leash I saw and I heard you speaking about two leashes. Ok. Thanks for clarification 😊 and answering on a two year old video 😊
So I'm just curious - every single dog biking video on RU-vid has the leash attached to the bike itself, and a lot of them use 2 leashes like you. I just have my dog's leash around my left wrist and he runs to the left of me. I feel like this is the safer way to do it because if he happens to get distracted and dart off, he's not going to be able to pull the bike down and injure me. In an emergency, I can let the leash slip off my wrist and I won't topple over. I can also keep a bit more distance away from the bike if I want to. Is there a reason behind not doing it this way? Why is it preferable to attach the dog so closely to the bike itself? Don't you run the risk of toppling over if you have a dog trying to work through its ADD?
Hello! great question! I used to ride my previous GSP the way you do. I had never had an accident with it but I will say that there is much less control of the bike itself should something run in front of you like a squirrel or cat. I would never want to let go of my dog ever. The tow that I have is attached at a low centre of gravity. There is very little chance of the bike being toppled over. It also keeps the dog away from the bike yet allows him to move fairly freely back and forth so I can easily get a sense of his fatigue. Having done things both ways, I find the tow attachment much more relaxing and therefore enjoyable. I have great control of the bike as well. The second leash is helpful for steering his head away from something distracting and also as a second leash in case something on the tow breaks or falls off. That has never happened. It is also the leash that I use to walk him to my bike :) Happy riding!! 🐾🚲
Hi Jennifer thanks for video what about more subtle activities like if on a train or plane and leg shaking, finger tapping,these small quick movements when can’t get up and walk around do they also contribute to calorie burn ?
My 75-pound, seven-year-old, Skeeter, and I just came in from a training session with my ebike when I wondered if there would be a video that would give me insight into the task. This one taught me a couple of very valuable ingots. The main one being to adopt your demeanor. I tend to be less patient stemming from my fear of Skeeter coming to a dead stop as he's done many times on our daily, 3-mile walk. Another is that of his passing in front of the bike. The second valuable take-away is the possible use of the- OOPS... the Bike Tow Leash is WAY beyond my budget, but with the awareness of such a tool, I was able to search OTHER less expensive options. Thank you.
That’s great! Yes I find that my dog just wants to keep running but I do plan regular pee stops (every 7min or so). If it’s a route I do often then I plan the same stop locations. He can anticipate it and plan his pee stop. I’m glad you found some inspiration for your needs and found an option that works for you! 😊🐾
I'm preparing to buy items so I can ride with my dog Skye. I noticed the type of bar you have is curved instead of the straight bar. Is there an advantage to this one over the other ones?
Hi! Are you referring to the bike tow leash? The Bike Tow Leash is a type of firm yet bendy material so it has more ‘give’ for the dog to move back and forth as needed. It can also be used on single track. It works great! The straight bars I’ve seen are very firm steel and you don’t get a sense of whether your dog wants to slow down or not. I would not buy a stiff bar. I also would not buy a bar that attaches under the seat as you are quite likely to be pulled over. Hope this helps! 😊🐾
I can't tell you how much I needed this video today. Thank you thank you! GSP owner here (1.5yo) and I struggle with balancing her needs with my own. I found you through your dog bicycling videos. Very happy to have found your channel. 💙
Hey! Awesome! I’m so glad you found it helpful! It is very difficult to balance the needs for both. I bike through the winter as well. I just put my studded tires on today! Let me know if you have specific questions. 😊
Your videos are wonderful and so helpful! I have a GSP too, who's about a year and a half old now and needing to find new methods of exercise and simulation this winter. We play fetch a bunch and I run with her, but it's so time consuming to get her a good workout. We started bike training today and it went great. Thanks so much for sharing. I just subscribed and looking forward to other videos from you.
How do you train your dog to tell you that they need to go toilet on the bike? My pup pulled me off my bike yesterday because she was pooing, and gave me no indication that she needed to go
Great question! I recommend getting to know the potty habits of your dog. I use the bike when I know he’s already recently had a poop. Or I’ll walk him first and then bike him. I never use the bike right after he’s eaten because I want to avoid stomach bloat, which can be fatal. Feed, wait 15-20min, walk (hopefully a poop happens) then bike. Or if I’ve just come home and I know he hasn’t eaten, I’ll bike him. I do regularly stop during the ride to allow him to pee. He has his favourite pee stops. Exercise induces urination. I hope this helps?!
