Dogs and MTBing

[Dawgee]

Im wonder how to know when your dog is ready to follow you along on a ride. How do you train a dog to follow you and not take off into the woods?

[Jisch]

I think most dogs will follow you on your bike. I don't know how you would really know if a specific dog will follow without trying it out.

It does take a bit for a dog to understand where to run. My dog, at first, wanted to run along side me. After a few tire buzzes, she recognized that running behind me was a better idea. My dog will sometimes find something smelly in the trail and hang for a few moments, but she mostly tries to stay with me.

The one issue I have with her is that she does not get along well with other dogs. She'll pick a fight with any dog who gets overly aggressive with her (she's a Jack Russell, so a fight with the wrong dog could have disasterous results). I rarely take her out on rides except behind my house because of this. Once when I took her on a real ride, I ended up having to ride while carrying here until I got far enough past the other dog.

John

[Rych]

I ride with my 2 border collies sometimes. Zeppo likes to run 25 yards ahead of me at all times. While Kimba stays about 4 inches off my rear tire. I put hunting bells on my dogs, that way I don't always have to turn around to make sure Kimba is still with me, and it warns other people that they are coming.

The way I trained my dogs was; as puppies I'd take them for walks in the woods, if they'd get to far away from me I'd jump off the trail and hide behind a tree. They'd always come running back down the trail in a panic looking for me. Now they never let me out of there site when we're out. It worked for puppies, I'm not sure how it will work on an independant older dog.

[EVIL BOTA]

My personal opinon is to leave the dog at home. Unless your dog is passive and follows direction well you stick to walking it on a leash. I have had a few bad experiences with dogs (none following mtn bikers)People tend to let their dogs off their leashes in the woods and I've had a few chase me and one bite me . After having a few choice words with its ower I wished I carried my sidearm with me so I could shoot them both.. If ya can't control your pooch ,keep it home. Oh and yes I have a dog. I'm no animal hater just a hater of ignorant people with dogs.. ;D

[johnbigbooty]

You just have to take them. If you want to train them to sit, you make 'em sit. The hardest part, for me, has always been the beginning and the end. They tend to take off when you're not moving. I recommend driving to a spot well removed from traffic so they can get in and out of the car safely. What kind of dog is it?

[GregC]

I agree with Evil on this one. I too have been bitten by a dog, in Lynn Woods on a solo ride. I attempted to pass the dog off leash, after the owner said , "don't worry he is friendly." The dog a Shepard freaked and bit my leg. After which the owner was more concerned about his dog, as it was latched onto my left leg. Causing me about two tetnus shots and 14 stitches later. I was still clipped in when the thing bit me so there was little I could do. I did manage to punch the dog square in the snout. After the attack the owner never appologized nor offered any kind of assistance. He was almost blaming me for egging his dog on, when all I did was to try and pass the dog. Of course after he told me it was friendly.
I am not a big fan of dogs on the trails.

[Jisch]

I gotta agree. I am a total dog nut, but out in the woods, any dog is capable of biting.

It seems that the time I ride at the Snip on Sundays coincides with when this guy who lives near there brings his 4 retrievers for a walk. Normally retrievers are really friendly. One time last fall I was just riding past the pack of dogs (they were walking towards me) and the lead dog decides to take a taste of my calf. Luckily he was slow and just grazed my leg. I took off screaming at the guy about his "friendly" dogs. Just a few weeks ago, I saw the same guy out there with his dogs, all off leash. I avoided them by taking a side trail.

Whenever I come up on dogs in the woods, I try to stop and talk to them. Even friendly dogs will do weird things when something suprises them. They are still animals. Most people are responsible and will only let "good" dogs off leash, so most times if a dog is not on a leash, its a pretty safe assumption that they'll be fine. Unfortunately its stilll an assumption... and you know what that means.

John

[splat]

I'm really not a Big fan of having them around. They always seam to be getting in the way , or they run off, or worse they meet up with another dog.

I was on a group ride where some on brought a a dog , saying oh he is fine stays out of the way , etc , etc . then on a down hill the dog ran right in front of the rider behind the dog's owner, and got run over. ( and it was not me who ran the dog over ) , the Rider did an Endo and was Pissed , the Owner was pissed at the guy for running his dog over , and it almost came to blows. was just an all around bad scene.

[Rych]

Yeah...I tend not to take my dogs where I'm going to see other riders. Although I have no problem controlling them around people. I think the most important command you can teach your dog is "down". You could be holding a cat wrapped in a steak and if I told my dogs "down" they would stay still for hours.

[AA]

My biggest gripe with dogs on the trail is what they leave behind........... tough to get out of knobbies :P for some reason people think it's ok to leave there dog's crap in the middle of the trail. I asked someone nicely to please push the dog "droppings" off to the side of the trail and she became indignant. Ranted about being in the woods. I picked up a stick and slid the offending pile out of the middle of the trail, wow what an effort it took!

I love dogs, just not while I'm riding.

[MMcG]

We rode last Sunday with a group of guys and Kona the wonder dog (Golden)......he was super well behaved and never got in the way..........or maybe that's because I was always trying to catch up to the main group and that's where Kona was! :-[

[Dawgee]

The dog is a 4 month old, english springer spaniel.

Some dogs are natural followers and some (in this respect) are just D.U.M.B. You got to get him to understand that it's more fun to be with and to follow you than anything else. Get him/her into the woods with you on a few walks on a leash on the trails first, Most dogs, i've found, generally like to stick to the trails and follow, they will wander but usually take the overall path of the trail. Make it fun for fido to be with you in the woods. If when off the leash he takes off on his own, call him back and give him a treat, and play for a while. Puppies are naturally curious and it might be a while before he'll stay on the trail with you. I'd take him into the woods on a leash for now and get a feel for how "spaz" he is. Might want to wait a while till he gets used to the woods environment before letting him "free". Like i say, he's got to want to be with you first and foremost. You'll know usually fairly soon weather you got a trail dog or not. I've found around this area where there are numerous road crossings and/or road distance travel, things can get complicated and confusing and dangerous. Just have to spend time with him in the woods and get a sense for whether you've got a trail dog or a" Leave at homer". My latest is a definite "leave at homer"

[minkhiller]

I take my dog on the class 6 road (unmaintained) that starts at my house. He is real good about staying out of the way and I have only me other riders once, he went to the side and let them pass then continued on. I don't take him on rides anywhere else. I usually only take him 6 miles then ride back to the house and drop him off and ride some more. It's a remote area and gives him some excersice so it's a perfect situation. The only downfall is having to wait for him to get out of brooks or mud puddles. ::)

[Jisch]

Road crossings. Another good reason to not bring dogs along. When we used to bring my brother's dogs, we packed leashes for the road crossings. More than once I got pulled over when a squirrel showed itself... ::)

[johnbigbooty]

An English Springer will be a great bike dog. The hunting breeds do well, I think, although any dog could probably do will. They're retreivers, so it will want to stay fairly close. 4 months is still pretty young so keep the ride short. Their bones and joints are still immature. The good news is, you're at a great point for getting the dog used to riding. Effort this spring and summer will produce a great trail dog next year, and hopefully for a decade after that.

FWIW only dogs on leashes crap on the trail. Bike dogs are having too much fun.

[Z]

People have different opinions about whether a dog is a good idea or not, and a lot of it depends on the dog (whether it's well-trained) and the owner (whether it's considerate). I'll leave that decision up to you!

But a few suggestions:

- Every single vet that I've asked have told me never take a puppy running/biking until they are 12 months old because you can cause irreperable harm to their immature joints.

- Once he's old enough, work up to longer distances. Keep him in shape by running with him or teaching him to fetch.

- Go to pupppy kindergarten and train YOURSELF to be a good owner! Always be consistent and enforce any command that you give and you'll have a well-trained dog. Oh, and the hide-and-seek game that Rych suggests works REALLY well!

- Pick the right trails: lots of water holes, technical terrain where you are going a reasonable speed, no road crossings, etc.

- I would caution against taking the dog for a run any time the weather is over 60 or so degrees - seriously. Anything above that they are candidates for heatstroke.

- Be really aware of your dog's well-being and keep the rides shorter. With few exceptions, dogs aren't designed for epic running but for short bursts of energy.

Remember that your dog will try to follow you to the ends of the earth. I can't tell you how many times I've seen dogs at death's door barely able to keep up, but the owner insists that he likes it and is happy to be out. IT PISSES ME OFF! I don't mean to be so alarmist, but a couple of years ago at the Fells a friend of mine came across a dog in his sobbing masters arms. The dog had died trying to follow along. Awful!! :'(

Anyway, it's fun to share a ride with your dog! So if he's polite (Darwin is a pain in the a$$ the first mile or so as he gets his ya-yas out...) then try it out when he's old enough. But we realized pretty fast that the conditions are rarely ideal for taking him so we don't take him nearly as much as we had envisioned.

Good luck!

[Dawgee]

Thanks for the advice. I think we may leave her home when she is old enough. We took her for a short walk in the woods she seemed to like it but i had to take 2 ticks off of her. So she'll go for short hikes with us in the out of tick season. :)

[massmtnbikn]

I say try it and see how it goes. We have a Husky with some strong independence tendencies (i.e she does what she feels like). We started mtn biking with her last year and have had some really great rides. She has a crazy passion for running and chasing things, so keeping her interested in following along was somewhat easy. She enjoys it, but part of doing this successfully is knowing what your dog is interested in, and is physically able to do. It’s a bit about slow conditioning, but trail running is also tough on dog’s joints and pads, so take it easy and keep an eye out for problems.

You can join in on a ride if you like. Drop me an email.

[pk]

A few years ago, we did a dog ride --everyone bringing their favorite pooch. I don't know what was funnier: seeing the dogs sniff each other, or the riders sniffing each other's bikes!

I think the best bike dogs I've seen on the trail have been those that have been trained from an early age (not younger that 11 months) which are mid-size dogs. They seem to have both stamina and agility.

My dog --a 100 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback-- has too much girth to carry around the trail for more than 5 miles. However, the collie/mutts seem to be able to go on forever. Herding dogs seem to be much more in tune with keeping an eye on the riders and are less tempted to bolt.

I know someone with a coon hound who rode. Had plenty of stamina... but if it came across a deer, skunk or ... coon. It would be out until midnight!

pk

[mattymueller]

Hey dogs.
We ride with Salta. She's our Rat terrier.
We saved her from the shelter. Age 3. She was abused. It took 15 months to form a solid relationship.
You've got to work with a dog.
keep rides short.
Bring treats.
dog must follow your command.

these points may also have helped in my case:
Dog is in the woods 3 times a week on no leash walks, on the trails we ride with her.
We started her off on short rides.
She wasn't afraid of a bike.
Most important. We treat Salta like the super athlete she is. only good food and supplements. A consistant year round exercise regimen.(she likes x-c sking).
Love and Praise.
As of this posting Salta hiked 90 miles of the AT , in 7 days last week.
Your dog is cut out for it or not. You can see this in your dog.
Now if onlywe could get her to drink from a camel back.



woof woof Matty.

[Z]

We taught Darwin to drink from the camelbak! It definitely is nice not having to worry about water.

Just squirt it in his direction and he laps it up...

(...and then BUUURRRPPs big time!) :-X

[snwbdrhoon]

Dogs are fine in my opinion. We started ours at 6 mos. Never heard of any problems with joints. Just don't plan on going for 15+ mi rides. Also as the dog becomes more acquainted with one spot, the easier it will be (just like it is when you ride).

Mine is either ahead or behind but always out of the way... he's so fast (clocked at 20 - 30 MPH on average).

In the beginning he quickly learned to get out of the way of the front wheel (i.e. not stopping right in front suddenly).

Also I always pack a road leash for crossings, but he's so accustomed to the local trails (Callahan), he knows where to go better than my riding buddies.

It's also helpful if your dog is trained with a "heel" command, for road crossings, horses, MTB'ers or timid hikers, and esp. for the parking lot.

I make him "sit" next to the car until we're ready to go. Then I give him a treat before we go. Always carry treats in the beginning too (helps with the "come" command a lot).

And for ticks... Frontline. You still find some but they all die! Going somewhere where there is a pond is nice at the end for refreshment (for the pooch) and to remove any hitchhikers. The hose is also a good way to get rid of passengers.

*Oh I also try to ride in locales where I know there is water (river, pond, stream) for the dog to cool off as it gets HOT in the summer, esp. for a dog. This is probably the most important thing. And I usually bring a spare bottle and a bowl for him even though he can drink from the CB (sometimes he eats things that are just gross).

99% of my riding is done in dog-friendly areas. And mostly without problems as the hikers expect to see/have dogs and same with the MTB'ers there.

[mtbtom]

Personally I like riding with dogs provided these three criteria are met:

The dogs can physically handle the ride
The dogs are not biting me in the ass
The dogs stay out of the way of the bikes
I rode with some guy down at Otis one day who had two border collies. They seemed to be joined at the hip - it was fun watching them blast down the singletrack together. They weren't overly friendly - just interested in being out in the woods I suppose.

I think there's something primordial about running ( or riding as it is ) through the woods with dogs by your side and I like it.

[If_Rider]

I've thought about taking my cat out riding. Nothing crazy just a few short rides to get her used to it. But then I thought what would happen if she ran off?? I'd be devestated. I'd probably run through the woods screaming her name which would certainly be a problem.

Oh, by the way, her name's "little pussy". My son picked it out. ;)

[SloMoJo]

Haha..that's funny IF.

I think I heard you call me that name when I pass on some of the Nam obtacles. ;)

[AGENTGRAPE]

dawgee when the little beasty is older why dont you and melissa come with me and my monsters to ryan park. i always take them there at least twice a week,not many people some horses occasionally.and the trails are 4-5 feet wide. my dalmation is very funny she paces herself 3 feet behind me on the left. my viszla goes in and out of the woods constantly on bird and squirrel patrol. on a 5 mile ride he must do 8 miles. my dogs are pretty well trained about not crapping in the trail they always seem to get a few feet over.on the odd time they dont i always find a stick and shoot it in the woods. theres not much you can do to keep them from picking up ticks. we topspot our dogs and find lots of dead ticks. but a very thorough search after each ride is a must. and on yourself as well. i find ticks on myself too.we had the dogs lime vaccinated but both have had limedisease anyways.

[massmtnbikn]

Advantix is soo much better than Frontline. We used to find all kind of ticks on our dog until we switched, now its very rare to find any.

What do people do for dog water? We once had some crazy purple bottle/tray combo thing until I lost it on a ride. We go to areas where there are ponds and streams (Great Brook, Leominster SF), but I have concerns with bacteria. Giardia? I haven't gotten to the point to let her drink out of the hydropak fill hole.

My dog drinks from a glass

[Rych]

My dog drinks from a glass


That is the freakiest thing I've seen in a long while.

He's the spittin' image of me :o