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Just curious as the Missus and will be acquiring a rescue dog in July,
Problem is she wants a pug type dog, I want something that isn't gonna hurl over after a mile walk or suffocate trying to chase me on the bike,
Any problems with losing dogs?!
Seen a couple of riders with their spaniel, seemed proper on the ball, smelly dogs though!
Would like a short haired if I can,
Of course all dogs are different and have their own personalities! Trust me to get a lazy ass collie!
Yes, when he was younger, our staffie cross used to live for trail riding, he couldn't get enough. It was hard to get the kit sorted with him excitedly bouncing around and jumping in the car. Really good on the trail once we got going though.
yup take my hound out trailing couple times a week, couple hours sometimes 15 mile rides, not too fast though, loves it, weimaraner btw, 5 years old,
Working Cockers are good, and keep them shaved.
We've just gained a second, a 2 y/o rescue Springer to keep him company. Luckily we've space/land and surrounded by accessable land.
yep take my 2 year old rhodesian ridgeback everywhere with me biking. Took her to llandegla on saturday and did 13 miles. She loves it, only gotta push the bike past the door and she's ready to go but a walk without a bike and you've gotta trick her out of her bed. Cant take her anywhere natural though because of sheep and the like so we just stick to trail centre of local forests. Also got a 10 mile loop I can ride straight form the house along canals and local walking areas and only tiny bit of on lead jogging alongside and she loves all of it.
yep loves a bike, barks if we're too slow or resting too long. He's brown.
Probably part staffie and other dogs with some lurcher somewhere in the mix.
I'd love to with our Parsons Russell. But she's thick as two short planks. Will run off and never come back 🙁
We take a rescue lurcher out with us, mostly trail centres as less roads, though we have successfully ridden some natural stuff around us in the lakes.
Being a lurcher he is more of a sprinter, so gets a bit knackered on longer rides, Glentress Red is about his limit (we did this yesterday).
He _loves_ downhilling with me up in our local wood, the 15mins up, 2 mins down sprint thing suits him much better.
He does like to chase deer a bit, so we have to be careful. Sheep are not a problem after some training.
Sorry to hi-jack, but has anyone taken a German Shepherd?!
I know your getting a rescue but I would advise against pug, their faces quite literally do not work. They cannot breathe, they been so inbred they barely function and my mates ended up incontinent, and without the use of its back legs. If you want a functional hound get a working breed, i.e. a dog that was bred for purpose not for looks.
sandal100 - Member
Sorry to hi-jack, but has anyone taken a German Shepherd?!
Good question.
Golfchick- yep, our ridgie is exactly the same. Goes bananas when I get my mtb out of the shed and if I don't take him with me the wife says he gets a proper sulk on for hours in the house. 😀
OP- deffo recommend a ridgeback. Originally breed for for traveling big distances tracking big game then still be able to put a 200 yrd sprint in at the end. Of course you would have to build up the miles but they are more than capable.
obligatory pics of our dog, Rogue :
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Stunning dog, not sure how many ridgebacks I'll find in rescue centres?!
god I wouldnt dare go biking without her! Ive left her in back yard before while i loaded the bike up out of view.... she was over the 5ft fence in a matter of seconds. Ive shut her around a back garden with a huge piece of wood, bucket of water and dog gate in her way and done the same, loaded the bike up out of view an she was by my side in seconds.
Not sure if I'd recommend a ridgeback from a rescue anyway... not unless it was a ridgeback rescue. They're big dogs (shes just under 40kgs) and i think handled wrongly or mistreated they can be a lot to take on. Extremely loyal and can be very aloof with strangers and I think unless the previous owner knew what they were doing then the damage is already done... and if the previous owner knew what it was doing then the dog wouldn't be in a rescue lol!
I see loads of spaniels and border terriers as trail dogs and they look like they handle it superbly. Spaniels atleast are fairly sponge like when it comes to training so even if they'd been treated like rubbish I think you'll easily fix things and border terriers I suspect are in rescue because they're tenacious little things (as with all terriers) but that wouldn't matter so much as thats probably what you want from a trail dog!
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my lab/Alsatian cross used to come but she is too old now, its heartbreaking watching her sad eyes as i load up the bikes. have a younger (4ish) labradoodle who can bang out 20 miles round afan as fast as i can but i always rest him up for a day afterwards.
used to go for wild rides too, but the lab in them means they are constantly looking to me for direction so livestock isn't an issue
the spaniel recommendations sound good to me, but they can be a handful in the house. dont get too hung up on a breed though, go walk loads at the rescue place and look for one that is more interested in YOU then stuff
also, personally i wouldnt ride distance or speed with a dog before they are 3 as they aren't developed properly till then and always keep a close eye on them when you stop. a dog can and will run itself to death.
they love it mind, like proper love it. running with the pack is primal enjoyment for them
German pointer here - brilliant trail dog.
Yeah, lost a couple of times early on, but she found her way back to the car 🙂
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Hijack - how old was your dog when you started riding?
My Poppy is 5 months ish, a boxer whippet X, and runs like billyo when out in the open. I don't force her to do anything but she's well up for a wee sprint with me when I run. I'll give her a year before bike stuff though.
I'm hoping this adds to the OP's post
At 14 months she started to come with me but not on major long rides. Once she surpassed the 18 month generally advised age we built up the distance. She just over 2 now and we regularly do around the 13 mile distance but always have a rest day the next day and she's quite clever in that once she best tired she doesn't kill herself to keep up. If I'm alone she just kept me one corner in sight and cuts every corner in sight to save on distance.
Good kennel in bromsgrove called bumble hole (really) they deal with dogs that haven't met the grade in the forces. We have had a lab cross and a springer from there. Very well behaved dogs when you get them due to their training.
Depends where you based but could be worth a call to them
I take my Dalmation with me, hes getting older now so I have to lower the miles, he used to do 20 miles fine. Plenty of previous threads on training them to run with you, it takes a while !
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[i]how old was your dog when you started riding?[/i]
My dog wasn't born when I started riding! 😉
We didn't get her til she was 11 months, so by the time she was trained, I guess she was 13-14 months.
OP- deffo recommend a ridgeback. Originally breed for for traveling big distances tracking big game then still be able to put a 200 yrd sprint in at the end. Of course you would have to build up the miles but they are more than capable.
Awesome, he sounds like some sort of Jens Voight cloning experiment gone wrong!
DezB - when did you first take your GSP out? How old? I have an 8 month old dog and want him to ride with me, but not sure how to start, off the lead straight away and hope?
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/43957750@N02/8204555776/ ]20121006-_MG_2759[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/43957750@N02/ ]eddie.jenkinson[/url], on Flickr
Ive got a beautiful patterdale terrier who loves coming on rides with me (she sulks if i dont take her too) she was easy to train and even though she's only 1 she has done a few 15 mile rides up to now, i started at 8 months with 2 milers round local fields to get her used to it and let her know whats expected, she's small enough to carry if anything happens to her too 🙂
Note: i saw a lovely Lab suffering with sore paws half way round Llandegla a while ago and the guy could do nothing about it, poor thing, at least with a smaller dog you can carry
I tried taking my GSD once. Wasn't my best idea. She was more interested in sniffing and randomlyu stopping infront of me. I've relegated her to hill walking. According to that martin clunes dog programme, shes left footed which explains a lot!
and you've gotta trick her out of her bed
Typical Ridgie then... lol I've had 4!..
want another one but the time isn't right.. try[url= http://www.ridgebackrescue.co.uk/ ]Ridgeback Rescue[/url]
One Caveat though... Ridgies are BIG dogs and highly intelligent (ergo will run rings round a gullible owner) and definitely not for the first time dog owner.
Currently we have a Black Lab who loves to potter along on gentle runs but the star of the show is our Australian Kelpie "Kona" (yeah I know) who loves to tear up the trails behind us (in front of us/around us)
As a pup
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3 months ago with Milly the Lab in Thrunton Woods
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We took our Spring Charles for a test run at Thetford last summer.
She followed for about 20 meters then would catch a scent and run off then catch another one then another. We'd hear her barking in the distance and when we were fraught enough she'd come back, follow for another few meters and bugger off again.
Not taken her again, she's got too much adventure in her to run after a boring old bike.
Shame though she loves to run, just not after a bike. 🙁
[i]DezB - when did you first take your GSP out? How old? I have an 8 month old dog and want him to ride with me, but not sure how to start, off the lead straight away and hope?[/i]
As above, started just over a year old. Used to drive to the "trails", then progressed to taking her on the lead, loosely held with one finger.. (she had me off once, I was off guard as we arrived back home.. she saw a cat. Never did it again 8) )
Now I can do either, on or off lead.
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This is our Red and Tan Kelpie "Copper" basically a set of lungs on legs. Their Stamina is amazing. Very good temprament too and real character.
So good we bought another one...rescued with a bit of Border Collie mixed in,can give a Greyhound a run for its money.
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Copper and Whisky
can give a Greyhound a run for its money
I doubt that. Greyhounds are blindingly quick. Watching one run down our lurcher in a straight line is an amazing sight. (till the lurcher starts turning and said Greyhound ended up on its back sliding across the field)
As GolfChick said - I take Scooby my 2 1/2 yr old Irish Setter if I'm at Delamere, Llandegla or other trail centres, but I'm not sure I'd want to take him up on open trails due to livestock.
He loves it and is constantly barking at me if I dare to have a rest.
Keeps me fit though 🙂
@anagallis arvensis - the greyhound in question is Millie a 5 year old bitch in our village. Admittedly Whisky throws in the turns when Millie gets close...
@tacopowell - every dog is different, but there are generally breed characteristics which run through the breed. Look these up, don't ignore them! There are good and bad aspects for each, and it is just a matter of figuring out what is more important to you. As a real generalisation herding dogs love to work, are easy to get running with a bike, but need loads of exercise and can be a problem with sheep. Gun dogs are probably the easiest to train, are loyal pets, happy to run or sleep, but can get easily distracted by scents on the trail. Sight hounds are fast, happy to sleep all day, but can lack stamina... There are many more...
For each 'type' of dog you some that total contradict the breed traits, but it's a good starting point.
We have Copper and Whisky above. They are superb with the bike, will run all day, are reliable off the lead and will also run by the bike on harnesses for the road. But we give them about 2 hours walks / bike runs a day, and have the space to keep them outside during the day, they maybe wouldn't suit everyone.
Good luck with whatever you get - and remember to post a picture when you get it!
Yup ...
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/47638700@N06/6612906907/ ]photo[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/47638700@N06/ ]jerrypc69[/url], on Flickr
One thing I'd definitely add is don't forget to build up their tolerances for the surface you want them to run on. A friend brought his dog to degla with me (he regularly ride cannock with him) and was surprised when half way round he had burned through his pads. They're like feet and need tolerance building up and pads thickening and you'll need to keep a constant eye on their feet too as they can so easily cut them and rip nails open. We've had to take a few breaks now due to zivas feet and having to give them chance to heal. They have amazing feet but need chance to work and heal.
"Back in the day" I used to take one of my Springers out, he'd run off in front which was fine as I could see him, then he'd dart off into the undergrowth and I'd loose him, Springers are a bit like that. I had many a fine hour playing in the woods and forests around where I used to live, I miss that dawg something rotten. Funny, his brother never really wanted to come out, I mean he did of course, but big brother used to be chomping at the bit each time I got home.
I did get worried during Bramble and Ivy seasons, his paws would wear out a bit and sometimes bleed between the toes, but he seemed happy enough to want to come out, so that was it really.
As time went on we both got used to pacing each other, he'd either follow or off out in front, if it was somewhere new then he'd naturally follow, somewhere we both knew and he'd be off in front..
Proper dog Banger was, proper dog. Miss him like crayzeeey.
Oh and be prepared to be upset as they're a lot faster than you! There's only one place in the wyre that I can outpace ziva and I have to go 30 miles an hour downhill to do it. She's known for looking at you at the last stretch of the loop to challenge you to a race. My fiance and I have fallen for it a few times but she always proves to be victorious! Little bugger knows exactly what she's doing but she likes to remind you that she's just waiting to be top dog!
We have inherited the farm dog who follows us and the guests who use the trails around the farm.
Always seems to disappear for a while before finding his way back.
Make sure it's not one of those dogs with a hatred of bikes!
can give a Greyhound a run for its money
I doubt that. Greyhounds are blindingly quick. Watching one run down our lurcher in a straight line is an amazing sight. (till the lurcher starts turning and said Greyhound ended up on its back sliding across the field)
Hmmmmm...Kelpies are blindingly fast... our Kelpie can pace a Greyhound and certianly out manuver... klepies corner like they are on rails, ours never lets up for berms.. it's bloody scary how fast she can go, she ocasionally gets it wrong on a high speed corner on damp short grass then its heads, tails and legs everywhere as she desparately trys to re-invert herself! 😆
If we can get video of her cornering then we will as it's amazing!
Ours comes out with me on any rides less than an hour and every time I go running. Beagle/Cocker cross;
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I would advise against pug, their faces quite literally do not work. They cannot breathe, they been so inbred they barely function
This is quite literally incorrect.
my mates ended up incontinent, and without the use of its back legs
There are some sub-optimal pugs out there, and they - like many other breeds - have suffered from years of inbreeding. But there are also some good 'uns, with actual noses and functioning bodies - like many other dogs.
Just do your homework - anything on health issues, allergies (food and others), hips, eyes and so on will help.
But you're right that a pug isn't exactly ideal for trail running. They can, and they love it, but they certainly can't go as far as springer, ridgeback or any of the above. And they're quite needy - they like to be around you at all times. Good if you're home, not so good if you're out most of the day.
We've not long taken on a rehomed border collie and i'd love to take her out on a trail but she gets distracted (I don't think her last owners let her out the house much) and i'd be worried about her running off. walkies are still mostly on a lead until we're nearly back to the house. so, i was thinking about something like this
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spring powered damper and the lead folds back itself with velcro to let it run out if she does bolt. doesn't look very spd compatable. anyone tried one and if so, thoughts?
spring powered damper and the lead folds back itself with velcro to let it run out if she does bolt. doesn't look very spd compatable. anyone tried one and if so, thoughts?
As you say, from the fixing location you might expect clearance issues with your pedal. Also, how big's your collie? If she did bolt and reached the end of the lead, would she pull you off?
Would something around the back axle work?
Or for more conventional techniques, are you trying to train her with treats and suchlike to return?
BBSB - I considered something like that when we got our Kelpie as she seemed scatty at first, but two things put me off:
1. I just hate the idea of anything being tied to my bike or bits hanging off my bike. Maybe its years of kayaking, but it just feels dangerous to me.
2. The dog has to run at a constant pace, where as if they are off the lead they tend to vary their pace, running ahead, stopping, sniffing, going to the loo... which is much better for them physically.
It might have a use as a training aid for the short term, but Collies are bright animals and I'm sure that you can work with yours to 'heel' freely in a short time. Work on 'heel' on the lead, lots of stops, starts and direction changes. Then off the lead but on foot (if possible in an enclosed garden or safe area to reduce the distractions), build it up. Teach her to change pace (still on foot) so slow or 'steady' and faster, even at a jog... and then bring in the bike.
The thing above may look like a quick fix, but if you can get her heeling without the lead the walks and rides are so much more fun and rewarding. Our Collie x Kelpie was also a rescue who had been kenneled for all of her 9 months prior to coming to us. We have now got her walking and biking to heel, but I know that she is unreliable with sheep. To manage this she wears a harness and I found a short lead with a 'bungee' section. I am more comfortable, and feel more in control, holding her lead than having her tied to the bike. I can simply let go if I am in danger and the bungee lead means that I'm not yanked sideways if she pulls. Admittedly it means I may have to walk some technical, sheepy sections, but this hasn't happened yet.
nicko - she's small and yes we are training with treats and she's fairly responsive to a whistle, and getting better.
flowerpower - she loves running and i can see her enjoying keeping up with the bike - but tbh, she's coming along in leaps and bounds (literally and metaphorically) and I reckon she'll be ready for short bursts with the bike and off the lead before i'd be happy with that contraption. we're lucky that we live down a lane so have local bike suitable space and the field next door which is usually full of sheep is empty at the moment.
my mate had a pair of staffies, we took them with us one day and did about 25 miles, tbh they looked like they could have done the same several times over, easily.
he did mention later that they slept soundly that night though.
we used a cycle track though, so very few 'distractions'
i used to ride my bike for miles when i was a kid, and the various collies we had (all farm working dogs) handled 30 odd miles easily.
Ours is a beagle pointer cross, maybe?? she loves biking and its the only time she actually behaves properly.
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oops sorry didnt mean it to be that big!
Good guard dogs as well...
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Good kennel in bromsgrove called bumble hole (really) they deal with dogs that haven't met the grade in the forces. We have had a lab cross and a springer from there. Very well behaved dogs when you get them due to their training.
Yes, but they faild the training.........
Our Spaniel is/was ex-prison. He's not just Springer mental, we've had one before, he's absolute bat-with-a-firework-up-it's-arse, shit mental. Think he's almost 10 and he struggles to recognise his own name! We suspect he was rather good at his job and found a large stash of something.
BBSB, weve got one of those, its great, but you have to do it up well tight, and your seat clamp too or it can twist. If you get one then get an extra mounting clamp, they cost a fortune due to P&P if you get one later, and means you can switch between bikes in about a second. We also have extra shockcord damping as the spring doesn't give you much. Its good for road sections, narrow paths can be a bit awkward.
The other thing we use is an extender lead clipped into a rucksac waist strap on you and a harness on the dog, it takes care of any slack and he pulls like a train on forest trails.
Scruff, have you got any pics of your black cat in a coal cellar 🙂
My Parsons Jack Russell will happily keep pace with me for upto 18 miles on the Quantocks.
When it comes to running she will happily do a marathon distance in 3hrs 10!! Just have to make sure there isn't too much for he to chase!!!
I have one of those springy things that I used at first with Ziva just on pavements to get her used to being so close to the bike as in situations when going past people etc i want to be able to call her in out of the way of other bikers. I now only use it when im going somewhere questionable like a park etc or somewhere were I know I want her close to me all the time. Most of the time I just loop her lead round the seatpost if its just a few streets on a loop.
I used to have a pit-bull/staffy cross, and my god she could run!
You could do 25 miles, and she'd want to go round again.
(I, on the other hand, would want to have a nice lie down on the lovely comfy ground for a few hours....)
Its amazing we dont see Kelpies racing then they are so quick! Faster than Greyhounds 😯
Saw a lurcher x collie running around Afan this weekend, my lurcher would go lame just looking at those trails though.
Eddie, my three yo Parsons russell loves biking, will run all day but flags a wee bit towards the end of long rides, 4-5 hrs, mind I'm flagging by then too. As long as you let him rest the day after he's fine.
He does get distracted by prey in the bushes but generally doesn't disappear, although one day at Glentress a large deer rose out of the undergrowth and bounded across the road, just before the wormhole. Eddie did a comic double take, thought 'it's running so it must be food' and belted off after it yipping like crazy. Ten minutes later he'd given up and returned, happy with the chase.
What the 11kg dog thought he was going to do with a huge deer if he'd managed to catch it is beyond me.
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Out with Gus the Black Labrador 😀
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@Muke:
Snap...
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😀
Brian, border terrier trail hound.
With training he would stay behind the bike and not directly in front of it! He is rubbish around sheep so had to avoid places with them around. Only had one Fenton situation but he came back after 5 minutes. I always made sure we didn't get in people's way and tried to be considerate to other trail users. Never had any issues. Videos below
As a youngster
Alittle older and before I left last year.
Seen a couple of riders with their spaniel, seemed proper on the ball, smelly dogs though!
My spaniel would wee in your shoes for saying that!
She is most definitely not a smelly dog, but yes some are. I get in big trouble if I take the bike out without her but sometimes I have to I want to do more distance than I want to put her though (I don't want to cripple her later in life) but sometimes I just get her picked up half way round. I have had to carry her on my shoulders before now for 20 minutes for her to recover.
I am not sure springers are the perfect trail dog, I would say something with longer legs for long distances, but ours is VERY good and I trust her 100%. We used to go out running together through busy parts of Bristol without a lead, she will stop and sit at roads ete. Now we live in the countryside I can cycle up the road and she will stick with me running on the grass verge/pavement.