# Ordered the Walky Dog



## KidWhisperer

Based on recommendations I read here, I ordered this bike attachment to go biking with Sammi. I have been wanting to get back riding again for my health (and waistline!), and think this will be great fun with Sammi coming along. What is your experience using it?

What's cool is, our town's main bike path runs directly behind my house! When my boys were babies, I'd put them in the stroller and walk them to the store, or playground. Nowadays, it's Sammi and I burning up the paths instead!


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## julietcr1

I do lots of sports with my dogs but I would not bike with them because of possible damage to hips or knees. Any impact activity where the cadence is always the same will harm knees and possibly hips. It's the same for humans. The harm to knees and or hips won't show up until after 5-6 years, but then it will and can lead to surgery or arthristis. I run with my dogs 2-3 times a week but only on trails or unpaved surfaces and for short distance (under 10 km) and I change my paste frequently. Pavement is really bad, I would not let a dog run on pavement except for really short distance (under 2 km). Sorry for being a party pooper, maybe you could find another sport to do with your dog, hiking or running or even canicross?


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## sarahmurphy

We've used it with both dogs, and they love it - but we also have the baby trailer to put them in if we are biking farther than we think they should run, or if the pavement is hot, etc. 

because we're nuts like that, of course...


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## LauraRose

sarahmurphy said:


> because we're nuts like that, of course...


Hahaha. I was totally nodding along in agreement with the idea of having the trailer! 
Makes sense to me! But then, I'm nuts like that, too! 

My biking dogs experience:
I have The Springer for one former Doberman (my heart dog, Oski, 85-90#). He LOVED it! I'd run him at a pretty steady speed for 30 minutes or so 3+ days a week, the other days were different forms of exercise. 
We used that bike system for several years. He lived to 12 (estimate since he was a rescue) with no joint issues. 

I'm considering getting a setup for Lula, but won't run her for a while yet. We just do light jogging for short distances as yet. & she free runs while playing - she can really zoom!!!


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## Indiana

We run and bike with our dogs all the time; just like a human though, they need to build up to it slowly (short distances, slow speeds) and like others have posted, try to choose soft surfaces where possible. Even the soft shoulder of the path or road can be suitable, if you can see that its safe. Also like conditioning a human, you might want to mix it up--bike one day, free play the next, and so on, so that those muscles and joints don't become overtaxed. We actually don't have a springer for our bikes, but we hold the leashes in our left hand and the bike with the right and we trained the dogs not to pull. In some ways biking is easier than running with the dogs because you can use your bike to block, like if your dog sees a cat and wants to chase it, bikes are a great little tool to keep them separated from the cat and on task. We make a cue noise when we need their attention, such as for a turn or a stop, which also comes in handy when they see a dog they want to haul us over to sniff. We make the cue noise and turn sharply so they're caught off guard. So, all in all, we love biking! Plus there's nothing like a slow gentle bike ride in the summer evening with your dog(s) prancing alongside wagging their tails, it's so fun!!


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## AngelsMommy

I have been thinking about something like this, but right now we are rollerblading. lol But I would like Angel to get used to a bike.

I used to live on rollerblades so it was not to hard to get back into them, and Angel loves that I can keep up with her. The only down side is that we can only do it in town or at the tennis court. Town is an hour away, so we only do it there on the days I go in. Which ends up being two to three times a month. Or if we get in the car to go to the courts. All other times we are running out where we live. The roads and oil pavement don't lend themselves to the blades. But we have all kinds of surfaces to run on here, just none other than the tennis court that I can blade on. But we get lots of exercise and Angel has given me a reason to get back into running and all of the hiking I used to do.  Dogs are great that way.


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## KidWhisperer

We used to have a little red bike trailer for my youngest boy...now I wish we'd saved it! I think using the bike slowly with her would release those high energy bursts she has at the beginning of walks. We will definitely build her up slowly, she's still a puppy.


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## sarahmurphy

there was an old thread on here about biking with your dog, and they do warn against running the dogs hard prior to 1 year of age.


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## AngelsMommy

sarahmurphy said:


> there was an old thread on here about biking with your dog, and they do warn against running the dogs hard prior to 1 year of age.


I do know that Kidwhisperer said Sammi is 11 months and counting now. So that won't be an issue long.


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## KidWhisperer

Yes, she is about to be one, and the weather will soon be warming up. I'm looking forward to trying it!


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## poo lover

I have biked with every dog we have ever had with no joint probs ever they love it and if done safely and the dogs are trained with all the proper comands it is just so much fun.Kruz loves biking and when it's to far we have a bike trailer that he lays in and watches life go by as he rest.P.S we are bike people we sold our car two years ago we even bike to go camping and we never leave Kruz at home so have some fun and get some great exercise.


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## julietcr1

Maybe I am not understanding something here? I am an avid cyclist, my Husband came with a car but I never own one myself. I bike to go to work even in the winter and I use my bike to do shopping and groceries. On weekends and twice a week I dress like Lance Amstrong (I don't take the same stuff!) and take my full carbon fiber bike (I have 3 bikes) and I ride on paved roads with my friends for 50 to 150 km per day at an average speed of 19-20 mph (30-32kmph). 

I know I probably ride my city bike faster than most of you do because I train but the average speed on a bike when you are not training is still 14 mph (22 kmph) How can you expect a dog that is not built and was not bred (poodles are not greyhounds) to follow this speed and if you do for how long?

I am also very curious what you do when you go downhills? Even with my city bike I can reach 28 mph (45 kmph) in small hills. I think the bike trailer is a great idear but I would leave the dog in 100% of the time.


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## sarahmurphy

I bike. I don't think anyone could use the word "Avid" to describe how I bike, and I'm certain none of the actual cyclists I know would classify me as one. I put my bike on the bike rack and my dog in the crate and I drive to the bike path at the beach or the park. I don't ride hard with the dog on the walky dog. I really let the dog set the pace and the bike allows the dog to run faster than he can on a leash with me attached to it. He loves it because we are going fast together, and we are a team. I pedal so he is not pulling me, but I do not pedal so hard that I ever pull him. The whole thing for us is being able to enjoy being together, and it's a matter of an absolute awareness of your partner, just like riding a tandem bike - it's a team ride. We also have a tandem bike. Adding the dog to that team is a very fun experience! If I want to go fast or get somewhere, or if he appears at all tired, the dog goes into the trailer. 

I also make sure the pavement/sand/trail is not too hot, rocky, etc, and I set the path, even if I let him set the pace. 

I do not have a specialty bike. I have a 45 year old Schwinn 3 speed women's bike with a basket. It is red. I do not "Train" - I just "Ride". At the beach, On bike paths, to the shops, on vacation, and not really in much traffic ever. I would not Train with the dog on the walky dog, or any other form of bike attachment - ever. I'd love to live in an area where the bike could be my primary mode of transport, but that is not the case. If it were, the dog would spend more time in the trailer (which doubles as a stroller, so he can go onto trains and into shops).


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## frankgrimes

julietcr1 said:


> Maybe I am not understanding something here? I am an avid cyclist, my Husband came with a car but I never own one myself. I bike to go to work even in the winter and I use my bike to do shopping and groceries. On weekends and twice a week I dress like Lance Amstrong (I don't take the same stuff!) and take my full carbon fiber bike (I have 3 bikes) and I ride on paved roads with my friends for 50 to 150 km per day at an average speed of 19-20 mph (30-32kmph).
> 
> I know I probably ride my city bike faster than most of you do because I train but the average speed on a bike when you are not training is still 14 mph (22 kmph) How can you expect a dog that is not built and was not bred (poodles are not greyhounds) to follow this speed and if you do for how long?
> 
> I am also very curious what you do when you go downhills? Even with my city bike I can reach 28 mph (45 kmph) in small hills. I think the bike trailer is a great idear but I would leave the dog in 100% of the time.



When I bike with Ralph I leave my road bike at home and take my mountain bike on light flat trails. We go at his light trot pace. No faster than I do when I'm jogging with him. He loves the bike.


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## julietcr1

Thank you for enlightening me, I am surrounded by hills and valleys so I could not understand how you can bike with a dog. I still don't understand how to can bike with a dog attach to your bike, I guess the secret is the jogging speed (6 mph or 9-10 kmh). I worry for your spoos, please be carefull!


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## cowpony

julietcr1 said:


> Maybe I am not understanding something here? I am an avid cyclist, my Husband came with a car but I never own one myself. I bike to go to work even in the winter and I use my bike to do shopping and groceries. On weekends and twice a week I dress like Lance Amstrong (I don't take the same stuff!) and take my full carbon fiber bike (I have 3 bikes) and I ride on paved roads with my friends for 50 to 150 km per day at an average speed of 19-20 mph (30-32kmph).
> 
> I know I probably ride my city bike faster than most of you do because I train but the average speed on a bike when you are not training is still 14 mph (22 kmph) How can you expect a dog that is not built and was not bred (poodles are not greyhounds) to follow this speed and if you do for how long?
> 
> I am also very curious what you do when you go downhills? Even with my city bike I can reach 28 mph (45 kmph) in small hills. I think the bike trailer is a great idear but I would leave the dog in 100% of the time.


I think greyhounds are less well adapted to long distance running than spoos, actually. Greyhounds are bred to be sprinters. It's pretty amazing the distance and speed a well conditioned spoo can handle. At the end of last summer one of my spoos impressed me by running next to cantering horses for 20 minutes solid. He had the option to stop and go lie in the shade, but he wanted to keep going. We've taken one of my friend's spoos for 10 mile trail rides; the dog, with zipping back and forth to check things out, probably covered quite a bit more distance.

That being said, I don't think I'd hitch a spoo next to a road bike and just take off for a 20 mile cruise down the side of a country highway. You need to keep an eye on their temperature and the wear on their feet. It doesn't sound like this is the kind of adventure Sammi will be embarking on.

I'd love to hear how the experiment with Sammi works out.


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## KidWhisperer

cowpony said:


> It doesn't sound like this is the kind of adventure Sammi will be embarking on.


Ha! You've got that one right. As out of shape as I am, Sammi had better be happy if we can make it around the block!!!


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## sarahmurphy

KidWhisperer said:


> Ha! You've got that one right. As out of shape as I am, Sammi had better be happy if we can make it around the block!!!


Maybe we should meet up in NJ and bike a boardwalk with our dogs... Sounds like we are biking the same speed...


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## cowpony

*Update, pretty please?*

Have you had a chance to do some test runs yet?


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## Indiana

cowpony said:


> Have you had a chance to do some test runs yet?


Oh, just read the other thread about Sammi's cut feet, poor girl! Hopefully they'll heal up quick in time for summer fun. When it comes to biking, I just toodle along too, and the dogs set the pace; they love it because it gives them a chance to burn off steam. When I bike to work I go much faster, but even then not that fast! Takes me 1/2 an hour to do 6 miles


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## cowpony

Indiana said:


> Oh, just read the other thread about Sammi's cut feet, poor girl! Hopefully they'll heal up quick in time for summer fun. When it comes to biking, I just toodle along too, and the dogs set the pace; they love it because it gives them a chance to burn off steam. When I bike to work I go much faster, but even then not that fast! Takes me 1/2 an hour to do 6 miles


I missed that. Ouch! How traumatic for everyone involved!

Edited to add, the cut feet part, not the biking to work part


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## KidWhisperer

Last weekend I had my boys start cleaning out the garage which will open up a pathway to my bicycle! This weekend I will attach the Walky Dog. Then I just have to wait for the Samster's foot to heal so we can try it out.


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