Follow these Tips for Riding Your Bike with Your Dog
Exercise is very important for your dog’s health and development. However, it’s not always easy to find a suitable activity for them. One of the most effective ways to is to ride your bike while your dog walks alongside you.
However, before you can try this out, there are some tips you should follow for riding your bike with your dog. Let’s look at these guidelines so that you can go cycling with your dog.
Riding your bike with your dog, what to keep in mind
The first thing you should do before even considering taking your dog out while riding your bike is to take him to the vet. Ask him to give your pet an examination to make sure he’s fit enough to perform this kind of activity.
Your dog might not be in good enough shape, but you can fix that by starting to take him for longer walks. Additionally, you could increase his physical activity little by little over the period of a few months. That way, after a while, he’ll be able to accompany you on your biking adventures.
However, if your dog is less than a year old, or weighs less than 11 pounds, he won’t be fit enough to do this exercise. Let’s see what else you should do before riding your bike with your dog:
Be prepared
It’s very important to prepare yourself adequately for this activity. To do this, make sure you have a helmet, knee pads and a reflective vest so that cars will see you.
Don’t forget to bring water, not only for you, but also for your pet. In addition, remember your phone, your ID and a tire pump in case of punctures.
Prepare your pet
It’s difficult to teach your dog to stay close to the bicycle without getting in between the wheels or jumping in front of cars. Although many people choose to put a leash on their pet and hold onto it, or even to tie it to their bike, this isn’t the best option. The strap could get tangled with the bike’s chains or spokes, or you could even choke your pet.
It’s also important that you have the right equipment to do this. For example, a padded harness that isn’t too long will keep your dog from running in front of cars. In addition, you should make sure it’s tied to a support that’s connected to the bicycle.
If you can, buy a reflective harness so that your dog is visible to passing cars; this will keep him out of danger. If you can’t find one, they also have collars with flashing lights that you can use.
Also, consider adding a small trailer to the back of your bike. If you want to go for a very long ride, but you’re not sure your dog will be able to make the return journey, then a small trailer will be a great idea. Don’t carry him in your arms because that’s very dangerous; a small trailer will solve this problem.
Train your dog
Like we said before, your dog might not follow right alongside you or he might want to go a different way. That’s why it’s important that you train him how to do it correctly.
The first thing you should do if your dog isn’t used to being around your bike is to let him get used to it. Leave the bike on the ground and let him check it out and smell it. Make sure you stay by him while he’s doing this so that he can feel comfortable. If you pet him and talk to him in a positive tone, he’ll relate the bike to something good.
While taking him on his normal walks, try taking the bike with you, but don’t get on it. After he’s used to that, try riding it for short periods of time to see how he reacts to it and so that he can get used to it.
Teach him commands
Before you can take your pet on any long bike rides, it’s very important that he knows how to obey basic commands. For example, stop, run, follow, run or to drop something that he picked up.
This is something that you’ll have to teach him before you can ride your bike with your dog.
Choose the place
You should look for a quiet place without a lot of people and cars. This will lessen the possible threats to your dog. Additionally, it’s best to find a nice flat roadway without any potholes. Even if you love to ride your bike through the mountains, this isn’t the best location to take your dog for a bike ride.
And, above all, make sure you aren’t going too fast. Go slowly and increase your speed according to how well you dog is doing.