We bought an attachment for my bicycle so we could attach one of the dogs for some extra exercise. Which sounds like a really good idea, but thanks to the wonky weather last year its been 2 years since I was last on a bike. Didn’t even bike a mile and the fronts of my thighs hurt. Sigh.
On the other hand at least for Arty its working reasonably well. He caught on REALLY quickly to the concept and seems to enjoy it, and its probly just as well I couldn’t go any further as he was definetly flagging by the end. I will say that before I hook up Apollo to the bike I’ll have to get the alternative hookup for the bike so that it attaches to my back wheel instead of just below the seat. Even 25lb Arty can jerk me hard enough that I have to correct, 100lb Apollo would pull me over….if it WORKS for Apollo though we’ll get a 2nd setup so that my husband can take a dog too.
I’m not sure I would be brave enough to hook even one of my dogs to a bicylce, much less one the size of Apollo. Hopefully he is better behaved than mine anyway!
We’re thinking we’re gonna do Apollo’s trial run with Husband imstead of me, hopefully the extra mass will help keep him steady. Not sure if it’ll work with him though, he likes to stop and ‘sniff the roses’ where Arty likes to run. But if it’ll work……we’ll see.
How did you train Arty to not pull to the side or run into the bike?? My Mitzi is short-legged, and she would likely try to run under the bike. I don’t know how to introduce her to running along with one — and I’m pretty wobbly myself because it’s been so many years since I rode regularly. I think once we figured it out, Mitzi would love it (I never walk fast enough for her, she would be a great jogging dog if my knees could still take the pounding), but it seems like an accident waiting to happen.
Some of it is the attachment, its long enough that the dog is kept away from the bike, and short enough (and the leash portion is on springs) to keep the dog from jerking to far. Having said that where it attachs on your bike makes a difference too, the base attachment attachs right under the seat and makes the jerking more noticable, while the wheel attachment is more stable.
However a dog who has a basic understanding of heel would likely have an easier time getting it than Arty did.
http://www.thedogoutdoors.com/walkydog-low-rider.html
Thats the wheel attachment we got. It definetly makes a difference in how stable the bike is when he pulls.
You don’t need a special harness either, though I’d recommend getting one with a chest plate instead of just a strap accross the chest, so that it spreads out the pressure.