How to Bike With Your Dog Safely

Once your dog learns to run safely alongside the bike, the two of you can go almost anywhere.

Some dogs have a lot of energy, and it can be difficult for them to get the exercise they need just from walking or even running with a human. These dogs can really benefit from bike rides. Some people use their bikes to get everywhere and may want to take their dogs with them. Trailers are available to drag a dog along, but these are expensive and clunky, and many dogs are afraid of them. Teaching a dog to run safely alongside a bike will provide you and your dog with greater freedom of mobility and some good bonding time.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Dog treats
• Dog harness or collar
• Nylon leash

1. Familiarize your dog with the bike, especially if your dog is a bike chaser. Let the dog sniff the bike all over.

2. Leash your dog. A harness is better and safer than a collar for biking, but you can use just a collar if that's what you and your dog like best. Hold the leash in your right hand and position yourself so that you are holding the handlebars, standing, with your dog to the right of the bike and you to the left. Tell your dog to sit and give it a treat and praise when it does.

3. Say, "Let's go," or whatever command you want to use to tell your dog it's okay to walk.

4. Practice walking with dog and bike, using and commands such as "Let's go," "Stop," "Stay" or whatever commands you want to use to tell your dog when to stop and go. Consider teaching your dog bike-specific commands such as "slow," "fast," "left" and "right." Give your dog treats and praise liberally whenever it obeys or is paying attention and not trying to run off. Stay in low-distraction areas at first and then move to more high-traffic areas to test your dog's concentration.

5. Ride the bike with your dog in tow only when you feel comfortable with it. Make sure the dog is on the right-hand side, away from traffic. Go very slowly at first for short periods of time and stay in low-traffic areas for as long as it takes you to be comfortable. This may take several months. If your dog runs off, endangering you or itself, you may want to go back to walking with it and the bike for awhile, practicing commands.

6. Check in with your dog frequently as you start to go faster and for longer rides. Remember that you are expending much less energy biking than your dog is running, and your dog may wear out faster than you. Make sure your dog isn't exhausted, has enough water to drink and that its paws are in good condition, as asphalt can be hard on the pads of dogs' paws.

Tips & Warnings

• You can buy or make dog bike leashes so that you can ride hands-free. Be sure to do your homework before buying one as they can be expensive.

• If you use a collar instead of a harness, consider purchasing a breakaway safety collar to protect you and your dog if the dog runs away.

• Don't attempt this unless your dog is already leash-trained.

• Don't attempt this with a very small dog (under 30 pounds). Your dog will not be able to keep up. Instead, look into baskets and trailers for very small dogs.

• Don't bike your dog during the hottest part of the day. Asphalt is much hotter two feet from the ground -- where your dog is -- than five feet, where you are.

References

• Dog Channel: Take Your Dog on a Bike Ride

Resources

• Make and Build Dog Stuff: Dog Bike Leash