We now have a 9 year old and a 2.5 year old dog. The 9 year old is still a pup at heart but obviously can’t keep up with the younger dog. As we quite often do a slow mtb with the dogs I thought a trailer for the older dog might be an idea mostly to get her to and from the woods where she can then expend her limited energy. I have seen a few on the web but real world experience is always better. It will be good for me as well as she is 32kg! It won’t be used on main or busy roads.

no, but i have seen a couple towing an old labrador in a kids trailer (burley maybe?) behind a tandem. they seemed to be enjoying themselves!

A friend bought one for their aging dog and he hated it and refused to go in it. I suppose it depends on the dog, though.

nickjb – you make a very valid point. I had thought of buying a cargo trailer (carry freedom etc) and fitting some kind of box on it, so if it didn’t work out at least I had a trailer I could use for other towing purposes.

my mate did it, had a collie in the back who loved it.
anything more than the slightest slope calls for use of the granny gear though, and that was when i was pretty fit.
maybe you could borrow to see if dog likes it first?

I’ve seen a couple of doggies on tow (in different kiddy trailers, that is) on our local sustrans railway path, they seemed to be pretty settled. I forget what breed dogs they were though.

I used to tow both kids at the same time in our trailer, until they were 2 and 4 (the elder one was pretty small for rour years old though), and it was a real workout, even on very slight hills. The other side of that is that you really carry momentum going back down: on our ever-so-slightly downhill sustrans path (i think the steepest it ever got was 1 in 90) with a bit of speed on, I could go for a quarter of a mile between pedal strokes sometimes 😯 . Slowing down or getting out of the way of errant dogs/toddlers etc is ‘interesting’ though, and you get that wierd caterpillaring thing the heavier your trailer is.

You’ve got this all wrong.

You need a trailer to hook your 2.5 year old dog up to and then put the older dog inside 😀

I met an “eldery” couple at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse last year. They each had a bike with a trailer attached and a dog in each. They were staying in Kilchoan and seemed to be managing all the hills OK. They did say that the younger dog was less keen on the trailer and would only stay put as long as the older dog was in his. They were just using kiddie trailers with a harness to make sure the dog couldn’t jump out.

Yes. Our 8 year old Westie loves a ride in the Bob Yak. I line the base with a couple of blankets and he sits in it for hours as long as I keep moving. He jumps out and wanders off if I stop and he’s not keen on rocky stuff. If we’re going on to the road he has to have his harness on and clip it to the trailer frame or he’d probably kill himself and the first motorcyclist that went past.

Thanks all.

Looks like the way to go is to get a trailer that I can use for another purpose if it doesn’t work out, but in theory it should be ok.

chilled76 – that is a top idea 🙂

not a dog but me and a mate were doing the off road st bees-robin hoods bay coast to coast ride a few years ago and met this crazy french woman doing a bike tour in the north york moors with her cat. may need a bigger box for a dog tho 🙂

Dog trailer aficionado to the forum! I was sent here by another forum member .. I assume it’s because I’m kind of infamous for taking my dog everywhere in a trailer! I don’t own a car so I’me very reliant on the bike + trailer combo. He’s a border collie and comes with me to work every day, goes to the trails with me, on shopping trips, visits to the pub and social visits.

How did I start? The idea was sparked a couple of years back as local trail riding couple (Bikefest stalwarts) also take their dogs to the trails. I took him round the local park to get him used to it and seemed to take to it OK. You need to be sure that your dog has basic obedience – after that it’s just a question of getting them used to it and testing the boundaries! We got to the point quite quickly where he is untethered.

How much extra effort is required depends on the size of the dog I guess but it’s really not that bad – you just go a bit slower in a lower gear. I’ve raced singlespeed over the years and can turn a hard gear on the hills but anyone can tow a few miles and he always gets let out in the parks and on quiet, traffic free paths.

What about busy roads? Drivers are generally OK – I find I have less stressful encounters than when solo – I think the novelty and width makes people react a bit differently. I do seek out quieter roads and wherever possible, traffic free routes.

Which trailer? I use Burly Tail-Wagon (not just because of the cute pun) and it’s standing up really well – there are others that look good but this does seem to be the boss in terms of weight and usability. IMHO The hitch is a weak point – you shouldn’t lay the bike down routinely as it could put too much stress on the joint but there is a very good safety strap as a back up, so I’ve never felt unsafe. The wheels are QR but the shaft needs to be kept greased to keep it working properly.

Other than that I’d say go for it! It’s completely transformed my riding and urban travelling experience!

Thanks for such a fantastic reply. It is very much appreciated. Is the dog tethered in at all or just very well trained?
Thanks again.

He’s untethered – although his first rides were done with lead clipped to the trailer. My confidence grew over time and I now trust him completely (even with high risk distractions such as cats and squirrels!) I’m not sure I’d feel so confident with a beagle! I hope your dogs come to like the experience – it’s very liberating.

The dog Ansa on it’s first outing in a trailer ..

Well that’s me sold then 🙂
The younger dog has been out cycling with us and is going to be a great trail hound, the older one can’t manage so well. Problem now solved!
Cheers.
P.S. That video is ace!

i have a tail wagon in my garage doing nothing. make me an offer if you wish. 🙂

Love that picture and the video!

I used to tow my Springers around in a trailer on holiday. They’d run along side when cycling away from roads and sit in the trailer when on road.

I converted a 2 seater kids trailer for it. It certainly turns a few heads to the point where a few years ago we got hunted down by a local journalist on the Isle of Man who stopped us to take a photo which then appeared in the local press.

We’ve yet to train Rolo to sit in the trailer, tried it in Scotland last year when he was a puppy but he kept on trying to jump out. I reckon we’ve got more chance this year though.

One for sale on the Bear Bones forum

Thanks jamiep.

Del – I would make an offer but you have no email address in your profile.

We have a Border Terrier so quite a bit smaller – sits in a transit box on the back of a Surly Big Dummy. Happy most of the time…