Mountain biking with the hound advice

Having seen how many dogs, gets spooked or chase something, the recall needs to be bomb proof.

Other than ride rounds the garden with them so they get used to a bike being near them.

We take ours when we know the trails will be quiet just save any issues

Personal ask is that wherever you do it, do it away from other riders. I love a hound, but rightly or wrongly, I'm paranoid of hitting one. I don't think I'm alone. And that perception is, I feel, important.

Like I say, big fan of a dog, and I absolutely understand Freddie to take yours out with you, but I don't feel that they belong on trails with other riders on them.

This flame suit is tricky to put on.

I've been riding with my dog for years. My tips.

• Start off riding around in the park or garden and let the dog learn that he doesn't want to be near your wheels. I very carefully rode into my dog a few times early on so she learnt to stay clear of the bike
• Bomb proof recall and, even better, train the dog to not range very far from you.
• If the dog does range, or doesn't run reliably in front of you, attach a falconry bell to its collar. This means you hear the dog and can focus on where you are riding rather than looking around all the time for the dog. They totally ignore the bell, it works really well
• If the dog likes running in front, teach it a command to accelerate. My dog responds to Go Go Go!, she just knows I'm catching up and will just take off when she hears that
• Take it easy on long fast descents. Dogs are better suited to short sharp bursts of speed than extended fast runs
• Learn to deal with guilt when the dog sees you getting the bike ready when you are not taking him. He will give you the look. 

Trail centre trails will be very hard on his feet.  I would ride off-piste, where the trails are somewhat more forgiving.

Nothing really constructive to add, but make sure you buy a Landcruiser to transport you and the hound to the trailhead 😉 

I did a bit of youtube research, then took my dog with somewhere I had previously ridden on my own and he has been walked frequently. I chose this place due to the lack of overstimulation for him and me knowing where the exits were etc. 

For clarification mine's a Working Cocker Spaniel (currently 5yo, started when he was 2), so he's obedient, focused and almost impossible to tire out. I echo the need for Recall to be good and 

He was quite nervous of the bike to begin with, but once he realised it was a fun activity he went all in. He chose to run ahead of me most of the time (he's super fast and I'm mediocre to slow on a bike), I let him figure out where he wanted to be and then let him be there.

We did about 45 minutes of winching and plummeting some of trails before I ran out of steam. 

Things I did to make my life easier:

• Kept him in his harness (just a Julius K9) for ease of rescue, restraint etc. 
• Kept his lead easily accessible on (across my chest), see above. 
• Had a pocket of treats to help reinforce positive things, keep him energised.
• Had a collapsible water bowl in my bag, which i filled from my camelbak. 
• Didn't go to trail center, didn't want to ruin anyone else's fun. 
• Didn't go somewhere with much road access (this is obviously dependent on your geographic location) 
• I left him off lead on the fireroad climbs and he was happily popping in and out of the woods. 
• Went on my own initially, so I could focus on him and how he was getting on
• Focused on him and how he was behaving to make sure I didn't over do it. 
• At the time I had one of those PitPat thingies that meant I could hopefully track him if he got lost. 
• Poo bags, seems obvious but thought I'd mention it. And somewhere to keep a full one.... ( i try to get him to go near the car and just hang it off the boot until we return normally)

I think he loved it to be honest, I don't normally go faster than walking pace when we go out for walk, so it seemed like he enjoyed having "dad" running around with him in the woods. Just have to consider their needs more than your own, so it's a compromise for some on terrain, ride length etc. 

Posted by: TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

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Nothing really constructive to add, but make sure you buy a Landcruiser to transport you and the hound to the trailhead 😉 

🤣

I'm shopping for a Unimog just for taking the dog out now 

Posted by: submarined

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Personal ask is that wherever you do it, do it away from other riders. I love a hound, but rightly or wrongly, I'm paranoid of hitting one. I don't think I'm alone. And that perception is, I feel, important.

 

Like I say, big fan of a dog, and I absolutely understand Freddie to take yours out with you, but I don't feel that they belong on trails with other riders on them.

 

This flame suit is tricky to put on.

I get it and no need for the flame suit 😀 For context, we won't be anywhere near trail centres and I live in a pretty rural location with miles of deserted trails on my doorstep. Even so, we'll be picking quiet times when he first heads out.

Posted by: franksinatra

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I've been riding with my dog for years. My tips.

• Start off riding around in the park or garden and let the dog learn that he doesn't want to be near your wheels. I very carefully rode into my dog a few times early on so she learnt to stay clear of the bike
• Bomb proof recall and, even better, train the dog to not range very far from you.
• If the dog does range, or doesn't run reliably in front of you, attach a falconry bell to its collar. This means you hear the dog and can focus on where you are riding rather than looking around all the time for the dog. They totally ignore the bell, it works really well
• If the dog likes running in front, teach it a command to accelerate. My dog responds to Go Go Go!, she just knows I'm catching up and will just take off when she hears that
• Take it easy on long fast descents. Dogs are better suited to short sharp bursts of speed than extended fast runs
• Learn to deal with guilt when the dog sees you getting the bike ready when you are not taking him. He will give you the look. 

 

Great tips, thanks! Especially the accelerate command which I hadn't thought of. And yes, I already get the look when I'm lacing up the walking boots or just generally leaving the house and going anywhere without him, so it's only going to get worse

Posted by: JackHammer

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I did a bit of youtube research, then took my dog with somewhere I had previously ridden on my own and he has been walked frequently. I chose this place due to the lack of overstimulation for him and me knowing where the exits were etc. 

For clarification mine's a Working Cocker Spaniel (currently 5yo, started when he was 2), so he's obedient, focused and almost impossible to tire out. I echo the need for Recall to be good and 

He was quite nervous of the bike to begin with, but once he realised it was a fun activity he went all in. He chose to run ahead of me most of the time (he's super fast and I'm mediocre to slow on a bike), I let him figure out where he wanted to be and then let him be there.

We did about 45 minutes of winching and plummeting some of trails before I ran out of steam. 

Things I did to make my life easier:

• Kept him in his harness (just a Julius K9) for ease of rescue, restraint etc. 
• Kept his lead easily accessible on (across my chest), see above. 
• Had a pocket of treats to help reinforce positive things, keep him energised.
• Had a collapsible water bowl in my bag, which i filled from my camelbak. 
• Didn't go to trail center, didn't want to ruin anyone else's fun. 
• Didn't go somewhere with much road access (this is obviously dependent on your geographic location) 
• I left him off lead on the fireroad climbs and he was happily popping in and out of the woods. 
• Went on my own initially, so I could focus on him and how he was getting on
• Focused on him and how he was behaving to make sure I didn't over do it. 
• At the time I had one of those PitPat thingies that meant I could hopefully track him if he got lost. 
• Poo bags, seems obvious but thought I'd mention it. And somewhere to keep a full one.... ( i try to get him to go near the car and just hang it off the boot until we return normally)

I think he loved it to be honest, I don't normally go faster than walking pace when we go out for walk, so it seemed like he enjoyed having "dad" running around with him in the woods. Just have to consider their needs more than your own, so it's a compromise for some on terrain, ride length etc. 

 

Thanks, this is a great list and just the kind of help that's useful. I'm conscious that he's still very young and probably in the final stages of growing so starting now and building slowly is the idea. I don't think he'll be up to cocker spaniel levels of energy 😀 

At least my experience was that they find it very hard going if the ground is anything other than super-soft.

Put aside some money for vet bills if you're going somewhere with a hard surface.

They won't stop running when they find it too hard, they will just destroy themselves trying to keep up.

I take mine running, he seems OK with that.

Please dont take a dog on bike trails. Stick to shared paths. 

I cycle a lot with my 18 month old Patterdale terrier. Mostly I attach her to my waist with a runners lead clipped to her harness and she runs to heel on my left. This works fine because she isn't too big, a strong dog that isn't very well trained might have too much effect on the bike. 

If you're getting a waist lead make sure it isn't too long or too short, mine is long enough that she doesn't have to stick right next to the bike but not so long that she could easily run in front of the front wheel or that it leaves a dangling lead that could get caught on the bike. Most of these leads have a bungee section to them, important so that the dog doesn't get a hard shock if they stop quickly, but some have bungees that are very long and mean the length of the lead can grow a lot and it's tricky to direct the dog with the lead if needed. 

The lead I use -  https://ezydog.co.uk/products/road-runner-lead?srsltid=AfmBOoq1qscOXIe-7vYQXxK1SMcYjrtUt6sFpKTrDR4_pi4w-BCLlHw-

This lead I felt had too much bungee https://ruffwear.co.uk/products/roamer-bungee-dog-leash

When we get to the trails near my house I unclip her and she runs behind or alongside if the track is wider. We have been to trail centres which she loved but not when it's busy, mostly we ride on the cycle tracks and gravelly stuff nearby.  

Just be wary of mistaking apparent energy and enthusiasm for needs and wants.  Dogs will run after you enthusiastically long after their need to a bit of exercise has been exhausted, and long after it hurts them.

45 minutes of winch and plummet is probably more than enough, and the ride back up will give them a rest.

Consider Cannicross, most events are ~5km.  If you can't run a given distance, the odds are your dog probably won't enjoy it much either.

my foster mutt has been joining me.  He's an 18month GSD (been doing it just over a month now), he loves it.  Agree on the accelerate command - GSD's, being anxious dogs get carried away and then suddenly stop to make sure you are still there if they are out on front - so i was having to have lighening quick eflexes and working brakes, not so bad now!.  If he's at my side, slightly annoying he's literally right by my side to the point where my leg is covered in drool.  I've found that his recall has improved as the activity is more exciting than chasing other dogs/birds/deer.  I did start off in relatively quiet places, but at the weekend in the Surrey Alps i had to grab him when i stopped as he just saw other groups and thought it was fair game to run with them (he comes out on Thursday night rides with me and some friends)!  I keep a harness on, and have lead to hand but dont put it on as it would be carnage.

Posted by: Old and Past it

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They won't stop running when they find it too hard, they will just destroy themselves trying to keep up.

That's not true for all dogs. My Irish Setter would trot along at a steady pace and expect me to adjust to her speed or wait for her on the flat. She'd happily chase on singletrack downhills through the woods though.

If you're planning to ride with a dog on a lead attached to you/your bike, I recommend a bikejoring wand or antennae - it attaches to the handlebars and stops the lead from getting caught in the front wheel, plus you need a long lead and a harness. Hoping that your dog is going to run alongside might work for walking pace, but I wouldn't want to try anything quicker.

Interns of commands, it needs to be stop, go, left and right. 

Find some tight and techy trails for your descents (slow = good) rather than flow trails (fast = bad).

Also, trails which are very steep downhill can put a lot more stress thru their front legs (same with drops or jumps/gaps) so try to keep such sections short.

Ladder brides made of wooden slats usually have gaps between slats which are just wide enough for a dog's paw to fall through, so don't go barreling full speed across such bridges expecting the dog to magically miss the gaps. One of my friend's dogs was trained to avoid such bridges if possible - I just take my time with my dog as he's too dumb not to injure himself.

I find about an hour or so riding is sufficient riding for him but my local trails are pretty techy so slow avg speed.

Edit: just to add, my dog seems to spend the first 10-15 mins having lots of stops for peeing and sniffing and doesn't really "click" into the adventure until that's done. So the first part of the ride used to be very frustrating until I accepted his behavior! 

 I once saw a group of guys at Glentress with a (seemingly very well-trained) dog in tow, decked out in a pair of riding goggles. This still sits within the Top 5 Best Things I've Ever Seen.

Posted by: arrpee

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 I once saw a group of guys at Glentress with a (seemingly very well-trained) dog in tow, decked out in a pair of riding goggles. This still sits within the Top 5 Best Things I've Ever Seen.

If they're not called Doggles, I'm registering the trademark.

Posted by: arrpee

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 I once saw a group of guys at Glentress with a (seemingly very well-trained) dog in tow, decked out in a pair of riding goggles. This still sits within the Top 5 Best Things I've Ever Seen.

If they're not called Doggles, I'm registering the trademark right now.

Edit: DAMMIT! They're called Doggles.

Dogs should be on short leads in lots of places, a lot of local councils specify this in their  regulations. The National Parks, wildlife trusts and the National Trust also have regulations to keep dogs on short leads. From 1st of March to 31st of July short leads are mandatory in open access areas to protect ground nesting birds. Your dogs may have excellent manners and recall but dogs bounding around the countryside are very disturbing to wildlife. If they’re off lead and you’re riding how do you know when they’ve had a crap so you can pick it up? 

Trail dogs are awesome... we've got a Vizsla and she's faster than me on most stuff. Anything other than flat-out man-made stuff, she's comfortably in front. She'll come back up the trail to see where you've got to. 

If the link works, this is her showing who's faster on some berms (Tarland, Aberdeenshire). Trail Dog

She was taken out with the bike from about 6 or 7 months - but just 15 mins, lots of stops and never that fast. Taught her to avoid the bike wheels etc. We ramped up to proper outings from a year and older. It feels very odd to be biking without her now.