BBSB - I considered something like that when we got our Kelpie as she seemed scatty at first, but two things put me off:
1. I just hate the idea of anything being tied to my bike or bits hanging off my bike. Maybe its years of kayaking, but it just feels dangerous to me.
2. The dog has to run at a constant pace, where as if they are off the lead they tend to vary their pace, running ahead, stopping, sniffing, going to the loo... which is much better for them physically.
It might have a use as a training aid for the short term, but Collies are bright animals and I'm sure that you can work with yours to 'heel' freely in a short time. Work on 'heel' on the lead, lots of stops, starts and direction changes. Then off the lead but on foot (if possible in an enclosed garden or safe area to reduce the distractions), build it up. Teach her to change pace (still on foot) so slow or 'steady' and faster, even at a jog... and then bring in the bike.
The thing above may look like a quick fix, but if you can get her heeling without the lead the walks and rides are so much more fun and rewarding. Our Collie x Kelpie was also a rescue who had been kenneled for all of her 9 months prior to coming to us. We have now got her walking and biking to heel, but I know that she is unreliable with sheep. To manage this she wears a harness and I found a short lead with a 'bungee' section. I am more comfortable, and feel more in control, holding her lead than having her tied to the bike. I can simply let go if I am in danger and the bungee lead means that I'm not yanked sideways if she pulls. Admittedly it means I may have to walk some technical, sheepy sections, but this hasn't happened yet.
nicko - she's small and yes we are training with treats and she's fairly responsive to a whistle, and getting better.
flowerpower - she loves running and i can see her enjoying keeping up with the bike - but tbh, she's coming along in leaps and bounds (literally and metaphorically) and I reckon she'll be ready for short bursts with the bike and off the lead before i'd be happy with that contraption. we're lucky that we live down a lane so have local bike suitable space and the field next door which is usually full of sheep is empty at the moment.
my mate had a pair of staffies, we took them with us one day and did about 25 miles, tbh they looked like they could have done the same several times over, easily.
he did mention later that they slept soundly that night though.
we used a cycle track though, so very few 'distractions'
i used to ride my bike for miles when i was a kid, and the various collies we had (all farm working dogs) handled 30 odd miles easily.
Ours is a beagle pointer cross, maybe?? she loves biking and its the only time she actually behaves properly.
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oops sorry didnt mean it to be that big!
Good guard dogs as well...
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Good kennel in bromsgrove called bumble hole (really) they deal with dogs that haven't met the grade in the forces. We have had a lab cross and a springer from there. Very well behaved dogs when you get them due to their training.
Yes, but they faild the training.........
Our Spaniel is/was ex-prison. He's not just Springer mental, we've had one before, he's absolute bat-with-a-firework-up-it's-arse, shit mental. Think he's almost 10 and he struggles to recognise his own name! We suspect he was rather good at his job and found a large stash of something.
BBSB, weve got one of those, its great, but you have to do it up well tight, and your seat clamp too or it can twist. If you get one then get an extra mounting clamp, they cost a fortune due to P&P if you get one later, and means you can switch between bikes in about a second. We also have extra shockcord damping as the spring doesn't give you much. Its good for road sections, narrow paths can be a bit awkward.
The other thing we use is an extender lead clipped into a rucksac waist strap on you and a harness on the dog, it takes care of any slack and he pulls like a train on forest trails.
Scruff, have you got any pics of your black cat in a coal cellar 🙂
My Parsons Jack Russell will happily keep pace with me for upto 18 miles on the Quantocks.
When it comes to running she will happily do a marathon distance in 3hrs 10!! Just have to make sure there isn't too much for he to chase!!!
I have one of those springy things that I used at first with Ziva just on pavements to get her used to being so close to the bike as in situations when going past people etc i want to be able to call her in out of the way of other bikers. I now only use it when im going somewhere questionable like a park etc or somewhere were I know I want her close to me all the time. Most of the time I just loop her lead round the seatpost if its just a few streets on a loop.
I used to have a pit-bull/staffy cross, and my god she could run!
You could do 25 miles, and she'd want to go round again.
(I, on the other hand, would want to have a nice lie down on the lovely comfy ground for a few hours....)
Its amazing we dont see Kelpies racing then they are so quick! Faster than Greyhounds 😯
Saw a lurcher x collie running around Afan this weekend, my lurcher would go lame just looking at those trails though.
Eddie, my three yo Parsons russell loves biking, will run all day but flags a wee bit towards the end of long rides, 4-5 hrs, mind I'm flagging by then too. As long as you let him rest the day after he's fine.
He does get distracted by prey in the bushes but generally doesn't disappear, although one day at Glentress a large deer rose out of the undergrowth and bounded across the road, just before the wormhole. Eddie did a comic double take, thought 'it's running so it must be food' and belted off after it yipping like crazy. Ten minutes later he'd given up and returned, happy with the chase.
What the 11kg dog thought he was going to do with a huge deer if he'd managed to catch it is beyond me.
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Out with Gus the Black Labrador 😀
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@Muke:
Snap...
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😀
Brian, border terrier trail hound.
With training he would stay behind the bike and not directly in front of it! He is rubbish around sheep so had to avoid places with them around. Only had one Fenton situation but he came back after 5 minutes. I always made sure we didn't get in people's way and tried to be considerate to other trail users. Never had any issues. Videos below
As a youngster
Alittle older and before I left last year.
Seen a couple of riders with their spaniel, seemed proper on the ball, smelly dogs though!
My spaniel would wee in your shoes for saying that!
She is most definitely not a smelly dog, but yes some are. I get in big trouble if I take the bike out without her but sometimes I have to I want to do more distance than I want to put her though (I don't want to cripple her later in life) but sometimes I just get her picked up half way round. I have had to carry her on my shoulders before now for 20 minutes for her to recover.
I am not sure springers are the perfect trail dog, I would say something with longer legs for long distances, but ours is VERY good and I trust her 100%. We used to go out running together through busy parts of Bristol without a lead, she will stop and sit at roads ete. Now we live in the countryside I can cycle up the road and she will stick with me running on the grass verge/pavement.
