Just been reading dirkpitt74’s thread and got me wondering if anyone can give me any tips on how to train a cocker spaniel to come out with me on rides? Is it just a case of keeping him on the lead initially till he gets used to it? I’m concerned I will squash him or get his lead tangled and I go arse over tit. Is it wise to take a dog to a trail centre or is it best to keep to somewhere like Delamere Forest where there are wide fire roads?

Any other cocker spaniel training tips/stories would be very welcome. We got Woody a month ago and he is pretty well behaved but he is very keen to nibble a lot even when we lightly scold him and give him a toy/bone. He is 16 weeks old and I’m pretty keen to get out on a ride soon with him as he has loads of energy.

Really short, slow rides to begin with.  If you start doing long rides too soon you will give the dog problems later in life.

I’d be avoiding trail centres all together.  Not everyone likes dogs and the number of riders in a relatively small area increases the risk of collision massively.

Get a long enough lead that he can run in front or behind the bike.  You can always just gather it up at your grip.

If it’s hot then don’t rely on burns for water.  Take some for the dog too at least to begin with.  They will easily overheat trying to run and run and run.

I’m not sure I would at this stage – 16 weeks is still pretty young and while he might run and run it can lead to joint problems, etc.

The advice we were given was 5 mins walking per month of age so he should be only really doing 20 mins or so, and that would be 20 mins walking – if you rode even gently for 20 mins the distance is probably 3x recommended. That holds until they are fully grown (he’ll still be a puppy long after that, just one in a full sized body!)

Maybe take him for a walk to start with with a bike but just at walking pace. Mine’s not a trail dog, but she sometimes comes out when the kids are on their bikes and in general they’re smart enough to not get run over, coupled to a command of ‘Run on!’ which we use after she’s been recalled as well, seems to work.

One other thing i heard was get him a bell. No, not to warn walkers, so you can hear he’s still following without constantly needing to turn around. If you can’t hear the bell, stop, he might be taking a dump!

Is it wise to take a dog to a trail centre or is it best to keep to somewhere like Delamere Forest where there are wide fire roads?

No, they are a pain in the arse. Too many people watching videos of ‘trail dogs’ then deciding to let their mut run amock getting in the way of everybody else.

best idea is to leave the dog at home and go for a ride.  That way you don’t run the risk of the dog getting hurt or hurting someone else.  Does your dog insurance cover 3rd party liablity because you were not in control of your dog?

Puppy!!!!! I approve.

As above, probably a tad early.

Get them used to walking to heal and get them used to bikes. The rest will just fall into place.

It really is that simple.

I have an almost identical dog… uncanny how similar yours looks!  I could never take Albie out on a ride, cockers are wilful, stubborn dogs and he’d be as likely to stop dead for a sniff every 10yds as follow a bike.  Also the show type, which it looks as though Woody is, are very prone to joint displasia even if there’s no history of it in his bloodline, so he shouldn’t be run hard or long even when mature.  You’ve got the wrong dog for that!

Train him well now… once they get to 6mths old it’s like their brains become hard-wired and training becomes 10 times harder.

Some great advice so far – cheers. Found this little video on youtube….

No idea how to lonk to a video but this one seems to cover all the points https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsVjF6mcUbg

Mike_p +1.  I also have a show cocker, he loves walking, he hates going biking or jogging with me.  He loves to be off the lead exploring and sniffing everything. Due to the increased pace of running and biking he is just running and not exploring,  he’s the wrong dog for this.

nice looking pup.

teach him to walk on the lead at heal first, the biking will follow if it turns out he’s ok with it. i also got mine out of the habit of stopping dead in my path by using ‘move’ as a command, and if she didn’t, a gentle prod up the arse soon gave her the idea.

far too early for biking. it’s tempting to try and wear them out by walking or other exercise when they’re this young, but you’re just going to have to suck it up i’m afraid.

at least at this time of year it’s not cold when you’re standing around waiting for them to pee.

I’ve got a working cocker who loves coming riding. He’s 9 now and we’ve had him about 5 years. He adapted to it without much effort and runs to heal much better on a bike than on foot. I’ve trained him to run by my back wheel on the left side along the towpath to the trails which keeps him under control. As far as tips go, build up slowly, always encourage rarely tell off, be aware they’ll run after the odd animal, take water, and I’d use a short lead and ride one-handed to keep control to start with.

We ride in my local woods and do a short loop that involves a stream and a pond to swim in. Usually out for 60-90 mins and try to avoid really hot days. It’s amazing how far they’ll go with a bag of snacks, a bowl for water, and plenty of short stops. Obviously you’ll want to use a bit of common sense as they won’t tell you when they’re knackered.

Avoid trail centres for sure, even if you’ve got a well behaved trail dog, other people are twitchy about it and get annoyed. It’s not worth it, they don’t know that if you shout at him he’ll stop to look at what you want and get in the way but if you just ride at him he’ll be out the way in a flash.

It’s brilliant. It’s not the same as normal riding but it’s lovely to have company on any ride.

Good luck mine is 13 years old, runs away at will and shits on the dining floor when the mood takes him

Yeah….my 11 year old Labradinger started having elbow dysplacia issues a year ago and now struggles to walk anywhere without meds.

I’d be very careful if I were you not to overdo things.  It is so tempting as they will run and run, but I think you need to protect them from themselves.  I was careful in the first year BTW, but still we have problems.

As above go easy early on , my lab springer x loves coming out on the bike but I rarely go over an hour and a half with her . When she was a pup I would ride round the garden just so she was use to me being on a bike and it wasn’t new later on .

the other thing to keep in mind when you do venture out with them is trail surface , I would avoid fire roads and trail centre type surfaces as these can rip apart their pads and leave them limping . Your after loamy rooty woods type trails . My dog loves a trip to drumlanrig .

Our Cocker seemed to be hard wired to run ahead but stay in sight (unlike our Welsh Springer). When she was a pup we trained her to follow us by always taking the path that she hadn’t at junctions. She pretty soon worked out that it was better to stop and wait for a point of the hand before continuing on. They are lovely dogs and should be eager to please, especially if you have treats in your pocket.

My tips are as follows:

Take dog a bike for a walk then really simple rides around the park (the same short distance as a walk) to get him used to the bike

Teach him not to be anywhere near the wheels, in my case I did that by very slowly cycling into her and when the wheels touched her I shouted loudly, did that a few times and she learnt wheel are not a good place to be

My dog wants to be in front, easy on the uphills but takes some management on the downs, I taught the command ‘go go’ which basically translates as hurry the hell up, I am catching you, she then takes off like a rocket.

I use a falconry bell attached to her collar, that way I know where she is rather than having to look around for her. It helps when she stops for a pee or to sniff around then wants to overtake on narrow singletrack, I hear her coming and can be aware whilst still looking where I am going.  Try it, it makes a huge difference.  I would also say you are probably more likely to lose her on a ride than walk so this offers the added bonus of making it easy to find her.

Take it slow and she will let you know if she is enjoying it or not.  My dog pretty much does backflips when she sees the bike coming out of the garage.

Don’t. Please. Just don’t.

A dog like that loves to please, so it will happily receive training. It will get to the point that it will feel stressed if it can not understand what you want,  or can not obey your command. So sure,  you can train a dog to run alongside a bike, and it will genuinely enjoy being with you and obeying you. However, why do you want a dog to join you on a bike ride? It will not be for the benefit of the dog, and this is especially true for a dog breed that was not bred for that type of activity.

Some dogs were specifically bred to run alongside horses etc., but a cocker spaniel was not.

Have fun with your dog. Enjoy training it well. Very slowly consider longer walks once it is fully grown (18 months or older). But please, do not train it as a trail dog.

Nice pup!

He is way too young to be considering having him out on bike rides. Please concentrate on your basic training and enjoy time with your dog. See what his character/stamina holds for the future and make a decision when the time is right.

I disagree with the00.

My dog genuinely loves coming out with the bike, We don’t go out for all day missions, longest ride is a couple of hours. Most of that time I am riding at walking ace going up hill.  The fast bits are short lived and an absolute blast. More often than not the ride is an alternative to a walk in the morning, it means we can cover more ground in the 20-mins we have before work and she gets a swim in the river as well.

A good owner knows what is right for their dog and whether it is enjoying itself or not.

He is way too young to be considering having him out on bike rides. Please concentrate on your basic training and enjoy time with your dog. See what his character/stamina holds for the future and make a decision when the time is right.

Well said.

Our Cocker is fantastic, brilliant dog, do anything for you, but don’t think I’d take her on the trails. She does seem to be prone to sprains and cuts from brambles etc. as she is so focussed on being with you and will run through/over anything Def let him mature and bone structure develop first, then decide. Daughter has a Weimaraner, that thing is more suited to train running I reckon.

Beautiful Pup 👍

Don’t turn it into a trail dog, that’s simple.

They’re “sniff and fetch” woofs not yompers.

You’ll wear the poor thing out.

I’m definitely not going to take him anywhere until he’s at least a year old. And it definitely won’t be trail centres. Think I’ll go for short local rides around the nature reserve, local woods and down the canal but at a steady pace (I’m good at that)