If You Take Your Dog On A Bicycle, Follow These Tips

Our dogs need exercise. This is a very important part of their life and development. But, sometimes, finding a suitable activity for a dog isn’t that easy. One of the most practicable is to ride a bike with our pet next to us.

However, you need to define some guidelines and follow some rules. So everything will take place safely for both us and our pet. Let’s see what steps to follow before riding a bike with our dog.

Cycling with your dog: factors to consider

The first thing you need to do before considering walking your dog on a bike is to go to the vet. Ask him to visit your pet so that you know if he is fit enough to be able to do this type of activity.

It is possible that your dog is not in good shape and this can be solved by taking longer walks. Or by increasing his physical activity a little so that, in a few months, he is ready to accompany you on your cycling adventures.

If your dog is under a year old or weighs less than 11 pounds, forget it, he is not suitable for it. Let’s see what else needs to be done:

Prepare yourself

Foresighted man is valid for two, the saying goes. So don’t ride your bike without a helmet and knee pads and a reflective jacket that allows other vehicles to see you both.

Don’t forget to bring water, not only for you, but for your pet as well. Remember your mobile phone, your ID card and everything you need to inflate your tires in case they get punctured.

Prepare your pet

It is not easy to teach a dog to stay close to the bicycle without getting in the way or rushing towards a car. While many choose to keep the dog on a leash and pull or even tie it to the bike, this is not the best choice. The leash could get caught in the chain, in the spokes and even strangle your pet.

It is necessary that you equip yourself with adequate equipment for the occasion. This could be, for example, a padded and not very long harness so that the dog cannot go towards cars. Furthermore, it must be tied to a support that will be placed on the bicycle.

If you can, buy a reflective harness so that your dog is visible to everyone and thus avoid accidents. If you can’t find it, there are collars with flashing lights that can be equally useful.

Consider purchasing a small bicycle trailer. If you enjoy very long walks, your dog may not be in 100% shape for the return and will need to be transported. Picking him up is dangerous; a small trailer will solve the problem.

Familiarize the dog with the bicycle

As we said before, it is easy for the animal not to follow you or to want to go somewhere else. So it’s important to teach him not to.

The first thing to do if the dog is not used to riding a bicycle is to get him used to it. Leave the bicycle on the ground and allow the dog to study it and smell it. Then, stay close to him so that he feels more comfortable. If you pet and cuddle it while you are near the bicycle, the animal will relate it to something positive.

While taking your normal walks, take your bike, but don’t get on it, and keep your dog on a leash. Get on it from time to time for very short journeys, to see how the animal reacts and so that it gets used to following it.

Teach him the orders

It is essential that, before going on long bike rides with your pet, he already knows how to obey basic orders such as those to stop, run, follow you, turn or leave something he has collected.

This is something you will need to teach him before your walks.

Choose the place

You will have to look for a quiet place with little traffic so that the dangers are minimal. It is advisable that the road be beautiful, flat and without many obstacles. Even if you like mountain biking, this scenario is not ideal for introducing your dog to this discipline.

And above all, don’t run too fast. Go slowly and increase your speed according to your dog’s attitude in following you.