TAKING a four-legged friend mountain bike riding oozes appeal. Not only do you get to have some company on the uphill slogs, but you also exercise your furry friend - and crucially - they never seem to complain.
But making sure no harm comes to your dog while out mountain biking is a serious concern, and there is plenty of advice out there about how best to handle him or her - as well as the interest of other walkers and dogs while you were out.
We were out recently in Kentmere and found ourselves gazing at a woman tangled in a lead - and her bike. Not a pretty sight.
So what advice is there about riding with a dog in toe? Read on for some helpful tips...
Firstly - don't expect it to immediately be
able to cope with a 20km ride. Like people, dogs need to get fit. They
also need to learn that there are things they should and shouldn't do
around bikes, and that's what we'll be dealing with in this article.
Safety first
The health and safety of your dog has to be paramount. When riding
with your dog you must be constantly on the look out for natural and
man-made hazards as well as assessing your dog's general condition.
Items like drains, broken glass sharp gravel and even hot tarmac can
cause damage to the pads of your dog's feet. And if you're riding with
your dog on a lead, it's vital he knows that he should always go the
same side of a telegraph pole as you...
How far your dog can comfortably run depends on its size; age;
breed; fitness; health; and reaction to high temperatures, which means
anything above 20°C for a dog during exercise. The dogs best suited to
what dog trainers class as 'endurance work' are generally the short haired medium to small working and sport
breeds: cattle dogs, kelpies, dalmatians, boxers, pointers and so on.
However, many breeds of both large and small dogs can make great riding
companions. Whatever breed you have or decide on, use your common sense
and research your breed. Find out if it makes a suitable riding
companion by asking experts (like trainers and breeders) if its capable
of sustained running. If your breed is not known for its boundless
energy, you don't have to restrict it to a mountainbikeless life, just
take it easy and slowly build up its fitness. If you own a bulldog,
though, buy it a Playstation instead.
Puppy fitness
The age of your dog also limits its ride distance and speed. Dogs
younger than six months should not be taken on bike rides at all. Dogs
from six months to a year old are old enough to start building their
fitness, but their limb joints have not fully developed at this age and
over-exercising can lead to joint problems later in life. Some tips for
getting your puppy into canine Steve Monagety shape:
* Do not go fast down hills-this puts a lot of stress on the knee and elbow joints.
* Buy a speedo (if you don't already own one) and see what pace your
dog breaks from a trot to a canter. Deduct 3km/h and never go faster
than this.
* Start with short loops rather than an out and back trip. If your
dog is worn out you don't want to be at the furthest point from the
start. A park or oval is ideal for this.
* If your dog starts limping, immediately stop and inspect the leg
and pads for damage. If there are no visible signs walk home with your
dog. If you can see pad damage, or the dog limps when walking, you may
have to carry him home. Another good reason not to stray far when you
start. Consult a vet to see if your dog has any health problems.
When your dog is over a year old (for medium size or smaller dogs)
it has finished most of its development and from then on ride length
depends on the dog's fitness level. For long rides try to keep the dog
on grass or soft surfaces and check the dog's pads for wear. Pad wear
shows usually as a lighter colour in the middle of the pad. Never run
the dog while its pads are excessively worn. Work up to a particular
distance slowly don't put your dog straight into a 20km ride.
Beat the heat
Over heating is a major concern with dogs as unlike humans they
don't sweat. Imagine the smell if they did. Let them cool down by
splashing in every puddle or water hole you pass. Ride either early morning or later afternoon.
Keep your dog hydrated even in cool weather. Teaching the dog to
drink out of your camelbak is the easiest way to do this, and it's
surprisingly easy to get a dog to drink this way. Stop regularly to
give the dog a saliva reviver. To gauge how far is far enough at the
end of each ride watch your dog's pant rate and recovery time. Gently
hosing your dog down at the end of each ride will speed up his recovery
rate.
Some dogs are prone to a rather nasty digestive condition called
bloat, which can be caused by the combination of food and exercise.
Some breeds are more prone to bloat than others, but as a general rule,
do not exercise your dog an hour before or after a meal. Bloat can be
fatal. For more information on symptoms and a list of breeds which are
at high risk see your veterinarian.
The most vital lesson for your dog is to learn that getting run over
hurts.
The most vital lesson for your dog is to learn that getting run over
hurts. Many people skip this step and still have happy riding time with
their pets. Some of them acquire a few tire marks but who's counting?
The following steps are for those of us who don't have robot dogs. The
most important thing for your dog to learn is to respect the front
wheel of the bike. This is best achieved like this:
1. Find a nice oval (where dogs and bikes are allowed of course) and
just push the bike around nudging the dog with the front wheel at every
opportunity. Do not make it a game, rather, you want the dog to think
the whole thing is just boring and annoying.
2. Put your bike seat right down, wear flat shoes, and flat pedals,
cover the brakes at all times, let the dog off the lead and just slowly
ride around never exceeding a slow walking pace. If the dog gets near
the front tyre, turn the wheel and nudge him with the moving wheel with
fingers ready on the brakes just in case. It doesn't take the dog too
long to figure out wheels are bad news.
You're not trying to hurt your dog or permanently scare it you just
want the dog to respect the wheel. Never run over the dog's foot-the
aim is to nudge the side of the dog's body with the wheel. Be very
careful with small dogs, but do not skip this step as it is even more
important for them to stay away from the front wheel.
On-lead riding
This is how I do 80 per cent of my dog-accompanied riding because of restrictions on where you can take your dog off-lead.
The most important factor in riding with your dog on the lead is the
collar or harness you use to control him. With a flat collar or car
harness on an excitable dog, you are probably going to be pulled off
your bike at the first distraction. This is good safe equipment on a
well mannered dog, though. Using a check chain, 'Halti' or 'gentle
Leader' does stop the dog pulling but they should not be used because
there is a risk of injury to the dog if you take a spill. The perfect
compromise is called an 'Easy Walker', a 'semi-harness' that holds the
dog like a car harness but stops the dog from pulling.
This in turn is attached to a standard, fixed-length lead tied
underneath the saddle. Never hold the lead in your hand; even on a
short lead a dog attached to your hand can get to the front wheel and
very easily controls the steering. Attaching the lead under the seat
seems wrong, but it really does work-the attachment point is close to
the centre of mass of the rider and bike, so if the dog pulls it has
minimal effect, and the attachment is high enough that the lead can't
get tangled.
The lead needs to be short enough that the dog can not get past your
front axle, or even shorter. Don't use a stretchy or extendable lead;
you do not want your dog to learn that if he pulls harder he gets
further in that direction. A bit of basic off-bike heel work with your
dog is handy here: teach him to stay on your left side and to go at
your speed without pulling on the lead.
Another option is a 'Springer', a flexible bar that extends out from
the bike so the lead does not get tangled in the back wheel (why this
is advertised in dog magazines and not sold in bike shops is beyond me).
A novel but completely effective system is to use a tandem. The bike
is long so it your mutt cannot get in front or behind the bike; the
weight of two people off-sets any of the dog's pulling and the stoker
can keep an eye on the dog and inform the captain of any speed changes
needed. Since the dog is always 100 per cent safe on the left hand side
you can do anything. However we do get strange looks as Joe Smith sees
two people and a dog going around a roundabout, and not everyone has a
tandem...
Riding with the dog off lead
It's hard to be too fussy about the dog's position relative to the
bike when riding off lead, especially if you're going for a long ride.
Make sure your dog stays in proximity but not too close to your front
wheel. If you're catching up to your dog make a command such as 'Watch
out' and use this whenever you feel your dog is to close. If riding in
a group, inform the group of this command. Remember that dogs kick up a
huge amount of dirt 'roost'-always wear glasses.
If you have the control over the dog teach it to stay behind or
beside your bike. Make sure you have full control over the dog if you
plan on doing this anywhere near roads and any other situation with
traffic. Personally, however, I would never risk it no matter how well
my dog is trained. Riding alone with a dog is easier than riding in a
group to start with. Make sure you always carry food rewards or some
sort of bribe like your dog's favourite ball or tug toy to provide
enough motivation to lure your pooch away from exciting distractions.
Also remember that more and more local authorities are clamping down on poop scooping - so travel prepared to clean up the mess.
[This article has been adapted from Australian Mountain Bike magazine].
But credit where credit is due. When Brian Lopes' name is on the cover you are always going to be a little bit intrigued as to what the ol' boy has got to say. He is, after all one of the most skillful riders our there. There are certainly plenty of tricks in here which will help you sort out why you might be having more trouble on the trails that you anticipate. The great part here is that, if you really dib into this book and let the advice sink in, you will surely have plenty to mull over while you are tucked up in bed. Don't blame us if you start riding bikes in your sleep.
