mtn biking with a dog?

[vash]

a few days ago i was grinding up a hill slow. i hear a bell coming downhill fast so i schooch over..i saw a belgium malisnois (i hacked that spelling didnt i?) coming at me full speed. he was wearing the bell. right on his butt was the owner absolutely ripping on that bike. it looked like a blast..despite the fact that we were on a no dog allow section of the mountain..i didnt care, i am not the dog police.

i think that dog knew where it was going..it was leading!

all my past dogs were adopted when they were old and slow. i would have needed a basket for my last pup.

got me thinking..adopt a riding partner? i imagine keeping the dog cool and watered would be a challenge.

it did look like fun. i wish i had my gopro going.

[recycled sixtie]

The guy is a doorknob. Breaking the rules for dog off leash. No concern for your safety. You could report him to the parks dept. if you wanted.

You hear of the hazards of cycling fast and taking a dog. Dogs attract critters like bears and cougars. More chance of getting attacked. A recent true story of a cyclist running into a grizzly bear and the bear kills the cyclist. Bear 1 Human 0.

I don't cycle fast anymore for chance of hitting somebody else or something.

Stay safe my friends!

[Craig T]

Very few dog breeds are capable of long distances at a MTN biking pace. A short 3 or 4 mile ride broken up with slow up hill and short downhill bursts would be OK for most athletic breeds, as long as you stopped to water them a couple times (Belgian Malinois, Ridgebacks, boarder collie, doberman, pointers and hunting breeds). Typical mountain bike rides for experienced riders are 8-10+ miles. That's even pushing a Belgian Malinois. Australian Cattle Dogs are good long distance jogging and mountain bike companions, but even ACD would need frequent stops for water and a break for rest.

[arcsine]

At Galbraith Mt, dogs are a constant feature. Most are hounds of some sort, used to running through the woods all day and every one of them seem to be having a great time. Being a dog and running around the woods with your 'pack' is nirvana to them it seems.
I thought for kicks one day I would bring up one of my great danes but nixed that pretty quickly. They are lovable but big trail hogs with limited common sense and even more limited endurance.
I highly recommend doing it if you can.

[Schrup]

I see dogs all the time at the MTB park my son & I ride at. It makes me a little nervous because some of the trails briefly run parallel & I would hate to hurt someone's dog that gets in my way. If it weren't for the closeness of some of the trails, it wouldn't bother me at all.

We don't have dogs or cats due to my son's dander allergy.

[recycled sixtie]

The parks I see in Canada state that dogs must be on a leash generally speaking.
I would think that a dog off leash would be easy prey for a bear moving at 30 mph. Cougars the same.

Darwin will seek out the crazy ones....

[ckelly78z]

I run my Aussie for 3-4 miles beside my enduro dirtbike. He loves it, and gets excersie, but I would never take him on a dedicated trail, mostly open fields, farm lanes, and woods.

[Gogar]

It's not about the dog at all, it's about the other MTN biker who runs over him or gets distracted and falls and gets hurt.

[BK911]

Used to do a 10+ mile loop around loch raven watershed in MD with my Ridgeback . Stopped every so often to drink and swim. Get home and he was ready to go again. He ended up with torn acl in both legs before he was 5. Never again. Now my pooches and I just go on family hikes.

[Joe Bob]

Not a fan of animals off leash where I am on a bike, skiis or skates. I once nailed a mutt on the bike path while roller skating. The asshats worried if the dog was OK. Screw the dog, what about the pepperoni rash on my knees, elbow and hands..... where's the dog PD when you need them.

[Laneco]

I've had a couple of border collies that we biked with. The training process is pretty important. They have to run ahead or behind on single track. If they are ahead, they need to know what "look out!" means (move NOW) and "DOWN" which means plant yer ass in the dirt this second. Needs to be a good natured dog because you will come up on hikers, etc.

I only did this in pretty secluded areas with good visibility. Even a nice dog will startle a horse bad enough to dump a rider. The collies were good for a 15 or so mile fairly slow ride. They can really rip down hill though! Bring water and stop often.

We all need to be good to each other - and that means making sure you don't hurt someone else or you dog. I've trained dogs to walk/jog beside the bike for dirt roads/double track and I've taken leashed dogs on the bike path with my bike. I used to have this u-shaped spring loaded thing that I attached to my bike to help us get over the learning curve. Your dog will take you out from the side, so I have always felt that beside me was more dangerous than behind/ahead. If they are ahead, sure, I can run into them, but I've got more reaction time before I make contact!

If the weather isn't too warm and the breed is a good runner, they do like this a lot. Not for every dog, not for every dog-owner, and certainly only in places where you aren't causing someone else issues.

angela

[dedbird]

I bike my labs fairly regularly. Always on mountain dirt roads with few other bikers or people. They are hunting dogs so they know to always be in front of me. I also have them trained to return to heel if we encounter any other bikers (or skiers when we cross country) and I point off the trail and they know to go off the trail and sit until the oncoming bikers have passed. I climb at speeds that are comfortable for the dogs and ride the brakes downhill to keep them at no more than a trot. Hammering downhill with a dog is irresponsible. Hard on their shoulders and joints. I also always pick a trail with regular water stops. Keeps them in great shape and adds something to the ride to have them along.