Anyone else ride your bike w/ your Cav running beside?

I just started this as our puppy has a little too much energy and my daily walks weren't draining him. So I started running him while I ride my bike in the eves before dinner in addition to his morning walk. He seems to love it and isn't left out of breath or anything. I've just never seen anyone else doing this with a small dog, especially a cav. He is 7 months old and in perfect health, but he RUNS the entire time...and pretty fast! We go about 2-2.5 miles. Comments are appreciated!

Cool idea! Gotta try that sometime. As long as you have a leash on your cav. I couldn't trust mine to run with me without one. Mine is 7 months to, but not with as much energy as yours! That's for sure.

there is a guy round here who does it, he owns a 3 legged staffie type. dunno what it actually is. the dog runs off lead and his tail is going all the time.

I'm sorry, but I just cringe when I see people doing this. I would never do that with my cavs, adults or puppies. This is especially hard on a puppy's bones and joints.

Ok, here are the comments: PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!! :yikes This is too young and WAAAAAY too far to run a puppy really hard -- very hard on their joints and can lead to all sorts of permanent joint damage and future problems with hips, patellas etc. Generally you need to wait til a dog is about a year to do something with any kind of regular impact. But cavaliers are a short nosed breed and are not really the type that should be run really hard. Much better to do fetch or long walks or agility in short spurts -- leave the running to collies. Most breeders would never recommend cavaliers as jogging companions. Also this is dangerous -- very easy for 1) a small breed like this to go under your wheels 2) to go under a car's wheels. 2 to 2.5 miles is just worryingly long for a 7 month old puppy to have to RUN after a bike! I never even WALKED my young dogs more than a mile til they were over a year, on vet's firm recommendation.

If you really want a cycling companion, think about getting a collie or hard core active breed. Meanwhile please don't do this to a cavalier. Just because he will run, doesn't mean he should -- he is running to keep up with you and won't consider whether this is something he enjoys.

The idiot running a three legged staffie should be shot -- three legged animals already eventually begin to have bad arthritis problems from years of extra pressure on the single leg and most will *die younger* because of this. He is putting that dog into an earlier grave by running him on a bike. :sl*p:

Please talk to your vet and breeder on the wisdom of doing this if you are still unconvinced.

Working your dog on some fun obedience and playing fetch will do more than enough to mentally and physically exhaust him. But puppies do not need to be worn down on a daily basis just because they have energy! -- they will get plenty of exercise from a couple of short walks and from play.

wow

I didn't think I would get those responses! I can completely understand the fear of him running under the wheels or being hit by a car. But I will talk to my vet about problems with his joints. And I wasn't *looking* for a cycling companion...I was looking for a lap dog. I walk the dogs in the morning for about 30 minutes briskly and then they come to work with me all day and get virtually no exercise until we go home. I tried it because I thought it would be GOOD for him. I'm sure running isn't easy on people's joints either, but it IS enjoyable to some people.

I sometimes wish people on this site would not be so quick to judge. And the comment about the guy and his staffie "should be shot" i thought was innappropriate.

sorry- i overreacted

I appreciate your opinions, but wish they would be less judgemental in nature. I like that everyone here cares about the welfare of these dogs we all love and I would NEVER do anything to hurt any of my animals. I'll do some research tomorrow on the subject.

BTW, the 2 miles was broken up as well. We biked (as a family) to the park which is probably a mile or so, played there for about an hour, and then biked back. So he did have a break in between the running.

Karlin may have been a bit blunt, but i would rather that than to let me going on thinking it was ok to do this. to be honest i had'nt considered the things she had mentioned. I am a blunt person myself so i can understand where she is coming from.

i doubt she thinks you are deliberately harming your fur baby she just wants you to know what is best. i for one i am glad i found this forum it has helped me massively in my search for information on my dream of owning my own dog.

in short don't be upset she isnt being nasty.

As others have already expressed concern about the puppy's joints & ligaments, no need for me to put my bib into that one.

However, what always concerns me about dogs being run beside a pushbike is that if the dog twisted its paw or slipped & fell, the rider would not be able to stop fast enough to avoid taking the poor dog for a drag.

Not me.I will tell you what happened.I was riding my bike through the local park about 6 yrs ago with my Lab.Suddenly from behind i heared this deep slow bark.I turned around to see a huge Basset Hound chasing us.He then proceeded to bite the wheels of the bike and my ankles.Then he started to have ago at cracker and the lead.The faster i went the quicker he came,i could see people laughing there heads of,it must of looked so funny,i didnt think they could run that fast.anyway i dropped crackers lead thinking that was the end of that,but he kept at me ,in the end i did manage to out run him,but crasker decided that this guy was going to be his new play mate.I did find the owner and found out that the hound was a lovable rogue called dave.Moral of thre story....Dont trust Dogs called Dave.

Ciren said:

in short don't be upset she isnt being nasty.

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Chloe92us, I have to agree with Ciren, Karlin cares so much for the animals of this world...devoting so much of her life to Cavalier Rescue, running this site and another devoted to SM in cavaliers and learning all she can about Cavalier health. She is a welath of knowledge and I feel so lucky that she has this forum for us to discuss our thoughts and concerns about our dogs. Karlin seems to have an intense passion for all cavaliers and doesn't mince words when she thinks a cavie could be put in harms' way.

If you or a friend can run (I cannot) you could always jog / run short distances with him. My hubby and I would often take Molly & Max when they were about the same age as yours to a field where I would walk and my hubby would take the leashes....run ahead of me...then they'd stop & turn around to face me, I'd yell 'Molly & Max come!" and they'd run back to me. We'd repeat for 10 of 15 minutes. It turned into a wonderful game that they would love to play...got a ton of energy out and helped to teach the command 'come'.

I don't think Karlin was being harsh either, just answering what you asked.

Please note that others get upset when they see this sort of thing too, lap dogs aren't built for that kind of exercise.

All puppies are energetic but a good play a couple of times per day and a couple of walks are enough for a pup.

We have a very energetic 13 month old Ruby but she's happy with a couple of walks and she can run like the wind, out in the yard. We notice though, that by the time she and the 4 yr old Cavalier have chased one another, they stop and take a breather.

It's much safer to let them set their own boundaries for exercise....after all, they are *lap dogs*.

I'd also be very concerned about the leash getting caught up on the bike and both of you getting hurt. It's not being judgemental, it's about their exercise requirements and what's reasonable for a lap dog.

I must admit,i wouldnt do it with Alfs,i would proberly run him over.But i only did it with my lab that once.I find you would have to do it with a larger dog and it would have to be trained.

i doubt this will improve the story but the 3 legged dog here isnt on a lead.

Three legged dogs are just as good as 4 leged dogs.

Three legged dogs are just as good as 4 leged dogs.

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oh i know, he is a lovely looking thing. its just the running around thats nt right.

I suppose you would have to be carefull how heavy the excercising would be for a 3 legged dog though.

I find a 20 to 30 minute walk in the evening and a few bursts of fetch is enough to tire mine out..that and the constant following me everywhere, including up and downstairs a few times a day and everytime I go to the bathroom!

Karlin was only trying to advise..I was appalled when I first read the post,but realise you meant no harm. I hope you will take the advice given and stop doing this now though...

okay, will stop doing this with ollie

After reading everyone's posts, I will stop running Ollie with the bike. However, a brisk walk is not depleting his energy as it does with my other two older dogs. We get home and the older ones are pooped and Ollie could go another 2 miles! Some dogs require more exercise than others and he is one of them. Between working and entertaining a 2 YO child I thought the biking thing would be a good way to give him another bout of exercise in the evening while we're having family time since we usually bike to the park after dinner. I hear, and understand, everyone's concerns and will stop doing it- I definitely don't want to injure him in any way.

Thanks for your input.

Maybe you could consider going somewhere with him where you can let him run free?I do that with both my pups.They run like mad ,but at their own pace and they can rest whenever they want to. they both get 30 min of walking on leash everyday but in addition I go somewhere (most days) and let them play.I just bring my camera ,sit down somewhere in the grass and watch them play......