Cycling with Your Dog: Precautions to Consider

Riding a bike with your dog will keep both of you fit in the long run, but make sure that you follow some precautionary tips prior to starting out or you may end up coming home without him or her!

Cycling with your four-legged pal can be truly enjoyable, yet not all breeds of dog will make for an equally pleasurable ride. To ensure everything runs smoothly and both of you enjoy cycling together, use these helpful tips as you go.

Requirements for cycling with the dog

Your best friend should be fully grown and healthy before riding with him on a leash bike. His or her skeleton only begins to harden between 18 months to 2 years, before which joint problems or injuries could develop if overexertion during growth phases is overdone.

Too-big or too-small dogs should avoid joining cyclists as it would require too much physical exertion for both of them. Furthermore, sick, old or joint-problematic pups aren’t suitable cycling companions.

Advice for cycling with your pet.

Cycling with your four-legged friend requires caution. Four-legged pals tend to overestimate themselves and may quickly exhaust themselves on too short of a ride, so regular training and stretching sessions should help your pal to build up his stamina and remain fit. At first, take time getting familiar with your bicycle before cycling away with him or her!

Take your bike with you when out walking and push it along with you; occasionally sit on it and let it roll a few meters. Although this might seem tedious, doing this regularly will allow your four-legged companion to become familiar with its noises and movements so they’re better prepared to run alongside you when running is timed with regularity.

Pick an uncrowded route so that road traffic won’t distract or endanger both of you, while providing maximum protection to your four-legged friend who runs to the right of the bike if possible. If a situation becomes difficult to see over, hop off your bike and continue your walk on foot instead.