When I get on a bike and attach my dog…

Since I’ve been biking with my youngest dog, Yogi, I’ve often thought about the differences between him and my other dogs when we’ve biked. Bikejoring is the sport of attaching your dog, in harness, to your bike via a bungee line and with an attachment to help keep your line away from the wheel if it drops suddenly. Many people seem to see it as hook your dog up and away you go! Although it’s really not that simple and that’s what I have been pondering when I do anything with Yogi on the bike.

Yogi is a very different dog to train than my other 3 were – Photo courtesy of Chris Hannan

As with my other dogs, we have always done a lot of canicrossing before even thinking about attaching them to a bike, their voice commands have been solid and I have been sure they will run (for the most part without distraction) in front of the bike and follow their trained commands. Yogi however is slightly different in that he is still easily distracted and I’ve not done a huge amount with him on the bike because of this.

Now you could argue that I should do more and train harder to try and get him focused on the job in hand. In some ways I would agree that might help get his ‘head in the game’ and teach him more about the job of running in front of the bike. However he is still young and I didn’t bike him until he was past the 18 month age restriction for competition, so I still think he has a lot of learning to do and haven’t ever pushed him in any training or racing we have done so far.

Yogi’s first ever bike race experience was a short section as part of the Tri Dog event – Photos courtesy of Take 2 Event Photos

My objective when I do anything with my dogs is not to get the most I can out of them, to see them working hard for me and push themselves to go faster and further but to allow them to have the most fun when they are out with me. For my other dogs (well the boys at least) the most fun IS running as fast as they can and working as hard as they can for me, but this isn’t the case with Yogi. Yogi likes to explore and he likes to chase and he likes to bob along and do his own thing too, which can be a little bit daunting when you attach him to a bike and go at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour!

So when I do get on a bike and attach my long legged, huskalukihound (my own name for his very special mix of rescue Husky, Greyhound, Saluki!) who I know full well runs fast but can get distracted in a millisecond by something as innocuous as a leaf, I have to have my wits about me at all times and hope that he will not do anything too random that might have awful consequences. This is where all the foundation work we have done comes into it’s own and it’s also when the trust between us gets tested.

With a young or inexperienced dog it can be hard to totally trust they will not do anything silly when faced with something new – Photo courtesy of Digital Events Photography

Bikejoring with your dog, in fact any wheeled sport with your dog or team of dogs where you rely on your training and trust, can be really rewarding because of the bond you have to build before you can relax and enjoy the experience. Once you have cracked this, it all becomes so much more fun and racing truly is just another opportunity to learn and strengthen this connection you have with your dog.

I personally think that’s why the wheeled sports are becoming more and more popular with people who get a taste for the fun you can have biking or scootering with your dog and end up like I have, regularly racing and training. The additional excitement and speed the wheels provide, mean you simply cannot just get on your bike and attach your dog and expect to have the requisite control and trust to enjoy it without fear or risk an accident. Therefore you learn to build that bond with your dog, the best partnerships being the ones where dog and ‘driver’ work together, overcoming obstacles, enjoying the sports with confidence in each other.

Working together as a team is the best part of bikejoring – Photo courtesy of Horses for Courses Photography

If you’re thinking of taking up bikejoring with your dog and don’t know where to start, do get in touch as we have lots of information to help you gets started, from the equipment you will need, training tips, right through to your first race, just e-mail us at info@k9trailtime.com

Happy Trails!

 

This Post Has One Comment

  1. annelottemaasland

    Yogi is such a cute name for a dog!
    Looking at your photos I miss my dog so much. A dog can truly be your best friend 🙂

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