New dog owner here. We have a nice bike-only trail that is close to my house. Scout loves to run. Can you exercise a dog while riding a bike? I know to ditch the choke collar and use a harness, but what length of rope? I'm not sure this is safe, but I think it would give him a great work out. The way he likes to lead, maybe he can pull me!
There is a device called a Springer which is used to exercise dogs while riding bikes. It keeps them from cutting in front of you, pulling you off your bike, etc. I use it with my GSDs and love it. However, if your Springer Spaniel (I am presuming that is what you meant by Springer) is only 4 mos old, he/she might be too young to be running as his/her joints aren't formed completely.
Once your Springer is older - old enough to run regularly - I'd definately recommend the Springer to exercise your Springer LOL.
It's great exercise but be careful to start. The spokes can cause serious injury, make sure he is well trained to the bike before you go for serious runs. Also, you can wear blisters or tear the pads (when running on asphalt or concrete) when they haven't been built up gradually with training. That is a real pitiful sight to see, every foot is affected and painful. I see a few cases like that every summer.
Doug, DVM
Doug & Sandy
Megan (14 yr old Golden)
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dturm wrote: It's great exercise but be careful to start. The spokes can cause serious injury, make sure he is well trained to the bike before you go for serious runs. Also, you can wear blisters or tear the pads (when running on asphalt or concrete) when they haven't been built up gradually with training. That is a real pitiful sight to see, every foot is affected and painful. I see a few cases like that every summer.
Doug, DVM
I am surprised that you didn't advise that 4 months is too early to be running a puppy. Can you give us your thoughts on that please?
Your pup is entirely too young to be running on hard surfaces like asphalt or concrete (or even very compacted dirt paths).
It can cause serious permanent injury to her joints. This sort of injury may not be apparent now but WILL cause dysplasia and arthritis down the road. (dysplasia is only partially genetic). Keep her running on soft cushiony grass. Then crate her and go on your bike rides. When she's fully grown, at approx 1.5-2 years (ask your breeder to find out when your pup's particular lines are fully grown), THEN she can run on hard surfaces on a regular basis. Don't rush it. She'll be grown soon enough and she'll be healthy, strong and capable of keeping up with you.
Dh, our 2 year old German Shepherd, 15 yr old Beagle/Spaniel and me.
Exploring every National Park (and Monument) in USA, Canada, Mexico & beyond.
3 well-used backpacking tents.
2008 Itasca Impulse, 24'
Your points about running and exercise in a 4 month old are all based on amount. Four month old dogs need to run to develop normal muscle and bone, but you all are right that it can be overdone.
I did a search on our veterinary information network and read an excellent post I'll steal and plagiarize:
You should wait til physeal closure for forced exercise. Anything the dog will do on his own without prompting or encouragement should be OK.
Any of you doing agility or other work have any guidelines?
Doug, DVM
* This post was
edited 05/05/08 03:37pm by dturm *
According to this site, you let the dog run at its own pace. I don't run any more. Other than running in the back yard, the dog doesn't get to run at all. Would 1/4 or 1/2 mile be ok? It looks like I can cause him harm by not letting him run, and cause him harm by running him too hard. Is there a happy medium? BTW, thanks for the advice on the Springer!
Let him run on soft grassy fields. Play fetch at the local park. (We use the fenced-in baseball field). Play chase in your back yard. Find a meadow, stand at one end, have a friend stand at the other, and work on "come" commands where your pup will run joyously into your arms for hugs and tiny bits of treats. Take a casual hike in the forest (not hard-baked clay soil), and jog and let your pup trot for a while. Your pup does need LOTS of exercise. But not on hard surfaces, and not without the ability to stop on his own.
Your pup will do ANYTHING to keep up with you. So don't assume that he'll know when to slow down or stop. The general guideline for exercise that we use for puppies is 5 minutes per month they're alive, plus an extra five minutes -- til they hit about a year. By then, they usually know enough usually stop on their own (And even if they're not 100% developed, they aren't in as much risk at that point. And frankly, 65 minutes of exercise at one shot is more than most owners will do anyhow). So right now, your pup can go for a hearty 25 minute walk (4 months x 5 minutes/month + extra 5 minutes), less if he's *vigorously* exercising.
Since he hasn't been running much lately, you'll want to build him up slowly. H may be a bit out of shape! Don't think too much in terms of distance. Think in terms of time. It's easier to keep track of it. When he times out, play is over. You want to time it so that he still has time left on his clock to walk home from the park. If he doesn't, the walk home from the park should be *very* leisurely. Or, if you live far away from the park, bring pup with you on your errands, and stop by the park on your way home. Then he doesn't have to walk home at all!
As JAquirre mentions, the Springer is a great piece of equipment. It's safer than simply using a collar and lead with a bike. But I wouldn't use one on a dog less than 2 years old. For a large breed dog, less than 3 years.
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