bike-dog interface?

[elk]

Well... I would humbly suggest you work on the lunging...that's just plain rude!!
Get your little beauty to focus on you whenever temptation arises by carrying treats (her absolute out of this world to die for treats...IOW...a treat that is worth more to her than chasing a bunny..) and asking her to "watch me" BEFORE BEFORE she focuses on lagomorphs and rodents.... and when she locks eyes with you... TREAT! You gotta watch for that moment when the head stiffens, the ears are full mast...and get her before that happens.

I would also teach a "Leave it" ...Pat Miller's book describes a great way...and these work.

Of course NO dog in the world is 100% ---these are dogs after all---not robots, but you'd be surprised how much this will help.

I ride with my 60lb collie on my aluminum Globe....and I use the . SHe's not a lunger but when she would pull to the side or turn around (tempted by the world and all its glory) I would barely feel it. Let's go. I tell her and keep moving.

As long as you keep pedaling she won't pull you off. But I think a little off the bike work on lunging would be a good idea....I walked dog and bike together at first.

[Beane]

I ride with my 60lb collie on my aluminum Globe....and I use the . SHe's not a lunger but when she would pull to the side or turn around (tempted by the world and all its glory) I would barely feel it. Let's go. I tell her and keep moving.

elk: which device do you use? the biker dog?

sundial: thanks for the pics. has your dog ever run in toward the bike? one problem i've had on the short rides with a leash is that all of a sudden he decides to get closer to the bike or even try to come around the front (probably from have a longish lead in my hand rather than something short attached at the back). that's why i'm wondering if it works to not have some sort of rigid arm keeping the dog a safe distance from the bike.

[KnottedYet]

I've worked a lot with my dog on commands while running, and he seems to have learned pretty well what to do when we go out for a run.

He knows not to cross in front of me, not to slow down, not to head off in his own direction, and to listen to me for what is coming up next.

I would imagine verbal commands while with a bike would work the same. Like Elk said, a treat bag of something YUMMY and VALUABLE is great to have with you, so you are more interesting than anything else on your run/ride. (we have many cats in our apartment complex... competition for Stinky Dog's attention can be fierce sometimes!)

[sundial]

Do you have problems with her crossing behind the bike? Do you work one dog or two with it set up like that? I'm trying to see the support for the rack- is it attached to the seatpost at all?

No, Niki and Kali actually keep a respectable distance from the bike. They both run alongside me and have never crowded me or tried to go behind the bike. They are very focused when I run them. I run only one dog at a time because they both run at a different pace. Kali is a larger built gsd and I have to go a little slower for her. The rack is an Axiom full suspension mtb rack.

one problem i've had on the short rides with a leash is that all of a sudden he decides to get closer to the bike or even try to come around the front (probably from have a longish lead in my hand rather than something short attached at the back).

Yes, that is a concern--getting a leash tangled in a spoke--and that's why the products on the market are created to keep leashes out and away from moving parts. I took this into consideration when the girls and I practiced with different hardware and the current system I use I've not had any incidents with entanglement. I would caution you about using a standard length leash while cycling. You have little to no control of the dog's movement and the dog could get in front of the bike and cause you both to get hurt.

that's why i'm wondering if it works to not have some sort of rigid arm keeping the dog a safe distance from the bike.

Kali was actually spooked by the rigid arm so that's why I had to modify my system.

[elk]

i think its called the biker dog...simple little frame attaches to bike; a rubber rod attaches short lead to dog to frame.

I like that it puts her a little behind....and I use it on the left because it's away from the chain andit is the side on which my dogs always walk with me...

If you look at my squidoo page...I talk about some of these attachments. I actually have 2 I would sell.
One attaches to the seatpost and a hollow tube with a spring in it attaches the dog.
The other is a steel tube that also attaches at he seat stays and puts the dog behind the bike.e

[mayanorange]

Oooooh yet another thing I can do with the Cass-dog! That walkydog one that attaches to the seat post looks scary tho- I can just see 80lbs of mtn dog spooking and yanking the seat right out from under me!

[Beane]

OK, first real session went well. I put him in his skijoring harness (no, we haven't ever skijored... i'm still learning to XC ski) and bought one of these: wacky walk'r. I attached it to the lower section of the rear rack on my commuter with a carabiner and started out just walking with the bike between me and him. once he got over the initial discomfort with the whole idea, i started riding and voila! it worked! He only stopped once to <try to> pee but didn't try to chase any bunnies or squirrels.

[sundial]

Oooooh yet another thing I can do with the Cass-dog! That walkydog one that attaches to the seat post looks scary tho- I can just see 80lbs of mtn dog spooking and yanking the seat right out from under me!

Hook a trailer up to Cass and go for a ride.