Exercising dogs by bike!
More and more I see people exercising their dogs by dragging them along by their leads while they merrily cycle along on their bikes. I even saw one person dragging their poor dog along while they were on a moped! :mad:
Not only does this give the dog no chance to potter around and sniff (which is the highlight of walks to lots of dogs), it is, in my opinion, verging on cruelty. Often the dogs are clearly struggling to keep up and have no chance to stop if they are exhausted (otherwise they would simply get dragged along the ground).
Every time I see one of these lazy b******* exercising their dog this way, I want to stop them and tell them exactly what I think (although I can imagine the reaction I would get).
What do you think? Is this an acceptable way to exercise a dog?
Not only does this give the dog no chance to potter around and sniff (which is the highlight of walks to lots of dogs), it is, in my opinion, verging on cruelty. Often the dogs are clearly struggling to keep up and have no chance to stop if they are exhausted (otherwise they would simply get dragged along the ground).
Every time I see one of these lazy b******* exercising their dog this way, I want to stop them and tell them exactly what I think (although I can imagine the reaction I would get).
What do you think? Is this an acceptable way to exercise a dog?
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I knew a man many years ago who had an American Doberman, that thing was bloody enormous! For someone who's terrified of dogs and not exactly very tall, having something so big sitting next to you on the sofa like a person while you're frozen in fear is terrifying
I think that because of it's size it had no problems running with the bike and it did look like it enjoyed being able to run full pelt with it's owner.
I don't know if I agree with it though, I doubt it would be as easy to keep control of such a large dog when on a bicycle .
Anyway, it is dangerous and cruel IMO
Dogs when allowed to run freely will settle into a loping trot, which is very energy efficient, and very natural for them. Wolves when out hunting fall into this gait.
This is the speed I let my dog cruise at with me, and he gets short galloping bursts.
IT IS NOT CRUEL. He loves it, he nearly pops with joy when I get the bike out.
Of course he gets to go on leisurely walks also, but he adores his blats out on the bike.
He is an active breed,a Stafford, and a breed that is restricted regarding off lead exercise due to other dog owners being utterly incapable of keeping their own fat lazy mutts under control. The sort of owner that lets their lardy Lab of the lead as soon as they hit a park, to "potter"
People who slag of owners who do give their dogs a good run on a bike just prove they have little or no knowledge of canine physiology or psychology, and would perhaps be better suited to keeping cats.
I do not however condone using mopeds etc.
If you're on the pavement it's a risk to pedestrians, and of course to the dog if you have to swerve suddenly. Where I live bikes are banned from pavements.
If you're on the road or in cycle lanes then that's even worse from the point of view of safety.
Stupid question! Of course it does. We have an active breed of dog who likes nothing better than a good run. Though living in the country our dog is only tethered when it's unsafe to let him run loose but he's always happy to run along side at varying speeds wether tied or not. People with lap dogs are not exactly gonna do the same are they? Most people know what there dogs are capable of. To call all dog owners who exercise there dogs this way lazy is a joke, are you aware of all their circumstances? Ok, yes there are irresponsible dog owners out there but we're not all tarred with the same brush!! What about joggers who exercise their dogs whilst out running, are they also lazy?
Tried not to get too defensive when I read your quoted response to one part of my post but hey ho. The part you quoted was not a question, it was a musing. Had it been a question it would have been properly punctuated to reflect me wanting an answer.
Additionally, did you actually bother to read my post or did you just see the top part and enter into rant mode? In no section of my post did I state that people who choose the method are lazy. I was merely speculating on the safety aspect and sharing a story of someone I knew who did this with his dog. In fact I even mentioned that the dog itself seemed to really enjoy running with the bicycle. While I may not agree it, simply because of the safety aspect for owner, dog and surrounding public at no point did I insult any dog owner who chooses to do this.
*Grump over, time for a cup of tea.
Same here with the treadmill.
22 years of veterinary nursing my dear. Including and not limited to, 20 years of specialist study in the areas of canine behaviour, nutrition and conditioning. Don't try and sell ice to the Eskimos.
My uncle used to be with the Forestry Commission and took his car on all the tracks through the forests. When his dog needed a run, he'd put the dog out and drive along at about 10 mph for a few minutes with the dog in hot pursuit! Didn't seem to do the animal any harm, and obviously it was used to this procedure, but probably not a great idea on the M25. :cool: