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| *Vultures Knob>>>Exercise Bike |
How soon can I train my puppy to run along side my bike? |
I have a 4.5 month old Golden Doodle. (Standard Poodle/Golden Retriever mix) He weighs around 25 lbs. I don't want to exercise him too much too soon. Right now, we go for a 30 minute walk (1 mile) in the morning and again in the evening. I want him to eventually run along side my bike for about 3 miles to start with. How do I teach him to do this (without hurting either one of us) and how soon should he be running? as soon as you hit it with your bike and it realizes it can't run in front of the bike Hi there. I wrote this article for a forum I am a member of. I believe it answers most of your questions: EXERCISE: Daily exercise is important. VERY important. It keeps your dog fit, healthy, happy and stimulated. Underexercised dogs are unhappy dogs. Unhappy dogs show their frustrations in less than desirable ways -- through barking, chewing and generally being a pain in the backside. Well exercised dogs are content and (usually) do not get themselves into trouble. Why? because tired dogs sleep and a sleeping dog is always a good thing. Many, many common behavior problems are caused due to lack of exercise and stimulation. If your dog is having problems in a certain area, you might want to look closely at his exercise regime. HOW MUCH EXERCISE: A sensible rule of thumb to follow is the '5 minute rule' -- 5 minutes of exercise per month of age. The rule is designed to protect the soft growing joints. With Labs and other breeds prone to joint problems taking care not to over exercise in the first 18 months is essential. Games like Frisbee which involve leaping/jumping/sudden stopping are not a good idea. Equally, high intensity games of fetch should also be avoided with puppies. If you want to play fetch, make sure you roll the ball along the ground so the dog does not have to leap to catch it. The amount of exercised required for an adult dog will vary from individual to individual. One key factor is your dogs personality. A laid back, easy going dog may be content with a small amount of daily exercise. On the flip side, a high energy, high drive dog might be impossible to exhaust. Regardless of your dogs personality, only you know what you are able to provide your dog with. One thing you should NOT do is take your dog for long hikes during the weekend and expect him to be happy with a 10 minute walk around the block during the week. Being a "weekend warrior" will also make him prone to injury when he IS physically active. Be consistant with your exercise routine. Dogs are far more content when they know they will be exercised on a daily basis. Don't be a fair weather walker -- get out there! If you have a high energy dog, don't fall into the trap of exercising him for hours in an attempt to calm him. Your good intentions might have the opposite effect -- you are shaping a dog with a very large amount of stamina and endurance, therefore boosting his energy levels even further. High energy dogs are easier to calm with mental stimulation -- training, teaching new tricks, playing mind games and fun time with interactive toys all work well. The best part is that most mental stimulation can be done in your own home. There is often confusion about how much exercise to give a puppy under 6 months. My suggestion would be again to stick with the '5 minute rule'. For the first few months in particular, I am not concerned about giving the puppy lots of exercise -- what I AM concerned about is getting the puppy socialized. Therefore, walks are super important for getting the puppy exposed -- get your pup out there DAILY to meet new people/other dogs and experience the goings on of day to day life. WALKS: Walks, IMO, are essential. Whether you have the option of endless off leash trails or 'boring' city streets, a walk should be a central part of your dogs daily routine. An off leash walk is considered to be both mental AND physical stimulation whereas an on leash walk is more of a mental workout. If you are able to let your dog off leash in a safe area, you don't have to 'do' much because your dog is free to sniff and explore to his heart is content. You might want to add some training commands and retrieves into the mix to stimulate him further. On leash, your options are limited but you can still make it fun. Try using a flexi lead to allow your dog more freedom (make sure he is well trained before you use one -- also, make sure you are away from suburban streets/people/traffic). Power walk for 10 minutes with him at heel and then allow 10 minutes of free sniffing. Repeat for the duration of the walk. Also, add some obedience commands in there -- sit at the curb side, heelwork, etc. OTHER TYPES OF EXERCISE: Swimming: Swimming is a fantastic exercise. Most Labradors take like a fish to water. Swimming is good because it is low impact on the joints -- ideal for dogs of all ages including seniors and dogs with joint problems. Swimming also burns far more calories than most exercises meaning it tires your dog much quicker than, say, walking. Retrieving: Much like swimming, retrieving comes naturally for most Labradors. Standard retrieving a ball is fun but try to stimulate your dogs natural hunting instincts by setting up more complicated retrieves. Using a training dummy (lacing it with a bottled animal scent is far more exciting to a Lab nose!) is best. Take your dog to an area with tall grass. Tie him up to something and ask him to 'sit'. Walk a fair distance away from him and toss the training dummy up high into the air. Walk back to him, wait an additional 30 seconds and release him. If he 'marked' the fall of the dummy with his eyes he should run straight to it. If not, let him use his nose to hunt for it. Try a number of different retrieving situations in different environments -- he will appreciate it! Jogging: Jogging should NEVER be attempted with a dog under the age of 18 months (although waiting until the dog is 24 months would be better), however occasional jogging with a well conditioned adult can be a good exercise. Note the "occasional" part -- the reason behind this is because dogs are not natural sprinters. Running continually without stopping is not natural for a dog and, done too much, it stresses the joints even with an adult. Therefore if you want to jog with your dog, firstly make sure he is in good shape. Secondly, only jog with him a handful of times per week -- this will give his muscles time to recover. Finally, try to run him on a soft surface such as grass or a dirt track. You should also take sensible precautions in regards to weather -- NEVER run in the heat and bring plenty of water for your dog. Biking: As above, biking should never be attempted with a young dog. You can purchase special attachments that clip to your bike and allow your dog to run alongside, however again I would be concerned with the forced running. A much better option is to do occasional off leash biking. Off leash, your dog is free to run at his own pace. Remember to never push your dog beond his limits -- always stop BEFORE he gets tired. If you go on a longish bike ride, give your dog the next day off to recover. If you plan on being physically active with your dog, insure he is getting the correct amount of nutrition. Although the average pet does not require it, if your dog is truly active you might want to consider putting him on a performance food -- the higher levels of fat and protein are designed to support active dogs. When he is older, there is a bar that affixes to your bike frame with a short leash on the end, helps your pup run alongside w/o getting tangled in the spokes... http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_a... http://www.elitecollars.com/productsands... Please note these should be used with a harness rather than a collar, to more securely conrtol your pet. However, at his age walks are better as bones and joints are still growing, you do not want the impact from running to damage his joints and/or growth plates. Start gradually by incorporating a bit of jogging (maybe 5 minutes worth) into you daily walks but not until he is closer to a year old, gradually increase jogging time, or add a second 5-minute sprint. 1 yr old Forced running is inhumane because he can't stop if he needs to. Walking is much better for dogs. Wait until 12 months old to help prevent hip problems. Start slowly; running first, then walking him while walking your bike, Then slowly riding and work your way up from there. It鈥檚 good to see someone willing to exercise their dog, and even better to see someone wanting to learn the right way to do it. I have found a harness for Biking trips work better than a collar. Also helps prevent sudden jerks and injuries. Remember to NEVER tie the leash to your bike. As another poster mentioned, you can purchase an apparatus that connects to your bike, though I always just used a leash. And you will need to wait until your boy is old enough to keep up without injuring himself. This is so simple. I've done it with all my dogs. But your dog must know how to heal (walk at your side, not behind or ahead), first. When your dog heals, walk (not ride) with your bike on one side and the dog on the other. Just to the end of the block or so. When your dog is unbothered by the bike, try getting on the bike, or just straddle it. If your dog gets too close - gently nudge him further away with the side of your foot. Praise him anytime he's doing it right. Absolutely no yelling or freak-out sessions. It should be fun, fun, fun. If it get's frustrating, give it a rest, and try again later. Good luck - your dog will love this! |
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