I thought I'd continue the mushing discussion on a new thread...   Do those who do it ever run into critism from the general public?  Is there much risk of injury to the dog? 

I bicycle around a lot and when I heard about people cycling with their dogs it seemed like a really good idea.  I'm just concerned that other people on the trail may yell at me for being rough on the dog.  Also I remember seeing someone that would 'walked'  their two dogs every morning from their SUV, by holding the leashes out the open window and then slowly driving back and forth around a parking lot.  I know cycling is a lot different, but i still worry that cycling with a dog may be risky to the dog for similar reasons.

I agree that carting looks really fun!  Is it tough to find a location where you can do it?

anna1001: I posted this on the other thread, but thought I would add it here since you started this new thread.

I bike with both my girls and was worried about stops and jerks.  I did some research on the internet and found an attachment for my bike made by Springer (http://www.springerusa.com/) which holds the dog to the side and a bit out from the bike.  It has a spring on the top that absorbs tugs whether from a stop by the dog or a jerk after a squirrel.  My 54 lb female has done both while we were out riding and we were going fast enough for her to be trotting at a good clip.  In neither case was I pulled over.  What happened is the spring gave and absorb the jolt for the most part for me on the bike and then immediately gave her a sharp tug which got her moving in the right direction again.  The Springer was originally developed in one of the Scandanvian countries. I like mine and both my girls quickly caught on and don't give me to much trouble any more. I use a harness that I got at a pet store for the biking, but the harness is more just to keep them connected to the bike and not at all for pulling like you would see in carting.

The reaction I get from other people has all been positive.  Most are just curious about where I got the attachment and how I got them to work with me and the bike.  For both my girls I hooked them up and we went with virtually no problem.  The are both obedience trained though and I think that helped. They were also adults (ok they were over 2 yrs) when I tried it with them.  I'm not sure I would do this with a younger dog and especialy not one that is younger than 1 yr as their growth plates have not closed yet.

I have recommended this to others with dogs over and over.  The only caution is if you take them on paved roads watch there feet and pads for wear.  Also, I avoid high traffic areas for obvious reasons.   It is a great way to exercise them without killing yourself.  I originally got the bike attachment to work my youngest and build her chest up a bit, but was quickly corrected by my oldest.  So, I now take one come back and swap out and take the other one.  The good news is I get lot's of exercise.

Anna...where in FL are you?  I am in Tampa.   My husband used to walk Jackson next to the bike around the driveway and up and down our street when he was younger.  He is 11 months now...and he will jog next to a bike for only short sprints around the block ..( Cycling is dangerous enugh on busy streets without a dog...so I think sticking to paved trails and quiet streets s smart)..BUT He really enjoys mountain biking on off road trails.  This is safer as you can leave the dog offleash and most of the time they are just trying to keep up with you.  Plus the dirt is much better for them to run on.  I do think it is important they have run, walked and been taught how to ride with a leash on a bike first so they still know you are in control at all times. Teaching them how to move off the trail when you say rider up is also important.

All I know is if the bike comes out..jackson about jumps out fo his skin with excitment....he likes that better than anything else! 

Please get the spring thing!  If you do, it's great fun and the dogs love it.  I run with mine whenever the weather is good but even when I am in fine form, I can't run as fast as my dogs would like!  The bike is perfect.

Oh good!! Thanks for the great advice! The spring thing does sound like a fabulous invention (have to love those brilliant Scandinavian types, that's why I drive a Saab!).

Jodi- I live in Tallahassee.  I agree that cycling ANYWHERE that cars can go is taking your life in your hands and I agree that having a dog too would be really tough.  Drivers are insane in this state....I got passed by someone (on a one-lane, double yellow line road) in a SCHOOL ZONE this morning, and that is not the first time htat has happened.  I cycled to work every day for about two years and came off my bike on 3 separate occasions during that time because of careless driving.  Anyway, sorry about the rant.

Off to do some online shopping.....

I've thought about the double GSP with the Springer, but with just one dog you are about 4 foot across (bike and dog) with two I would double so you need a wide area (too wide for where I bike).  Also, I like the one on one with each of my girls.  Plus, they have different paces, although you could slow down to the slowest of the two.  The other thing is if you have dogs on both sides it is harder for the rider to get on on off.  With only one I put her on my right as I get on the bike from the left side, so she isn't in the way when I get on and off. Let me know if you try with two.

unowhoandwhy:

Please post when you try two dogs.  I would love to know how that goes.  Also, be sure you order the extra attachment (Spring Arm) for your second dog.  The basic order gives you the mount and one Spring Arm only. Also, I don't use the harness that came with the Springer as I didn't partcularly like it.  I use a harness I got at PetSmart that I also use when I run the dogs in flyball.

One other thing is it takes a while to get the Springer, so you might want to order it now.  Mine took over two weeks and I called them to see where it was.  They do send it, but it is slow.

Good Luck and Happy Birthday in advance!!

I haven't ever used a springer, but I know a lot of folks love them. Just beware that when you start talking multiple dogs the power effect can be increased exponentially... their energy can feed of each other and the result can be quite explosive, especially in those 'squirrel moments'. GSPs as a whole are are VERY strong and VERY fast when compared to many other breeds, and that needs to be respected.

And that pretty much says it all for 'harming' the dog if done correctly (avoid running on pavement as already discussed and avoid high temperatures)... damage to equipment and the human is much more likely in my experience! I've only VERY rarely had people make negative comments about running dogs in harness, and they're either total psychos that literally need to start taking their meds again (you learn all kinds of interesting things about folks in a small town), or the dogs themselves quickly change their minds. There's nothing like having a conversation about 'so they actually LIKE doing that?!?' as I'm having my arms ripped out of their sockets trying to keep them from running on down the trail, LOL!

The most interesting thing is that folks familiar with GSPs NEVER EVER question my hound's pulling their various contraptions. In fact, they usually say "wow, now that's a GREAT idea!!", and launch into their own GSP insaniac stories.

Daniel -

Halo does the same thing only for us it is the beach.   She hits the water faster than I can get down to the beach, but when I get there I walk along the beach and she swims about 50 feet out along the beach.  When I turn around to come back, so does she but she never gets out of the water until it is time to go home. It is fantastic exercise and she never tires of it.  Belle my other girl likes to swim, but for our walks she runs out it front in the shallows and a then comes back and checks on me then out again.  Once in a while she swims out to Halo and back in.z

C'mon. You KNOW you're evil for beating the dog into swimming out there like that.

People are really strange sometimes.

Ok, I just reread your post and you were worried about the dog getting hurt.  If someone gets hurt, it will be you and the dog will be just fine......

Yeah, I noticed that as soon as the first person replied, and it was pretty naive to think that the dog would be more at risk.  You can see where my priorities are.   I am considerably glad that I posted before I experimented.