Hi

I have came to th conclusion that I will NOT be letting my huskies off the lead anymore. ;)

So as a subsitute for a good run for them I have decided for me and my other half to invest in a mountain bike and some how try and think of a way to attach the huskies to the bikes. Do you think a harness would be good for this? If so where do I get one from? Do you think I could attach the dogs to the bikes with out a harness and let them just pull on a rope/long lead etc. Any advice would be great as the little s*ds are pulling my arms off when its time for walkies :)

Dogs ..there was a thread not too long ago about Springers where we talked about the attachemnt that you can buy for bikes ....but I can't remember which board it was on ....maybe someone will remember and help?

Melody :)

Hi mel

Someone has gave me the the address for them (www.springers-uk) but it does not work.

Dogs ..try doing a google search ...we bought ours at the Mal Club Show ..are you going to the Nordic Show? Maybe they will have them there

Mel

Here's the [link http://www.champdogs.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?tid=14375&hilite=Springers%20#96595]thread[/link] Melody - hope it helps Heidi :)

Fiona
x x x

Thanks Fi ...I knew there was a lot of info on there :D

Mel

thanks Fiona :)

If the dogs haul when you are walking I suspect you may find they tow the bike all over the place too :-(. I've never tried getting a dog to run beside the bike on a lead but stopped taking the mountain bike out with off lead dogs because I was hit the dirt so often when playful hounds decided to have a game dodging around the bike. The only other suggestion I can think of is a horse :-)!

Melody

Not going to the Nordic show but I am going to the LKA in he December :)

Sharon

Horses, been there I would much rather stick to dogs :)

More likly to have them at the Nordic as it is just for 'well Nordic Dogs' having said that there may be someone who has them at LKA. Ja:)kie

I get my harnesses and equipment from Phil at Culpeppers. www.culpeppers.co.uk He is really nice and will give you any help you require and his mail order is very effficient. I always find that if he doesn't have something, he'll know where to get it :D

Dear dogs, do you think it's wise to attach your dogs to your bike considering that they may pull in the wrong direction and tip the bike over?

Sounds kind of dangerous to me, especially if you are going past 10 miles per hour on the bike. What if they see a rabbit or some other small animal and find it irresistible not to chase. Huskies LOVE to pull and personally i think it sounds like a dangerous idea. What if they decide to dart to the left or the right all of a sudden and they tip your bike over with you on it?

I used to put rollerblades on and have my old GSD pull me on them when i was younger. He used to run like the wind and next time i know i would be going like 15 miles per hour. Didn't try it for more than a week though, got some really bad road rash when he saw another dog.

How about putting some sort of training wheels on the bike to help keep it more stable on any tight turns you may encounter. Might even save your life, who knows. Good luck!

BTW, you can have special harnesses made for your dogs for pulling. I wouldn't simply attach a rope or lead to their collar because it may injure them.
Rob

Rob a lot of us that have Mals (and , I assume) Sibes use these Springers to run our them :) It may sound dangerous but until you have had experience of them you really don't know. It is always recommended that a harness is used with a springer , rather than a lead

HTH

Mel

Morning Mel, I use to use a bike to run my dogs and a harness with lead and the only trouble was with the bitch who would stop to have a pee with no warning. I found that the 'shopper' type bike was ok as you can stand up almost straight away. Until people have tried it it is difficult to see how it works think they think you ride very fast which of course you don't. Don't think a 'shopper' bike would be tall enough for a Mal. but they are fine for mine. Ja:)kie

Morning Jackie :D Murky morning isn't it? Stephen takes Hudson on his bike ...I'm not daft , havent been on a bike for about 30 years :D

Unless you have a field or secure place to let Sibes and Mals off lead you always run the (very big risk) of them disappearing into the mist after a rabbit / squirrel or something else furry so to get them to have a run the easiest thing is the Springer as you know.

One good thing is that , at a run , Hudson cannot stop and scent mark every blade of grass :D

Mel

I think it would be dangerous to have a whole pack of huskies on the bike but I use a springer for my dog. He has a harness on and is connected to the springer at the side of the bike and I have a long lead attached to his collar which hangs loosely whilst I am travelling along the road, although I have never needed it. Once I have got to the country park near us, I take that off.
I know many people who take two dogs at a time, one on a side springer and one on a front springer and do a couple of miles with each pair of dogs or alternate the evenings for each pair. I 've been using the springer for about a year now with no accidents.

Hi

I only intend on having one dog attached to my bike :) My boyfriend is having my male (Zeus) We are only gouing to ride down canal tow paths (which are quite wide by our canal) and maybe try to find a field to ride them on aswell :) :)

why not put them in a wheeled rig to excercise them?

Sam

I could do, its just that I thought it would be better exercise for all of us if it ment we rode the bike (you know what it is like with xmas comming up) :D

all the rigs I have seen seem to involve the musher running alongside 90% of the time....that would get you fit;)

Sam, wheeled rigs are very expensive, not to mention bulky to store, and finding somewhere to use them as it is illegal on the public highway. I have bought a front Springer to see if my mal will take to pulling (no doubts really;)) before going the whole hog of forking out about £300 for a rig.

Heidi, you should see Springers for sale at LKA as they are used by many people to exercise their dogs, not just the arctic breeds. You will also have to decide what type to buy, side or front. A side Springer is IMHO the one for road work because the dog is beside you, and therefore safer, but if you want to teach your dog to pull, the front mounted version is the one to go for if you have off-road areas you can go on. It is much easier getting up those hills too :D

Hi Everyone.
Regarding a springer for your mountain bike, this is absolutely fine i have 3 Siberian Huskies and 5 Alaskan Malamutes, they all go on the springer one at a time they do 3 miles each morning.
I have the side springer and have never been pulled off and believe me my dogs can run. It;s an excellent way to keep you and your dogs fit.
But when you get one do not use the silly bit of rope that comes with it or the plastic bit get a small choke chain and a qick release clip, as this is safer to use.At the weekend the dogs all go on the rig if we are at the rallies or not.
It's great fun having one so go for it half of these people probably haven't used one.
You can get them from Phil at Culpeppers or from the Alaskan Malamute club site.

Leah from polarpaws