Good Dog Breed for a Biking Companion?

[Sombeech]

I mentioned this in the running thread for my wife, but I'd like to look into a breed that can keep up on a moderate mountain bike ride too.

I'm sure most of us are familiar with Bruce Argyle's Jack Russell and that seems like a great breed.

Any suggestions?

[Udink]

My Brittany Spaniel, Torrey, has been great for mountain biking (and also jogging, ATVing, and hiking). She always has plenty of energy and can keep up on any trail. She does like to lead, though, but she usually doesn't have a problem sticking to the trail. She can also keep a 15MPH trot in front of the ATV for several miles. Brittanys in general are very good-tempered, smart, and obedient.

[chromehead58]

I have a black lab, great family dog and was great to go riding with, he is to old now though...but I have a younger dog, half lab and half german short hair, I have not been able to ride this dog into the ground yet. He sees me put my bike in my car and he goes nuts. However, I do know that big dogs are not the best to take running all of the time. I hear good things about the jack russell. Only bad thing that I have heard is that they do not do well in the cold.

[ahansen60]

I would think just about any dog will handle it pretty good as long as they are medium to large in size, not overweight, and are obedient enough to stay close to you when riding. I have 2 dogs I take with me when riding. A beagle mix and a Chiweenie (Chihuaha Daschund mix). I used to just take my beagle and leave the Chiweenie home because I didn't think she would be able to keep up. But I decided to finally bring her one time and she really surprised me. She was faster than my beagle and was on my heels the entire time!
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My tired dogs after a nice long ride on the BST.

[trackrunner]

justin Jack Russell Terriers & russell terriers are known not to be the best kids dog. the bread was bread to violently shake to death small creatures. that stated a Jack Russell saved some kids lives a couple years back that were attacked by two dogs (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269653,00.html). it was posthumously awarded a medal for bravery

[mxerhale]

I've got a dumb Greyhound that could definitely keep up on the trail but, when I stopped at my truck she'd probably just keep on going... never to be seen again. I 've seen some Heelers that seem to do great on the trail and them little suckers can chase cattle or sheep all day long without much of a break at all.

[wordkeeper]

I have 2 jack russells that love riding,but 12 miles is about it.They are also great running dogs and the older one[3years] loves to snowshoe.We got them to keep up with us and they do a great job.

[live2ride]

I see a bunch of dobermans on the trails and always have heard great things from the owners about them being obedient and great trail dogs. That is what I am getting when the kids get older. I dont think you can go wrong with a Lab either has to be one of the best all around dogs and doesnt appear as a threat by people on the trail.

[REDFOX]

I hate seeing dogs on the trail, they are a hazard. I have only hit 2 and both of them were labs while biking Mueller in Bountiful. I think that the dogs are safer at home or on hiking only trails.

[Deathcricket]

My pitt is an awesome trail dog. I take him biking with me all the time. He can do a trail like bear claw poppy and has no trouble with more technical stuff like the barrel trail. He does have 3 disadvantages though.
1. He can only go 10-15mph at a steady trot with a bust of 25 but he can only keep that up for 1-2 mins. So I have to keep my downhill speed a bit slower. My buddies doberman can run way faster and can go as fast as you can on a bike.
2. I really have to watch him on paved trails. he will wear his little paws out on the cement and not complain, but then I get home on notice his feet are ripped to shreds and he is down for a week. But he will just keep going and going with no complaints and I have no clue he is shredding his footsies.
3. Doesn't do so good in really hot Saint George weather. He only good for about 7-10 miles when it's super hot down here. Even with ample hydration he gets overheated and has puked up his water a couple times.

I'll bring him to the next bogley gathering and you'll fall in love with him, best breed I have ever owned hands down, and perfect with kids.

I've also owned a Jack Russell and they definitely have the energy to keep up, but they are super headstrong and difficult to train off leash. They have a strong prey drive and will take off to chase a rabbit or cat or whatever and kill it. I could never get mine to not dart after anything it saw (even lizards), so you'd pretty much always have to have it leashed IMO. He didn't love kids like my pitbull does, but he tolerated them. You might also look into a whippet if you want a super fast smaller dog, they are a little easier to control but not much. But whippets are much more kid friendly.

My pit is a whole different animal though, he is a family dog that will follow you wherever you go. he also is powerful enough to carry his own water and food which is nice. Where as a Jack cant carry jack, hehe. Now if only I can figure out how to rappel with him. :haha:

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[mxerhale]

I have to agree with you Deathcricket, I had an Amstaff for 8 years and he was the best family dog that I've ever owned. He had just about the same good and bad as yours and was better off of a leash than he was on one. I spent many afternoons washing/working on my motocrossers with him sitting in the driveway watching every imagineable creature walk by our house without chasing it. Very smart dogs too, I taught him some tricks when he was younger that would make a circus performer jealous.

[tley430]

Great question! I've always pondered this myself. My chocolate lab loves to chase me up and down the trails! But, now that we live in the desert, most of the time, the weather is WAY too hot for her. Labs and other breeds are very prone to heat exhaustion, as is any overweight dog. My advise: Go to your local shelter and get a smaller to medium-sized mixed breed dog - maybe a border collie/australian shepherd mix, blue heeler mix, or a cattle dog mix.

As a side note: check the bottom of you dogs paws frequently and monitor for injury to the paw pads. I never take take my dog mnt biking on slick rock or any sandstone trail as this will tear up her pads. Trust me, I have learned the hard way.

[Deathcricket]

My advise: Go to your local shelter and get a smaller to medium-sized mixed breed dog - maybe a border collie/australian shepherd mix, blue heeler mix, or a cattle dog mix.


I would second this advice. :2thumbs:

I got my dog from Hart animal rescue. The lady who works there is amazing and found me the perfect dog. I'm sure if you talk to the local animal rescue person in your area, you will get the same awesome results I did. They even let you "test drive" dogs. you can bring it home for a couple days and see how it fits with your lifestyle, then get another. After having 3 or 4 you can see exactly what type will fit best with your family and it will be way better in the long run. Try out a couple breeds and see if you like a smaller or bigger dog, and test out different energy levels. It's cool seeing how different dog's personalities are, and how they interact with the world. And the best part is they are pretty much free, no sense paying $700 for a dog in the store, unless you get some status elevation from it :)

[chromehead58]

so did you get a dog?

[bbennett]

I've got a Boxer that is only about 5 months old. I'm trying to break him into it kind of slowly and have taken him out a few times on the BST. He loves it and has no problem keeping up. I'm really looking forward to get him out on a regular basis.

Nice thread :2thumbs:

[Sombeech]

Thanks for the continued feedback. Every time I almost convince myself to get a dog, I end up stepping in dog sh*t in somebody's yard :haha: So I'm still not decided yet.

I love the idea of having a biking buddy that won't complain when I stop riding to get a few video shots in, but it's the other stuff, especially potty training that I'm not looking forward to. It will probably be an inside dog because I'm too busy to build a dog run in the back. But I do have a heated garage, so that's an option, but the dog poop again.... That stuff stinks for weeks in the garage if it's stepped in. I really really hate dog sh*t.

But the wife and kids really want one, so I'm a little undecided.

[Deathcricket]

Thanks for the continued feedback. Every time I almost convince myself to get a dog, I end up stepping in dog sh*t in somebody's yard :haha: So I'm still not decided yet.

I love the idea of having a biking buddy that won't complain when I stop riding to get a few video shots in, but it's the other stuff, especially potty training that I'm not looking forward to. It will probably be an inside dog because I'm too busy to build a dog run in the back. But I do have a heated garage, so that's an option, but the dog poop again.... That stuff stinks for weeks in the garage if it's stepped in. I really really hate dog sh*t.

But the wife and kids really want one, so I'm a little undecided.

That's not too hard. You can put a weatherproof doggie door in and an "invisible fence" to address both those issues. Most intelligent breeds are not hard to potty train at all. Just google "crate training". The main issue most people have is they think dogs plan ahead, they don't. So if you let the dog outside and then think he might not have to pee in a couple hours, such could not be the case. But if they can always get out when they need to, it won't be an issue. The main things you need to worry about is they need exercise, then need discipline, and they need attention. So if you ignore the dog, don't train it, and it's not part of the family, you're going to have problems. Sometimes pets are neat for a couple months and they they get boring and ignored, that's when you're going to have problems.

[Sombeech]

Sometimes pets are neat for a couple months and they they get boring and ignored, that's when you're going to have problems.

Yeah that's what I'm afraid of too, the new puppy wearing off with the kids in a few months, then it becomes a job to do around the house.

I grew up with animals of various sorts so I know how it goes, but we lived out in the country with fields and no leash laws, stuff like that. It would be an odd occurence when we would find dog crap on the lawn, squishing between our toes.

[mxerhale]

We had our old American Staffordshire trained to poop on the side strip of our driveway (an area about 15x40 feet)where we don't normally walk and he would be out the door in a flash and come barrelling back like a runaway freight train when he was done with his business. No fence, no invisible fence and no leash. I sure miss the old guy, our greyhound craps around the whole perimeter of the backyard fence. I guess that's better than the middle of the yard, but it's not ideal.

As a sidenote, I'd recommend a dog from the shelter and when I say dog I mean not a puppy. Generally they will be crate trained and house trained already so you've solved some of the headaches before they can start. Just MHO.

[accadacca]

We've had a cairn terrier (wizard of oz dog) for 2 years and she has been a great family dog. I am not interested in biking with her, bet she loves going on walks and would do fine hiking. Oh yeah, she absolutely LOVES the beach and water. She goes nuts biting the waves as they come in and running around chasing birds.

One drawback with this type of dog is you have to watch her closely, once she picks up a scent, then she'll take off and you'll have to hunt her down. :angryfire:

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[marucomoruca]

I would think just about any dog will handle it pretty good as long as they are medium to large in size, not overweight, and are obedient enough to stay close to you when riding. I have 2 dogs I take with me when riding. A beagle mix and a Chiweenie (Chihuaha Daschund mix). I used to just take my beagle and leave the Chiweenie home because I didn't think she would be able to keep up. But I decided to finally bring her one time and she really surprised me. She was faster than my beagle and was on my heels the entire time!
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My tired dogs after a nice long ride on the BST.

Taking the trips maybe is a good experience but I think You should send it to doggie kennel before starting a trips

[ahansen60]

Taking the trips maybe is a good experience but I think You should send it to doggie kennel before starting a trips
Huh? :confused: