How to travel by bike with your dog?
¡Hello! My name is Ana and I have been doing bike rides since I was 14 years old, but it has only been two years that I have been doing them with my dog. The truth is that it is a great discovery and I am getting more and more hooked.
Who is Dexter?
Dexter is a rehomed dog, an Australian Kelpie full of energy to travel the world twice in a row.
When I rehomed him I was very clear that he was the ideal dog for traveling by bicycle. Not only because of the energy that he radiated, but because of his sheepdog instinct that makes him always be alert, warning me of any danger that approaches, person or animal.
Most rehomed dogs come with some issues (on the good sense of the word). Dexter was very insecure since he was only 10 months old and had already gone through 3 families, I was the fourth. This caused him big stress and he began to be “aggressive” towards people who tried to approach him.
I got down to business and started working on those little aspects before embarking on the adventure of cycling with him.
What is it like to travel by bike with a dog?
I was not sure how it would be like to carry a dog on a bicycle.
Would he run alongside the bike? We would go very slow. Dexter runs on an average of 10-11km / h and can cover 20-25km in a day.
Would I transport him on the bike then? Carrying all the weight of the bike, plus the luggage, plus Dexter (who is 24kg) … my legs didn’t see it very clearly.
Let’s say the answer was a mixture of both. He would run half of the way and the other half I would be his taxi driver.
Dexter’s adaptation
Dexter was still very nervous, he was adjusting to his new family. But it was time to start the training to be in the trailer that would carry him behind the bike.
It took me about a year to get 100% comfortable in the car. At first it was not easy, I have to admit it, but without ceasing to insist and with absolute patience we succeeded.
To the point that now he can even travel in a box that I put on the rear rack.
Without a doubt, Dexter has changed the way we live each adventure. What it has influenced the most is the speed at which we move.
Traveling with Dexter
We travel much slower, which allows us to enjoy more the moment, the landscape and above all to be able to interact more with people we meet along the way. In the end is what makes a trip special.
We no longer look at how many kilometers we have to travel in the day or how long we are going to beat in our next challenge.
We simply have an idea of what we want to travel and visit and, according to how we feel, with the recommendations of the locals and with what we find along the way, we design our way to reach our final destination.
This way we don’t feel frustrated about not being able to complete the day’s tour or spending more time on the bike than we expected. We simply let ourselves flow and above all we listen to our body to avoid injuries and to be able to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
Tips for cycling with your dog
Carrying a furry on the bike means that you have to consider him as your travel companion and not as an object. You learn to understand that he also has to enjoy the experience.
And maybe being in a trailer for several hours is not the experience of his lifetime. So if he likes to play with sticks or swim in a lake, you will have to make time for that too.
High-energy dogs like Dexter, what they have to learn is to sit still and relax. Otherwise, they may be at risk of injury.
On the first cycling trip, Dexter would not stop, causing injuries to his pads. You learn from everything. Now when the days are long or on asphalt for long time, Dexter has a pair of boots to protect the pads. Problem solved!
Advantages of traveling with a dog
Taking your pet on a bike trip has many other advantages, such as:
You don’t need a bike lock when you go shopping.
You interact more with people, especially those who like dogs.
He is always willing to listen to you, the communication between us improves a lot.
It gives you heat at night and cleans your face in the morning … well…
Jokes aside, taking your furry friend on a bike trip is the best ingredient that can add to the experience.
Taking the dog on the bike: trailer vs box?
On this trip I decided to use a trailer.
Both options have their advantages and their small cons. According to my experience, I leave you with 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of the two:
Trailer: Pros and Cons
Advantages
1. Your furry is super comfortable. He can lie back and relax, both when you are on the go and when you stop to rest. In addition to being covered by the waterproof cover when the weather is not so good.
Depending on the brand they can be very stable, allowing you to corner a little more ‘aggressively’ without fear of tipping it over.
2. You can transport many things on the base of the trailer, especially those that are difficult to carry on the bike. Like a watermelon.
3. The bike suffers much less since the weight of the entire load is more distributed.
Disadvantages
1. You have to choose your tires very well. Since it is a small measure, most brands make them for children, but they last very few kilometers, considering the weight you carry in the car.
There have been days when the wheels have lasted less than a day.
2. Sometimes it becomes a bit difficult to pass through the barriers at the entrances to the bike paths. In most cases you have to detach the trailer from the bike and pass the barrier separately.
3. You have to be careful with corners, self-closing doors, and pivots. As the wheels can get caught in these obstacles or get hit, which can cause the axles to bend.
Box over the rear wheel: Pros and Cons
Advantages
1. By having your furry closer, you can control him better and faster when he has to climb into the box or jump out.
2. You drag less weight, which your legs thank you for, especially on hilly days.
3. You avoid all the mechanical problems of the trailer, especially punctures and tires.
Disadvantages
1. Your furry is constantly alert and cannot relax like in the trailer since the space is smaller and the bumps are more noticeable.
2. Watch out for bumps, it may catapult backwards. Or if he is tied up and jumps out of the box, he can wrap the rope around his legs and hurt himself quite a bit …
3. The support and the spokes of the rear wheel suffer a lot so it is easy for them to break in the medium term …
At the end of the day, whether you decide to take a trailer or a box…the decision made will be the right one, there is nothing to worry about!
Bring dry food or prepare food for him?
Dexter eats dry food. From time to time I add a little protein as it is much more active than at home and needs an extra.
The only point here would be to try to choose the brand with the most protein and that is easy to find. Remember, if you mix food often, it can cause him stomach problems.
I usually buy 2-3kg bags and they usually last me for about a week, depending on how much extra I give him. Dexter is not a great eater..
On my experience with Dexter, making the choice to feed him with dry food is much easier, more comprehensive, and less cumbersome. The weight to carry would be practically the same. But obviously each dog and owner is a different world …
Documentation to travel with a dog
If you go to Europe you do need a passport with up-to-date vaccinations and depending on the country you need a pill to deworm him before entering the country. In some countries like England you need rabies vaccinations before leaving the country.
The rules can vary between countries, it is best to go to the vet a couple of months before traveling to be sure that everything is up to date.
What to bring to travel with your dog by bike?
Here is the list of equipment that I take when traveling with Dexter:
- Water
- Food
- Foldable bowl for water.
- Waterproof cloth bowl for food.
- Healing Vaseline for the paw pads.
- Brush.
- Boots.
- Bags to collect waste.
- Ball.
- 2 leads
- Harness
- Muzzle
- Double protection treatment to deworm it.
- Passport (in case of leaving Europe).
Ah! I forgot the most important thing and that we sometimes share: His bed! It is waterproof and fluffy… awesome to share naps in!
