As we all know.those horrid winter months are coming. I just ended up with my sister's dog (she didn't take care of him) and he will be in a kennel while i'm at school/work. My other three dogs tire easily (two being small breeds that are pooped just by running around my house and the other is very old) so I have never had this problem before. He is an aussie shepherd so I figured a walk won't be good enough. By winter I won't have enough money for one of those bicycle jogger things so.is there a way I can teach him? Or is there a jogger thing cheaper than $50?
Answers:
He has to do it on a leash to be safe -and yes, it can be done.
You are better off if you can use a bike that has up right handle bars and coaster brakes.
He MUST be 100% reliable on the command heel and stay at your left side and not deviate even of there a 4 dogs to play with only 6 feet away. (If he doesn't do this, take him to obedience class this winter - you will both gets lots of exercise practicing an hour a day. A competent trainer will have him and you heeling satisfactorily in 10-12 weeks,)
Get a 6 foot leash and a chain slip collar that has a 3-4 finger widths between his neck and the chain. Put the collar on so the loop that slides through the ring comes over the back of his neck and towards you in a straight line. DO NOT TRY BIKING WITH A FLAT COLLAR - YOU WILL GET TOWED DOWN THE ROAD.
If he does do heel, pick a place where the surface is dirt, not asphalt. Step over and into the bike and make him get on your left at heel. Hold the leash in your left hand - give him enough length so he can move up to 4 feet from you. Start peddling and move off slowly. Tell him "heel" (I use "on me" for anything that means get on my left.)
Talk to him: no - slow, heel, come on ,up up , steady, good guy.
If he tries to dart out to the side or in front or lags,, use you fingers to snap (not pull) the leash. (Can you ride with one hand at first? That is the easiest way to manage the leash at first.)
Go slow - he'll get the idea. Aussies are clever little beasties.
If he tries to dart in front of the bike, brace to stop fast and drop a foot and let him make the mistake of getting in the way of the wheel. Probably won't do it again after the wheel whacks him once.
If he doesn't pay attentiion to things like sign posts, let him drift into one and snag the leash - just plan and be ready to stop fast and drop a foot as he hangs up on the post and brings himself to an abrupt halt. He probably won't make that mistake twice and will learn to watch out and move closer to you at the sight of a sign post.
As he gets better at it, you can try taking him on quiet side streets.
I weigh 98 lbs and my 115 lb Kuvasz does this every day with the bike when we go on errands around our village - he has to, he is a mobility Service Dog and has my purse.(shoulder injury - no lifitng, no carrying.) And this is how he learned to go biking and even did in the middle of a street music festival with crowds and never veered or bobbled once.)
By the way, if you do need to do an obedience class first, forget Petsmart.
Now you both need a GOOD obedience class - and that is NOT Petsmart or Petco.
GO here to find contacts in you area that can help you locate and obedience trainer who works with all beeds and has experience with GSDs and who does AKC obeedience compettions:
http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf.
http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf. (set on all breeds)
http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf.
Even it they are an hour or more away, they will know other people all over the state.
Happy riding!
I'm not sure what you mean by "bicycle jogger things" but I really don't think that your dog will get the same exercise and peice of mind out of running inside on a machine than he will just by being outside.
All dogs like to walk, and really it isn't the intensity, it's the time spent. A good long walk is just as good for a dog as a long run. Part of the reason the dog needs to be walked is to get it out of the house. Dogs are roamers, they need to keep moving. Having a pup cooped up inside all day it'll either make him lazy and out of shape or send him up the wall. Especially with a herding breed.
This breed is build to move. Take him to a local leash free park or one where the people are looser on the leash law. Make sure that he'll come when called (train that first) then just let him run for a bit. Heck you could even play fetch. That puts all the running in him he needs ^^. And you don't really need to run with him.
You've got to be creative and willing to get this dog outside and exersized. He's depending on you.
Good luck, hope this helps.
~manda
You really need to start out by walking him daily and then eventually working your way up to bike riding with him running along side if thats what you desire. I would prefer for safety for you and the dog that you would stick to good walking routine in daylight hours and then jogging with him along side you as you build strength. Good Luck !!
I don't know how it would be safe, he would start chasing everything if you taught him to chase your bike and a kid on a bike might get scared and it could be bad for you. Could you maybe put him on the website for rescuing Aussie's? I know it's hard but they really need space and if you are that busy and have the other dogs it might be best for him. He deserves to be able to run and have space. Other than that I think you may stress yourself out. Don't you hate taking other peoples responsibilities? I have had to do that myself and I know how you feel. Just do the right thing for you and the dog now and not worry about your sister. Good luck!
start out slow where not a lot of people walk and teach him or her to stay on one side keep him or her on a short leash and start out in small areas and smal amounts of time
Alternatively, if your dog is reliable at coming back, find a large open field, such as an off-leash park, or soccer fields (they may not exactly allow dogs - best be careful, check the rules, clean up after the dog) and allow the dog to run.. Especially if you have more than one dog (go with a friend!) the dogs will go running together, play, and you can just watch them (or do homework, make phone calls, etc, so long as you keep a good eye on where the dog is) during that time. My dog is pretty reliable, so I just let her go and she runs around for however long she wants, and then heads back to the car. If you can find an open field, try it with a 25-ft lead or a lead tied to a long length of twine or rope, initially.
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