Thread: Bikejoring

Hi There,

I know you can be fined if you tie your dog to your bike in some states, here in SA it is a $20 fine. Only if you ride the bike. You can do it on private land but not on public streets.

Would like to hear more about it though

regs Ena

Hi Ena,
I wasn't aware of the legalities of it, so thanx for the warning. I'm in N.S.W and haven't had any issues, actually had a couple of coppers who saw me down at the shops said it was the coolest thing they had seen. It does take a bit of practice, time and training but is very well worth it and be prepared to stack it at one point or another. The other key point is to have right equipment and make sure it fits correctly. Windchill has some good gear a 2 dog set up costs $125.
http://windchill.com.au/
Another good website explains it rather well.
http://www.bikejor.com/


Cheers

I'd love to hear more about this too, it's something I've always considered giving a go with my malinois girl (when she's a bit older!) Looks like a great way to tire her out.

How did you get started teaching the dogs what to do, Pugnacesmontius?

I thought it'd be a great idea to test it out with my first Husky in a harness with no training.

DUMB DUMB idea. He stopped. I fell off.

Star, wouldn't you just teach them via the same methods as teaching sled dogs? Well, similar methods. I'd explain, but I can't figure out how to put it into words :P

Yeah, I've talked to a couple of sled dog trainers about how to teach a sled dog commands, and they said harness it behind a lead dog that already knows the commands and just let it work it out!

I thought of taking her out walking on her harness when she's a little older, and telling her "left" just before we turn left, and "whoa" just before I stop her etc, and hoping she'll make the association that way. But any better suggestions are welcome!

That's how I taught Axle "left" "right" "stop" and "run".

Basically what I did was set a course on our property with little flags and I'd walk it giving "left" and "right" commands and he picked it up. I had to change the course really often though as he'd just start guessing what way I was going to tell him to go :P

Stop and Run he just picked up in general walking. He also knew "faster" in the same way, just pairing it.

I've really never seen any alternative way to train it and I've got 4-5 books on sledding. They all give the same two options: Lead dog or the just building the association.

The most important thing to teach imo is to not suddenly come to a halt.

Thanks Midol.

She's only 5 months old at the moment, so I guess I have heaps of time to teach her directions and speed commands by association before I can even think about introducing harnessing her up to my bike.