[adamch29]

Ok, so I've started biking with my dog, a puppy really about 9 months old. She's doing great, really loves it. Likes to run. I stop and rest her and bring water to give her a drink. I've never gone more then about 2 miles or so with her. She is pretty tired when we get back. I'm not riding fast, unless she urges me to. So what's the best way to do it? How long should a ride be? How often should I rest her and for how long? What's the longest I should try and ride her?

Any advice would be great.

 

[Allie3985]

I think current stance held by most is that you should not run, bike, do agility with a dog until they are at least a year old and even longer for larger breeds. It supposedly damages fragile still growing bone structure.

On the other hand I think it is great to expose you puppy to things like running along side a bike while still young so that it won't be scary later (wish I would have done it with my older two!) I think it is really important to keep these rides nice and slow and short to prevent damage or injury. I wouldn't fo further than around a couple of blocks.

I started my puppy in agility earlier than a lot of people recommend because I wanted her to be comfortable with everything from an early age. I was very careful to keep jumps and contacts as low as possible and not ask her to run for prolonged periods of time. I wouldn't make a puppy run for any longer than the short bursts they would have during play.