Organize a road trip by bike with a big dog!
Do you remember Lucie les Wouafer's? Lucie and her family, her companion, her dog and her cat, have already traveled more than 2800 km throughout France and Europe!
Today, we find her to talk + technique and + dog! To go on an adventure on a road trip by bike with your dog, you will need to know two or three little things!
You're probably wondering, how do you teach a big dog to ride a bike? How to travel by bike with your pet? What equipment or accessory do you need to ride a bike with your dog? How to choose your dog bike trailer? What routes to choose to go on a bike with your dog?
I myself cycle with my dog and I opted for a dog bike trailer but we only go on short outings with his little human sister. I therefore do not have the necessary experience to give you all the appropriate advice for a successful next cycling holiday with your dog. With 2800 km on the clock, Lucie and her family have experienced a thousand and one adventures and are therefore the perfect specialists to answer all your questions.
Lucie and all her little family are going to explain everything to us! Come on Lucie it's up to you! Tell us everything you need to know to plan a road trip by bike with your dog.
Go on a road trip by bike with a dog
My family consists of 4 members! There is Alexandre, my friend, who has already traveled a bit on his bike and on foot. He is a very open and thoughtful boy. Thanks to him, I discover this life that I appreciate very much! He is 28 years old and we met in La Rochelle.
Then there is Mallo (nicknamed Ninou 😉 ) who is our dog! He is a husky cross almost 6 years old, adopted at 6 and a half months. He is a nice dog, very sensitive, who suffers from separation anxiety. He is a really good listener for a primitive dog so he can benefit from lots of free time! Unfortunately, the instinct of predation is stronger than anything and when there is a movement of flight, it starts in pursuit but without killing.
And there is Rossel, a 1-year-old European cat, adopted from the Les Minis Bouilles association when he was 4 months old. He's a little adventurer! He follows us everywhere. He is very nice and very attached to the members of his family. He can often enjoy moments of freedom during walks.
And as for me, if you have discovered our adventure Bike road trip abroad with your dog, well you already know me a little bit! 😉
Teaching your dog to ride a bike
For a few years, we have been practicing towed sport with my dog, cani-cross, cani-rando and cani-vtt. We love these sports that bind us in the effort! Thanks to these three disciplines, we have created a strong bond, orders/codes and our dog knows the directions: stop, forward, left and right, in the water.
In everyday life, he also knows other commands such as: back, go around, stay...
Before going on a trip, I had to break my cani-MTB habit of always being in front of the bike and towing. I had to teach him how to get to the pedal on the right of the bike with the command “to the bike” or simply to know how to hold onto the path or road on the right “serre à droit”.
I chose the right side systematically so that it is not to think about and that it facilitates crossings and overtaking by users by car, by bike...
Sometimes it is necessary for me to tie him up (safety, regulations…) and so I had to teach him not to pull on the leash and stay next to the bike when I tie him up. He already knew he shouldn't pull the collar so that makes things easier. He therefore makes the difference between his traction harness and the collar in a cycling situation.
Musher and Sophie: “And if you want to learn even more about cycling with your dog is here ! You will discover some tips and equipment so that your learning to cycle with your dog goes well!”
dog bike trailer
We are traveling with a dog trailer. We chose the Croozer Dog Jokke for its size and sturdiness. Like the cat with its basket, we started by integrating the trailer into our dog's environment. So we placed the trailer open and placed his mat and his comforter there. He slept in the trailer for more than a month without us using it and he enjoyed going to his “room”.
Then we hooked him up to the bike with our loose dog so he could see the cart in motion and soak up the sounds etc. Then, at the end of a free bike ride with our dog, we stopped and let him get in without closing it or moving the bike forward. Then, the same thing but trailer closed, staying right in front of him and talking to him so that he doesn't feel imprisoned.
And afterwards, we got there gradually, always trying to stop before it became negative (whether he was crying or fussing). He doesn't know how to get into a trailer on his own so I always have to stop to get him up or down, it's a helping hand and now it's going relatively quickly!
However, he finds it hard to bear being at the end of the pack, no matter who tows him. So when he's in a bad mood or a little excited, he whines!
Even though we own a trailer, he runs a lot. We prefer the free and we adapt to different factors: the desire of our dog, the safety of the environment, the weather, the water ... Mallo runs about 20 km per day. When I see that my dog is not listening too much, a hill to climb with traffic, a passage in town or a busy road at risk, I tie my dog with his big rope.
You really have to get to know your dog well in order to form a pair. It is important to desensitize your canine buddy and know them as well as possible to anticipate 99% of their reactions. A road crossing, a departure behind an animal, a need to drink, to take a break, a limp… this to avoid an incident, a heat stroke so that the trip remains a pleasure for all.
If the dog is running next to the bike, it should also be trained to run reasonable distances gradually. Animals are like us and need training so as not to be disgusted, not to get hurt and suffer aches.
Musher and Sophie: “If you love cycling and are looking for other destinations to discover with your dog, I invite you to take a look at Normandy by bike with his dog ! Another destination to explore while pedaling for a Wow Good holiday”
Equipment for going on a bike tour with a dog
I have a Fahrradmanufaktur touring bike bought second hand and it was a great deal of luck and luck to have a bike like this in my size on sale one hour from La Rochelle in my price bracket (750 €)! So it works with the strength of my body, my mind (and maybe a little beer haha). My bike already had two luggage racks. My bags including Ortlieb Sport Roller Plus. I have 5 panniers and not 6 because in the front I carry Rossel, our cat, in his basket.
The trailer was chosen based on the characteristics and feedback on the different bike travel groups. My dog weighing 27 kilos, I was already limited on the range to choose from in order to take on our journey. The trailer only carries Mallo and his bowls (which is equivalent to about 45 kilos).
My dog is in very good physical condition and I take care of him so that he suffers as few kilometers as possible. I watch him a lot, I check his pads very regularly, I treat them with the Bawaw balm and at the end of the physical days, I put his Back on Track blanket on him. The cover plays an important role in its recovery. These two products are really essential allies!
I have two foldable bowls, a thin rug (which is in the trailer and I'm going out for the night), slippers that I sometimes use depending on the number of km traveled on ground that would damage the pads and the presence of mini cuts. I have a reminder collar that I use when it's urgent (game outing). A fluorescent vest from Decathlon so that it is visible (it improves everyone's safety). A GPS pulls to locate him if he goes behind game (and he was not wearing his reminder collar). A 4 m climbing rope that I use daily on a leash and/or to tie it according to our bivouac spots (sometimes the smell of game is very intense or even we have had deer at 20 m from our bivouac).
Advice and anecdotes for embarking on a 2800 km road-trip with your dog
To go on an adventure with your dog and embark on a roaming course over several hundred or thousands of kilometers by bike with your dog, you have to know your canine partner very well, know the behavior and canine codes in general because we meet lots of dogs and other animals.
You also need to train your dog. Not doing anthropomorphism but being aware of many things and observing. Do not think that it is easy to travel with your dog. It is energy-intensive by the responsibility and management of the dog in the environment.
Cycling is a faster pace than walking but still slow. This generates a need for responsiveness and better responsiveness than walking. But that leaves enough time for the dog to assess its surroundings, take an unexpected break or smell a trail. It is also necessary to find what is the good “cruising” rhythm of his partner, the speed at which he will be in his comfort zone, without forcing and therefore enduring. For my dog, it depends on the temperatures and the humidity, but if all the factors are green, he can run up to 30 kilometers a day at a pace of 13 km/h (on average).
So we know that when Mallo is loose, we need to reduce our pace and stall between 11 and 13,5 km/h so that he can trot comfortably. Do not plan a big day, because if the dog is tired, he will not be able to run the other days.
You have to be aware that the goal is to have fun, to save money, to take care of your partner so that it goes over time and not in performance. Also, you have to think about the rest day. Both the master and the dog need to rest (physically and mentally). It is therefore essential to take it into consideration and to do days totally off in order to get back on the road with pleasure. The goal is not to go fast but to go far together and always with the desire. We must therefore pay attention to his body and his mind so that we remain positive and therefore neutral in our communication with our dog. If we are not neutral, we will create misunderstanding and therefore risks.
A cycling trip anecdote
During the rain, wind, snow storm that we suffered at the start of Luxembourg, Mallo had loose sessions because we were really not moving fast and it also added considerable weight in the trailer with the wind. The wind was so strong that my dog couldn't trot straight. He was also deported to the right. It was very funny because the three of us were suffering from the gusts of wind and we were struggling together in a good mood. I had the impression that Mallo was looking at me like “uh… that thing is weird!”. But as I told him that it was not serious, it reassured him and he challenged himself to try to move forward alongside me!
Also, during a bivouac along the Saône where Mallo was watching for field mice, two dogs of the Leonberger breed came from a path and ran down, rushing at us. Complicated moment because the cat was on the loose, the dogs had picked up a lot of speed and arrived full of self-confidence. Mallo was free and absolutely didn't ask himself any questions, he ran into the two dogs over 60 kilos (he weighs 27) and he confronted them. The two dogs, very surprised by Mallo's behavior, stopped short and did not try to take another step. After they turned around, the three of us (Alex, Mallo and I) were very relieved and we had a hug session to get back down in pressure.
What an adventure ! Magic ! Thank you Lucie for all these valuable tips! This proves that you can live your dreams and enjoy life. That there is not just one model to follow. And that our dogs can be fabulous life and adventure companions.
It makes you want to try the adventure and go on a road trip by bike with your dog! Personally my calves are not yet prepared for this crazy experience and I'm not sure that Musher is as sporty as Mallo haha! To follow all the adventures of Lucie and her quartet, here is their Insta account @Syklopaws and their Facebook page @Syklopaws !