# Finally, a proper setup!



## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I got a 4 dog scooter line, and Denali's new X-back came a couple days ago. Wahoo!!

Video, first time running in her new harness. (Might want to turn your speakers down)





Our carpet is not as gross as it looks, I adjusted the photos to make her white. Thanks, indoor lighting.


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## mashlee08 (Feb 24, 2012)

Wow that was so cool! I watched the hole thing  love the set up! do you get funny looks from people?


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

That was an awesome video. I was also wondering about the looks/comments you may get doing this in such a populated area...

I REALLY want to try something along these lines, but I can't imagine my dogs every listening that well while running so fast in harness... :/


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I do get lots of looks, and even a couple times I notice a car keeping pace with me and someone with an iPhone taking a picture/video of us.

It takes training. I don't advise putting 2+ dogs in harnesses and saying "Go!" and expecting it to be a good time. I started with Denali when she was 4 months old by getting her used to wearing a harness and walking/trotting with the bike. She was a very shy puppy and I didn't want the bike to be scary for her. I used a flexi-lead so we could go on short runs without her pulling as she was still pretty young for pulling. She got used to not pulling, and that joined with LLW training pretty much taught her not to pull. She learned the commands- Hike (go), Woah (stop), Gee (right), and Haw (left) as we went, never any formal training on those. If I want to turn left and she tries right or straight, I'd just brake as much as needed to prevent her and make kissy noises and tug the line a little to encourage her to turn. In that manner she picked up Gee and Haw pretty well. I was ok with that setup. Just before she turned 2, we adopted Kaytu. She came from somewhere where she never had any rules or training. She LOVED to pull. She was a natural. So now I had one dog that wanted to pull and one that didn't, and I preferred Kaytu's way of pulling. I simply braked as much as needed to have Nali keep up, and over the months Denali learned to pull. When I first got Kaytu I just attached her leash to my bike (attached to the head tube, you don't want anything on the handlebars for obvious reasons). After a couple runs I knew I needed a proper line with a shock absorber so got the double scooter line from Alpine Outfitters. Since Denali knew commands, she could easily turn Kaytu. In that way Kaytu picked up on the turn commands. I also added 'Round Gee and 'round Haw to mean to pass on the right or left side of something.

Then adding Diesel, well, the girls know what they are doing so he follows along!


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

Amazing! Love the boxer!!


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

Great video! Makes me wanna get my bike fixed and start doing this again. .though I would have to train the pups up I think misty is my only trained dog that would still be able to hold up. I remember it being sooooo much fun!


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

Looks like so much funnn! Thanks for sharing the video.  Your dogs are as beautiful as always. 
I'd love to get into this with Jasper once is is older.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I started Denali at 4 months old getting her used to the bike and walking next to it. Never too early to start! But for any serious pulling they should be fullgrown, take it easy until then. When Nali was a pup I had her on a flexi-lead to prevent her from pulling, I'd just go her pace.









^That harness was just nylon, no padding, and ended up rubbing her fur off. Use a padded harness!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Just bought an x back from alpine for Sir... Anxious to give this a go.

Turns out there's a nice wood dog sled on CL in my area with some lines and three random harnesses, for $130! If its still available, I'm buying it. I emailed them about it five minutes ago.


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## Petlawn (Nov 28, 2012)

Awesome Video Love it...


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Nice! Squash needs a new harness but I didn't get my rear in gear before the busy season started, so I fear to order from AO now in the middle of December.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

They told me it would take 4-6 weeks. I ordered Nov 11th and it shipped Dec 10th. I wouldn't want to order right now either, but the sooner you order the sooner you get it!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Maybe by the time I get mine there will actually be snow on the ground. Haha.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Well you've got a long ways to go before you actually put them on a sled anyway.


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

super cool...!!!
don't they hurt their feet from running on the street?
but wow, they sure do listen


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## Selah Cowgirl (Nov 14, 2009)

Fantastic!


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Salina said:


> super cool...!!!
> don't they hurt their feet from running on the street?
> but wow, they sure do listen


 Concrete is certainly not ideal and it should be avoided when possible. Kaytu and Diesel's feet do fine, but I've had some issues with Denali's front feet peeling. It's more due to her running style, but the concrete doesn't help. She does more of a trot than a lope gait, but I've often been trying to brake and go a speed that tries to encourage her to lope like Kaytu does. This run to the park is concrete to start, and we turn onto a dirt trail for the last half (which I know can look like asphalt in the vids but it is dirt). I wish it was dirt the whole way!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Well you've got a long ways to go before you actually put them on a sled anyway.


Frag's been pulling a weighted sled for the last two years in the winter, so he'll be put on the sled right away and start working on direction. And Sir will start with the plastic sled Frag used, so we still need snow.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Well, my advice to you is to train the directional commands on foot first, before you put him on a sled. Make of it what you will.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Well, my advice to you is to train the directional commands on foot first, before you put him on a sled. Make of it what you will.


Like, on leash? Because I'm not sure he would really "get it" pertaining to pulling since he won't pull on a leash. I kind of figured I'd do it like sibe and walk the sled so it's still simulated, but he can't hurt himself or me... Then add Sir and Recon as they learned to pull and hope they learned easier from Frag and there was less directional training after that.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

You can (should, really) train directionals on leash without them pulling. Turn right (gee), turn left (haw) are pretty easy to do when walking. Also go (hike) and stop (woah). Use whatever words you want, I like the ones I use because they are short and don't sound like any other command. Once they're actually pulling it's pretty easy to get them to turn, at least for mine. It I say "haw" and they try to go straight I simply brake even to the point of stopping completely so as not to miss the turn. Only in the beginning would I sometimes have to tell them Woah, Wait, get off my bike, turn them myself and guide them the direction I want, then have them stop and wait again while I got back on my bike.

Here's another video! Took all 3 to a park. We did this loop twice, each lap is 2 miles. This video is of our second lap. It's a little bumpy


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## mzink (Dec 9, 2012)

Thats really cool! We have great bike paths around here so I go on roller blades with my springer. He got the hang of it really quickly! I get some funny looks and comments sometimes too. Any tips on how to teach my dog to simply move to the left or right side of the path? I usually go during times where I know there will not be many people out, but sometimes we still come across an occasional walker, in which case I slow him and physically pull him to the left or ride side to pass by them. He understands gee and haw but only on turns, I'm not sure how to teach him to simply move to the left or right to give space to someone else on the path.


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## Bethl (Apr 30, 2012)

Impressive to say the least!!!


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Teaching them to go on a certain side of the path is tricky. I don't really know how I taught mine to do it, other than just braking when they choose the wrong way. Same as with teaching regular Gee and Haw, if they try to go a different way then I brake and don't allow them to. Also by staying on the side of the path I want to be on, and braking if they try to go on the other side. For example, in the video I posted yesterday there is a part of the trail where the left half is gray gravel but the right is dirt. Gravel is not comfy to run on so I tell them " 'Round Gee" to tell them to stay on the right side. It's kind of a difficult concept to teach.

I also take advantage of our patterned runs. By "patterned" I mean that I could literally just sit there and they know exactly where and when to turn, and it's really tough for me to have them deviate from the pattern. Like our run from home to the dog park. I know they know, but I *always* give the command anyway. Like there's a lamp post, and they always go on the right side, so I say " 'round Gee" just to reinforce it. Or where the street light is we always go on the left side of it and though they always know that I still say " 'round Haw." If I tried to tell them the opposite of what they're used to, they very likely would not do it. It's that strong of a pattern. I can still force them by braking and not allowing them to do it, and encouraging them to go the other way.

There are cues involved other than just the verbal words too. Like how I brake before a turn, and the way the line pulls from their harness helps them feel which way we're about to go. I think the brakes have become a huge indicator for my dogs, as they've learned that we're about to make a move when I tell them "woah" and "shhhhh easy" and brake. They can also tell from the line and where I am if we're about to turn left or right.


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## mzink (Dec 9, 2012)

Thanks so much for the advice! I will try to incorporate the nonverbal cues next time we go out!


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## Katrin+Kerou (Jan 20, 2013)

Sibe said:


> I started Denali at 4 months old getting her used to the bike and walking next to it. Never too early to start! But for any serious pulling they should be fullgrown, take it easy until then. When Nali was a pup I had her on a flexi-lead to prevent her from pulling, I'd just go her pace.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wow !!! What a beautiful landscape!

Great video!


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