You need to take some safety precautions when cycling with your dog.

• Fatigue and Heat Exhaustion
• Paws
• Traffic
• Laws
• Harness vs Collar
• Other animals

Fatigue and Heat Exhaustion

Always keep a close eye on your dog while cycling to make sure that it does not become fatigued or get heat exhaustion. Watch closely for the following signs of fatigue and exhaustion:

1. Rapid, heavy panting
2. Dripping mouth
3. Glazed-over eyes
4. Staggering
5. Falling behind your bicycle

If your dog is exhibiting one or more of these symptoms, it is possibly suffering from fatigue and exhaustion. Stop immediately, do anything you can to lower the dog’s body temperature by saturating the dog in cool water (not ice cold), getting your dog out of the sun and into a shady or muddy area, or putting the dog in a nearby lake if there is one. If your dog appears extremely fatigued or does not appear to be improving after stopping and attempting to cool it down, get to a vet as soon as possible. You should know your individual dog well enough to be able to recognize when it has been pushed too far – and you should never allow your dog to get to this stage.

Paws

Check your dog’s paws for injuries or splinters after each cycling session. If your dog suddenly appears to be limping, stop immediately and check the paws. If you do not use dog boots, having your dog trot near the bicycle on grass as opposed to concrete is preferable. For example, I usually cycle on the edge of the sidewalk so that my dog Keeda is trotting on the grass beside me .

Traffic

Do not cycle in high traffic areas if you think that your dog may be spooked by loud noises or vehicles. If you do cycle in an area with a lot of traffic around, be sure that you have enough control over your dog and the bike. Be certain that there is no danger of your dog getting spooked, toppling you over, or running into the road. Keeda and I feel safe in such areas with the Springer dog bike attachment as she is not spooked by fast moving traffic and is unable to take me off of my bike, but we still prefer to keep more to nature bicycle trails rather than freeway bike paths.

Laws

Make sure that you know the laws in your area when it comes to cycling with your dog. In some places it is illegal to cycle on sidewalks and bicyclists have to cycle at the edge of the traffic lane. 1 Fit Mutt does not recommend that anyone cycle on the road with their dog. In some areas it is also illegal to cycle with animals while holding their leash.

Harness vs Collar

It is best to use a harness when cycling with your dog as opposed to a collar. If your dog is pulling your bicycle along with the leash or bike attachment attached to its collar, constant pressure to the dog’s neck can cause pain and damage to the neck. A harness, while a device that encourages pulling, tends to be the safer option when cycling with your dog.

Other Animals

If your dog is the type to chase after other dogs, cats, birds, etc., be careful when cycling as your dog may jerk toward another animal or person very suddenly. This can throw you off your bike and injure both you and your pet. This is where bike attachments come in – they help you stay on track and keep your balance..