Your opinion please.....

[Starla]

Forced exercise is not recommended in a dog who is not physically mature. Jogging, biking, etc. are considered forced exercise. This type of activity should wait until the dog is over 18/24 months.

So how do you burn the energy when I work all day and she is confined to her room (a 12x24 bonus room) and then she is in her crate at night? She is 14 months and right now we walk, swim and/or go to the dog park. I wouldn't say I force her to run... I just make sure she gets enough exercise to not be an insane maniac.

[Snowshoe]

Before I adopted Starla in June I rode my bike 10-15 miles a day.... I haven't really ridden since then, instead we have been walking 5 miles a day. I tried to start running with her, but I'm a funny runner and just re-twisted my ankle... But walking doesn't really get all her energy out and I'm not getting the workout I really want. So we have to walk our 5 miles and go swimming, or go to the dog park or anything else to get that last bit out of her... But I want to get back to riding my 10-15 miles and don't have the time by the time she is wore out.... So my idea is to ride (at her gallop pace) while she runs... And I found this Petego Hands-Free Bicycle Dog Leash - Dog.com


my question is, does anyone know any other contraptions that might be a better option?

we are just trying to find a daily routine that works for us both 

Yikes. You want her to gallop 10-15 miles every day? Surely I have put that together in a way you didn't mean? But just in case, because it's easy to connect the dots that way, that seems way too much even when she's fully mature. Add in hard, paved roads and it sounds worse.

My friends who marathon, ironman and competitively mountain bike around the world (two husband and wife pairs) exercise their dogs with them but they are on soft ground, the dog's off leash, they go by ponds so the dog can swim. The runners didn't do much more than 10 km (6 miles) with their Lab. Their Lab had terrible back legs, extremely straight hocks, their Vet told them she shouldn't run at all. She did pretty well though, in a lot of pain in her later years but it didn't throw her hips out like the Vet thought it might. Instead her back went.

The bikers did go much further with their GSD, sometimes 22 km on infrequent days, but slowly since they were on rough bike trails and they stopped for doggy swims and varied their pace. When I went out with the GSD people the dog was often limping from her outings with them. Both these couples did their serious training without the dog.

Labs really aren't built for that kind of running. Hunting would have them sitting in a blind till a bird was shot, swim out and get it, run back, sit some more. I suggest you have your pup evaluated as to conformation first. Then maybe modify your expectations of how much she can do with you. Once you get past age one she will not need as much exercise to keep her sane. I went from an hour off leash twice a day down to one hour sometime after a year old. Exercise alone isn't all she needs, she will benefit from mental workouts too. Agility training would give both of you exercise and work her mind, your's too.

Sorry, I don't know about the bike attachment thing. When I bike it's in a forest area and the dog is off leash.

[Tanya]

first - forced exercise just means something a dog does on leash at YOUR decided pace. LIke running with a dog on leash, biking with a dog on leash, roller blading with a dog on leash. you are moving fast and choosing the pace. Young dogs CAN absolutely keep up and will NOT show you they are tired, but the repetitive impact on their GROWING joints can cause long term damage (that you will not know about until later). Especially on a harder surface. It's about the joints still growing, once they fused it's not really an issue.

A dog running off leash, playing with other dogs, or on off leash walks or playing in the yard, is deciding on their own their speed and duration. Watch dogs play, there is TONS of stop and go and change of direction. Even for this type of play it's best to let them do it on softer surface (not pavement or cement).

So we are not saying to not let the dog run. We are saying, let her run freely off leash until her joints are done growing. Then you can start slowly introducing her to the bike, and start with SHORT runs. So work on the training from now til then. (the average lab keeps growing until 18-24 months).

At 14 months, the average lab can need an hour to an hour and a half of off leash playing and running. But it should be free play, off leash (and include some walking time). Swimming is EXCELLENT exercise and low impact. PLaydates at the dog park can be great too. Fetching is good but you do have to monitor.

[Starla]

Yikes. You want her to gallop 10-15 miles every day? Surely I have put that together in a way you didn't mean? But just in case, because it's easy to connect the dots that way, that seems way too much even when she's fully mature. Add in hard, paved roads and it sounds worse.

Absolutly not!! I didn't mean that at all, but I can see how you got that. I just want to have time to ride my 10-15 miles... So instead of walking her 5 miles a day we would keep our morning mile walk and then ride a mile or 2 (after working up to it) in the afternoon/evening so I had time to go do my ride afterward...


and I love to ride trails so if I could get to the point where she could come with occasionally, that would be awesome.

[Jeff]

Here you go.

https://www.springeramerica.com/

In Dog scouts, one of the things we do is learn to do all kinds of things with our pooches. So far out of all the things for biking the Springer I linked is the best. Like everyone else said you want to work up to distance and or course be aware of climate and terrain and so on, but no harm in doing a mile for a month, then go 2 miles, especially now it is colder and see how it works for you and your lab. Most labs can do a pretty normal pace, a trot, not running but a normal walking, trotting pace for them which would be a casual ride for you. Your going to have to hit your brakes a lot at first and learn to pace yourself.

You want to get a harness that attaches at the top, never use a collar and definitely not a front clip harness. The Springer has an emergency break away in case like the dog goes once way around a sign and you go the other. I would have to look when I get home but we have a great harness for this that allows the dog full range of motion of their front legs I just can't remember who makes it off the top of my head. I will post again when I get home.

In the mean time read some of the guide to doing this on the Dog Scout site. You don't need the badge forms but there is a pretty good guide with a lot of tips.
403 Forbidden No Idea why link says forbidden it works.

[Starla]

Thank you!! I love the break away feature! That was one if my big fears.

Here you go.

https://www.springeramerica.com/

In Dog scouts, one of the things we do is learn to do all kinds of things with our pooches. So far out of all the things for biking the Springer I linked is the best. Like everyone else said you want to work up to distance and or course be aware of climate and terrain and so on, but no harm in doing a mile for a month, then go 2 miles, especially now it is colder and see how it works for you and your lab. Most labs can do a pretty normal pace, a trot, not running but a normal walking, trotting pace for them which would be a casual ride for you. Your going to have to hit your brakes a lot at first and learn to pace yourself.

You want to get a harness that attaches at the top, never use a collar and definitely not a front clip harness. The Springer has an emergency break away in case like the dog goes once way around a sign and you go the other. I would have to look when I get home but we have a great harness for this that allows the dog full range of motion of their front legs I just can't remember who makes it off the top of my head. I will post again when I get home.

In the mean time read some of the guide to doing this on the Dog Scout site. You don't need the badge forms but there is a pretty good guide with a lot of tips.
403 Forbidden No Idea why link says forbidden it works.

[WhoopsaDaisy]

I have been trying to get back into my running routine so I understand what its like being out of your routine. For the first year I had Daisy I hardly ran at all because she needed so much play/training/exercise I didn't have any more energy left. Now I'm trying to make my own workouts a priority again. Now I will wake up early, feed Daisy, take her for a 2 mile walk in the morning before work (not a morning person so this is hard),let her out for a potty at lunch, and again for a short walk after work (10 mins), go for a run, shower, feed daisy, and then take Daisy to the dog park for about 45 min to an hour... Even after coming back from that we still do some training routines, etc every night. I think we practice "place" about 15 times a night!!She needs practice with that one! My morning walk sometimes turns in to kind of a jog if I'm running late, but I don't run Daisy much because she is SO SLOW I realized it couldn't count as a workout for myself. I don't know if she'll ever be into running. It sounds kind of busy but really the dog park is kind of fun for me because I can relax and play with Daisy.
My point is-- your exercise is important! If you want quality workouts, do it separately from Starla. I know it's tiring but it will get easier. If you make a routine it will form a habit and then you will both be happy.

[Starla]

we have almost the same routine!! lol I'm trying to talk my fiancé into taking over her late evening walk so I can go ride while they walk the last 2 miles... Then we would both be happy until we get the training down to ride together...

I have been trying to get back into my running routine so I understand what its like being out of your routine. For the first year I had Daisy I hardly ran at all because she needed so much play/training/exercise I didn't have any more energy left. Now I'm trying to make my own workouts a priority again. Now I will wake up early, feed Daisy, take her for a 2 mile walk in the morning before work (not a morning person so this is hard),let her out for a potty at lunch, and again for a short walk after work (10 mins), go for a run, shower, feed daisy, and then take Daisy to the dog park for about 45 min to an hour... Even after coming back from that we still do some training routines, etc every night. I think we practice "place" about 15 times a night!!She needs practice with that one! My morning walk sometimes turns in to kind of a jog if I'm running late, but I don't run Daisy much because she is SO SLOW I realized it couldn't count as a workout for myself. I don't know if she'll ever be into running. It sounds kind of busy but really the dog park is kind of fun for me because I can relax and play with Daisy.
My point is-- your exercise is important! If you want quality workouts, do it separately from Starla. I know it's tiring but it will get easier. If you make a routine it will form a habit and then you will both be happy.

[Jeff]

Premier sure fit harness is the one I use. Good harness with full motion and back clip

Sure-Fit Harness® by PetSafe - GRP-SFH

[WhoopsaDaisy]

we have almost the same routine!! lol I'm trying to talk my fiancé into taking over her late evening walk so I can go ride while they walk the last 2 miles... Then we would both be happy until we get the training down to ride together...

Ha, it would be nice to have a little help, I'm sure