Roading Dogs from a ATV

[Gordon Guy]

I have a question for those folks that road their dogs from an ATV. I just bought a roading rig and a couple dog harnesses from LC Supply. I'm thinking there's more to this than just hooking up the dogs and taking them for a spin. What are some of the things that I should know so I don't hurt my dogs?

[Sleepytrout]

Personally, I would keep them at a slow even pace and stay off of gravel or pavement....to hard on their feet.

I did this with my GSP with a 30 foot lead that I held by hand. He loved it and it usually gave him a good enough reason to sleep. He easily worked up to 15 mile runs and was ready to go for more. I think he had a lot of fun with it...I sure did.

[Gordon Guy]

Personally, I would keep them at a slow even pace and stay off of gravel or pavement....to hard on their feet.

I did this with my GSP with a 30 foot lead that I held by hand. He loved it and it usually gave him a good enough reason to sleep. He easily worked up to 15 mile runs and was ready to go for more. I think he had a lot of fun with it...I sure did.

15 miles...! That seems to be quite a distance. Did you water pup along the way and did you let him drink as much as pup wanted? Soon after I water mine they seem to slow down considerably.

What was the temperature, 50's, 60's, 70's or higher?

Did pup pull (Tight Lead) or was the lead loose and you moved at pups speed? I'm sure the pulling would be harder on pup then just a lope.

All I have is gravel roads to run on and it hasn't seemed to damage their feet, yet... I've been checking them though. The country I hunt has A LOT of lava rock, basalt. They need to have tough feet.

How often would you run them that way. Daily, or a couple times a week?

[shags]

It takes some dogs a little bit to figure it out, so ne ready for some chaos right at first - twirling and jumping and dog foolishness. Until they get the hang of it, keep it to single dog on each arm.

Be careful with turns. I always use something like 'careful now' to warn the dogs when I'm about to turn. You can use whatever turn command you use in the field.

Keep an eye on the dogs to make sure they don't overdo. Give them water breaks and let them catch their breath as needed.

If you don't have miles of trails and have to rim your property hundreds of times to get in miles, make sure you have a great playlist ready. Roading can be mind numbing.

If you have a big strong dog who likes to pull, don't leave him hooked up while your quad is sitting in neutral

[ezzy333]

Do be careful in this weather. A good friend just lost his 5 year old field champion to liver failure from heat problems while roading last week.

[Gordon Guy]

It takes some dogs a little bit to figure it out, so ne ready for some chaos right at first - twirling and jumping and dog foolishness. Until they get the hang of it, keep it to single dog on each arm.

Be careful with turns. I always use something like 'careful now' to warn the dogs when I'm about to turn. You can use whatever turn command you use in the field.

Keep an eye on the dogs to make sure they don't overdo. Give them water breaks and let them catch their breath as needed.

If you don't have miles of trails and have to rim your property hundreds of times to get in miles, make sure you have a great playlist ready. Roading can be mind numbing.

If you have a big strong dog who likes to pull, don't leave him hooked up while your quad is sitting in neutral

How often do you road your dogs?

[shags]

When they're in a roading program, it goes 2 days on, one day off, or maybe every other day. It depends on who needs what and how much they roaded.
The off days sometimes are a short free run to keep them loose. I don't push them.

I much prefer free running and fortunately have the room to do it, but roading really does build muscle faster.

A word of caution, be careful with younger dogs. I don't road dogs under about 15 months old and am very careful until past age two. I learned the hard way that it can be very tough on their legs if they love to dig in. I have setters.

[Gordon Guy]

I much prefer free running and fortunately have the room to do it, but roading really does build muscle faster.

A word of caution, be careful with younger dogs. I don't road dogs under about 15 months old and am very careful until past age two. I learned the hard way that it can be very tough on their legs if they love to dig in. I have setters.

Free Running..?? As in running not attached to the 4 wheeler? Or running as you're walking?

Your statement about young dogs addressed my next question. Good stuff to know, Thanks

[shags]

I ride the quad, they run. We have cropfield edges, waterways, pasture, and woods.

[Sleepytrout]

Gordon Guy,

This was a distance we worked up to over 3 months though he could have done it sooner. He was about 12 months old when we started and I had to have a way for him to release energy in a short amount of time. I just read him as we progressed. We usually ran every other day. We would stop for water that I had on ATV about every three miles but he didn't consume very much until summer months. We started in March and temps were in the low 40's.

Once we got on gravel for a "few" miles and when we got home after 8 total miles I noticed him limping. He had run the pads off of his front paws, but was still raring to run. Had to crate him majority of next two days to let them heal up. From then on, we stayed in field or mountain trails. I always held lead in hand to prevent tangling in wheels if he cut sides.

My GSP has the most stamina of any dog I have ever had, bar none. Can go ALL day!!! After a run, was the best time to work on formal obedience for sure! And he easily ate 5 cups of food daily....Taste of the Wild. Quite a bit for a 50 pound dog.

Running sure kept him regular though.

[Gordon Guy]

Gordon Guy,

This was a distance we worked up to over 3 months though he could have done it sooner. He was about 12 months old when we started and I had to have a way for him to release energy in a short amount of time. I just read him as we progressed. We usually ran every other day. We would stop for water that I had on ATV about every three miles but he didn't consume very much until summer months. We started in March and temps were in the low 40's.

Once we got on gravel for a "few" miles and when we got home after 8 total miles I noticed him limping. He had run the pads off of his front paws, but was still raring to run. Had to crate him majority of next two days to let them heal up. From then on, we stayed in field or mountain trails. I always held lead in hand to prevent tangling in wheels if he cut sides.

My GSP has the most stamina of any dog I have ever had, bar none. Can go ALL day!!! After a run, was the best time to work on formal obedience for sure! And he easily ate 5 cups of food daily....Taste of the Wild. Quite a bit for a 50 pound dog.

Running sure kept him regular though.

Thanks.

[gonehuntin']

I totally disagree about the gravel statement. Gravel builds tough feet. I road mine off a bicycle, usually 5 miles, rarely more than 7. Listen to Shag's advice, she's dead on. You can cripple a young dog with hard roading. Here's the other thing about roading with your an atv; doesn't do a thing to get YOU in shape. I start conditioning now. I walk, they free run two days a week, bike three days.

[Sleepytrout]

I totally disagree about the gravel statement. Gravel builds tough feet. I road mine off a bicycle, usually 5 miles, rarely more than 7. Listen to Shag's advice, she's dead on. You can cripple a young dog with hard roading. Here's the other thing about roading with your fat a$$ on an atv; doesn't do a thing to get YOU in shape. I start conditioning now. I walk, they free run two days a week, bike three days.

Like I said, I gauged the needs of my dog and didn't want to further damage his feet by keeping on gravel. Just my opinion. If I had plenty of time to walk or run him, I might be able to do enough to get his heart rate up 10 points. It would do good for me, but would do nothing for him.