Dog Trailers

[Shelley and Riley]

I love to ride my bike and can be on it for a few hours at a time. I was thinking about getting a dog trailer for the back of my bicycle. Has anyone tried this; and if so, did your doodle enjoy this? They are expensive so I want to get some insight before I buy.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I am so glad to find this post as I am ordering my dog cart today. I had looked under the "review" section but didn't find anything there. I won't be getting my puppy till Oct. 30th but I want it here so that I can introduce it to him slowly. I have found two makes, the Houdabout ($159.99 - med) and the DoggyRide Original($218.99). How large is Riley? I have spoken to a lady named Dana at Pets2Bed.com and she has been so helpful. I'm going to decide and order one today and would love to hear from you which trailer you are looking at, from where, etc. This is just such a great way to brings our pets along while we get some excerise and do what we enjoy. I live in a golfing community that has miles of paved trails through the marches of FL. I'll be riding Rooney to our dog park also.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

We bought one. One of them was ok with it, the other not so much. If you want one, I would suggest checking out yard sales. I've seen many of them at yardsales (one the week after I bought mine new). I also sold mine at a yard sale.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The one that we bought was actually made for kids and was cheaper than the ones mentioned made just for dogs. All we did was take the sling type seats out of it (which were just clipped in) and put a couple pillows in the bottom and it was just like those mentioned above. It could also be used as a push stroller for walking behind. I think ours was under $100 at Target. I'm not sure if starting the puppy out at an early age would matter or not as we took our girls with us everywhere from Day1. We just carried them around in a rubber maid tub. If we went to Lowes or Home Depot we just set the tub in the shopping cart. They were ok with the cart in the beginning, but once they were about 3 months they no longer liked riding. It was time to walk and explore. I'm guessing that was the same issue with riding in the cart .... they wanted to be out sniffing and exploring vs. just sitting in the cart.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I love the tub idea for when Rooney is small because he will be going everyplace with me, a great way to make a shopping cart safe. I won't be using the bike cart as a stroller. This is why I want the bike trailer - I don't want to leave him setting in his kennel while I get my exercise, I ride 8 miles everyday. Of course he'll still be getting his walks but with the bike trailer he can get a nice outdoor ride and then we can stop by our dog park too! We will also bike over to the Riverhouse in our community - a place where other dogs & their owners gather in the mornings to share coffee and let the dogs play. I'm excited and once I have the cart and the puppy (19 days and counting), I'll post a video ;)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

We have one too that we got off of Ebay. I used to pull our 70 pound Lab and it was hard work. She was older when we got her and thought it was just ok, but I imagine if you start earlier, they would love it. Ours was by SOLVIT and we used to get tons of comments on the rail trail...."omg, there is a dog in that trailer." My husband was always mortified.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

70 lbs? Yikes - I don't think I'm strong enough for that! LOL. The DoggyRide Original (the small might be too small - still checking on this) is 32lbs empty, I guesstimate that Rooney will be about 20lbs, so we are at 52 additional pds right there. Another reason for me to get the trailer now, I can start with it empty and work up to have a growing puppy inside. I don't have time to run around to yard sales but I will check on ebay. Thanks.

[Kim]

just put your dogs on a leash while riding your bike. Not even kidding, I was driving the other day and there was a guy on a bike holding a leash with 2 pit bulls on it. They were OUT OF CONTROL, serving him back and forth and there were cars going both ways. He almost caused an accident!!!! So I saw your post about a bike and thought of that!!! I have nothing to add in regards to your actual post (LOL).

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Well there is one doodle in our neighborhood - a very large size doodle named Ruby and she does run along side her mom or dad's bike. It totally works for them and she seems to just love it! Rooney should be a large mini so way too small to attempt it but I'd have loved to have seen the 2 pit bulls - lol.

[Shelley and Riley]

I get my Riley November 20th, so I have time to look around. Yard sales and the possibly converting a child seat to a dog seat is a great idea. Riley should be about 40-50 lbs which gives me lots of options. We like to ride on a bike trail that is about 60 miles long that runs parallel to the American River. There are many parks along the way so we could stop and go for a swim. Thanks for all the info. I just love this site!

Jane, let me know which trailer you order and how you like it.

Laurie, my husband is mortified too!

Blessings to all.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

There is also a gizmo that you attach under your seat it's made to keep the dog far enough away from the bike to be safe and run along side....of course you have to travel at a speed that is comfortable for him/her....and it would be quite a work out but a cool idea for the over one year old and very fit one (you shouldn't run a dog less than a year, bad for the hips). Here is a couple of websites . You could get a puppy basket for the the front as well...the first website shows that along the side.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12526...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017NM4OE/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?p...