Originally Posted by Ascendor
Any advice on how to train my dog to run on the SIDE of the road as I ride ON the road? I've tried WALKING her on a main road without a leash and she runs to cars. We actually only ever use a leash when we take her to the vet, but I'm guessing I start by buying one of those long, retractable leashes and commanding and tugging her back if she steps on the pavement. My goal is to have her accompany me off-leash. Any further suggestions? Also, how many miles would you say is too far for a young adult Dalmatian in good shape? (About a third of the time she'd be walking, because I'd be going up hill. Interspersed with that would be running or trotting, as I ride on a level road or coast down a hill with some braking to match her top speed [if she seems to have energy for it]. She'd be running on dirt/grass with occasional gravel.) Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge!
Try this?
http://www.springerusa.com/
My folks had a dalmatian for 16.5 years, and while Kelly was an awesome dog, full of love and personality, she was also a little headstrong, and I would have never considered taking her on a ride. Once she got something into her head, disuading her often seemed to be next to impossible. This, combined with her really impressive strength, woud have made a bike/ride thing a bit much. Of course, dalmatians were bred to accompany horse drawn coaches, so maybe you have something.
As for dog health- there used to be a guy in Boulder, CO who trained for ultra-marathons running on mountain roads and trails with his dalmatian- many runs of 20-30 miles at a pop. Our vet cautioned us against long runs with our lab before she was at least 1 yo, as too much stress on young joints hastens the onset of hip displasia. She has since turned into an incredible trail runner both with and without the bike- she works a swath of trail about 75 wide on either side of the main trail, checking things out and cutting back and forth. YMMV.
Good luck!
Steve