Mr. Graceful

I'm thinking about taking my dog on a some of my bike adventures this summer. He a big guy, tall, but not huge: 73 lbs. I've looked at the Burley Tail Wagon, but with a maximum capacity of 75 lbs., Buster is pushing its limit.

Has anyone used the Solvit Houndabout? The large trailer has a rated capacity of 100 lbs., which would allow me to bring other stuff with me, too.

Are there any other trailers I should be looking at?

Here's a not very good picture that shows off his size. He's the white dog towering over the chocolate lab. Both dogs weigh the same.

zandoval 

Wow - It would be nice to have a big ol buddy with you rousting about - Looks like you have this figured out...

Just remember that having a dog run next to you on your bike can be very bad for him...

fietsbob

save money.. buy a used Kid trailer at a yard sale and Modify it , remove the seat , put a pad in the bottom, etc.

Burly rates for about 100 pounds..

ocsawdust

Borrow a trailer if you can. See if your dog's will even be interested. Many dogs aren't. My girl was one that loved going for rides. Her first trailer was a burly something. Got it at a garage sale. Later I replaced it with a burly flat bed. I made a wood deck and sides for it. Worked very well. Some friends wanted to do the same thing but when they tried getting their dogs on, they wanted no part of it. Best of luck to you.My girl passed a few weeks before she turned 15 and she enjoyed it up to the end.

wahoonc

Mine likes to ride, he currently rides on a modified single wheel Nashbar trailer (looks like a bob yak). Going to spring for the Burley Tailwagon unless I come across something on CL before I get around to buying one. FWIW my buddy weighs in around 50#. If it has wheels he will ride...

Aaron

gna

Good advice above. Borrow a trailer and see how it goes. My dog does not like to ride--we tried her in my daughter's old kid trailer and she jumped out when it was moving. We lashed her in and she whined and cried so loud people in their front lawns stared as we rolled by.

I ended up bungeeing a dog kennel to my flatbed trailer last summer. She still whined some.

After many, many treats and training she will lie down and stay in the kid trailer, but I can tell she doesn't like it.

sauerwald

I would be thinking of a trailer that the dog could pull with you sitting comfortably in back!

I have a Cycletote trailer and reconfigure it between a child carrier and a cargo trailer depending on what I need at the moment. They also have dog configurations. The trailer is sturdy and stable, and I like that it uses the same 700C tires as my bike.

Mr. Graceful

Thanks for all of the responses. I would love to borrow a trailer, but no one I know owns one. I have friends with dogs, and friends who bike, but no friends with dogs who bike. :-(

I'm going to keep my eyes peeled on Craigslist.

Ha! Yes. That thought has crossed my mind as well.

This is what I'm afraid of and weary of spending upwards of $300 to find out. He's afraid enough of my bike as it is, but loves the car and loves where we go. That's why I'm thinking a dog trailer rather than a modified kid trailer. They usually have rear entry doors and he won't be able to see the bike. It'll just be a "new crate."

ocsawdust

Actually a good test would be a wagon. A friend had a older yellow lab, cancer took over. She got about a year after they removed a front leg. I brought a big wagon with thoughts of pulling her around the neighborhood since she couldn't walk. She jumped out, no way getting her on wheels.

gna

My pup in her trailer today:

wahoonc

That would work too...

Aaron

benda18

Ugh. Let me share my experience with dog touring and reiterate what many others have shared.

My wife and I have a 40# dog who means the world to us. We take her on every vacation except those requiring flight. she loves hiking / backpacking / outdoors / etc. and can keep up with us for a week on the trail even though she's 10 years old. We thought we'd try bike touring.

She's just not into it. We trained and trained and trained. test rides, treats, bribes, etc, before going on tour. While on tour she freaked out and whined and tried to escape the trailer at every chance. We tried to take her on a long hike first thing in the morning to wear her out (and give her what she really wanted - a walk) but that didn't help anything and it just caused us to lose time on the road. it was miserable for all 3 of us.

Lots of people have great times with their dogs on tour. i'd highly recommend putting the time in with your dog now to get him/her acclimated. I could see it taking even up to an entire season of riding to accomplish this so don't start 4 weeks before your tour. and remain open to the idea that your dog just won't be into it.

also, old dog - new tricks.



this pic was from our one and only tour with Mari in 2011. We still have the trailer and our next dog will be indoctrinated at an early age. I think we're going to go so far as to set the trailer up in our living room (with the wheels off) to make her permanent bed. That way she will hopefully feel comfortable from the start.

EDIT: just realized this was in utility cycling subforum, not touring. I think the info is still relevant. Also, your dog is huge. No way on earth he/she will fit in Burley TailWaggin. Kids trailers are probably out too - they are just as small and the ones we looked at didn't have a flat supported bottom - just a sling for a kid to sit in. I didn't see a way we could reasonably modify to make our dog comfortable.

Ridefreemc

This is what I did, but I also reinforced the bottom with part of a plastic hurricane panel (they come in 4x8 sheets). They are very light weight and very strong (multiple layers about 1/2 thick). My pup is about 70 pounds and no issues.

fietsbob

No hurricanes Here .. though on the North Pacific Ocean .. our ocean current comes mostly out of the north . Colder..

people down there buying plywood and screwing it over windows makes a better visuals for the TV news..


something patterned after a Harness racing Sulky pulled by the dog, would be cute. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulky

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...eau_-_6602.jpg

RatMudd

For lots of $$$$, my future entails a Surly Trailer Bill and a dog crate for a future red doberman.

scottrich411

I've thought about this a hundred times for my dog too. He loves the car, but hates just about anything else that tries to move him around. I think a solid floor would help, he's a basset so if he feels 6" off the ground that's higher than he's used to He's 10 now, I think it's probably too late to change his mind.

noglider 

I've tried to think of something that would work for my dog. She's a greyhound, so she's taller than most dogs. The kiddie trailer is too small for her as it is, plus I'd want to restrain her somehow. I've removed the sides and top.

linnefaulk

Dog Bike Trailer | Large

noglider 

Looks like a good design, but I'll either do this cheaply or not at all.