Bikejor Training Log: First 3 Rounds

At this point, I have taken Tikaani and Titan out three times each.  Being that we are all still new at this, I have opted to practice them individually until they both get the hang of it. This allows for me to have better control should something happen, like an edible critter kicking in their prey drive.

ROUND 1: Mid November

Tikaani: First time out and he did better than I thought he would, not great but I was expected worse.  We took some back trails at Southaven County Park, which in hindsight was a bad idea since the ground in several areas was very soft sand.  This made it hard to get the bike moving, and there were times I had to get off of the bike and walk since pedaling was useless.  Besides those patches of soft sand, Tikaani had managed to keep some speed though it was broken up with his desire to mark and sniff.  If I tell him to leave it before he stops, he does listen and will continue to move.  He would slow to a walk if he felt the full weight of myself and the bike, so I did some pedaling to alleviate some of that weight so he can maintain some speed.

Titan: Same location as Tikaani, took a shorter loop so as not to over exert him.  He did some sniffing, but not nearly as much as Tikaani.  Titan definitely has a desire to run, he didn't want to stop even when I had to slow down to get around the soft sand.  Pedaled the whole time so as not to strain his joints, Made for a good reminder that I should exercise more so I can better keep up with these guys.  After the run, Titan was still a ball of energy and proceeded to play with the other dogs when we got home.

Round 2: Early December

I have opted to run them mostly on a short loop at Cathedral Pines from now on.  I chose this path for several reasons, the biggest one being that this was a new an unfamiliar place.  Being that this is not where we walk them, the hope is that since they haven't associated that path with walks they will be less inclined to sniff and mark, and more inclined to associate it with running and pull.

Tikaani: Boy was that an adventure, will have to remember to leave earlier. Took him to the same trail as I did with Titan's 2nd run, giving him a few minutes to sniff and mark at the trail head before starting. Once we got going, Tikaani wanted to head into the woods at the same spot as Titan did but was easier to redirect.  After that point, Tikaani took off down the trail. This time around he didn't mind the weight of the bike, allowing me to not have to pedal most of the run. I really wasn't expecting this kind of speed from him, it was kind of scary at times especially when he decided to go even faster every time he spotted a squirrel.

I swear, with a little more recall work Tikaani would probably make a great squirrel hunting dog, he just has such a drive for those little buggers. Good thing I was able to notice his signals when he caught sight of one (head lifted, ears tightened), and manage to hit the brakes before he was able to drag me too far. Luckily, I spotted the deer before we were close enough to excite his prey drive and waited for them to scamper off before continuing. By that point, Tikaani was still in the mood to run just not at the speed he started with.  Overall, he did a lot better than I thought he would. Was expecting it to be all sniffing and marking, and not nearly as much running as he actually did.

Titan:  Rocky start as this was a new trail and Titan caught wind of something (probably deer) that made him want to go off trail. Grabbed his harness and walked him down the trail a bit before hopping back on the bike.  Then it was like a switch went off in his head, he realized that he gets to run, and off he went. Kept on a fat trail with plenty of room, just in case we happen to come by anyone else, which we didn't. A few times Titan had wanted to go down side trails, but quickly ignored them when asked. Made it back to the car in one piece, to which Titan tried to pass by and head back into the trail. Silly boy did not want to stop.

Round 3: Mid December

Tikaani: More running than usual, though he still had a desire to stop and sniff a few times.  Did less pedaling this time and he maintained speed even with the full weight.  Purchased a cheapy camera and accessories so better chronicle each run.  Here is a snippet of Tikaani's run with camera attached to the handle bars:

Titan:  The minute he saw me pack the bike in the car, he would howl nonstop and pace at the front door.  He still needs to learn his directions better, but he was just all about running once we hit the trail.  There was one moment where he went to go chase a squirrel, but he redirected well and continued going.  Towards the end, we were going along a road and had to stop to let some cars by.  There were some cyclists that stopped to give him some loving, both were very impressed with what I was doing with him and kept complimenting on how gorgeous he is.  Here's a video taken with the camera hooked to my helmet: