# Is it Ok to make 4 months old puppy follow us on bike rides?



## Laluna (Apr 15, 2013)

Hello everyone! I have a 4,5 months old Beauceron puppy which weighs around 50 lb. I bought a Walky Dog hands free leash and all of us, including my 3 y.o. son, can enjoy our little bike rides. I ride very slow, so the pup does not have to run to keep up but rather walk fast like she would follow me on a jog. We do not cover more than 2 miles at a time. My qs are: 
- is it an appropriate form of exercise for a 4 months old puppy?
- if so, how many times a week can we do that?
- how many miles can we ride for?
- is it OK to go a little faster sometimes so she would get a little tired? She usually comes back after a bike ride and starts going nuts in the house jumping from couch to couch and knocking down things that are in her way (including my 7 and 3 y.o. sons).


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I don't think I'd do that with my puppy. Especially on hard surfaces. Growth plates are not yet closed.

When puppies get overtired, they tend to act like a tired toddler, out of control zoomies and act naughtier than normal. So she may be 'overtired' when coming back from a two mile hike. 4 months is still pretty young. And remember the legs are shorter so have to work harder to cover the same ground compared to an adult GSD.
Is there a place you can swim her for exercise instead?


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I personally do not advocate for "forced exercise" with a puppy. On a bike would fall under that.... lots of free time off-leash, tracking games, walking within puppy-limits would all be good alternatives. 
YMMV.


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

love your idea on the Walky Dog. We have a 4 1/2 month old gsd. My son is a jogger but he doesnt take him on trips yet or bike rides. As every thing I have read advises against it. I cant wait until he is old enough to go and will definitely get one of those Walky dogs.


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## Laluna (Apr 15, 2013)

Thanks for the advice. We live in Kansas, and, unfortunately, there are no lakes or hiking trails in the area. All we can do for exercise is walks on the leash and back yard (which is not very huge). Cannot let her off leash much (besides the yard), she might bolt off to chase a rabbit. That's why I thought riding slow on a bike would be an alternative... She is such a strong dog, and I think I cannot give her enough physical activity just by walking. At what age would you recommend to start using a bicycle leash with her?


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## skier16 (Feb 21, 2013)

most people dont recommend strenuous exercise like that until 12-14 months to prevent structural issues down the line.


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

I would get a long leash, something like 30 feet, so that you can let her drag it on the ground. If she bolts, you have 30 feet to grab or you can just hold on. I take my girl to my college campus because there arent many students there right now, she runs with her 30 foot leash and cant ever get too far. Maybe you have an open field or area like that

I wouldnt do the bike thing until over a year old, but that's just me. My friend did the bike thing with her husky for just a few miles and her dog had signs of HD at 10 months of age, not saying that will happen, a lot is genetic, but it's always better to be safe than sorry


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I would contact her breeder, and ask this question. GSDs have a lot of health concerns, and I am not sure of the health concerns in the Beuceron breed. But large dog, still growing, I would probably wait. 

Wait until when? My gut reaction is 10 months old, and then I would build up to the longer rides.


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