re. quality excercise - my dogs are sprawled snoring because they`ve been out to the country park
They`ve done heel-work down to the station, close control standing in the queue at the ticket office, down stay on the train, recall and retrieve at the beach bit of the park, rabbit-bothering round the warren (Shamus) a couple of tracks, one upwind, one downwind (Daisy), a bit of pootling about investigating / exploring, some socialisation with other dogs then a repeat performance home.
Try getting through that lot on roller skates!

The injuries come later in life .

I say they do learn something.

My dogs don't need me to cycle with them. They'd happily run for miles in open countryside without giving a damn that I'm nowhere in sight. I doubt there are many beagle owners that haven't struggled to curb this obsession, and there are probably few that haven't 'lost' their dog for several hours because of this.

It's tricky, but you *can* have a pretty reliable recall with a lot of hard work (although very few achieve it). But if the dog's not within earshot it's not much use. Which means you need to keep your dog close when it's off lead. Again, this *can* be done with a lot of hard work (but very few achieve it). But if the dog is close then it ain't doing much Beagle-style fast running over distance.

I'm not yet competent enough a bike rider to take my dogs with me. Still practicing. But I bought the bikes because they were recommended by quite a few beagle owners as a means of addressing the problem of 'beagling' (i.e. Beagles picking up a scent when off-lead and disapearing over the horizon baying their heads off, sometimes not to be seen again for several hours. And sadly, sometimes never to be seen alive again).

Most beagle owners have a few 'safe' places where they'll risk letting their dogs off-lead. Few will let them off-lead in new or strange places. There's just too much temptation for the dogs. Biking Beagle owners have found that because the bike is fast the dog stays with them. They can let them off-lead in all sorts of new places without fear of the dog leaving their side. Presumably it's a combination of the run with the 'pack' being exciting and rewarding (unlike a boring walk), and the fact that you are going fast so the dog knows that if it does wander off for a sniff you'll be long gone when he finally comes back to find you.

So the experience of those that have tried it is that the dog is indeed learning to stay close when off lead (as opposed to learning that the best fun is to be had if you wander off on your own).

We run with ours and they do really enjoy it. It's something to do with the instinct to 'run with the pack' I think. But we aren't fast enough and our dogs are doing little more than a jog. I can't wait to start cycling with them - they'll love it!!! I'll see if I can dig out the messages from some of the Beagle owners that have been advising me re biking.

Mmmmm, have you ever seen any other TV trainer strap an unfit dog to a skateboard or bike and tow them into exhaustion.

I think you could say , t on that he is exclusive

Tai pretty well ALWAYS has a warm up before we set off on bikes Annajayne. Please don't tell me how to treat my dog.

I wouldn't dream of telling you how to treat your dog.
Likewise, don't try to sell your training methods to me. I happen to think they are cruel, that is my view also, and I am entitled to it.

With the greatest respect, you said :

"Attaching a dog to a bike or alongside you on roller blades as the only form of exercise will not resolve any issues".

Your insinuation here is in that little word "only", Becky.

Your words, not mine.

Becky:

Showing yourself up to be a paranoid Cesar Millan hater, which is what you are doing, does your cause no good. Present logical, structured arguments ... without the manic rants about abuse and all sorts ... and people will listen and take you seriously, as indeed I do when you are not ranting! You are clearly a very experienced and knowledge dog owner, lover and handler, don't spoil your usually excellent postings by personal hatreds and feelings.

I can't take you seriously until you stop the libellous abuse, and stick to the topic of the thread!

I don't know whether you heard it, but on Radio 4 the other morning, there was an article about libellous remarks being made on Chat Sites, and how such remarks should be treated just as seriously as libellous remarks made in, say, the gutter press. I have said this before, and I shall say it again, NO-ONE should ever make libellous remarks about a 3rd party - particularly if that 3rd party is a celebrity and can well afford a Libel Lawsuit.

I have never strung him up, nor ever would. However, were he to be on his slip lead and he got into a fight with me, I certainly would not let go. If he increased the pressure by pulling against me and if you want to call this "stringing up", then that's your perogative, but to me this is the dog fighting me, and I will not allow my dog to fight me.

Before I disappear to work, I would just like to add one thing. Scarter and I are not talking about delicate dogs here, we are talking about Beagles - who were bred to hunt in packs, covering many, many miles at a time - and Tai, who is a Mal cross Husky, both breeds designed to pull sledges across many many miles of deep snow in impossible weather conditions.

The injuries come later in life.



No-one is trying to sell anything, Annajayne. The thread is about which bits of CM training do we agree with !

If you don't like the thread, then don't contribute.

If you think taking my dog out ... a dog who is by his very breeding trained to pull very heavy sledges across miles of arctic wastes ... for a run along the canals is cruel, then I suggest you get in touch with the organisers of the Iditarod.