ADOPTING A DOG THAT WILL RIDE IN SIDECAR

There is no breed of dog that naturally likes sidecars. Some dogs take to it easier than others, It'll vary from dog to dog. Just start off slow, with short trips. be sure to harness your dog in the sidecar and get your dog some Doggles (Dog Goggles) they with protect your dogs eyes from bugs and dust:

http://doggles.com/

My dog, a yellow lab, loves to ride with me.

Dave

I agree with Dave that it is not a particular breed of dog. Probably best to get a young dog that does not know any better and will take to it easily. Older dogs tend to get set in their ways. We introduced our dog to the sidecar and he loves it mind you he is a small dog and rides with my wife in the sidecar. Any where she goes he is willing to go. We went for a full week with the dog and absolutely no problems other than picking up a burr in his paw. LOL

Enjoy
Larry

I think the key thing is to bond with your dog to the point he (she?) wants to be with you all the time. At least that's how it came about with Archie. He went everywhere he could with me and wanted to go even when he couldn't. I've had other dogs who would go with me in four wheel vehicles but it never lead to adding the third wheel to the bike until Archie came along. Another advantage would be to find a real mellow, laid back sort of dog. One who is hyper and excitable would be more of a challenge to train for the sidecar. Good luck!! Also if he takes to the Doggles from the get go, that is a good sign as well.

Hi Dave thanks for the advice, I know I want to start with a Puppy or very young Dog, one of the reasons I wanted a Sidecar was that I could get a Dog if I wanted to, I am just scared that I will end up with a Dog that will not Ride with me,

anyway thanks for the advice

Hi Larry thanks for the advice, I know I want to start with a Puppy but scared I will end up with a Dog that will hate Riding in a Sidecar, My Bike is my only Transportation and got a Sidecar for many reasons one that I can carry allot of gear and possibly get a Dog,

Thanks again.

Mike

Hi Tom you have the kind of Dog I want to get, my Family has had Boxers and the only thing that has me scared to get one is that they are susceptible to Cancer, they also do not seem to have Car Sense so would have to be on a Leash all the time, I also like Doberman so that is my second choice, I want a Puppy and a Dog that will want to go with me all the time,

anyway thanks Tom.

Mike

Archie is very laid back and very vehicle smart. I've seen Boxers who were high strung but he's the opposite. He's a very good riding buddy. My wife rode with me for many years but decided to give it up and that lead to the Liberty and Archie riding. He suffered an FCE just before Thanksgiving but is recovering well...

Hi Tom right now I am just in the thinking stage but emailed two People and got no responce, I think it might be me wanting a Dog that would ride in the Sidecar and suspect this is why I have not got a response from this, anyway I am no longer gointg to say what I drive and see what happens,

Thanks Tom.

Mike

Good luck Mike. I was very fortunate to be at one of four shelters I was watching for the right dog when Archie came in on the truck. They'd picked him up as a stray. I grabbed his paper work off the truck and put my signature on it (they take two names.) If I hadn't been right there, I'd never have got him. Had to leave him for five days but at the end, he was mine and the rest is history. Do a Google search for dailymotion, riders stories, Tom and Archie. He'd been with us a couple years before I bought my first sidecar rig, a used Ural to see if he'd like riding, if I'd like riding on three wheels and if Barb would ride again if she could ride in the sidecar. Two out of three ain't bad... Archie loved it and so did I. Barb wasn't so hot on the idea. For a couple years I rode the Ural while the Harley pretty much sat. Sold the Ural and ordered the Liberty from Pete and Patty and the rest is history! Got well over 100,000 on the Harley now and headed for 200K!

Study the dog types and understand there behavior, you need a calm dog not one that will jump out and go after a cat, squirrel, ground hog, marmot, weasel, horse, pigs, sheep or another dog and for that reason the tarrier group would be a bad choice,,,I know,,I have a Jack Russel.

Each breed of dogs have a general disposition & emotional character, but then just like people each is different. Back in the mid 70's when I got my first sidecar I tried to get my Doberman to ride and he would have nothing to do with it. But a friend of mine had a Lab which loved to ride on his solo bike. He had a large box on the rear seat and the dog would jump into the box waiting to go.
Last year I got back into sidecars and we have a year old Bijon-zu mix (small dog) that loves to ride in it. As the other poster said, our dog only rides when my wife is riding, so they are together. We keep her tethered when in the sidecar, she usually wants to sit in my wife's lap and look out the windshield. On the negative side, when traveling food stops take more planing. We usually stay in Best Western and haven't had any problem with getting a room. Our furthest trip in the sidecar with our dog was from Missoula, MT back to Spanaway, WA.

Thanks again Tom, I also thinking of Building a Sportster and Sidecar Rig, I want to be able to go off Road so the bigger Harley's are out of the Question, the Ural is Nice just not enough Power and not sure I need the 2 Wheel Drive.

Mike

Thanks.

Hi and Thanks, I think I have all the info I need now, I figure when I find a Dog that I like I will ask many Question and I will visit several times taking small rides to make sure the Dog likes Me and Riding in the Sidecar before taking the Dog Home.

Mike