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Traveling with dog questions
Quote from Glenfiddich on July 5, 2010, 6:09 amBarley, my 3 y/o golden, and I have been riding together for a week now. Each ride is a little longer, sometimes a little faster, but all of them have fun stops: swimming holes, treats, a chance for people to fuss over him. He's doing very well. Unlike his brother on the ATV, Barley will not wear doggles, but he sits immediately behind, and stares thru, the windscreen so it might turn out to be a non-issue. So we continue training, with the hope that he will be ready to travel with me in two weeks when I ride to Ontario for five days of sidecar camping.
But I have two questions for those of you who have done this before.
1) What is a realistic daily range for a dog in a sidecar? Can he handle 10 hours if it's split up with play time at every fuel stop?
2) How do you protect your dog in the event of a driving rain? Do you just snap the cockpit cover in place with a corner unfastened or..?TIA,
Pete
Barley, my 3 y/o golden, and I have been riding together for a week now. Each ride is a little longer, sometimes a little faster, but all of them have fun stops: swimming holes, treats, a chance for people to fuss over him. He's doing very well. Unlike his brother on the ATV, Barley will not wear doggles, but he sits immediately behind, and stares thru, the windscreen so it might turn out to be a non-issue. So we continue training, with the hope that he will be ready to travel with me in two weeks when I ride to Ontario for five days of sidecar camping.
But I have two questions for those of you who have done this before.
1) What is a realistic daily range for a dog in a sidecar? Can he handle 10 hours if it's split up with play time at every fuel stop?
2) How do you protect your dog in the event of a driving rain? Do you just snap the cockpit cover in place with a corner unfastened or..?
TIA,
Pete
Quote from Deleted user on July 5, 2010, 4:10 pmWell, crud Pete. I had an answer all typed up, hit submit but inadvertently hit the scroll button on the mouse at the same time and the whole works disappeared. Lets try again...
Archie doesn't like the windshield but he does wear the Doggles. He lays down at hiway speed and pops up to see what's going or or where we are at when I slow for any reason. And once in a while at speed he'll pop up and look around. The rain blows over at speed but we get wet if we're going slow or stopped. He has his jacket but other than that we just live with it. When we stop I'll put the toneau cover on or the rain cover to keep his bed as dry as we can. No cover when he's riding though. Just mutual thoughts that well run out of it.... Oh yeah, one more thing I had in the first answer. Plenty of stops for potty breaks and drinks. We carry a water dish and large jug of water, refilled along the way as necessary.... Lets see if I can get this posted without further incedent....
Well, crud Pete. I had an answer all typed up, hit submit but inadvertently hit the scroll button on the mouse at the same time and the whole works disappeared. Lets try again...
Archie doesn't like the windshield but he does wear the Doggles. He lays down at hiway speed and pops up to see what's going or or where we are at when I slow for any reason. And once in a while at speed he'll pop up and look around. The rain blows over at speed but we get wet if we're going slow or stopped. He has his jacket but other than that we just live with it. When we stop I'll put the toneau cover on or the rain cover to keep his bed as dry as we can. No cover when he's riding though. Just mutual thoughts that well run out of it.... Oh yeah, one more thing I had in the first answer. Plenty of stops for potty breaks and drinks. We carry a water dish and large jug of water, refilled along the way as necessary.... Lets see if I can get this posted without further incedent....
Quote from Peter Pan on July 6, 2010, 9:54 amSaturday when the tropical rain poored down on me I put on the cover for Camilla and kept the inside corner back with a rubber tye. Result: she just curled in and all I saw was her back. As soo the rain stoped and I slowed down the typical barking and her nose arrised again.
Sven
Saturday when the tropical rain poored down on me I put on the cover for Camilla and kept the inside corner back with a rubber tye. Result: she just curled in and all I saw was her back. As soo the rain stoped and I slowed down the typical barking and her nose arrised again.
Sven
Quote from Glenfiddich on July 6, 2010, 5:34 pmThanks for the feedback. Barley seems to prefer riding with his nose directly behind the screen, so I could probably fold back the front foot of the cover and the screen would keep the inside dry as long as I was moving.
It's funny watching a dog getting used to the rhythm of the road. It's a lot like a rider getting used to a new bike. I reinstalled the seat so my wife could ride with me, but Barley clearly thinks of the hack as his own. Though he has taken to curling up on the seat to sleep, it would probably be more comfortable for him if the seat were removed for long trips, giving him the option of stretching out full length.
Jeez, the things we do for our dogs!
Pete
Thanks for the feedback. Barley seems to prefer riding with his nose directly behind the screen, so I could probably fold back the front foot of the cover and the screen would keep the inside dry as long as I was moving.
It's funny watching a dog getting used to the rhythm of the road. It's a lot like a rider getting used to a new bike. I reinstalled the seat so my wife could ride with me, but Barley clearly thinks of the hack as his own. Though he has taken to curling up on the seat to sleep, it would probably be more comfortable for him if the seat were removed for long trips, giving him the option of stretching out full length.
Jeez, the things we do for our dogs!
Pete
Quote from Deleted user on July 7, 2010, 10:19 amHi Pete, have you checked out Ara's adventures with Spirit on his site and thread here The Oasis of My Soul?
Hi Pete, have you checked out Ara's adventures with Spirit on his site and thread here The Oasis of My Soul?
Quote from Glenfiddich on July 7, 2010, 4:11 pmYes, I think Spirit was the motivating factor in my getting a hack of my own. But comparing a famous and experienced canine traveler to a neophyte might have me disappointed in my dog's inability to keep up. So I compare Barley today to Barley yesterday...but was hoping for tips and tricks I might have overlooked.
He really seems to enjoy hacking! I don't want him to lose that.
Pete
Yes, I think Spirit was the motivating factor in my getting a hack of my own. But comparing a famous and experienced canine traveler to a neophyte might have me disappointed in my dog's inability to keep up. So I compare Barley today to Barley yesterday...but was hoping for tips and tricks I might have overlooked.
He really seems to enjoy hacking! I don't want him to lose that.
Pete
Quote from Deleted user on July 7, 2010, 8:20 pmA day at a time, one trip at a time and it all adds up to an experienced canine traveler soon enough... Archie is my best good riding buddy for sure but I had no idea when we started it would lead to this.
A day at a time, one trip at a time and it all adds up to an experienced canine traveler soon enough... Archie is my best good riding buddy for sure but I had no idea when we started it would lead to this.
Quote from Guest on April 9, 2011, 4:33 amWhy limit yourself to Doggles? My dogs never took to Doggles in the least, but will wear just about anything else. These happen to have holes in them for the dogs to see through. I also adapted many pairs of standard Goggles that they will wear just as well. The only Doggles glasses they ever took to though were the soft-mesh style. I don't believe those are even manufactured by Doggles these days, but I may be incorrect on that.
http://youtu.be/cw1grVC8Lkk
This topic has been discussed in pretty good detail at the Adventure Rider Forum, so you may want to check out the replies and tips there, too.
My dogs pretty well stay in place when in the hack, no matter if I am flying the chair or simply washing the Ural.
http://youtu.be/JIIPHtrO0p4
They will wear goggles, Doggles and even hats. However, the Doggles are the least favorite things for them to ride with and they will fight them more than anything else. Usually, they like to stay behind the hack windscreen or ride with their haad hanging from the door opening, but both Murphy and Dusty do very, very well in riding in the hack. I use a harness stap on them both. It keeps them in place in the hack, but allows them to move a bit on the seat. Sometimes I run with the hack seat out, but they seem to like it better when it is left in place.
http://youtu.be/zGnV5d8ENRk
My answers to your questions are specific to what I have found on my Ural:
My dogs I ride with now are both smaller ones than a Golden, but they, and the two who passed away, Baby and Bosco, have all taken to sidecar riding from day one. The Ural does not carry as much gas as many other makes, so pit stops are maybe every 100-125 miles or so, I have to pull in and get gas or do a pit stop. I always allow the dogs to take on water or relieve themselves during this stop. They don't always have to, but it is just a habit I have gotten into and not a bad one to develop. Takes only a few moments and allows me to rest from the constant forces of sidecar piloting. My Poepye arms appreciate the occasional rest, I believe.
I was hit with rain often when I lived up in the PA. area. The hack cover worked well in being able to keep the dogs somewhat dry, but I ran with three dogs back then, so a sudden shower was not always easy to get pulled over and apply a rain hood and coat to each of them. Pulling the tanneau cover over was a bit easier, but didn't always keep all the rain off them. Hail was even worst to contend with and the tonneau worked best in that event. Modifying a cover specifically for the dog is likely the better thing to have available, but I ran with 3 dogs as the norm back them, so a workable mod was not as easy to come up with, as one would hope. Keep a dry towel handy though. Dogs get cold when damp, so a dry towel works pretty good to help dry them off. I always have a magnetic bowl that I keep attached inside the hack trunk. This gives me something to put their water in when we do stop. I keep a bottle of water in the trunk, as well. All in all, I don't see any problems with long rides with the dog. If your golden is a chick magnet, like Murphy is, then you probably will have some interesting stops each time you fill up with gas and make a pit stop and such. Let the adventure begin and enjoy your ride with your pet.
If yoy hold your ears and then watch the clip from my signature block, you can see that Murph does not limit himself to just wearing Doggles. 🙂
Why limit yourself to Doggles? My dogs never took to Doggles in the least, but will wear just about anything else. These happen to have holes in them for the dogs to see through. I also adapted many pairs of standard Goggles that they will wear just as well. The only Doggles glasses they ever took to though were the soft-mesh style. I don't believe those are even manufactured by Doggles these days, but I may be incorrect on that.
This topic has been discussed in pretty good detail at the Adventure Rider Forum, so you may want to check out the replies and tips there, too.
My dogs pretty well stay in place when in the hack, no matter if I am flying the chair or simply washing the Ural.
They will wear goggles, Doggles and even hats. However, the Doggles are the least favorite things for them to ride with and they will fight them more than anything else. Usually, they like to stay behind the hack windscreen or ride with their haad hanging from the door opening, but both Murphy and Dusty do very, very well in riding in the hack. I use a harness stap on them both. It keeps them in place in the hack, but allows them to move a bit on the seat. Sometimes I run with the hack seat out, but they seem to like it better when it is left in place.
My answers to your questions are specific to what I have found on my Ural:
My dogs I ride with now are both smaller ones than a Golden, but they, and the two who passed away, Baby and Bosco, have all taken to sidecar riding from day one. The Ural does not carry as much gas as many other makes, so pit stops are maybe every 100-125 miles or so, I have to pull in and get gas or do a pit stop. I always allow the dogs to take on water or relieve themselves during this stop. They don't always have to, but it is just a habit I have gotten into and not a bad one to develop. Takes only a few moments and allows me to rest from the constant forces of sidecar piloting. My Poepye arms appreciate the occasional rest, I believe.
I was hit with rain often when I lived up in the PA. area. The hack cover worked well in being able to keep the dogs somewhat dry, but I ran with three dogs back then, so a sudden shower was not always easy to get pulled over and apply a rain hood and coat to each of them. Pulling the tanneau cover over was a bit easier, but didn't always keep all the rain off them. Hail was even worst to contend with and the tonneau worked best in that event. Modifying a cover specifically for the dog is likely the better thing to have available, but I ran with 3 dogs as the norm back them, so a workable mod was not as easy to come up with, as one would hope. Keep a dry towel handy though. Dogs get cold when damp, so a dry towel works pretty good to help dry them off. I always have a magnetic bowl that I keep attached inside the hack trunk. This gives me something to put their water in when we do stop. I keep a bottle of water in the trunk, as well. All in all, I don't see any problems with long rides with the dog. If your golden is a chick magnet, like Murphy is, then you probably will have some interesting stops each time you fill up with gas and make a pit stop and such. Let the adventure begin and enjoy your ride with your pet.
If yoy hold your ears and then watch the clip from my signature block, you can see that Murph does not limit himself to just wearing Doggles. 🙂
Quote from RogerE on May 17, 2011, 8:51 pmGlenfiddich - 7/5/2010 6:09 AM
Barley, my 3 y/o golden, and I have been riding together for a week now. Each ride is a little longer, sometimes a little faster, but all of them have fun stops: swimming holes, treats, a chance for people to fuss over him. He's doing very well. Unlike his brother on the ATV, Barley will not wear doggles, but he sits immediately behind, and stares thru, the windscreen so it might turn out to be a non-issue. So we continue training, with the hope that he will be ready to travel with me in two weeks when I ride to Ontario for five days of sidecar camping.
But I have two questions for those of you who have done this before.
1) What is a realistic daily range for a dog in a sidecar? Can he handle 10 hours if it's split up with play time at every fuel stop?
2) How do you protect your dog in the event of a driving rain? Do you just snap the cockpit cover in place with a corner unfastened or..?TIA,
PeteJust returned today from a 2,000 mile, nine-day trip with our Cairn terrier. He loves the ride - he can't get enough. He does sleep a lot when we stop:)) Max we have gone with him is 350 miles/nine hours with no problems. Our Hannigan sidecar has a removable hardtop, so no issues with rain. I get wet, Momma and the puppy stay dry.
Glenfiddich - 7/5/2010 6:09 AM
Barley, my 3 y/o golden, and I have been riding together for a week now. Each ride is a little longer, sometimes a little faster, but all of them have fun stops: swimming holes, treats, a chance for people to fuss over him. He's doing very well. Unlike his brother on the ATV, Barley will not wear doggles, but he sits immediately behind, and stares thru, the windscreen so it might turn out to be a non-issue. So we continue training, with the hope that he will be ready to travel with me in two weeks when I ride to Ontario for five days of sidecar camping.
But I have two questions for those of you who have done this before.
1) What is a realistic daily range for a dog in a sidecar? Can he handle 10 hours if it's split up with play time at every fuel stop?
2) How do you protect your dog in the event of a driving rain? Do you just snap the cockpit cover in place with a corner unfastened or..?TIA,
Pete
Just returned today from a 2,000 mile, nine-day trip with our Cairn terrier. He loves the ride - he can't get enough. He does sleep a lot when we stop:)) Max we have gone with him is 350 miles/nine hours with no problems. Our Hannigan sidecar has a removable hardtop, so no issues with rain. I get wet, Momma and the puppy stay dry.
Quote from Glenfiddich on May 17, 2011, 9:37 pmWow, a lot has happened since I asked those questions! Barley now has about 7000 miles under his collar and we are an accomplished traveling/camping team. He is, without a doubt, the best traveling companion I've ever had...except for the delay factor his face creates at gas and food stops. The Ontario trip was a lot of fun. Our max mileage for one day was 500 miles with plenty of rest and play stops, but 350 turned out to be our average. Riding solo I can cover a lot more ground, but looking out for my dog resulted in a different style of travel that was actually a bit more enjoyable as with him I end up seeing a lot more of the lands we explore.
Lessons learned:
1 Shade is important
2 Water is even more important
3 A day without play is boring
4 Chasing rodents is a lot of fun!
5 A custom cockpit cover with a zippered hatch (sort of like a kayak skirt) does a fine job of keeping him dry as long as we are moving
6 The command "Look sad" can melt hearts and get us a room even in no pets allowed motels
Wow, a lot has happened since I asked those questions! Barley now has about 7000 miles under his collar and we are an accomplished traveling/camping team. He is, without a doubt, the best traveling companion I've ever had...except for the delay factor his face creates at gas and food stops. The Ontario trip was a lot of fun. Our max mileage for one day was 500 miles with plenty of rest and play stops, but 350 turned out to be our average. Riding solo I can cover a lot more ground, but looking out for my dog resulted in a different style of travel that was actually a bit more enjoyable as with him I end up seeing a lot more of the lands we explore.
Lessons learned:
1 Shade is important
2 Water is even more important
3 A day without play is boring
4 Chasing rodents is a lot of fun!
5 A custom cockpit cover with a zippered hatch (sort of like a kayak skirt) does a fine job of keeping him dry as long as we are moving
6 The command "Look sad" can melt hearts and get us a room even in no pets allowed motels
Quote from Deleted user on May 18, 2011, 7:45 pmWell stated Glen. Lots has changed for me since you first asked as well. Archie is gone now. I still miss him. But Henry is learning, he's got some growing up to do before he can fill Archie's shoes. (Figuratively speaking that is...) I agree with the first five of your lessons learned, never tried number six... Here's to many more years and many more miles for you and Barley!!
Well stated Glen. Lots has changed for me since you first asked as well. Archie is gone now. I still miss him. But Henry is learning, he's got some growing up to do before he can fill Archie's shoes. (Figuratively speaking that is...) I agree with the first five of your lessons learned, never tried number six... Here's to many more years and many more miles for you and Barley!!
Quote from Glenfiddich on May 18, 2011, 8:51 pmReardan Tom - 5/18/2011 8:45 PM
Well stated Glen. Lots has changed for me since you first asked as well. Archie is gone now. I still miss him. But Henry is learning, he's got some growing up to do before he can fill Archie's shoes. (Figuratively speaking that is...) I agree with the first five of your lessons learned, never tried number six... Here's to many more years and many more miles for you and Barley!!
So sorry to hear of Archie's passing. A week ago Saturday I lost my five year old golden, Tadcaster, to lymphoma. He was a remarkable dog, devoted hunting companion, and a damned good friend who went way too soon. But he faced each day as if it was a celebration of life, and even on his last day managed to get in a few frisbee retrievals and an hour swim in the pond.
May we both become the sort of men our dogs think we are!
Pete
Reardan Tom - 5/18/2011 8:45 PM
Well stated Glen. Lots has changed for me since you first asked as well. Archie is gone now. I still miss him. But Henry is learning, he's got some growing up to do before he can fill Archie's shoes. (Figuratively speaking that is...) I agree with the first five of your lessons learned, never tried number six... Here's to many more years and many more miles for you and Barley!!
So sorry to hear of Archie's passing. A week ago Saturday I lost my five year old golden, Tadcaster, to lymphoma. He was a remarkable dog, devoted hunting companion, and a damned good friend who went way too soon. But he faced each day as if it was a celebration of life, and even on his last day managed to get in a few frisbee retrievals and an hour swim in the pond.
May we both become the sort of men our dogs think we are!
Pete
Quote from SwampFox on May 18, 2011, 10:12 pmGlenfiddich - 5/18/2011 8:51 PM
May we ... become the sort of men our dogs think we are!
Pete
Amen!! That can be a tall order for most of us.
Glenfiddich - 5/18/2011 8:51 PM
May we ... become the sort of men our dogs think we are!
Pete
Amen!! That can be a tall order for most of us.
Quote from Guest on May 18, 2011, 11:00 pmGlad you enjoyed the experiences with your dog. Mine are both ticked at me, as I have my rig down for some color changes, at present. They climb in the hack and watch as I toil about or piddle about with the bike. Both are anxious to ride and don't quite understand just why I am not on the bike and zooming off into the sunset with them. Hopefully all of my parts will get put back on before long and I can enjoy riding with them both once again. My wife never enjoyed riding in the sidecar, so it has been a dogmobile almost since day one. Hard to explain just how great it is riding with them both to anyone who is not a dog lover, but I would not trade any of my experience with them for anything. God bless those hack pooches who have passed away. I lost Baby and Bosco this past year, but I have never lost their memories. I still pull up their pictures on my computer and have a laugh, have a sob and have a great ton of memories to keep. Enjoy your's while you can, as there is indeed a heaven on earth, and hack pooches are a great part of it.
Glad you enjoyed the experiences with your dog. Mine are both ticked at me, as I have my rig down for some color changes, at present. They climb in the hack and watch as I toil about or piddle about with the bike. Both are anxious to ride and don't quite understand just why I am not on the bike and zooming off into the sunset with them. Hopefully all of my parts will get put back on before long and I can enjoy riding with them both once again. My wife never enjoyed riding in the sidecar, so it has been a dogmobile almost since day one. Hard to explain just how great it is riding with them both to anyone who is not a dog lover, but I would not trade any of my experience with them for anything. God bless those hack pooches who have passed away. I lost Baby and Bosco this past year, but I have never lost their memories. I still pull up their pictures on my computer and have a laugh, have a sob and have a great ton of memories to keep. Enjoy your's while you can, as there is indeed a heaven on earth, and hack pooches are a great part of it.