![\"Mary](\"http:\/\/british-samoyed-club.co.uk\/bsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mary-2-dog..jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nKiska, was 12 months old when I decided to try running her on a bike \u2013 or bikejoring \u2013<\/span><\/span> I would be on my bike behind her, controlling her only by my voice commands whilst she would be harnessed and pulling me by a line.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n My first step was to train her to listen to my voice and learn several specific commands. (I should mention that y<\/span><\/span>ou can start teaching your puppy these commands as part of obedience training from six to eight months old and you can run your pup on a bike at about eight to nine months old but only for half mile distances building up to 1 \u2013 2 miles when they are nearly a year).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The first command Kiska learnt was \u201cline out\u201d. This meant she must go forward until the line that attached her to me was taut and ready to pull. To get Kiska to understand me I attached the line (like a dog leash) to her harness which I held. I asked a friend to hold her collar and coax her to lean into her harness to take up the tension and walk forward whilst I clearly spoke the command \u201cline out\u201d. We practised this several times a week for 5 to 10 minutes at a time until she got the hang of it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Once Kiska understood \u201cline out\u201d the next challenge was to teach her a series of directional commands: \u201chaw\u201d meaning go left, \u201cgee\u201d (pronounced jee) meaning go right, \u201con by\u201d \u2013 ignore whatever you are passing, \u201cstraight on\u201d \u2013 keep going straight at a junction or crossroads and \u201cwhoa\u201d – stop.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n We started gently with learning haw and gee. Two to three times a week I would put Kiska’s harness on and take her out on a \u2018walk\u2019 so she could learn her left and right whilst at the same time understand it was quite ok to pull me <\/span><\/span>provided<\/i><\/span><\/span> she was wearing her harness. I was always attached to her by the line which I held \u2013 and throughout this part of her training I was on foot. Every time I came to a corner I would say \u2018haw\u2019 or \u2018gee\u2019 depending on the direction.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some evenings we went to a public car park when it was quiet and I used the parked cars as objects to train round. And yes, I did get the occasional funny look!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Kiska soon twigged what I wanted from her and over the weeks I added the remaining commands to her vocabulary in the same way \u2013 lots of repetition and rewards for good behaviour.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n When I f<\/span><\/span>elt she had got the hang of the commands and was quite happy wearing the harness I tied an empty plastic water bottle to the end of the line and let her drag it behind her. I wanted to make sure she wasn’t frightened with something dragging behind and making a noise.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Kiska was now ready for the all-important next step \u2013 to learn to pull me on a bike. My first step was to buy an arm for the bike \u2013 this is a clever device that stops the line getting tangled in the wheels.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Next, I needed to find somewhere safe for my first trial run. So far we had only gone at my walking speed \u2013 but now with the help of wheels we would be moving much faster. Would Kiska remember her commands \u2013 especially the all important whoa?! Luckily my friend\u2019s farm had a nice flat grassy track, about half a mile in length. With the command \u201cline out\u201d Kiska set off and I pedalled to help and encourage her whilst my friend stood at the end of the track shouting her name. We did it twice and then called it a day, exhausted but excited \u2013 Kiska definitely had the knack. Over the coming weeks we trained regularly \u2013 two or three times a week \u2013 building up to two miles each session. Kiska improved steadily, building her strength and fitness \u2013 as I did too.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I should say here that how quickly you progress depends on many factors and will be different for each dog and owner. I am fortunate in being small, light and fit (though by no means a spring chicken!) and I knew I was not over-taxing Kiska when we first started training.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Although I really enjoyed running her on my bike, what I really wanted was to try her on a scooter. Dog scooters are simply larger and more robust versions of regular scooters. Pulling a scooter is much harder for a dog as they have to pull your weight \u2013 you have no pedals to help them. Initially, I borrowed a scooter to make sure Kiska was happy to run off it, which she was, and then I took the plunge and and bought my own scooter.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Training<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n By this stage I realised I was hooked. I was keen to develop my partnership with Kiska, hone my ‘mushing’ or driving skills and compete in rallies. But first, I needed to set up a training programme to make sure we were both fit and able. Fortunately I was lucky to find a group of \u2018mushers\u2019 on Facebook who trained at a local forest and who were happy to help me. I applied for a permit to run Kiska in the forest which is owned by the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission requires a contract to be signed and relevant insurance supplied. You must have public liability, and insurance for training and racing. Insurance can be got from SHCGB (Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain) \u2013 some pet insurance companies offer it, but do check first.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Over the winter and into spring I took Kiska to the forest to train each week. Additionally, I knew I needed to build up her general stamina and fitness, so I found a local park where they were happy for me to run her on their trails (parts of which were bridleways)<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>I never ran Kiska on tarmac, roads, pavements or any hard surfaces as it would have damaged her pads and joints \u2013 I kept to bridleways, byways and tracks. So, once a week we were running in the forest over two to three miles, and then twice a week in the park for around two miles. If I was running her on the bike instead of the scooter we would go for longer runs up to five miles.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Once the warmer weather arrived we trained very early in the morning or in the evening if the temperature had dropped sufficiently. It’s important that dogs aren’t run in temperatures over 15 degrees centigrade as they overheat very easily \u2013 it would be like you or me trying to run in a huge duvet whilst pulling a heavy weight. Consequently I normally start training in earnest in September \u2013 good timing as the first rallies start end of October\/beginning of November and finish mid March.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n