How Far Should I Bike?

[Grizzpup]

My GSD will be turning a year old on April 4th, and I was going to get a walky dog around the same time. How far do you think I should start running him? It will be on a lot of pavement.

[Castlemaid]

You can start with just a five or 10 minute ride and work up from there. For regular exercise, about four or five miles would be plenty, but depends on your dog and how fit he is and his energy level.

If you are on pavement a lot, one thing to really check for are his paws. When you start, stop often and check for bleeding, raw paw pads. You can start conditioning his paws now by walking him on pavement a lot before you start biking.

[lhczth]

I tend to not bike my dogs long distances until they are mature or around 2. I started Elena this fall doing about a mile. She was 16 months. I prefer free exercise at this age. Just take it slow and easy only increasing distance over time. Personally I wouldn't be doing a lot of distance until he is older.

[Nigel]

It was recommended to us by our vet to limit rides on asphalt/concrete to around 1 mile & until they are about 18 months old (to avoid growth plate damage I thought??) Maybe someone else has the reason. Most of our rides locally were a mix of dirt and asphalt and we stuck with this limit.

[Grizzpup]

Thanks for the replies! I will probably start with a mile and work my way up. I will be checking his paws and before going I am going to put musher's secret on them, so they toughen over time.