# Mountain Biking



## Cornbread (Dec 30, 2008)

Is Force running when you go and go and don't let your pup stop when he wants?

Asking because I took our 6 month old for a mtn bike ride and was shocked that after 20 minutes he was panting, but seemed ready to go again! 

he could stop when he wanted to because he's not on a leash. However, will his desire to stay with me override his ability to stop when he needs to...which he's done on walks before. 

per his energy level it seems he could handle 6 miles of mtn biking through through the woods...


what is ya'lls experience...my concerns are heat and doing damage to growth plates...please advise!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Cornbread

I rode hundreds of miles with my Vizlsa's through the years on a Mtn Bike, So I'll try to give you my insight.

All of my dogs could "eventually" run for hours with me, and I can state that my pace on a MTN Bike would not be considered slow by any means (Former USCF Bicycle racer). 
The considerations that have to be given for a dog are the same as a human. They're subject to the same conditions a human athlete is with repect to blood volume, lactic acid and ATP cycles, etc. The aerobic and cardiovascular systems must be developed over time. Additionally all of the soft joint tissues and joints have to be strong enough, and developed enough to support the load. The nutritional requirements to run my dogs at that level was beyond simplie dog food. They ate a supplemented diet of rice, lean meat, chicken, fish oil, and I carried electrolyte replacement fluid for them, instead of relying solely on water alone. The were given supplements of Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroiton and also supplemeted with B-Vitamin stress tabs.
6 months is too young in my opinion,and while my dogs were out with me at this age, they were fun runs to and from water, playing, etc. Never very far from either water or the truck. His joints, cartlige,and connective soft tissue still need to develop, or you may risk the onset of arthritis earlier in his life than may be normal.
If I were to ride a MTN bike for 20 minutes at speed I would easily travel close to 8 miles on a flat road. A dog zig zagging around to and fro could easily cover twice that. That's a lot of miles for a dog, and yes, a Vizsla's desire to please his owner can easily lead to them pushing themselves beyond the point of simple exhaustion. 
Every year hunting dogs of all breeds succumb to heat exhaustion and cardiac arrest, by being pushed beyond their current fitness level during hunting season. It happens. :'(

I'm not trying to be an alarmist here, or scare you. My best memories of all my dogs have been the hours we spent training in the forest and just messing about. Give your guy time to grow, develop his strength, and his cardiovascular system, and you'll be setting yourself up for some incredible good times, and great memories. Keep a camera at the ready, and make sure to carry some extra water bottles for him so he always has access to clean water( I used Cytomax).


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## wal (Sep 1, 2009)

Hi,
My two cents.
I am sure your pup will follow you faithfully. His instinct drives him to follow his pack leader closely; those fail to do so are likely not going to survive if it is in the wild. 
Please keep in mind, he is only 6 mths old, still very young. He muscles, bones and especially his knee joints can wear down prematurely. Of course, one may argue that's the way to develop his endurance. I have seen lots of young athetes develop tendonitis and arthritis problem in early age, K-9 probably responses in the same way. They won't quit unless they are in severe pain. 
Regards
wal


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## Blaze (Aug 6, 2008)

Hi Cornbread, 
At 6 months, I remember that 30 minute walks around the block were not nearly enough to tire him out. I started trail running with him for 20 -30 minute periods. Around 8 months I started road running with him tethered to my waist but halted this quickly when I got more informed about possible damage incurred to the joints and improper dev. of the growth plates. It is only now (he is 17 months old) that I let him road run with me 5 km. And I don't go race pace so @ heel he is going a fast trot on pavement. Their endurance is ahead of their physical development so I think it's best to build them up with shorter distances. I am not adding much, The other two furum members explained very well and I agree with them. But before long your little athlete will be keeping up with you. The next year will fly.


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## Vlicked (Jun 19, 2008)

Cornbread said:


> will his desire to stay with me override his ability to stop when he needs to...which he's done on walks before.


YES! My guy could run for days if you let him. Especially at 6 months, you should pace him. I know they may not be tired out, but he's still growing and it's best to take it easy in this stage.


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