Dog biking / Bikejoring

When biking with your dog, both the dog and the owner get to enjoy the thrill of speed. On this page, you will find information about the sled dog sport called bikejoring as well as biking with a dog where the dog runs alongside the cyclist.

With the right gear, a little practice, and consideration of conditions, biking is a great hobby with your dog. It also works as a skill that makes everyday life easier if, for example, you don't have a car or just enjoy biking. More and more people also want to take their dog along for mountain biking or bike touring hobbies or start practicing fast-paced bikejoring, i.e., koirapyöräily. Many dogs love the fast pace!

  • Koirapyöräily / bikejoring

Koirapyöräily is a sled dog sport where the dog runs ahead of the bike pulling it. A dog equipped with a pulling harness is attached to the bike with a bungee leash, and often the bike has a forward-facing bike antenna that keeps the leash up and away from the front wheel. Koirapyöräily is a fast-paced sport that especially requires speed and fitness from the dog. Top speeds in the sport can exceed 40 km/h and koirapyöräily can be competed in at the world championship level.

  • Biking with a dog

The term koirapyöräily refers to a pulling sport, but you can also bike more casually with a dog. In that case, the dog usually runs beside the bike, but depending on the situation, the dog can also be taught to run ahead or behind.

  • Kickbiking / potkupyöräily / scootering / potkulautailu

A sport close to biking, where the vehicle is a large-wheeled kickbike/scooter. Some, especially those less experienced with biking, find kicking easier than biking with a dog. Check out kickbikes here >

Why bike with a dog?

For most dogs, the most natural way to move would be a trot, not a walk. Thus, a human's walking or even running pace is unnaturally slow for a dog. On a bike, a person can offer the dog more brisk exercise. It suits satisfying exercise needs even when the dog cannot be exercised off-leash, for example due to prey drive or unpredictability. Biking is also suitable, for example, as a base fitness maintainer for hunting dogs outside the hunting season.

Is biking suitable for all dogs?

Biking is a great hobby for healthy and well-built adult dogs. With a young dog still growing, it's good to practice the basic skills needed for biking and being near and moving with the bike, but actual bike rides and especially starting pulling sports should wait until the dog is fully grown.

Similarly, with an older dog, the length and speed of biking should naturally be adjusted to the dog's condition and health.

Speed according to the dog

When biking with a dog, the cyclist must always adjust their speed to suit the dog's pace. Most often, this practically means that the cyclist's pedaling pace is very relaxed and the brakes are used frequently, except when going uphill.

When biking, it's preferable to aim for the dog to move mostly at a trot. Of course, gallop sprints can also be taken and many dogs enjoy them, but galloping is a more stressful gait for the dog's body and joints than trotting. Trotting loads the dog's body and muscles more evenly, so the main focus should be there.

In bikejoring, also known as a competitive sport, the goal is the fastest possible performance time, so pulling dogs usually move at a gallop and the biker's aim is to slow the dog as little as possible - but training for pulling sport dogs mostly involves trotting and free movement.

gear for bikejoring traildog

Where can you bike with your dog?

Choose calm biking routes and times suitable for your dog: especially at the beginning of the hobby when passing is still under training.

When biking with a dog, it's good to plan your route so that the dog has a soft and comfortable running surface. Avoid asphalt and large sharp gravel and head for sandy roads, outdoor routes, and trails. If you can't avoid transitions on harder surfaces, try to use softer shoulders even then.

Good running surfaces for the dog are also soft, not very rocky, trails. However, always relate the terrain to your own riding skills. First learn trail riding by yourself and only later add the dog to the equation. For example, beginner mountain biking courses work well as a start for technique practice.

Tips for biking with your dog

  • Getting started:
    • First accustom your dog to just being near the bike, walking, and the various sounds coming from the bike.
    • Get suitable gear. Information about different gear solutions can be found further down this page.
  • Be alert and anticipate: "one eye always observes the environment, the other the dog."
  • Give your dog opportunities to relieve itself before biking and with permission also during the ride. This is part of anticipation. Most sudden stop situations are related to the dog stopping to relieve itself. Frequent permitted stops reduce sudden situations.
  • Notify other travelers in time about passing. Especially when passing dog owners, it's good to always shout that another dog is coming along with the bike, and give them time to move aside. Even a well-behaved dog running past can provoke the dogs being passed.
  • If your dog is walking beside you, try to pass so that the bike is between your dog and those being passed. 
  • Always tell your dog what is happening (turns, stops, etc.) The dog learns to listen and the ride becomes smoother with practice.
  • Start using direction and speed change commands also on everyday walks and runs: that way they strengthen unnoticed.
  • Choose routes where your dog will have as little contact as possible with asphalt or other very hard and rough surfaces.
  • Don't bikejor with your dog when the weather is too warm or humidity is high.
  • Take care of the dog's hydration.
  • Start and end the walk at a calmer pace and walking to allow muscles to warm up and cool down.
  • Vary the pace and terrains of your walks.
  • Remember moderation in the length of walks especially at the start of the hobby and biking season. 
  • Always monitor the dog's endurance. It's better to end the walk before the dog gets tired. This way you will have an eager biking companion also in the future.
  • Always wear a helmet!

The right gear choices reduce the risk of dangerous situations

Holding the leash in the biker's hand or on the handlebar grip is unfortunately a common way that maximizes risks when biking with a dog. Users of such a solution usually find themselves sooner or later on the road surface. It is pointless to imagine that a human's reaction speed would be enough to release the leash in the necessary hundredth of a second in sudden situations. Additionally, a loose dog can run away, get injured, and cause dangerous situations for other road users.

Although attaching the dog to the bike or biker with a so-called fixed solution may sound scary at first, it is actually the safest way to bike with a dog. For bike control and safety, it is important that the biker can keep a firm grip on the handlebars with both hands and focus calmly on riding and observing the surroundings. 

The most important safety for biking with a dog is always anticipation. In addition, there are gear suitable for biking with a dog that reduce the risk of dangerous situations. Examples include bungee leashes worn around the biker's hips, so-called dog running racks attached to the bike (i.e., side-pointing “springers”), or bike antennas (i.e., forward-pointing flexible “antennas”).

The choice of gear depends on whether the dog is meant to run ahead of the bike, beside it, or perhaps even behind. The most common way to bike with a dog is for the dog to run beside the bike. In bikejoring, the dog is always ahead of the bike.

When the dog is attached to the bike or the biker, it is absolutely important for ergonomics that there is a bungee leash or bungee piece in between. The purpose of the bungee is to dampen jerks affecting both the dog and the biker. The dog should have well-fitting harnesses that do not choke or restrict leg movements. Read more about different harnesses and their fit here >

Different ways to bike with your dog

Biking with the dog beside the bike

+ an easy way to start biking with your dog
+ the dog is close and physically controllable
+ well-fitting so-called everyday harnesses (preferably Y-shaped) are enough as harnesses

- running with the dog can become crooked especially if the dog is wary of the bike or the running side is always the same
- ”wide transport” doesn't fit well on narrow trails            

Gear for running alongside 

  • Hip leash
    In the simplest attachment solution, the dog is attached to a flexible leash around the cyclist's hip. It is important that the leash is at the cyclist's hip bones and not high on the waist, so that any jerks do not affect the back. The leash should be short enough so the dog cannot circle to the front of the bike and the leash does not get tangled in the pedals. Tangling is also reduced by the leash going directly sideways from the hip, not straight forward like the pulling belts used in canicross.

    One of the best things about a hip leash is that it is easy to get off the bike with the dog. It is also versatile and requires no installation. A popular hip leash for biking is a shorter version of the Ruffwear Roamer Bungee Leash . In addition to adjustable, quick attachment, it has a bungee that dampens jerks and a handle from which the dog can be kept very close if needed, for example during passing. The leash is also easy and quick to wrap completely around the cyclist's hip when the dog is not attached.

  • Dog running frame (commonly called springer)
    Springer is the name for a so-called side running frame mounted around the bike's seat tube. This is a traditional model where the spring of the frame itself dampens jerks. The side running frame is well suited, for example, for biking with a dog on busier roads, as the dog stays very close beside the bike. However, it takes up lateral space, so it is not suitable for narrow trails.

  • Bike antenna that can be turned from front to side
    Some bike antennas can also be installed or turned to the side of the bike. Such a bike antenna is, for example, Kainpo Combi Plus. More about bike antennas below.

  • Leash attached to the seatpost
    This solution works well as a so-called temporary solution and is always better than a leash in the cyclist's hand. For example, a normal leash or a bungee leash can be doubled to shorten it to a suitable length. When short, the leash is less likely to get tangled in the pedals. In this way, the dog is attached to a point with a lot of mass (the cyclist sitting on the saddle), so the dog's lateral movements do not easily affect balance.

Biking with the dog ahead of the bike / bikejoring / bikejoring

+ the dog can choose its running line more freely than when running beside
+ running posture stays straighter more easily than when running beside
+ works even on narrow mountain biking trails
+ the dog can provide pulling power (if the dog pulls, it should wear a pulling harness)
+ in bikejoring you can also progress to sled dog sports competitions

- requires lightly trafficked routes and lots of skill practice

Things to consider: Does your dog already know directional commands? Can your dog ignore other movers and pass by? The basics of pulling sports are easiest to teach with  canicross before moving on to bikejoring. 

        Equipment when the dog runs ahead of the bike

  • Bike antenna
    Bike antenna refers to the flexible forward-extending so-called antenna at the front of the bike. It is intended for biking where the dog moves ahead of the bike, usually pulling. The bike antenna keeps the pulling line up so it does not get tangled in the front wheel even if the dog slows down. This greatly increases safety.

    The spring in the bike antenna is flexible to follow the dog's movements. However, the spring itself is not made to withstand pulling, so the pulling line must ALWAYS be attached around the bike frame (or to the loop on the attachment part of some adapter models). The leash should never be attached to the ring at the end of the antenna, but to the bike. It is recommended to use a flexible  pulling line that stretches to about 2.5–3 meters with the bike antenna.

    There are different bike antenna models because bikes also vary. Our selection includes several different adapter models, including those suitable for modern mountain bikes/full suspension bikes/fatbikes. The bike antenna is usually installed either around the bike frame or around the head tube - depending on the bike's design and the adapter model. Adapters that attach to the handlebars are also available.
     
    Check out the bike antenna selection guide here.

  • Pulling harness
    The dog running ahead of the bike must absolutely wear a harness - a pulling dog should wear pulling harnesses designed for pulling sports pulling harnesses. Never pull with a collar, not even as a test. Well-fitting pulling harnesses direct the pulling pressure to the dog's chest, away from the throat. Read more about finding the right harness in our fitting guide.

  • Flexible pulling line
    Competition rules serve as a good guideline: in bikejoring, the fully stretched  pulling line must be at least 2 m and at most 3 m measured from the dog's rear to the front of the bike. It is forbidden to have any kind of metal hook or metal ring at the bike side end of the pulling line.

Biking with a dog behind the bike

For dogs that do mountain biking, it may be sensible to also teach running behind the bike off-leash. Especially on very narrow and very uneven trails when mountain biking, this skill can come in handy.

+ physically the most ergonomic / safest in challenging terrain (no jerks or risk of bumps)
+ the cyclist can choose their line without having to watch out for the dog
+ enables traveling very technical trails with the dog

- requires especially good control of the dog without physical contact
- the dog must be indifferent to other travelers and animals


Moving back and following there is easiest to practice first on trails by walking or at walking speed, on a separate command.

Even if the dog is running freely behind the bike, a leash should always be quickly available for overtaking, for example. The previously mentioned leash suitable for side running attached to the cyclist's hip leash works well for this. The dog can also wear a combination collar and leash. Such a product is, for example, NiteIze Raddog -collar, which contains a retractable short leash that can be quickly extended when needed, so the dog can be connected instantly when necessary.

It is practical for a dog following behind the bike to be attached to, for example, a bell, whose sound lets the cyclist know the dog is keeping up without constantly looking back.

Following behind the bike is a skill that can be partially trained, but naturally it is not suitable for all environments or all dogs.

Bikejoring competitions

Interested in participating in bikejoring competitions? In Europe, sled dog sports competitions on snow-free ground are held in spring and autumn. Summers are the holiday and base training season for sled dog athletes, as hot weather is not suitable for practicing sled dog sports. 

Race routes in bikejoring are usually trail-type and the length is about 5-7 km. According to the rules, the dog must move ahead of the cyclist for the entire distance.

In competitions under the Finnish Sled Dog Sports Association, the international sled dog sports association's IFSS competition rules. National rules complement the IFSS rules in national sled dog sports competitions and Finnish championships. Information about upcoming bikejoring competitions can be found here: Sled dog sports competitions and events. In competition announcements, the bikejoring series class abbreviation is DBM / DBW (bikejoring men / women).