Age of dog before mountain biking??

So we have an 8 month old Black Mouth Cur (found in a dumpster).

He is finally the dog I’ve been waiting for as a mountain biking partner.

The question is......how old should he be before he hits the trail? As I understand it, you can do permanent damage to a dog if you run them too early.

Anybody have experience with this?

Obligatory pics:

 

Awesome dog! So cool you rescued him and are giving him an awesome life. My wife is a long distance runner, we have a lab who runs with her. Just went through this. Our vet wanted us to limit his long runs until 18 months. Even then, the vet didn't really recommend him going on the super long runs even though he'll get a few here and there over his life. Hes now almost 2. He only goes up to 6 miles, any longer than that and he stays home.

 

Have you ever seen a lab that you didn’t want to pet????

Haha, nope....

I can totally wait 18 months.

The deal is, I usually roll about 22 to 24 miles.

That distance was never an issue for my buddies GSP.

I guess I need to see how Rosco responds to shorter distances first.

 

Our Vet recommended always limiting the miles we take our dog on as it can lead to health issues later in life such as joint pain, hip issues etc. I've always limited her to 5-6 miles at a time and definitely take weather into account. I read something a while back too that labs and other loyal dog types will sometimes run farther than they should and run through pain for their owners. I tend to be on the way cautious side though haha.

 

He's the best. Labs can have hip issues. I found the best possible breeding line knowing he'd put miles in with her. I feel way better when he's with her even though he's the most gentle dog I've ever had.

 

Is it possible to love dogs too much??

NOPE.

 

Range is a question. How much is too much?

 

Two years

 

Maybe try to find one of these for those long rides. in a slightly bigger size of course.
https://www.inthecompanyofdogs.com/...nFcSNEDHWk1g_MjHg7tEN0IyEH4W7rO0aAixnEALw_wcB

 

Lol. Oh god, he would hate that. Dude wants to run!!

 

it was just a thought. You may want to consider one anyway in case he gets hurt on a ride/run.

 

If he gets hurt, I’ll throw my $7k bike in the weeds, and carry him out on foot.

This dog has eaten a wall in my house. He ate the linoleum floor in our mud room.

But somehow I still love him.

 

He has a appetite for destruction.

 

He is a MACHINE!!

 

Action shots!

Good god dogs can be so annoying, but their love is so unconditional and that's probably why I love them as much as I do. Plus... my Pitbull smiles at me. I have never had 80lbs of steak smile at me like he has before.

 

Make sure his or her pads are good and tough. I had to carry mine back from a dried AZ river bed walk. The rocks were too hot for her pads.

Later I'd take her running with me, but limit it to 3 miles. She's 12 now and no joint pain that I can see anyway.

 

Our 12 year old Aussie is a smiler. He expresses his emotions well.