Dog scootering with a GSD?

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Pix

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Right you lot, no mocking or bullying. I know what you're like and I'm not standing for it!

I may sit down for it though. It's only sensible after a few glasses of wine.

I've been quite keen on the idea of introducing Loki to a scooter (when he's old enough, obviously). It looks like great fun, and it will give us another option to burn off some of his physical energy when we're not exploring the woods and moors around these parts.

I've been doing some Googling off and on for the past few months, but most of what I can find either relates to sites that are trying to sell scooters, people who work teams, or people who scooter with huskies/mals etc. So I have a few questions, if anyone can answer any I'd be very grateful :)

Does anyone know of GSDs that pull scooters/kickbikes? Obs they aren't born for it in the way a sledding breed would be, but do they enjoy it? I imagine Loki would, but interested to hear from others. Mostly GSDs seem to be pulling carts, and gaiting while doing so. Which is fine, but I've not much use for a cart as I would rather not hitch him up outside our local shops!

We have a lot of hills around here. I know all sorts of breeds can pull a scooter, with varying help on hills etc. How likely is a GSD to struggle on an incline? I'm 5 2" and somewhere betwixt 8-9 stone if that helps. :o

Does anyone have URLs for forums/websites or recommendations for books I might find useful? As said my Googling has been a little disappointing!

I think I grasp the basics with the commands needed, but is it recommended to train with a group? I could muddle by (possibly) but are there any groups/clubs in the S. Yorkshire area that do this kind of thing?

Gosh that was long. If you read it all then you can totally have sparkly cake with shiny stuff inside! Or shiny stuff with sparkly cake inside. One of those things anyway :p
 
Lots of sheps work in harness and they can pull a good weight :p
KarynK's sister has a lovely black GSD who runs in harness with her huskies :)
I am sure KarynK can put you in touch with her if you ask nicely!
Suzysparkle, Cyrus and Blackcob could also recommend where to ask/look.

Would be a brilliant way to burn off all that energy! Was going to try it myself then got hooked on tracking, but won't rule it out for the future :) would wait until after 12 months before I would ask him to do long distances/bear weight.
 
I asked this same question a while back, in anticipation of possibly wanting a GSD in the future and definitely needing something compatible with dryland mushing - I think we came to the conclusion that they'd be fine with it (although possibly not as driven and mad about it as a husky :p).

I run one dog off a bike and I do end up pedalling when going uphill, I am a bit taller and heavier than you though. :o The bike is a heavy steel-framed thing and I'm looking into buying a lightweight scooter to help out in this regard. Have done a lot of scooter research if I can bore you with talk about the different brands?

The best thing I found for starting out was to have someone running or biking ahead of you and calling back to the dog, the chase instinct is very strong and rewarding, a group situation might be too overwhelming for the first few times. What I would recommend is going along to a rally, not to compete, but just to watch and learn and talk to people - husky people are mental but extremely friendly and will talk your ear off about the sport if you tell them you're interested in starting. Trying to dig up a link with the calendar on, hang on a sec...

Oh, and squirrels happen. Wear a helmet. :p
 
Pix, if you're interested, when he's older you can do the Ausdauerprüfung (AD) endurance test, which was designed as part of the Schutzhund sport for GSDs but any breed can do it, it's 20k/12.5m on the flat off a bike with two rest stops and an obedience routine at the end (nothing fancy, just to prove the dog is still switched on and not knackered.)
I think they have to be at least 15 months to qualify.

If you look on the GSD League website there will be a 'Working Branch' section with the secretaries of all the League-affiliated Schutzhund clubs in the UK, there might be one near you, you could look them up and have a phone/email chat if they are doing an AD or anything else that might float your collective boats.
BAGSD also have working branches.
 
I will definitely check out Dogforums then, thanks! :)

CC- That's encouraging! I was half expecting to be told not to bother to be honest. :o Agree re: 12 months+ before being introduced to an actual scooter. I was considering working on the commands some more, then introducing something light weight like a branch at around 9-10 months, so that he can get used to the idea of pulling/something dragging behind him. Bit like with a horse I guess. That shouldn't cause him a problem should it?

My other thought was how much of a mental work out it would be. He seems to have separate reserves of energy for mental and physical work outs. I'm assuming he would cope alright with scootering as a stand in for our normal physical exercise, and keeping up with the obedience type work we do as well? (e.g sits from movement, stays in different positions, the odd bit of trick training etc). Obs something I would have to watch and see how it goes, more worried about perhaps confusing him with different commands/ways of working.

Blackcob - happy to be bored about scooters ta! PM if you prefer. The types with a fender on the front wheels and suspension for our gnarly tracks (which I feel a little happier with tbh :o) don't seem cheap so would rather not buy a turd if you know what I mean. Regards rallies- can you just turn up? Or should you find somebody who is going first and check that it's OK to be there and ask questions etc?

Squirrels? I'm saying nothing...... just quietly adding helmet to the future list :p
 
There doesn't seem to be a BAGSD branch in our area. There is a secretary listed for a GSDL working branch, no website just email/phone. I've been wondering whether to call as I would like to join a breed specific club. But a lot of the Schutzhund/working groups seem quite serious in what they do. Which is understandable, but leaves me wondering whether a GSD newbie like myself would be able to fit in :)
 
A lot of the people that came to our club, came because their young dogs were bolshy and they didn't know what to do and had never heard of Schutzhund.

They are all now working towards their entry-level obedience qualification (which is equivalent to KC Companion Dog or KC Good Citizen Gold) or already have it and are working to the next level and their dogs are so much calmer and happier and manageable.

You can't do anything near what those top-level protection dogs are doing, without obedience (in fact you're not allowed to do any sleeve work on our field if you don't have a good level of obedience), and you don't even need to do the protection work, there are obedience and tracking qualifications to work for as well as things like the AD and we have some pretty natty agility equipment :p.
Most of the dogs we have are family pets, there are only one or two top level competition dogs and a couple of service dogs in training.

Lots of the clubs won't mind if you go for a look-see, if it's not for you, then no worries, give them a bell.
 
If I'm honest part of what put me off was reading somewhere that you had to do all three phases, or not train at all. I have nothing against the protection phase, I love watching the dogs work, esp. the searching part with the blinds. It's just that I find the tracking more impressive/interesting. And the protection feels more to me like an extension of the obedience. If that makes sense. :o

I think I might give them a call this week. After all, the deciding factor in having a GSD was versatility and enjoying doing different things together :D
 
Absolutely understand what you are saying.
That's never been my experience at any club or under any trainer (train all three or none at all) and if it were true then very few of us would ever have got started at all.
You can combine obedience and tracking to do Utility Dog, etc etc - let me know how you get on :)

(But not to drag you away from scootering - do it all :D)
 
You've convinced me, I'll grow some cojones and call up and try to speak with our local secretary this week :) I've been covering a lot of the obedience side at home but would love some expert help... even more so with tracking. I've never done it before myself, so poor Loki is currently trained via the best of Google :rolleyes: Blind leading the blind springs to mind!

That said if I'm told to sod off, and we can't join in with any training AT ALL until he's passed at least BH, it's all your fault :p

But no worries in that you will put me off scootering, not now that I've had a little encouragement :rolleyes: Were I capable of lying to myself this 2 bed flat would be filled with sibes and mals, and I would be nurturing dreams of the Iditarod and Yukon quest, whilst well meaning RSPCA officers bash my door down. God bless common sense :p
 
Well, where/how do you think you learn the BH pattern? And where do you think the BH tests take place? :p

That's why I would always recommend a club, you find out so much more by talking to real people than trying to educate yourself over the internet :)

ETA - especially as a lot of the bloody routines are probably going to change in the new year :p
 
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Yeh go for it Pix, once loki is old enough of course. When I was a little girl and we had proper winters I used to be pulled round the fields by a couple of our shepherds on a sledge. Bit heath robinson, I used pony headcollars for harnesses (one of the dogs was Consort CC , he was actually animated pulling a sledge, maybe we should have used one for the show ring:D).
 
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