Let me rephrase that – a requirement to be a HUMAN kid
I enjoy riding my bike and I enjoy taking Eko on walks, but before today I had never combined those skills. I like to take Eko on runs with me, but he usually gets bored because I can’t keep up. I always thought it would be great if Eko could learn to run with me while I bike, and today I finally decided to try to teach him.
Helmet, check. Video camera, check. Unnecessary goggles, check.
Learning to ride your bike with your dog is definitely something you don’t want to do in the street. Luckily there is an alley near my apartment, so we had plenty of room to practice.
Initially, Eko thought the bike was a device to help him sunbathe
“Eko, try not to kill me and I’ll try not to kill you”
Eko’s first move was to block my path, so I had to put on the brakes
I managed to get Eko off to my side, but he was convinced that it was his mission to eat the tires
For the first fifteen minutes Eko and I never made it further than a couple pedals. It was frustrating, but I had to remember that this was Eko’s first time ever being with me on a bike. We stuck with it, and after about twenty minutes Eko was comfortable with the bike and happily jogging alongside.
Yeah! Bike riding!
Our form is far from perfect – Eko still needs to work on stopping and staying next to the bike at all times – but we definitely made some progress. After a few more practice rounds in the alley I think we’ll be ready to hit the trails on Lake Michigan or one of the local parks. I’ll be sure to get more footage of our rides and put together a video of our two wheeled tour around the city.
If you ride your bike with your dog, please share some of your learning tips with us!
