medium dog in bucket cargo bike - thoughts a year in

[notpickard]

hi all, thought i'd make my first post with some thoughts on getting my 60+ lb pitbull to ride around in a Riese & Müller Transporter 2. She's over 12 years old so the cargo bike is a great way to get her to places she wouldn't be able to walk to. Included a couple of pictures just to give a sense of scale. Not claiming any of this as gospel and am open to thoughts/questions. Has been pretty successful with some room to grow.

The Transporter 2 with Bosch performance has been great. One nice feature is the bucket i have has a side opening door and is low enough that she can get in an out pretty much on her own.

The only real change i made to the bucket was to put one 24"x24" eva foam tile, the kind used for interlocking excise padding, on the 'floor' of the bucket. The bucket material on its own is way to slick and she would slide all around. the foam tile is grippy enough for her paws and butt to be pretty stable an a little bit of a cushion that is works great.

To get her comfortable i worked with her for about a month.

First week I just had her get into and out of the bucket, giving her a treat each time she iterated. It did this a few times a day. Just said something like 'let's ride!' to get her outside. And would let her hop in, close the door, doo a bunch of good dog, open the door let her hop out. And that was it for a week She's very food motivated (see 'pitbull') so it was not hard to get her to associate getting to the bucket as a good time for her

The second week I got her in the bucket and pushed the bike with her in it around the block. Stopping when ever she would stand up or get nervous. I'd get her settled, give her a treat when she was chilled out and then continue. Not too different from leash training. Just stopping when she was not doing what the right behavior was in the moment, adjusting and rewarding.

Third week was around the block but riding. Same idea as walking but getting her used to the speed and motion.

Fourth week were short rides to places she knows, like the coffee shop we go to in the morning. Just trying to her used to the idea that when we get in we are going some where and she'll get to get out.

Caveat her is she is an older dog so her energy and rapidness of action doesn't really require me to be on guard for some split second choice she might make. She's not reactive to other dogs and people. So it was pretty much just the bike. Only mentioning it because i know there's a lot of variety in dog personality and in my case i didn't really have to take into account things like strapping her in.

But not we get to go to pretty far parks and new smells which she loves. So it's been a great investment in our quality of life.

Look forward to thoughts and picts of the best copilots.

 

[BirdmanStevens]

She's a cutie! Good write-up, and good work!

 

[jjsheets]

What an awesome way to bond with your dog and a fun read. Love to see this and the cute pup.

 

[nathanomaly]

I love this! I have a 50 lb pittie mix I'd love to have the option of transporting in my Urban Arrow.

Do you have any insights on mounting something for leash attachment somewhere deep in the box? I would slowly train her to stay in the box unattached but would like to have something for peace of mind in case of squirrel emergency!

 

[Timberdoodle]

I love this! I have a 50 lb pittie mix I'd love to have the option of transporting in my Urban Arrow.

Do you have any insights on mounting something for leash attachment somewhere deep in the box? I would slowly train her to stay in the box unattached but would like to have something for peace of mind in case of squirrel emergency!

so, I've had some.... experiences with squirrel emergencies, and other emergencies regarding bicycles.

my ex got her shoulder broken when she was bikejoring with our dog and he had a "SQUIRREL!" moment.

very not great.

but one note with regard to doggo leashening while in a bike bucket or trailer: Burley specifically states not to leash your dog into the carrier when riding. and I found out why.

So when there is a bad time to be had like a rollover, the dog's just gonna spill out. but if the bike or trailer are attached to them, they'll have an array of bad possibilities:
1: clotheslining another cyclist with the leash
2: the trailer/bike gets walloped by a car and your dog gets yanked by the neck/chest into that crash with likely lethal effects
3: your dog freaks out and things just get a thousand times worse than they already are.

When Elias and I had a rollover, it was on *this turn*

I was turning right, carried a little too much speed into the turn, and Elias jumped up and leaned left at the worst possible time.

so he rolled the trailer right into that lane and spilled out the front hatch. I dropped my bike and just grabbed him by his chest harness and yanked him to safety, then grabbed the leash, which I wrap around my waist like a belt while riding, and clipped him up while I dragged the trailer and bike back into the bike lane to recombobulate.

if anything, I would highly recommend just getting a good chest harness with an awesome grab handle for your dog. make it super easy to gain control of them in the event of an emergency, and do not attach them directly to *you* or *your bike*.


Travis and Sigrid are obviously a different case. cats have different needs.


Once you take them on a few rides and build that trust though, the worries will disappear. it's just a new way for you to develop your relationship with your dog.

If you need to, find a really safe place for training your dog to stay in the bucket. there's defs no rush for primetime, some dogs take weeks to get the overall concept. but if you're on a multi-use path or road or whatnot, the leash is more of a hazard than a help.

BTW the leash thing. I run it through my belt loops like this. also, please clap, I tucked in my shirt so y'all wouldn't have to see my big middle-aged fat man belly.

Step 1: I'm right-handed, so I loop it like this. loop the opposite way to get the left hand option.




Step 2: run the clip end through the handle end and cinch it a bit. it's now basically a slipknot around your waist.



Step 3: take the clip and run it to your opposite side, and clip it in a belt loop




this in combo with a chest harness with a easy-to-clip loop on the back is a winner. I use the same harness that Elias had for Bikejoring.


Great for keeping your dog under control when things go sideways and you have to deal with it.

 

[nathanomaly]

so, I've had some.... experiences with squirrel emergencies, and other emergencies regarding bicycles.

my ex got her shoulder broken when she was bikejoring with our dog and he had a "SQUIRREL!" moment.

very not great.

but one note with regard to doggo leashening while in a bike bucket or trailer: Burley specifically states not to leash your dog into the carrier when riding. and I found out why.

So when there is a bad time to be had like a rollover, the dog's just gonna spill out. but if the bike or trailer are attached to them, they'll have an array of bad possibilities:
1: clotheslining another cyclist with the leash
2: the trailer/bike gets walloped by a car and your dog gets yanked by the neck/chest into that crash with likely lethal effects
3: your dog freaks out and things just get a thousand times worse than they already are.

When Elias and I had a rollover, it was on *this turn*
View attachment 920
I was turning right, carried a little too much speed into the turn, and Elias jumped up and leaned left at the worst possible time.

so he rolled the trailer right into that lane and spilled out the front hatch. I dropped my bike and just grabbed him by his chest harness and yanked him to safety, then grabbed the leash, which I wrap around my waist like a belt while riding, and clipped him up while I dragged the trailer and bike back into the bike lane to recombobulate.

if anything, I would highly recommend just getting a good chest harness with an awesome grab handle for your dog. make it super easy to gain control of them in the event of an emergency, and do not attach them directly to *you* or *your bike*.


Travis and Sigrid are obviously a different case. cats have different needs.


Once you take them on a few rides and build that trust though, the worries will disappear. it's just a new way for you to develop your relationship with your dog.

If you need to, find a really safe place for training your dog to stay in the bucket. there's defs no rush for primetime, some dogs take weeks to get the overall concept. but if you're on a multi-use path or road or whatnot, the leash is more of a hazard than a help.

BTW the leash thing. I run it through my belt loops like this. also, please clap, I tucked in my shirt so y'all wouldn't have to see my big middle-aged fat man belly.

Step 1: I'm right-handed, so I loop it like this. loop the opposite way to get the left hand option.

View attachment 921
View attachment 922

Step 2: run the clip end through the handle end and cinch it a bit. it's now basically a slipknot around your waist.

View attachment 923

Step 3: take the clip and run it to your opposite side, and clip it in a belt loop
View attachment 924
View attachment 925


this in combo with a chest harness with a easy-to-clip loop on the back is a winner. I use the same harness that Elias had for Bikejoring.View attachment 926


Great for keeping your dog under control when things go sideways and you have to deal with it.

That's helpful advice and makes a ton of sense! I'd probably rather have my dog pull me off the bike than pull the bike (though obviously I'd rather avoid both). I'll start conditioning with treats and praise for being leashed to me in the stationary bike for a few moments and go from there.

 

[Timberdoodle]

yeah so... don't have them attached to *you* either. that's how my ex broke the almost-impossible-to-break bone.

that is incredibly not-fun. yeah, I got to help her put on her bra every day for 2 months, but it was 100% not fun for her.

I advise you to roll with nobody leashed to anything. but have the systems in place to get that leash hitched up with only one hand within a second or two, in a manner that leaves both of your hands free to deal with the bike.

 

[BirdmanStevens]

Although it takes some work, the best solution to deal with squirrel type stuff is to desensitize them through training. I've done it with my dog. It takes some time, but it's easier than desensitizing your dog to other dogs (my dog is reactive to other dogs ).