WalkyDog Plus Dog Bicycle Leash for Bike

Our Doberman is turning 1, needed to find something that would help give her a nice exercise. Dobermans are very structured dogs and really can't leave them to decide where to go when biking, they need to be guided. It is extremely important to have a quality-built product to eliminate any potential fail points. I was extremely surprised with this simple yet effective contraption. I don't worry that my dog will take off in a different direction when there are distractions (Other Dogs, noises, etc), this is strong enough to correct her wandering and immediately and get refocused. Extremely impressed with this product, haven't tried a cheaper alternative because I don't want to buy and buy again, just wanted to get it right the first time, glad I did. It took minutes for my dog to get used to this and understand what the purpose was, did not take a long time to train. The retractable leash is quality so far, now worry of failure here at all as much abuse that it has taken. I made it a point to get a nice body harness, one that will not fail/rip while riding. The combination of the 2 is a must in my opinion.

I am a professional petsitter and I have to proclaim this product as one of the best pet-related items I've used in a long time. It is very well made, simple to use and does what it promises. In just a couple of months, I have used this on about 10-12 different dogs and it works great. In fact I have to credit it for reinvigorating my interests in bicycles again which had waned in several years, but that's a different story.The dogs that I have run with the Walkydog include a Border Collie, Greyhound, Red Bone Coonhound, 3 Boxers, Jack Russell terrier, Maltese mix, Shih Tzu, Dashund mix, Golden Retriever mix, and some others I cannot recall at the moment. As long as the dog is active and in good health with cooperating weather, than I cannot imagine why anyone would not use this product. You get done faster and the dog is more tired, hence you can get to work sooner or go see a movie that much quicker and maybe avoid furniture chewing from a dog with too much pent-up energy.I do have to say that for some dogs using this may be challenging. Aggressive dogs or easily distracted dogs (two of the Boxers I take care of are easily distracted) so you may have to consider what time of day you ride to avoid too much foot traffic from other dog walkers like 6pm when everyone comes home and walks their dog at the same time. For the Boxers, I have to also use a regular long 6' leash attached to their collar and hold it in my hand whenever they get distracted and pop it a little whenever they try to go behind me or to the side of me chasing a squirrel/cat/dog.Because I have this variety of dogs to use with the Walkydog, I have to make this more flexible for the different sizes I will encounter and so I will list the equipment I use in conjunction with the Walkydog and maybe some of these items will help you with your dog.1) I mount a Trek bike rack to the back of my seat post and than mount the Walkydog to the bike rack rod between the quick release clamp and the actual rack. I found out that while pedaling, the back of my leg was hitting the Walkydog rod under my seatpost even if I angled the rod away. Mounting the Walkydog further back on a bike rack just a few inches works great and the bike rack attachment is almost the same diameter as the seat post so the Walkydog clamp works fine on that too. I didn't get my Trek rack on Amazon, but they have a variety of different brands you can use instead.2) Because of the different heights of all the dogs, I needed to extend the length of the cord provided by the Walkydog. I found at Hxxx Depot (Amazon also sells this) the Smart Bungee system by Joubert and it is an extreme bargain at just $1.75 for ten pieces that allow the user to attach carabiners or increase the length of the bungee cord by just snapping them together. They provide two 24" bungees, two 12" bungees, and six different connectors. What a concept! I found the best one that worked for me most of the time was one 24" bungee and attach the carabiners to both ends. Attach one end to the Walkydog loop clip. I left the Walkydog length and internal springs pretty much alone. The bungee cord allows elasticity and will not whiplash the dog if you have to stop quickly. I also have to credit this in providing a slingshot effect when I have a fast dog - it provides a little boost to my bike when the dog is going so fast that I am not even pedaling! Wee!!! Also the bungee lessens the force that can torque the Walkydog clamp loose. I use this for most of the dogs I run, but with the easily distracted Boxers I use a non-stretch cord to limit their sideways/backwards access.3) I always use dog seat belt harnesses or chest harnesses on the dogs since I want them to pull with their chest and not their neck. The D-ring on the back of the harness is where I would attach the bungee carabiner mentioned above.4) On top of the harness I put a safety vest on the dog. I purchased a yellow one on Amazon that works excellent since it loops from under the dog and allows the back to be open for the seatbelt harness D-ring (note to self: remember to review the yellow safety vest since it was the best one I found). The safety vest may sound like overkill, but in this age of driving cellphones and runaway Toyotas I cannot be too careful when it comes to taking care of someone elses dog.5) I mount the Walkydog so the dog is always on my left. I've discovered that the curbside always have potential injuries waiting to happen like nails, glass, miscellaneous sharp things not good for dog paws.6) No matter how tight I tighten the clamp, I still have some dogs that can move the bike rack and Walkydog out of alignment. A small piece of bicycle inner tube wrapped several times under the clamp may work out better than the vinyl piece provided with the Walkydog product.With this setup, I have had a lot of success going on rides with different dogs. Dogs that pull or have lots of energy would be good candidates for this product and it has saved my arm from getting pulled and stressed out. Hope these words have highlighted the product and do not be discouraged if the product does not work out with the dog the first time. Just walk your dog with the bike so it learns not to be afraid of it and than eventually try to ride slowly next to the dog. I have done this successfully with superslow dogs and dogs that want to go back into the future so please do not be discouraged and eventually you both will have fun with it!

Seems to be good quality and durable. The quick release is nice so there’s not always a bar sticking out. Planning on using it for a disabled person powerchair…I’d question using it on a bicycle just because of the unpredictable movement of a dog. Doesn’t strike me as safe. There’s no emergency release if your dog runs off after a squirrel.

Update in 2024:I'm still using the same bike attachment, now over 10 years-old. This may not be the cheapest dog bike attachment out there, but I can tell you it's well worth it. The frequency of use has lessened as my dog has aged, but we still go out ever so often. I don't specifically remember replacing the paracord since my 2017 review, at most it has only been one time since then. I'm also still using the same bike connection piece with at most replacing the rubber padding once or twice. The whole system continues working great. So stellar reliability for this product!!! That's refreshing given so many products out there that have trouble lasting even a year or two.Regarding a few things I noticed in some negative reviews (though I can't say for sure if there have been any design changes since 2014):The length once adjusted with the springs keeps my medium 50lb dog at a close but comfortable distance from a 26in mountain bike; I use a harness that attaches on her back. To check on her I just have to glance down and to my side, not over my shoulder (and there are audio cues of her nails on the pavement and pace of her breathing to judge her status too). There have been occasions when a sudden slow down pivots the bar to the rear, but my dog ends up just behind the rear wheel or even on the other side, never harming her; as mentioned, I view the bar pivoting as a safety feature to minimize the impact of sudden pulls. It would be true of most harnesses that a dog pulling backwards out of it can wriggle free, which pulling hard against the forward motion of a bike could create; for that I would recommend being mindful of the type of harness and its tightness to minimize that risk. Biking may not be for all dogs and could require some training and acclimating them slowly at first to minimize objections and pulling in other directions.Original 2017 review:I highly recommend this product. It’s pretty simple to install and then I love how the main portion easily snaps on and off. The base that’s left when you snap the main portion off is unobtrusive, so you don’t always have to look like you have a dog attachment. Placement on the seat bar makes it so the dog is running right beside you, allowing you to easily keep an eye on them and probably is more pleasant for the dog. That also (I think) makes it harder for the dog to pull away since the seat is where the majority of your weight is. Overall I’ve found that the speed of a bike makes it easier to keep the dog moving forward instead of chasing things because most of their attention goes into keeping up the pace; having the expectation of “no distractions” and praising the dog for focusing well on running help in that area as well. I’m usually able to compensate for any pulling, especially by picking up the pace. This product will also rotate a bit on the seat bar which can work as a bit of a buffer in case of a sudden stop or the dog lagging behind. Snapping it off with the dog attached makes it easy to walk the dog around for a break without having to switch to another leash, even though it is a very short leash.There is one caveat for bike attachments in general – don’t have illusions that both you and your dog are going to get a workout unless you happen to have “super dog”. This is one of the best ways to tire a dog out, but people get off easy on the bike. My dog is a fairly athletic 50lb lab mix. She gets excited and runs like crazy at first (which puts it at a good pace for me), but that lasts around 5-10 minutes and then she settles into a more sustainable gallop/jog while already breathing hard. The sustainable pace is a leisurely speed for me and if I want to give her a break the best I can do is a brisk trot because that’s the minimum speed for me to keep my balance on my bike. All in all 30-45 minutes depending on the weather (that includes a stop or two) is plenty to have her sprawled out back home for 30 or more minutes catching her breath. Definitely bring some water with you if you want to go any distance, watch your dog carefully to judge their endurance, and try hard to match your speed accordingly. I like to use a chest harness because I view it as more humane for the inevitable pulling (whether she’s pulling me or I’m pulling her). Also, unexpected benefit – I’ve found that running her with the bike on asphalt every few days keeps my dog’s nails nicely filed down as well; just always check your dog’s paws after each ride to make sure they haven’t hurt themselves.I’ve had this attachment for three years now and it has worked great. My dog yelps in excitement when it’s time for a ride. At about two years in I noticed that a portion of the paracord was fraying. It seemed to still be solid enough so I kept using it, but I kept an eye on it and bought a replacement cord. I’ve also noticed that the latching mechanism has become a little stiff and I’ve been meaning to put some wd-40 on it. Turns out the cord may have also been failing inside where I couldn’t see. The cord fraying ended up working to my advantage because recently my dog accidentally put a light post between us the cord broke rather than causing a crash and my dog and I emerged unscathed; the frayed portion remained intact. My dog even was upset at me for taking her back inside to replace the cord before we finished our ride. So far so good with the replacement cord.

I wish I would have bought this sooner. So easy to put on and so much easier than holding a leash.