25 replies to this topic

[Lisa]

I have been doing some research this week on "Dog Scootering". Has anyone had any experience with it?

Hawk is so energetic that I think this would be such a fun thing for he and I too do.

What I can gather is it can be expensive to get into.

Does anyone know of a place where I can get in touch with?

Thanks, Lisa

[gea]

hi
me and yvon are dogscootering every weekend with our dogs, they just love it and its so much fun to do,dogs getting nuts because they can run and pull there favorite things
here is a youtube movie from it


you can find info about dogscootering in the states at www.dogscooter.com

[Allison]

I'm dying for a scooter, too. Took me I while to choose the one I want, because I'm not that tall, and although I wanted the large one, I don't think it's right for me.

There are often reps at some of the dog events in your local area, that bring them along, and you can have a chance to try one, and get a feel for the height that is right for you.

Also, I notice that there are some nicer ones, this year, that are a little less expensive, here. I believe they cost less in Europe, as they are imported here, to the States.

I recommend disc brakes.

I got a chance to use one that Kim made...very cheap, from a scooter from Wal-Mart. Coyo loved it. And then we had some different ones at one of the Gatherings, where the dog hooks beside you. This was recommended by JD, because you are able to maintain better control of your dog.

I still like the others, even though it was obvious that he was quite right.

[Lisa]

Hi Gea,

I did watch your You Tube video last week on the other site. That's what got me thinking about this for Hawk and I.

I have seen a number of scooters on line, mostly from Europe. I am interested in finding one closer to me. I live in Oregon, about 4 hours from Kim's. I would love to find a dealer, try some out with Hawk and see how it goes.

How did you find the one right for you and Kaya?

LIsa

[Allison]

Also, can you recommend the harnesses. Those kind you use for mushing, we have to order, here. Is there anything you would warn us about, or give advice on, before ordering--something we should be sure to check?

[gea]

Allison, on Feb 18 2008, 10:40 PM, said:

Also, can you recommend the harnesses. Those kind you use for mushing, we have to order, here. Is there anything you would warn us about, or give advice on, before ordering--something we should be sure to check?

be sure its an adult scooter, that can carry 200 pounds or more and you need breaks, front and back and always be alert youre dog wont stop in the middle of a run, because you drive over him then, so always keep an eye on the dog and the rest of the track.
safety for the dog first.
the harness is an sled dog pulling harness for one dog and if you have more dogs infront of your scooter you need another one that keeps them together.
also be sure that the dogs knows the right commands for left ,right,go and stop, saves you alot of crashes Bwahahaha
for the rest its just practise, a lot before you can go off in the woods
here is a little youtube movie from last sunday, you can see the harness ka wears and the one they wear when there are two dogs in front of the scooter
good luck all with the dogscootering, it really is so much fun

[Allison]

Very nice video. Thanks. Yvonn got some artsy sequences there, with the shadows, and all. Your countryside is beautiful.

My harness question, though, I see they are sled dog harnesses, but they have to be ordered online, here. Were you able to try on different sizes? Your dog look about the same size as mine, and Hawk, too. Did you have to measure, and send in a size?

Are they adjustable? Are you happy with the fit?

[Lisa]

Gea,

I have the same question as Allison. Is the harness made for dogs of all sizes? Yes, Hawk, Coyo and your kaya look like about the same size. Hawk is only 40 lbs. He is a lean, mean fighting machine!

Is there a certain way to measure you dog for a harness?

Love your video. Lisa

[gea]

Lisa, on Feb 22 2008, 10:07 PM, said:

Gea,

I have the same question as Allison. Is the harness made for dogs of all sizes? Yes, Hawk, Coyo and your kaya look like about the same size. Hawk is only 40 lbs. He is a lean, mean fighting machine!

Is there a certain way to measure you dog for a harness?

Love your video. Lisa

wel at the dogscooter.com site you can fill in the size and weight of your dog and they make the right harness then, you need the x back harness
http://www.dogscoote...ssesCatalog.htm

my ka is 38 pounds, so something like hawk i guess, i just could fitt the harness sicne yvon got all sizes with her, she fitts in a M harness , it goes from s,m,l,xl and xxl
so its not that big her harness, but when we are scootering, she pulls it straight and thats the way its supposed to be. so always check if it fits when the dog is in action.

good luck you two with the dogscootering, just practise a lot and all will be fine

[gea]

oh just remembered this, you need a leash that comes between the harness and the scooter, be sure its elastic, so the dog wont get all the shocks from the pulling on his back,the elastic makes sure its a smooth pull for the dogs
something like this will do

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Allison]

Thanks a lot Gea, really, thanks. You've saved us a lot of time, and mistakes. I had been using a really heavy shock cord, but would not have thought of it once I had the harness. So you saved us at one bad crash!

[Gavin]

About Dog Harnesses:
My mom does quite a bit of dog sledding and says there is no substitute for custom-made harnesses. She gets hers from Black Ice (link below) She sends them her dog's measurements and they decide if a stock harness will work or if a custom made harness would be better. Since our AI dogs are not exactly shaped like huskies, I imagine custom harnesses will be a better choice. They are very nice people who are happy to answer your questions.
-Gavin

http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/

[Allison]

Hey, thanks Gavin. That question has been needling me for a while. Your mom sleds with dogs, eh? Cool Mom. Have you seen the AIDog sled team, from AK.? They did real well, and surprised the other teams.

[Allison]

That's a great site! I appreciate the skijorring equipment, too. I see the prices are very reasonable. Can't thank you enough, and your Mom, too!

[Gavin]

Yep, at age 50 my mom took up dog sledding as her new hobby. (Here she is with 2 of her dogs -- Siberian Huskies.) They live in Colorado. She does a little skijorring too. If anyone needs advice about equipment or training, let me know and I will get her involved. She is a pretty cool mom.

I knew the was an AID sled dog team, but I have never found much info, is there a website or something?
-Gavin

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by Gavin, 06 May 2008 - 07:54 AM.

[Jamacee]

This is cool when I read that AIDogs are good at pullin I started lookin at this too but.....

Not to sound snobby but as a ex mountain bike cross country racer and bmx rider the scooters are a lil hokie to me but thats just me, no offense to anyone else intended (dif strokes for dif folks ya'know) So has anyone hooked one up to their bike? Seems like you'd have the same control. I also saw some cool trikes you stand on like actual sleds. For now the thought about hooking it up to my freeride mountain bike for pullin around the neighborhood since the bike already has the disk brakes would be a little cheaper for me.

I was actually thinking about building something w/ bike parts and welding together a frame from aluminum since steel may be too heavy. Kinda something like what off road downhill wheel chair racers use. Just thinkin out of the box. It would be a way future proj thos since as of right now I don't even have the dog yet and won't get much mileage out of my 12yr old 3 legged dog Bwahahaha.

Has anyone looked into dog carting as well?

[Allison]

Hokie..... I'll have you know there were no mountain bikes, no BMX, when I was growing up,.. junior. I remember the new thing was skateboards, with those heavy metal wheels, that stopped every time you hit a rock.

I think I may be a bit older than you. And for those of us who have to walk our dogs on leash, scootering is a great way to wear them out, and keep up with them. I also look forward to doing errands. That is one great thing about motorbikes, they make errands a heck of a lot more fun. Soon, we'll be scootering to the post office.

Not only that, but scooters are often used to train mushing dogs! Is that hokie? Maybe you haven't looked at the off road scooters? Anyway, the advantage to a scooter setup over a bicycle, is that the lead line is lower, pulling straight back as with sled dogs. Much more efficient setup for the dog. Also the dog can pull the bike over if he jumps to the side, whereas with the lower, scooter stetup, you're much more likely to stay in control.

We do have a member who is working on a custom scooter. By the way, Newc, if I didn't say so yet, Kim said email him, he's got a lot of experience, having customized his own, and has some good thoughts on the line attachment.

I'm not really offended, Jamacee. Just having a bit of fun.

[Jamacee]

hahaha good cause it was not my attention to be offensive. like I said dif strokes for dif folks. yea I heard about the roller skates nailed to the bottom of the board home made scooter generation did you walk to school in the snow both ways uphill too? (I'm kiddin of course)....Hey I never said I wouldn't try it. I can see how it would work and from all the sites and videos I saw the lash in point on the main tube of the scooter looked to be the same as a mtn. bike + some of those scooters look to be running a 24"-26" wheel up front which would make the frt geometry about the same. However seems to be the thing that most folks are using and certainly makes plenty of sense. I was just seeing if anyone had tried what I was talking about w/ the main thought being use what ya got till you can get something else.

Thanks for kidding w/ me and the helpful wisdom ta boot. I can tell I will fit right in.

Grace and Peace,

Jason H.

[Allison]

Jamacee, on Dec 12 2008, 02:34 PM, said:

.... did you walk to school in the snow both ways uphill too?

I thought about mentioning having to wear plastic bags on our feet, to save our shoes from the snow, but I wasn't sure of your sense of humor either. Yes, I agree, you'll fit in just fine.

There is a discussion on one of the inner forums about the placement of the towline. The scooters designed for dogs now connect lower on the front wheel fender. This keeps the pull straight back, and also reduces tangling of the line in the wheel. The other scooters are adapted for dogs.

Just so you know we're not entirely hokie, here's something we like to do:

http://www.iidoba.or...?showtopic=1228

[Jamacee]

ooooooooo waaaaaayyyyyyyy coooooolllllllll I rode motorcycles as a kid loves those enduro bikes and dakar types. Will you call my wife and convince her that I can have one to hahahahahahahahaha


I WON"T EVER CALL YOU HOKIE AGAIN! Bwahahaha