"
Those who take a dog and finally realize that he has to spend more than expected are very numerous
," warns with a smile Victor Bargain, dog trainer and professional dog walker.
“
A quick morning walk and one in the evening is usually not enough.
You really have to make them run
, ”he continues.
With nearly 800,000 dogs who share the daily life of their Ile-de-France masters, Île-de-France is the leading French region in terms of the number of dogs.
But it's not always easy to find the time to spend them properly or to reach a suitable place to roam free.
But here again, the bike comes out on top: “
If you cycle for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening with your dog running alongside, you have met almost all your daily needs in terms of physical expenditure.
“, explains Victor Bargain.
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Cycling with your dog and seeing the city
In the case of small dogs who do not need to exert themselves that much, it is always possible to move easily and safely with your dog, regardless of its size.
Jeremy, an English teacher, almost always goes out with Rôti and Mango, two microdogs he adopted 12 and 2 years ago.
“
I like to travel by bike, because I like to see the city when I move.
And I like to do it with my dogs
,” explains this Chinese-American 30-year-old.
“
I put them in my basket, at the front of the bike, and in winter I put them in a bag, wrapped in a scarf, so that they keep warm
”.
For larger dogs, ventral or dorsal backpacks exist.
And also the "buddyrider", used by Lili, who adopted Clochard at the SPA, 2 years ago.
"
It's like a baby seat, but for a medium-sized dog
," she explains at the edge of the Bassin de la Villette.
Installed in a seated or semi-recumbent position between the handlebars and the saddle, on a support firmly attached to the bike, Clochard takes advantage of the view.
“
And thanks to his harness, fixed to the seat, he cannot jump on the way
,” she reassures herself.
For larger dogs, "the
ideal is the trailer
", explains Victor, the dog trainer.
Once the trailer is closed and locked, the dogs have no possibility of escaping and they can adopt a lying position.
To run, a bar attached to the bike rather than the "leashless"
To make the doggies run, Victor recommends a
bar installed either on the saddle or on the back of the bike.
Between this bar and the animal, a very resistant elastic leash "
and an X-shaped harness so as not to hurt the dog if he pulls too much
", ends the canine educator.
Thus, thanks to this device, the hands can remain on the handlebars and the brakes of the bicycle, and the dog cannot pass in front of the wheel and cause an accident.
Despite the ban on walking dogs without a leash in most cities in the Ile-de-France region, many people do it anyway.
Ouma, Victor's border collie responds with a finger and an eye: when we arrive at the edge of a roundabout very busy with cars, she rushes to Victor's leg as soon as she calls.
She will stay by his side, under his control, until a quieter area.
“
With regular training, it is possible to educate your dog well so that it responds perfectly to commands
”, explains the dog trainer, “
but many people do it wrong and it can be dangerous
”.
He ends: "
For me, the best solution is still the bar that you just fix on your bike
".
