I have discovered the secret to canine bliss...

sorta. At least my canine, Preston.

It’s called The Bike Tow Leash.

The engineering of this thing is nothing short of miraculous. (Or maybe not, since it was invented by a mechanical engineer who trains service dogs…) In a number of ways, but the leading one is the way it somehow, and I cannot explain how, manages to control lunging. Squirrels, cats, other dogs… they are all still interesting, but all attempts to drag you and the bike into a faceplant fail.

This video shows at around :50 a big dobie lunging with a little rider, and while the rider does go a little to the left, they just keep pedaling and the dog has to just keep going forward. I can tell you from my personal experience that you almost don’t even feel the lunge, especially if you have any kind of pace going. The only time it destabilized me at all was in the first few minutes we were testing it and I was on the sidewalk going very slowly. And my dog is very distractable and very powerful - I have never had so much control over him in his entire 5 years of life.

AH, I found a bit of explanation on the site:

My dog has never had an opportunity to go into a full run for more than a few yards, and by our second trip (I’m keeping the trips very short, a few times around the block, to build his fitness and his pads. He would happily wear himself out until he was sick and so it’s my job to keep him from doing that.) he had it figured out and was in a full out gallop without any prompting from me, I pretty much let him set the pace. And yes, he can and did pull me, hence I think the “tow” part of the name.

In addition to controlling lunging, it keeps him pretty much exactly where you want: about 18" to the left, right next to you. The leash is flexible enough to allow him to go back or forward, but stiff enough to make the direct-left position the default.

Attaching it to the bike is incredibly easy, and the only thing I would say about that is be very sure you have tightened it down as much as you can, as that would be the only way the leash would fail, is if the attachment was loose. Be very careful.

What’s very interesting, and perhaps a Doper can 'splain, is that the leash can be adjusted to a new, permanently stiff position up or down (It should fall at the dog’s shoulder height naturally) by pouring rubbing alcohol into the channel! Wait two minutes, adjust as needed, wait 15 minutes for it to dry and stiffen again. I haven’t had to do this, but I saw it in a video. What substance is lubed/softened with rubbing alcohol and returns to stiffness when dry?

Anyway, if you enjoy your bicycle and you would like to take your dog with you, chances are your dog would be thrilled to be included and this is the sure bet for doing it safely for both of you. I researched the hell out of bike leash options, and this is a case of something being the most expensive option for a very good reason: it’s far and away the most well-designed of all the options.

My dog is in heaven.

That sounds like human friend of a canine bliss. Bliss for the canine has always been found in bacon.

Bit of a tossup for many dogs, and the huge advantage to this bliss is that it lasts. Unless you don’t mind your dog stuffing its face until it explodes, the bliss from bacon is ridiculously brief.

We’ve been out three times today. He’s pooped, although he’d keep going if I let him.

I’ve really tested the lunging, too. slowing down for cats and dogs… unless i’m nearly stopped he can’t do much. Even then. Amazing.

Or, alternatively, in crocquettes soaked in bacon grease.

My Reigny-girl’s bliss is when her Aunt Roxy scratches her just right behind the ears and then gives her a back massage…she gets this cute little goofy look on her face right before she goes down for the count to happy nap time…

My ex used to have a contest with our Golden, Maggie - how long could she stay sitting upright when he was rubbing her “puppy spot”? (That would be the chest.) She would start to droop and slide, but that would change the position of his hand or removeit entirely so she’d jerk back into position…then start to droop and slide… and usually it was at most three attempts before she was down and gone.

This might actually result in bliss for my dog! She could run!!! She loves to run and I do not. I also have a bike that is sadly under used ( or more honestly, in used)

Go for it! It’s so cool! It makes me so happy to see him so happy.

We overdid it just a little yesterday, went out three times and two of the pads on his left paw showed a little pink. So we took today off and I won’t take him out until they are black again.

He was very sad when I went out without him.

That looks pretty cool, and I’m interested in getting one… but $146 is a bit too much for me to spend right now.

For our dogs it is horse rides. With the mild winter we’ve had, my gf saddles up almost every weekend and takes the dogs out running way longer than we could manage on foot. They’re sleeping very well.

I see only one flaw-- the device puts the dog on your left. If I’m out riding with a dog, I need him on my right, away from traffic because we’ve got bike lanes on busy roads.

I felt the same way. From the site:

I get that for sure. But it really is worth it and if I were you I’d start setting a few bucks aside. It really is a wonderful gift to your pooch.

I’m not sure if its Bacon, but pure canine bliss is definitely based in a pork product.

My little dog, a stray, showed up at the shop about 2 years ago. So I brought her in, she was about 9 weeks old. I call up the old lady and ask if she wants another dog, she says NO. Since it was hungry and dehydrated, I gave it some smoked pork I had, told the old lady that, and she told me “it’ll never leave now;, you gave it pork”.

Now we have another dog.

the bacon comment makes me laugh, when the dogs are getting nuts and bouncing around, looking out the windows at the rabbits. She comes out with the best sounding…

“The bunnies are out there laughing at youuuuu…, they think you’re stupid, and they’ve GOT BACON!!!”.

I damn near die laughing when she comes out with that.

There is no amount of ass sniffing, ball sniffing, ball chasing, running after bunnies, tummy rubbing, squeeky monkeys that can compete with pork products.

Dragging me around on my bike is not high on their list, BACON is, and for some odd reason, so is cat shit(the canine after dinner mint).