Video: Riding the North Shore With Levi the Trail Dog

 Ha nice. I like the type of comment. Not sure how a cool local video by a shredder and his dog turned into ethical debate on the governance of dogs on bike trails as you see below....but I guess it is 2020.

 @lastminutetech: haha... I’m just here to shred with my dog. I like you

 Standard Dachshund.........................................

 With trends today going towards longer, slacker, more aggressive trail dogs, I still prefer my 10 year old not-so-nimble or playful Labrador. He doesn’t climb like a goat, or descend like he’s on rails, but I would never trade him in for a newer trail dog.

 I flipped the switch and put my dog in the low settling. It has lots of pp strikes and it’s top end trail speed has issues. Think Grim donut. For the sake of aerodynamics the low approach keeps him out of the wind but reduces playfulness. Rock gardens at speed are a serious issue. It is basically like riding a Brodie H ball with 24 inch wheels. Also in the low setting - it likes to poop in the house rather than going outside on raining days. Clearly not a lower mainland/Squamish dog. @C206:

 I wanted to get into the trail dog scene too, but wanted something different. So I tried a MulletDog. Front end is a super cush Boxer and rear end is a Corgy. Might sound weird, but maannnn it rails!

 @FaastEddie: Hey - let's Create a NEW Standard. Hound 28.99 or something. It will revolutionize the industry. We can have Trek, Chris King, SRAM, Cannondale and Cervelo breed them. The industry does need a few more standards. The Cannondale dogs will only be able to breed with their own and will be missing the right front leg with their rear ends offset by 6 mm.

 @dldewar: Lefty Dogs.... Why didn't I think of that! ;-)

 @FaastEddie:

 Really depends on the time and dedication the owner puts into training their dog to have trail "etiquette". I've ridden with both. It's fun and a pleasure to ride with the ones that have it. The ones that don't, it's...sketchy to say the least.

 First to admit I'm not a dog person, but I've been around them enough to know that there's very few bad dogs, but TONS of bad/irresponsible owners. Your friend's broken jaw is the dog owner's fault, same with any injuries that might have happened to the dog. Too many owners think their dog is better trained and a better trail dog than it really is. The restraint it takes for a dog to stay on point takes hours and hours and hours to develop, and I'd venture to say most (not all, but most) owners don't put enough time in for that.

 I won't take my dog biking anymore. Hard on their pads and joints. When you are going down hill your dog is sprinting

 @krashDH85: Excellent points. My female Blue Heeler was an abused rescue dog and when I got her at 2 years old, she had no training whatsover (I think she grew up on a reserve) and was a wild little beast going after everything in sight, and not just deer, squirrels and rabbits, but bikers, hikers and even other dogs. After getting her, I wondered if I could ever let her off the leash. However, I'm an accredited dog trainer, so I have spent a lot of time training her with tons of love and now she is as good as any dog out there. I've had many dogs and Heelers before, but this one is as smart as ever, and just needed a good home and training.

Before training dogs for MTB trail running, I always spend a lot of time training them off leash walking 1st. I also make sure from the very beginning that they know "NOT" to run ahead of the bike ever. When 1st starting, a good tip is to really reiterate this point over and over to ensure your safety, the dog's safety and other riders as well. If I'm going hard, she is always right on my back wheel, and only beside me if I'm pedaling on easier trails or she knows I'm trying to race her or a damn squirrel is nearby...lol

 @makripper: I saw the most miserable looking dog the other day. Owner had skied 6’k the day before and was on his second lap at the bike park so at least 3’k.

 Levi is always in front of me. When we ride mid-pack in group rides he only stays in front of me and behind other riders. Definitely still need to pick and choose when he comes out tho

 @makripper: Exactly. Dogs will do anything to please their owners, including run themselves into the ground. Having your canine buddy around to enjoy the wilderness is great, but it makes me cringe when I see dogs thrashing themselves to match the speed of their master just flying down a hillside on a bike.

 @Scarredone: I do agree, but this largely depends on the dog and the owner. Some dogs should never be taken MTB trail running as some are just too big and heavy, too small, not agile or strong enough, known to get hip displacement problems or just not smart enough, let alone trained well enough. To go fast downhills can be extremely hard on many dogs. If you do have the right dog for this, you still have to be very diligent on how and where you ride. Always watch your dog closely for any signs of over exhaustion and overheating. When riding with my dog, I stop for many water breaks and always bring extra water and a small water dish. On warmer days I go out early in the morning, ride a bit easier and always ride well covered trails to avoid the direct sunlight. If you follow all the necessary precautions, the enjoyment of MTBing with your best friend and companion is immeasurable...

 I rode with lornny and levi and that dog is a fucking bullet. No chance you would hit him, he is ridiculously fast.

 @Ksmcarthur: yeaaa buddy haha... he’s a speed freak

 @RowdyAirTime: You should work with Pinkbike to produce a short series of articles on how owners should prepare their pup for the trails. Lot's of dog training time right now, my pup is way too old but I certainly would be interested to read.

 Exactly this. I ended up having to yell down the trail and ask an owner to get control of his f@ck!ng dog. My first interaction with the dog was 5 minutes back down the trail, when on a climb, he jumped out in front of causing me to crash. Fortunately because of a climb it was a slow crash, but I fell off the side of the trail and nearly smashed my face off a stump. Fast forward 5 more minutes and the dog is at it again.

f*ck that guy, and the club of owners who haven't put in sufficient effort to train their dogs. You're going to be responsible for hurting someone badly, if you haven't been already.

 @iantmcg: that's horrible my dogs 3 and has tons of energy. He can run forever but constantly sprinting for kms straight will shorten his enjoyable life. I'm not judging others. Just be kind to your pets and know their limits. They will do anything to be near you. Sometimes it's their downfall.

 @Scarredone: “dogs will do anything to please their owners “
Buy a Kangal Dog . They are not even remotely interested in what you want . ????

 I knew the "dont take your dogs on trails" comments werent far off. Cancel time?

 Cheers eh! Glad we got you stoked, that’s the goal

 @lornny: having watched the video with the kid at Schlamdig and now yours, I can genuinely admit I should jump to a different action sport, such as chess, clue or monopoly!!!

Just kidding, I'm glad you have built such a strong connection with your four-legged buddy. Also, you have awesome riding skills.

As @ABP says, thanks for brightening our day!!!

 Slayer 29 c70 build. Its an awesome bike. I just picked one up and its my favorite bike to date.

 Large C50 29” Build with added Chromag Parts

 @lornny: aw, so close!

 I just used a Hero 7 on the dog harness... lots of it was too shaky so I could only use some short clips. I tried to mount the karma gimbal to it but Levi would not move with it on. I think the vibration of the little motors weirded him out. Also did a lap with a fusion on him... going to post the VR video of that in the near future

 Forcing a dog to stay on-leash outside, especially in the mountains; is like forcing a person to walk their bike in the mountains.

 Dogs are smart enough to avoid things like that. If they go on a wood feature it’s likely they’ve checked it out before.

 Seems like all trails on North Shore are getting flowier over the years as this is what the trend is. The jank and skinnies are disappearing so you were lucky to ride them.

 @kingbike2: hallowed ground for sure. Every run made me a better rider.

 Oh helll yea! Stoked to hear that

 Thanks man! I used the GoPro dog harness with a Hero7

 If you can keep a dog on the trail & motivated to run hard, wonder how their times would compare to a rider? I'm tempted to strap my Garmin on a dog like this and let him fly, problem is, they'll wait and wont run hard unless they are chasing or being chased.

There is a techy/flowy section on one of our trails that is 20 seconds or so long, I could stand at the end and call while somebody else holds them at the start....boom, KOD

 @RadBartTaylor: Levi is 100% way faster than me... but if he gets too far infront, he does 360’s on the spot, waiting for me to get close enough to “chase” him. I want a dog Garmin....are they a thing!?

 @lornny: They should be! Hence my KOD reference, King of Dog

 @lornny: Yes, there is such a thing . You strap a small device to their collar and you have the “Locater” part of the device . The locater gives visual and auditory clues to show if your getting closer to the dog .

 Although I use CBD oil (had cancer) and used to give my older Blue Heeler CBD oil when he was 12-16 years old (a lot of trail running), I would never give my 3 year old Heeler CBD oil until later in her life when she may really need it. Later in life, CBD oil can really help dogs that are old and in some discomfort or pain.

 Just trying to be proactive... helps him when he gets anxious with too many people around. It’s a pet specific blend, and thought it would be good to help him recover after these rides... he goes so hard haha

 @lornny: I fully understand what you are trying to do Lorny, as MTB trail running is even hard on the best trail dogs. If you are just using it once in while after really big long hard rides, should be ok. Unfortunately, using any drugs or medication for too long of a period of time can have much less effect on how well it will work later on for Levi. You definitely want to use it sparingly now, as I'm sure Levi will need it a lot more later in his retired MTB trail running days...Good luck and great dog. Go Levi Go!

 @RowdyAirTime: Thanks so much for the info. We only JUST started giving it to him and use less than the recommended dosage. Only after big rides and as an aid if we are going to big events with him. Appreciate the knowledge and concern everyone

 Levi Strauss like the Jeans