every dog is different arch .
for hector , it has nothing to do with keeping up . for him it is an opportunity to exercise ( or exorcise :lol: ) the herding instinct for which he was bred .
as for the big run , one of the reasons i selected this breed was for their ability to run all day , every day . most of the running he does is downhill in the bike park , and on the ski slopes in winter . despite two fairly serious injuries at a young age , he shows no ill effects from his life of activity at age eight . mind you , he has been " trained " much like an athlete , building up distances gradually , and recognizing when he needs time to rest .
he does no pavement running . he rides in a trailer on our daily commute . the only time any one has any issues with him when riding is if they have demonstrated that they will yield to him , as in , they will allow themselves to be herded . probably all the guys i ride with have bumped his ass off the trail in a controlled manner at least once . now he instinctively knows , based on the sound of a bike approaching , or gradient , to get the hell out of the way .
he has always accompanied me on boys mountain bike weeks where he can easily rack up in excess of 200 km ( conservative estimate ) over 5 days of riding .
i don't suggest that anyone or every dog is capable of this kind of activity , but if you do your homework , select carefully and train your dog appropriately , there is no reason why the right dog can't accompany you when riding .
Hey skid,whaada you know about the larger herd protecting dogs like Maremmas and such?
Good family dogs?
Pastor of Muppets