Training Evie, Sally and Alex Watts
Sally and Alex Watts are no strangers to xc racing and training hard for 24hr endurance races over the years. To say Alex and Sally know a thing or two about bikes is an understatement but only until recently, these hardcore paramedics by night and day have now em*bark*ed into their adventures with a tiny new set of paws too.
We discuss with them their journey so far with Evie the 14 week old Collie Puppy, destined for trail dog stardom as they are determined to ensure their collie dog whose breed is notorious for herding, wheel chasing and biting tyres doesn’t inherently chase those wheels and bite those tyres by default.
Alex and Sally are no strangers to dog ownership with Gwynne and Rosie two dogs who became traildogs in their later years - they just fit in with our lifestyles..
Once Sallys days of horse riding with her dog Gwynne came to an end, they became the best training partners on two wheels, with Sally nicking Alexs bike when he wasn’t looking, it was an easy transition for her and made even easier having Gwynne by her side.. Gwynne just knew where to run as she was used to doing it whilst horse riding. Her temperament was perfect and being good all round breed certainly helped to keep her hardy.
Kaz - “Do you think, from your experience, that the breed of dog should determine the amount of training necessary for your dog to become a good trail dog? And what makes a good trail dog anyway?”
Alex - No, not at all, if there’s one thing we’ve learnt in the last couple of weeks its the RIGHT KIND of training for our herding breed that is the important factor we have to understand with this dog, we want to do right by her to give her the tools she needs to exercise her brain and her body.
Kaz - It makes sense when you think like a collie - you’d be obsessing over wheels and jibbing sticks in spokes if that was the only fun you were taught in traildoghood so maybe its easy to over generalise trail dog training and rather fine tune depending on your own dog.
Kaz - It could be easy to train a very intelligent dog like Evie to obsession when we don’t even mean to, by stick or by tennis ball so its super important to think about what your dogs breed was intended for - even if your Heinz 57 is a rescue dog from Romania it might be interesting to find out whether your new adventure buddy is part shepherd, rabbit chaser, bird flusher, deer hunter or what a Pugapoo actually is made up of?! I mean, it sounds cool to be the Emperors guard dog but does that mean their going to be an amazing trail dog? Maybe?
The ability to identify your dogs traits and turn those quirks into some easily trainable behaviour, would allow you to get the very best out of your breed when it comes to incorporating bikes, which as we know are very exciting shiny things that make us super happy, so no wonder our dogs are revved up and ready to rail those berms and eat some dirt!
Alex - I remember when we first started taking Gwynne to the trail centres years back on holiday to Whinlatter with us - she was so used to hanging out with Sally on her horse - instead of running around the berms she scaled it and supermanned right over the apex like she was taking on a horse jump!!
Gwynne could run for miles but we learnt the hard way when one day doing the 26mile loop “The Gap” at Aberfan she bonked by the time we got to the top - having not brought any extra food for her I squeezed out a Torq gel onto a stone for her to lick up - I felt so bad! But she made a quick recovery - we learnt from our mistakes to always bring extra water and food for her just incase we couldnt find a stream or she needed more than we realised.
One of my fondest memories with her was pure disbeleif in finding that after taking Gwynne to Les Get years previous, on our return it was as if she knew the place like the back of her hand. Some seriously awesome memories locked in there for the both of us and I was amazed that on her return she was showing ME where to go, not the other way around! We soon realised the importance of keeping our dogs behind us but that can sometimes be hard to master when their so keen, but in the right environments and plenty planning Gwynne knew where she needed to be.
Sally - - Gwynne came with us on our NC500 trip around Scotland in 2022 with her in our trailer, even after all those epic adventures around Europe with us, now when her legs would no longer take the mileage and her feet full of arthritis, she still came with us, there something humbling about knowing we’d given her our best and she was just so happy. We miss her. We were lucky to have so many amazing trails on our doorstep here in Aberdeenshire so she could still have one last little blast after work to keep her happy. Now we have Evie - we just want to do right by her.
Kaz - So with your previous experience in mind, what have you been doing differently with Evie, even at this super early stage of puppyhood?
Sally - We’ve been putting some seriously fun training in with her to ensure she’s a super social collie who loves adventure.
Alex - We’re going to be putting in 1000s of hours with this girl, we’ve taken her to specific behaviourists already (shes only 16 weeks old) to fully get an insight into what makes Evie tick, this can be totally different from collie to collie but we knew from the off she was such a bright star, that learning to sit, wait, come and do a few tricks was already nailed by week 2 of having her! What else did we need to do? Having taken her to a trainer, we now have a goals set for the short term to ensure with all of these games our outcome will be TOTAL RECALL in a matter of months.
Its super important to us that we allow puppies to be puppies, have fun and learn the basics of what your life is like before we start the real training on the bike when Evie is old enough and Alex and Sally have already integrated Evie into their life on 2 wheels in some super awesome ways.
So, with that in mind, here’s what we’ve gathered from our own experiences as a Bark + Ride collective from gravel riders to ebikers and everything in between.
STEP 1: DESENSITISATION
It’s super important that your dog is introduced to all things in the world of biking from a young age and if your taking on a rescue dog it’s even more important that you can integrate the life of bikes into your home as part of their settling in period.
By simply wheeling your bike in and out of the garden so that it becomes part of the furniture is a great way of helping your dog realise there is nothing to be scared of, nothing to bark at and if they do react, gentle reassurance and guiding them away with a toy or treat can be a great way to let them know its no threat. From the shape and size, colour and shine of your bike, yep, even the smell of it, from the mud to the cleaning products we use, something we dont really factor in, can all play a crucial part in the positive relationship your dog will have with your bike. If you’ve been on a muddy or dusty ride its without a doubt that the bike will carry a scent which is interesting to your dog. Your muddy clothes can be super stinky and smell great to a dog, so its a fab way to encourage them to be around you post ride, whilst you move your bike kit around and let them have a good ol sniff.
The same can be said for trailer training with a gravel bike - Evie, who sleeps in her Bark + Ride Sleeping Bag already is getting used to sleeping in the house in her trailer with her same bag which will be used as a way of getting her acquainted with a bed when shes on an adventure, an awesome way to get your dog to settle. Sally - “Having her in the trailer young means we can be getting her bike time in whilst saving energy, giving her mental stimulation and ensuring she is given the time to grow into her legs which still are just cartilage forming bones and muscles, it’s super important we allow her that time to grow and rest properly”.
Sally - Our hope is that by the time she’s old enough to come running alongside us in a years time, the elastic bond we have created between us and the trailer will be the perfect length for where we want her to be with us whilst we ride. - Kaz - thats an awesome way to think about it! - Sally - yes - just like with Gwynne over the years, the elastic got smaller as she just wanted to be by our side the whole time.
STEP 2: BE SOCIAL
Socialising your dog from the off in all the right places is just as important when it comes to setting them up right for your adventures. There’s nothing worse post bike ride than having a barky restless dog that won’t chill out in the pub next to you when your having some downtime with your mates. Let them meet your pals, take them to all of the cafes on your local high street, pubs and places you would normally go and allow them to make their friends too. Having a well rounded dog makes for a seriously good time with minimal stress, so take them to group sessions, local parks and your local dog friendly bike shop to ensure they have a positive experience in all of these places.
Showing him the ropes, Debbie with Rapha and trail pup Ripper,
STEP 3: ENDURANCE AND STRENGTH
Before you go planning your multi day adventure or long summer day riding endless trails at your local trail centre, or that big hill you’ve had planned since winter its super important you’ve put the work in ahead of those days. Especially now with Ebikes it can be easy to not put the hours in to build up your dogs endurance and strength and forget how far you’re actually going. Building muscle strength with shorter rides, just like in humans can help avoid injury and even worse, early onset arthritis so spending that time with your dog consistantly, once their old enough, building up to those bigger days will absolutely pay off. There’s nothing worse than having to carry your dog off the hill because you’ve broken him so manage those miles and you’ll be smiling for days together. This can also apply to those of you who carry a backpack with your dog inside, its super important to allow your dog to stretch their legs and listen to your dogs feedback if their uncomfortable.
STEP 4: DIALLED IN OBEDIENCE
You’ve been building up the hours in your local spot where you feel in control of your dog, there’s nothing nicer than having your dog knowing where he’s meant to be so dialling in that obedience training from puppyhood to young adult will pay off massively when it comes to taking him riding with you at your local trails. Along with the basics, having good trailside manners is super important. Don’t be a d*ck, stick and flick their poop or pick it up and bin it and being respectful of other peoples quiet time is something to consider too. Rocking up tunes blazing and dogs going wild before you take up can feel great but maybe not for everyone else around so ensuring your dogs barking is kept to a minimum is ideal.
Hooking your dog up to your van with a bungee lead whilst your setting up is also something to consider - keeping them out of harms way and giving you control back feels pretty nice and doesnt make the situation stressy.
STEP 5: TOTAL RECALL
It goes without saying that you probably wouldnt want to take your dog biking with you unless their recall was amazing. It can totally ruin a ride if your dog buggers off in search of that fluffy wabbit or the sexy scent of a dead animal, even worse a deer so having total recall with your dog will make your life so much easier and remove any chances of getting into some serious trouble with farmers and land owners too. By using a whistle and always having a treat in your top tube bag or their favorite ball is a fail safe way of teaching your dog that you create the fun, not them. This has been a lifesaver quite literally for Harris. He is capable of taking down deer or chasing livestock so we put some serious hours into ensuring he was a little tennis ball obsessed and knew we would always carry it in our top tube bag so now he runs by our side on the sections between trails and get his “ballie” when we're resting to keep his mind off of the small furries..
STEP 6:POSITIONING
Positioning can be a super tricky one to master, especially with breeds that are super fast, hunting breeds that have been bred to be out ahead of their human and what dog doesnt love to chase down the faster rider. This can be particularly dangerous if riding in groups when your mate might know the trail that bit better than you or she is super fast in comparison to your normal pace - so its worth asking your pals if their happy giving you and your dog some space to go ahead of them, or hanging a bit further back so your dog doesnt end up coming back up the trail to find you. We’ve heard some horrible stories of dogs being seriously injured from riders crashing into them, so we always say if you can, keep your dog behind you, which can be really easy to train with some heelwork. It’s also the responsibility of other riders to look out for your dog and be cool with slowing down at the end of a trail, as well as ensuring your dog isnt standing in the way at the finish.
STEP 7:ALWAYS BE ONE STEP AHEAD
It’s super important to think of the obstacles that might be coming your way when you take your dog riding with you, whether thats traffic at the trail head, livestock, road crossings, multi user trails or wildlife ( ground nesting birds is a big one up here in the Cairngorms NP) that might be in the area you ride. Planning ahead for these things and mapping those points out in your head will allow you to feel in control with your dog when your on your adventure. From adders across the country to Ssheep everywhere on the West Coast of Scotland, having your bungee lead to hand so you can quickly clip into their harness and ride together for periods of time will ensure your both in control and having an awesome time too. It’s worth practicing this when their younger so you can control your dog on lead whilst riding comfortably on any terrain.
STEP 8: KNOW YOUR TERRAIN
Different types of terrain from fire road to natural trail differ greatly and we don’t really get to feel that as a rider under our feet, we feel it by bumps through our bars and pedals and much dialled in suspension to help alleviate that pain. Thinking about the amount of time your dog is running flat out on gristly fire road tracks versus softer natural although more technical rooty trails is worth considering. We see all too many a time dogs coming in with shredded paws from hot summer days on the trail , pads scuffed red raw . Building up your dogs natural resistance to harder trails is really important and can be aided with paw balm. If you normally walk your dog in a grassy field or park and then just take them on fire roads its going tot ake a while for their pads to build up to that so it might be worth investing in some decent trail boots to stop that from happening. Carrying a simple kit bag with some essential such as a Wound Kit/Glue, Trail Boots, Vet Wrap, Waterprooj jacket to make a sling out of, and knowing where your nearest vets is in the event of an emergency is worthwhile. And having your dog
wear a harness can offer some seriously good protection from sticks and rocks when scuffing over those techy sections behind you.
STEP 19: STOKE APPEAL
Your dog is most likely going to flipping LOVE being a trail dog, getting to share those Woops and Yeewwwws makes for a super exciting experience for you and your dog and it’s so important you celebrate that with them. Let them know their doing an awesome job by stoking them with the right fuel for their ride, plenty water - always, and most importantly, high fives and hugs ALL the way. Building that bond with your trail dog, for us, is possibly one of our favourite things about being mountain bikers.
STEP 10: MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Sometimes rides don’t always go to plan, maybe its a mechanical in the middle of nowhere in winter or maybe your dog is out of sorts on their usual favourite orange tabletop. It’s super important to know the signs when your dog is going into survival mode on bigger days out, overheating, digging out a bed in the dirt, even in the UK is even possible on a warmish day in Spring ( yup - even this year!) so being a bigger person and knowing when to quit or give extra time for your dog is going to give you seriously way more kudos as their master in the long run than carrying on regardless and potentially shortening that lifetime with your trail buddy and potentially their trust too. Just because you’ve got a hardy breed doesnt necessarily mean their a hardy dog. Harris is a total wimp in the cold and likes his home comforts of his sleeping bag. Packing the right kit for you both is going to make things a whole lot nicer for you 
STEP 101: GO MAKE AWESOME MEMORIES
Now that you’ve put in the hours making sure you’ve done everything you can to ensure you and your dog are having an awesome time, whether that be out on your own or in a group, go make some frickin awesome memories because here comes the shit part - your dogs whole life, is you, what you put into them, is their entire life experience so make it a good one, their never around long enough and its the shittest part of owning a dog, never mind having an amazing trail buddy.
The thought now that our 13 year old Springer Lewis, my original Bark + Ride buddy, the one who started it all for me, thinking that he won’t be here in a few years time cuts me in two and it was the hardest thing knowing when the right time was to retire him but knowing I’ve made an incredible life for him, giving him my best attempt at care and respect and to share so many amazing views, good times with friends and he’s made so many trail dog buddies along the way makes it worth all of the hardwork, pain and heartache that is going to be felt through our community when he is gone. So go make some awesome memories, do right by them and give your trial dog THE best, longest life they could possible ever live! It only takes a little bit of training for a full term dog life #traildogsforlife
We wish Alex and Sally all of the best of luck with their little traildog in the making Evie who we know is going to be such an awesome dog with the amount of time they are already putting into her,
Alex - “ If Evie went full term we’d be in our 60s by the time she lives out her life, so we’ve got to get this right for us all”
See you on the trails! - Team Bark + Ride!
Kaz - Traildog Harris, Top Dog Lewis and fledglings Jura, Freya and trail pup in the making Evie
