Travelling with your dog by motorcycle can be a great and fun experience, but it comes with difficulties. You might think it’s fun to carry a furry copilot, or maybe it breaks your heart to leave your pup at home and you’re like me. After riding with my German Shepherd, Moxie, for a year and a half, I can’t even describe the “fun” that I experience as a pillion. Whether you’re curious to catch another glimpse of the moto adventure or itching to leap into the idea, hopefully, we have pulled together some not-so-obvious tips for traveling with your dog on a motorcycle.
1. The Carrier that Doesn’t Carry
The beginning of the investigation involves exploring various options. If you’re thinking about skipping this section, keep in mind that the key word here is “operative”. The first question is how to safely and securely carry your dog on your motorcycle.
To safeguard and ensure her safety, the Cockpit offers a sturdy and cushioned shelter, while the dog rests in a forward-facing position on the pillion seat cushion. My husband, Greg, and I conceived Moxie’s K9 Moto Cockpit, an innovative carrier that does not actually transport her.
In the event of accidents, my spacious 37L SW-Motech aluminum panniers protect Moxie from hitting the ground and getting damaged, potentially resolving the long-standing argument of whether hard or soft luggage is better for riding with a dog. To keep her secure, we use Rok Straps that attach to the Cockpit at five different points. Once she jumps onto the Cockpit, Moxie lies down, prioritizing safety at all times. However, we have yet to find a helmet that fits Moxie’s pointed shepherd ears.
Your pup’s eyes will be protected from awful, yellow eye discharge and potential infections if you try to put goggles on them. However, if they don’t like it and rub against the goggles, they might get irritated, like they’re feeling Moxie (nervousness or anxiety). It’s important to get a pair of dog goggles called Specs Rex. Additionally, for rainy and cold conditions, make sure your dog has an insulated jacket or poncho. For cold conditions, consider a pressure-activated cooling pad or cooling vest. For warm conditions, consider a cooling pad or cooling vest. It’s essential for everyone’s safety that your dog’s comfort is ensured despite their fidgeting.
3. Your Load and Carrying Capacity
For overnights and multiday rides, it is advisable to pack the following items: a compact pouch of snacks and a collapsible water dish. Our helpful pack mule, Moxie, willingly carried her own equipment on my bike, while Greg and I divided the camping gear among ourselves.
After covering the fundamentals, let’s now explore the intricacies of riding and traveling with a canine companion.
4. Rubberneckers and Selfie-palooza
When you travel, you will likely meet people with whom you wouldn’t otherwise interact, and these interactions can create meaningful connections that challenge the stereotype of the “bad biker boy.” In fact, your dog will make you even more approachable and much more likely to be seen as friendly. It’s truly wonderful to see people’s reactions and the joy your dog brings to their day! When you go to Starbucks, people will want to take a photo with your dog – it will be a sight to behold.
On your motorcycle, capture self-portraits with the hairy creature and exhibit a picture of their labradoodle. In the scorching 35ºC temperature, a complete family will emerge from their cooled minivan, while you are perspiring heavily after donning a helmet, gloves, and a thick riding coat following a pause. Maintain composure and remain vigilant for a few matters, though.
Greg was almost pushed off the highway by a trucker holding a selfie stick out the window. While these cases are at least safer, it is certain that they’re going to edge into your lane as certain positions offer the perfect shot for their Instagram Story. Alongside their raised cellphones, they draw the attention of commuters in SUVs, smiling and taking spots on the road.
5. Ride Your Dog’s Way
To satisfy it, all the rides will be more fulfilling for you. Explore the smells: discover what dogs like best and let your dog stretch their legs this way. Now is your chance to shake off the bad habit of riding in unfenced fields and grassy turnouts, which is a common search for SRDs. Some riders slip into a pattern of stopping at petrol stations for fuel, watering, and feeding. Fortunately for us, Moxie, our dog, needs to poop and pee only once, which means she can load and lock for hours at a stretch. Now you can adjust your riding rhythm to accommodate your dog’s needs without stopping, whether you’re enjoying long stretches or off-road rides.
6. How Slow Can You Go?
As a shepherd named Moxie, she takes her job very seriously and acts as a radar-operating Goose to my Maverick. When you arrive at a campsite and dismount from a curious donkey, you can sniff the approaches over you. Or when you are crawling along the uneven cobblestones of Guatemala Antigua, a cat bolts across the street. But there is no problem when you are cruising along at a good speed. Her neck-like crane extends, her snout swings, and her body shifts like a crane. She smells seriously whenever she encounters goats, sheep, or cows.
The main idea here is: practice, practice, practice your sluggish abilities.
7. Dogs Beyond Borders
Forums for online travel are the only places where you can register complaints, but they don’t make it easy for you to fly right through customs. In Belize, a small Central American country, bringing a dog can be particularly unwelcoming or rigid. Overlanders who complain about the difficulty of bringing a dog into Belize fill these forums. Every country has slightly different requirements, so having all the necessary travel documents matters a lot. The only way to reduce stress and complications is to have a friendly attitude, patience, and of course, a dog on board.
The most valuable advice I can provide in this case is a clear but necessary one: conduct thorough research in advance.
8. Bring a Piece of Home to Hotels and Campsites
Your dog will feel comfortable at home, as it smells like something familiar from a campsite or an unfamiliar hotel surroundings. Camping is always more fun, but the number of dog-friendly hotels in Central America is increasing.
Can you please ask me what I could bring that is reasonably compact and useful? If you allow me shamelessly, I would also recommend a water-resistant dog travel bed that looks too gorgeous and rolls up. In the case of chasing-worthy creatures, I recommend a rechargeable LED collar and a reflective collar for your dog’s search adventures.
K9. When It Comes to Tip-Overs: Be a Man
Ever since Moxie joined our group, nothing has changed for Greg and me. However, it has definitely changed for us. Even with Moxie’s presence, we continue to engage in off-road adventures, which is almost unavoidable considering our location in Guatemala. Additionally, we still experience our fair share of accidents. Speaking of which, a wise and experienced traveler once shared with me that when it comes to motorcycle crashes, men and women tend to exhibit similar behaviors as they do in relationships. However, men tend to quickly give up and escape at the first sign of trouble, often avoiding any harm. On the other hand, women tend to go above and beyond to protect the bike, making them more susceptible to injuries. As Robert Duvall famously said in “Days of Thunder,” “rubbin’ is part of racin’,” and Ewan and Charley demonstrated that crashing is simply a part of motorcycle travel.
Ensure the safety and protection of your puppy during a collision by selecting a reliable dog carrier that you can depend on. Within the depths of the amygdala, having your canine companion present will activate the instinct to safeguard them at all costs. Therefore, it is essential to release your 500+lbs motorcycle if your dog loses balance, disregarding any questionable gender stereotypes.
I hope you enjoyed these tips and would love to hear any questions or anecdotes you have about your own fun experiences with motorcycling.