dailypetfwd

By James Nye


Norman waits in front of his mom Karen ready to get onto his bike

Norman the very smart Briard dog doesn't need to go and chase down sticks in the park to keep fit - he just rides his bike instead.

Watched and encouraged by his mom Karen Cobb, Norman has recently mastered riding his special blue, personalised bike outside his home in South Carolina..

Able to push each of his back legs down to begin the pedaling motion, Norman took 10 weeks to learn to ride his bike, which is quicker than some children.

Scroll Down for Video

With a helping hand Norman gets onto the seat (left) and is ready to put his feet onto the pedals (right)

The two-and-a-half year old is able to mount the bike, with a little help from his mom, and once on-board is happy to show off his new skills to any of his dumbstruck neighbours.

'At the moment Norman is off on short spurts because it is his newest trick but after just over two months learning to ride I think he has finally grasped the concept,' said Karen.

'He would have been able to ride his bike much sooner, but the biggest delay has been him outgrowing bikes.


And off Norman goes and he begins to pedal his own blue bike

Making sure he builds up a head of steam (left) Norman rides along the road outside his home (right)

'We have had to try really hard to get a good bike for Norman that will fit the length of his legs so that he can properly reach the pedals.'

Standing just under five feet tall on his back legs, Norman is taller than most first-time child cyclists.

'Right now he totally loves his bike because it is a totally new concept for him,' explained Karen.


With his name clearly visible on the back of his bike Norman the cycling dog is pedaling away

Norman's skills on the bike even goes as far as being able to turn slightly to follow his mother (right)

'The most difficult part of training him to do this was building up the muscles in his back legs.

'It was the 'hump' or the rotation over the pedals that was causing him to tire out quickly and now he knows to build the momentum because otherwise if the pedals are straight it can be too hard for him to turn them over.'

Getting him to do a lot of standing work onto his back legs, Karen and her family were able to build up the muscles in Norman's legs.

'I am so proud of Norman, I could not ask for a better dog, he is so loyal and loving,' said Karen.

'He will try anything and loves to please.

'He truly is my best friend and partner. We go everywhere together.'


At the moment Norman is only able to travel short distances (left) but with training he will be able to impress his mother even more (right)

Gimme five: Karen is extremely impressed with Norman's latest cycling feat

Indeed, Norman's exploits on his bike are a natural progression from his previous claim to fame, which was being able to ride a scooter standing up.

'He began playing with the kid's scooter in the backyard and we thought it would be fun to give him a ride on it,' said Karen.

'Then we decided to teach him to push it and now he loves riding his scooter as well as his bike.'


After learning to ride his bike, using his scooter must seem so easy to multi-talented Norman

Norman and his mom Karen pose for the camera

Already famous on the Internet, Norman has been viewed nearly two million times riding his scooter and he has even appeared on the David Letterman Show in New York and on an Animal Planet special called, 'Who Let the Dogs Out?'.

On his YouTube channel, Norman can be seen exhibiting his other talents as he closes doors after himself and manages to wipe his face with a bowl.

Briard's were originally bred in France and are noted for their companionship skills as well as their ability as guard dogs.




source:dailymail