Half marathon with your dog?

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Hi all, I'm back on the running train again finally, and plan to run two half marathons next year (have run one before a couple years ago, same one I'll be doing in June). I'm doing the couch to 5k, then bridge to 10k, then a half marathon training plan. I found a dog friendly half marathon in Oregon in October and it's doable for me to get there. I would like to hear from those of you that run distances with your dog, especially if you've done a race with them, really especially if you've done the Ruffwear Dog leg at the Columbia Gorge Half!
I'll be talking to my vet in January about if it's okay for her to do at that age (she'll be just over 2).
Would love to hear your tips, experiences, suggestions! My retriever is doing the couch to 5k with me now (off leash and on trails, gravel roads, beaches). We don't road run yet as she is young and I don't think it's good for her joints. She is a fit, healthy retriever (Curly Coated Retriever) and a working dog with boundless energy Thanks for sharing!

JustSomeEm

I have 2 Great Pyrenees, and I'd never considered running with them for anything longer than about a 5k. I'd be interested in hearing what your vet says about a half for a pooch. Now I'm curious, and am going to have to ask MY vet about it. I don't think I could do it though - I'm not patient enough when I'm running. Very interesting food for thought though.

RoxieDawn

This happened with an untrained dog where I live..

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-with-dogs/hound-bandits-half-marathon-in-alabama

I run with my 3 year old chocolate lab (street only) and only at 5k distance. I bring her back home and I finish my training if I go longer.. I personally will never enter a race with her longer than that..

Curious how this works out for you.

GiddyupTim

I would guess that asphalt roads are the limiting factor. Dogs have no shoes......
And the real problem is that dogs will do what you want them to do, to please you, at, sometimes, peril to themselves! Owners need to be careful of that.
All that said, wolves in the wild can travel 50 miles and more in a day, but I don't know if they run that 50 in one unbroken burst or many smaller increments. And, is what a wild animal can do really relevant?

RoxieDawn

GiddyupTim wrote: »

I would guess that asphalt roads are the limiting factor. Dogs have no shoes......
And the real problem is that dogs will do what you want them to do, to please you, at, sometimes, peril to themselves! Owners need to be careful of that.
All that said, wolves in the wild can travel 50 miles and more in a day, but I don't know if they run that 50 in one unbroken burst or many smaller increments. And, is what a wild animal can do really relevant?

I agree with this.. just for this reason is why I go short distances.. Warm/Hot months and the different types of asphalt where I live the street running on a dog pads is hurtful.

MeanderingMammal

Never seen a retriever do a half, but plenty pointers, a husky

Mostly they're running in Cani-X harnesses.

Personally I have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and tend to limit him to 6-8km normally.

activeinmysixties

I will respectfully ask you not bringing your dog to a half marathon or any event for that matter - no matter how well behaved the dog is. It is unfair to the dog to be in that big of a crowd. It is a completely different story when you and your dog train - and there is just the two of you. With that big of a crowd the poor dog will be confused where to place him/herself. For the runners it become dangerous (other inattentive runners is bad enough) of no fault to the dog, the owner, or other runners. It is just having a dog in that kind of crowd. Last but not least - your dog may be well behaved - another dog may not be or a spectators dog may want to play with your dog.

I have run close to 50 half marathons with a variety of participants - I have been at events with well behaved dogs - and I respectfully ask you to leave the dog at home.

MeanderingMammal

activeinmysixties wrote: »

I will respectfully ask you not bringing your dog to a half marathon or any event for that matter - no matter how well behaved the dog is.

Did you miss the bit about being dog friendly?

Cani-X trained did are fine once they're in their race harnesses.

Play_outside

JustSomeEm wrote: »

I have 2 Great Pyrenees, and I'd never considered running with them for anything longer than about a 5k. I'd be interested in hearing what your vet says about a half for a pooch. Now I'm curious, and am going to have to ask MY vet about it. I don't think I could do it though - I'm not patient enough when I'm running. Very interesting food for thought though.

I am not sure about Pyr's running that distance as I think they are a bit of a heavier boned dog, but certainly worth asking your vet!! I think the important thing is remembering that when we run with our dogs, it's their run not ours, and we have to adjust the run according to their needs. I am pretty sure that since she'll be 2 then it won't be a problem but I want to ask to be sure

Play_outside

RoxieDawn wrote: »

This happened with an untrained dog where I live..

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-with-dogs/hound-bandits-half-marathon-in-alabama

I run with my 3 year old chocolate lab (street only) and only at 5k distance. I bring her back home and I finish my training if I go longer.. I personally will never enter a race with her longer than that..

Curious how this works out for you.

I remember reading about this!!! What a dog! I used to run up to I think 12k or so with my old Lab/Rhodesian cross, that was the distance he enjoyed up to.

Play_outside

GiddyupTim wrote: »

I would guess that asphalt roads are the limiting factor. Dogs have no shoes......
And the real problem is that dogs will do what you want them to do, to please you, at, sometimes, peril to themselves! Owners need to be careful of that.
All that said, wolves in the wild can travel 50 miles and more in a day, but I don't know if they run that 50 in one unbroken burst or many smaller increments. And, is what a wild animal can do really relevant?

Yeah I wonder if she may need to wear booties or something, I guess we'll see how it goes with training.
I don't doubt that she will be very capable of running a half, she is athletic and runs very much to please herself haha! But yes, it is important to pay close attention to them and run your dog's run, not your own

Play_outside

RoxieDawn wrote: »

GiddyupTim wrote: »

I would guess that asphalt roads are the limiting factor. Dogs have no shoes......
And the real problem is that dogs will do what you want them to do, to please you, at, sometimes, peril to themselves! Owners need to be careful of that.
All that said, wolves in the wild can travel 50 miles and more in a day, but I don't know if they run that 50 in one unbroken burst or many smaller increments. And, is what a wild animal can do really relevant?

I agree with this.. just for this reason is why I go short distances.. Warm/Hot months and the different types of asphalt where I live the street running on a dog pads is hurtful.

We are lucky to live where the climate is very moderate!

Play_outside

MeanderingMammal wrote: »

Never seen a retriever do a half, but plenty pointers, a husky

Mostly they're running in Cani-X harnesses.

Personally I have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and tend to limit him to 6-8km normally.

I have been thinking of doing cani-cross with her! She is a Curly Coated Retriever, they are a hardy, high energy dog bred to run and swim all day...I literally can not make her tired hahaha.

Play_outside

activeinmysixties wrote: »

I will respectfully ask you not bringing your dog to a half marathon or any event for that matter - no matter how well behaved the dog is. It is unfair to the dog to be in that big of a crowd. It is a completely different story when you and your dog train - and there is just the two of you. With that big of a crowd the poor dog will be confused where to place him/herself. For the runners it become dangerous (other inattentive runners is bad enough) of no fault to the dog, the owner, or other runners. It is just having a dog in that kind of crowd. Last but not least - your dog may be well behaved - another dog may not be or a spectators dog may want to play with your dog.

I have run close to 50 half marathons with a variety of participants - I have been at events with well behaved dogs - and I respectfully ask you to leave the dog at home.

It is a dog-friendly race, with a specific wave for the dog runners, with bibs and timing chips for the dogs http://www.columbiagorgemarathon.com/ruff-wear-dog-leg/

Vladimirnapkin

It totally depends on the dog. But I would definitely do some running with her on the asphalt so her paws are toughened up before race day.

AmandaDanceMore

People tend to forget that most breeds of dogs were originally bred for a job, and a lot of those jobs required them to trot along for many miles. Dalmatians, hound breeds (particularly foxhounds), huskies were all originally intended to go for a long while, some needing to keep up with horses.

I have no doubt my older dog (mixed breed) could have easily run a half, and asked for more, back in her younger days (hell, because the life we lived back then, she probably covered that much ground daily). She is lightly boned with a big, deep chest and an efficient gait. If she were 10 years younger, I could guarantee I could protect her feet, and I wasn't worried about other dogs being jerks, I would do it.

The little one, though.....yeah, no. Although she is a great walking/hiking companion.

thelovelyLIZ

My understanding is dogs are more sprinters than distance runners. I would think 13 miles would be a but much for most, though maybe not all dogs.

questionfear

I would build the dog up slowly to that kind of volume...though some dogs are much more eager to run than others. I tried taking my dog on a short run once, and he laid down and refused to budge after about a half mile. On the other hand, when my brother in law's dog was alive, and we dogsat for him, I would take him out for runs and he would still have energy after 3+ miles (though thankfully it would take his energetic edge down a bit!)

kshama2001

AmandaDanceMore wrote: »

People tend to forget that most breeds of dogs were originally bred for a job, and a lot of those jobs required them to trot along for many miles. Dalmatians, hound breeds (particularly foxhounds), huskies were all originally intended to go for a long while, some needing to keep up with horses.

I have no doubt my older dog (mixed breed) could have easily run a half, and asked for more, back in her younger days (hell, because the life we lived back then, she probably covered that much ground daily). She is lightly boned with a big, deep chest and an efficient gait. If she were 10 years younger, I could guarantee I could protect her feet, and I wasn't worried about other dogs being jerks, I would do it.

The little one, though.....yeah, no. Although she is a great walking/hiking companion.

Now I'm wondering how many miles my uncle's border collies put in back in the day when he was a sheep farmer.

My Mom's Aussie mix would have loved to walk a half back in her prime. (Hmm, in the woods; not sure about pavement.)

Play_outside

questionfear wrote: »

I would build the dog up slowly to that kind of volume...though some dogs are much more eager to run than others. I tried taking my dog on a short run once, and he laid down and refused to budge after about a half mile. On the other hand, when my brother in law's dog was alive, and we dogsat for him, I would take him out for runs and he would still have energy after 3+ miles (though thankfully it would take his energetic edge down a bit!)

Hahaha my Rhodesian despises running and hard exercise in general, I would never take him longer than 5 or 6km. My retriever is literally never tired even if we run, do a long hike, and she works all in the same day, multiple days in a row! She is much more capable than I am!!

AmandaDanceMore

thelovelyLIZ wrote: »

My understanding is dogs are more sprinters than distance runners. I would think 13 miles would be a but much for most, though maybe not all dogs.

Some dogs, sure! But a lot of breeds were bred to trot along at a solid clip for a long time. Your average long distance runner probably doesn't run so fast that a bigger dog can't trot along at a nice pace for a good while.