Exercising with Dogs

LabrakaDebra

I love love love labs and goldens. I had a black lab growing up, and my best friend had a chocolate lab that I adored. Really dislike how the showing world thinks they should look (like sausages! The Labs at the Westminster are CHUNKY) but I love love love a lean retriever. One that actually looks like it would be a good hunting dog LOL.

LOL, you are NOT exaggerating about the chunky Labs at Westminster. I got in a rather heated discussion on a Lab board I belong to on that very topic. Breeders are winning with dogs that are looking farther and farther away from dogs who looks like they can work...I hate it.

My labs are from more moderate show lines and I keep them lean because we do agility. I have run with them in the past, but knee trouble has kept me from running for a while now. We have weekly agility class and agility trials on the weekends several times a month. I walk them several times a day including a retrieving session. They keep me active !

cuinboston2014

I have a petite goldendoodle who is about 9 months old. I was taking him for walks pretty religious until it got too cold to be outside here in Wisconsin. Now that the weather started getting nicer, I've taken him for a few walks, including last night and an attempt at jogging.

The WORST part is that since he's still a puppy and hasn't been walking outside in a long time, it's like starting from square one. He pulls or gets behind. Crosses over me or behind me. Wants to pee on everything. he just needs to be trained. I also am recovering from a surgery so I can't run very fast yet and so what I felt was as fast I could push he was simply walking. It was depressing.

The best part is that it gives me a reason to get an additional workout in. I always still get a real good workout in with high intensity but taking the dog for a walk and getting my daughter to ride her bike or walk with us helps me burn more calories and gets everyone out of the house and active as af amily.

cecraw06

I have a (want I think is a) Small Munsterlander who I take with me on the trails. If it's not busy I'll take him off the leash and he does great. Never goes 10 steps ahead without waiting for me and responds well to my voice or clicks. We just rescued a Docker (Dachshund / Cocker Spaniel). He's still young, maybe 11 mths but he's great on the trails also, and just follows his brother.

GillianMcK

Ridgeback, currently doing my marathon training with me, lucky that I live within 5min drive of 2 different forests so we're at one of them 2 nights a week and both mornings at the weekend.
He's pretty much off leash the whole way unless we see another dog that's on leash (because we're up there that much we know most of the other walkers so he runs on ahead has a carry on and then I catch up and we keep going).

Male ridgebacks are great because they don't tend to let you out their sight, yes he chases deer, rabbits, pheasants, pigeons etc but as soon as he realises I'm not there he comes straight back (he a big wuss) does what he's told (spent a good deal of time training as a puppy), females will always question you. At the same time his size would deter most people if I came across any weirdos (hasn't happened yet but someone did get a bit snotty a couple of years back, he placed himself between me and the mountain biker, didn't do anything but the body lanuage was enough to send the biker on his way).

We're now doing 16mile runs and he's still got plenty of energy at the end of it (I'm knackered and not looking forward to an ice bath, he just goes home, eats and sleeps)

Apparently ridgebacks can run non-stop for 30miles, haven't tried this (don't think I'll ever be capable/interested in trying this) so excellent running companions:)

deksgrl

I have a 5 month old Yellow Lab. All he does is dash back and forth and pull on the leash in the direction he wants to go, not necessarily the direction I want to go. The weather has been so horrendous we haven't even been walking him on a leash regularly (he has a penned area outside when he has to go out). So to walk or jog in any sort of normal fashion is impossible right now.

MaggieGiamalvo

In for the info and ideas to try. My Rico is an Akita mix. I'm also fostering a German Shorthair Pointer (anybody want to adopt her?) and there's a Black Lab/Great Pyrannese (? - and I know I spelled it wrong) mix in the house, too (not mine).

I do walk with Rico, but I know I can do so much more with him. I think he'd be great in agility training (not sure how to get started with this) or the DockDogs water sports (these events aren't really close to where we live, right now). I've also considered getting him tested for search and rescue training. He just turned 3 years old, though, so I don't know if he's too "old" to get started with something like that or not.

Bluepopsicle_25

Have a red lab and a cookapoo, both are active and come on brisk walks and my attempts to run with me. Both are fairly well leash trained and will stay in a pretty good heel without pulling on me at all for the most part, sometimes they act out a bit around other dogs if the other dogs are excited/ out of control. Alot of the time I can almost forget they are even there, which I love.


I tried riding my bike with my lab as she is from a hunting line and has oddles of energy, and loves to run. It went quite well at first. I started off taking her out at night, around 9pm so the bike paths were for the most part empty. As I said, she is polite on the leash and not a puller so it wasn't really a big deal to get her to heel beside the bike. Over the nights we built up speed and trust, she was doing great and watching her run full out beside me was quite a rush. I gained confedence... eventually I decided we could leave the nights behind us and tackle prime dog walking time.

Sidenote: there is a pretty extensive network of bike paths close to my house, and they are quite nice and very popular for dog walks, so are quite busy between 4-8.

Anyway, we start out on a beautiful summer day... in the sunshine (yay!!) and everything was going great. She was igonoring all of the dogs we passed and behaving beautifully. We came out of the trees to a wide open field, the path is relitively straight and flat for a distance, the perfect spot to pick up speed and really let her run for a minute or two. There were people around, but that particular area of the path was clear, so I decided to go for it. Everything was great... for about 30 seconds. I guess the exsersise stimulated her digestive system, becasue right in the middle of our flat out run she stops dead in the path. I have the leash wrapped around my bike handle, so this sends me flying *kitten* over tea kettle. The tumble I took must have looked pretty dramatic, because people can rushing over. After assuring everyone I was okay, I hobble over to my dog, and pick up the pile of crap she just did in the middle of the path. Then I go to get back on my bike and realize the front wheel isnt working properly, it had become detatched in the fall. The nearest garbage can is just up the path by a bench, so I start heading for that with my crazy dog and bike that is no longer working. Of course we are still in this wide open field, and at least 15 people have witness all of this. Soooo embarassing.

erockem

I tried exercising with my dog once, neither of us cared for it. I found it was easier to hold on to a dumbbell for curls.

klkateri

I have a 2 year old Boston Terrier and he's very lazy but loves walks!! Sadly, it's been so cold this winter that I refused to take him (They don't tolerate the cold and this winter has been brutal cold). But the weather is finally breaking so I'm gonna start his walks again. However, when I work out in the house he thinks its play time. He likes to lie on me while I do floor work. It's like having an extra 30 lbs medicine ball on my doing crunches and bridges lol. When I do my leg work (I do a lot of ballet workouts since that's my roots) and he jumps on my legs so it's like I don't need weights lol!!

He barks at me at the treadmill... tries to chase the peddles on my bike... runs with my weights lol!!

But, He's my little buddy and I can handle his crazy but i think walks will help him too with getting some extra energy out too.

angel5561

I have a two year old pitbull ive only had her a week she belonged to my cousin but she couldn't keep her any longer . I got her a collar and a leash but it dosent seem like shes been taking walks often shes pretty big and it feels like im being walked lol there is also lots of other dogs in the neighborhood and they go crazy when they see her and she tugs on the leash to try and get to them. Id love to be able to walk her more but im just not sure how to train her yet or what to do about all the other dogs ill have to maybe try and find a path we can walk that has the least amount of dogs I suppose

sugarmagnolia55

I have a 4-year-old beagle/hound mix, Willow. We walk in the park every day, sometimes with a little running thrown in - although I haven't done much lately. I'm looking to do more hiking with her now that the weather's nicer!

caseys29

My 4 year old German Shepherd always goes with me for runs. I'm slow and he's usually barely trotting along. We did four miles last night and he wasn't tired at all. I even put a backpack with a little weight on him to help tire him out, but he's just building up more and more endurance. He's a rescue and I've had him almost 2 years and when I first got him he would get so tired but now it's impossible to wear him out. I think he could run 20 miles a day and be ready to go again in an hour. I keep him in a heel position most of the time and we do fine.

sillyvalentine

I walk/jog with these two igits and once in a while I do lifts with the Shepherd. She likes it.

sillyvalentine

My 4 year old German Shepherd always goes with me for runs. I'm slow and he's usually barely trotting along. We did four miles last night and he wasn't tired at all. I even put a backpack with a little weight on him to help tire him out, but he's just building up more and more endurance. He's a rescue and I've had him almost 2 years and when I first got him he would get so tired but now it's impossible to wear him out. I think he could run 20 miles a day and be ready to go again in an hour. I keep him in a heel position most of the time and we do fine.

I also have a backpack for my Shepherd but nothing tires her out. If you are near a lake, try swimming. I throw the ball into the lake for mine for a few hours and it does tire her out a little.

spfldpam

I have three West Highland White Terriers age 16 1/2, 8 and 1 year. I don't run or bike with them but I do dog agility training with the 8 year old and 1 year old. The 16 1/2 year old used to also but retired at age 11 or so. It is alot of fun for both the dogs and the owners.
I wish I could bike with my westies but they are too driven to hunt and if they see a rabbit or squirell they are gone! I could just see that on my bike with them pulling me down even though they are under 15 pounds each!

Check out dog agility if you get a chance! It is alot of fun!

spfldpam

I forgot to mention, all three of my westies are rescue dogs I adopted. There are too many dogs that need homes! Please adopt a rescue dog!

geebusuk

I run with my (100lb or so) St Bernard/Rottweiler cross - a 32 mile ultra marathon by far the longest we've done yet last weekend.
Also at my current contract I cycle to work with him running beside me - just under two miles each way.

I just use (the largest) 'flexi' extendable lead for both, generally. It's a bit heavy for running, but generally he's trained well enough he won't pull (or I could just have it not locked out), so I can move my arms while running.

skingszoo

I have a German Short-haired Pointer I run with. I typically only take him on my longer runs because my shorter runs are through our neighborhood and he is not used to all the commotion of cars yet (think of a ADD child, that's him). He is amazing on our long runs on the trails though. Longest has been 10 miles and he could still keep going. My run is his trot though and we are still working on staying focused during the run instead of birds which is what he is trained to hunt. If I see him look I will say Beau and he will look back and keep going. He knows when he is with me we are to work (run) and when he is with Dad he can have fun and hunt. He's my boy. We also have a 14 year old lab which could care less to do any type of exercise and a very small beagle/basset mix that I don't think her little legs would make it very far.

caseys29

I also have a backpack for my Shepherd but nothing tires her out. If you are near a lake, try swimming. I throw the ball into the lake for mine for a few hours and it does tire her out a little.

I'll take him down to a nearby creek that's wide/deep enough for him to swim around and he enjoys that. I haven't tried a lake yet, but maybe this summer. He also loves playing with other dogs and chasing his ball. The best was when we had 16 inches of snow a few weeks ago (very rare in this area) and he ran around in it for hours several days in a row. It snowed on Wednesday and by Sunday he was so exhausted from playing in it that he just slept all day. That's the most tired I've ever seen him.

What do you mean by doing lifts with your Shepherd? She's beautiful!

Operation_Shred

I run with my labs & pits all the time. I'll even kayak with them (one at a time, though). They LOVE it.