Do you run with your dog?

soccermom004

Thanks again for all the great comments!

terbee

Unfortunately, not yet; every time I try to pick up the pace to a jog he turns around and jumps on me! He thinks I'm playing.

My dog is a big shepherd mix and I experienced this too, the first 7-8 times I would try to run with him. It was horrible because he's so big and strong that when he gets excited and starts jumping, he can really throw me off balance and scratch me. We eventually corrected it though. As soon as he started to jump I would shorten the leash to just a few inches long (or even hold his collar, he's just the right height for me to reach it comfortably) and walk instead of jog. For him it was best if I did not make eye contact with him or react to the behavior at all, but just kept looking forward and moving forward and restricting him w/ the leash in a no-nonsense way. He would quickly re-focus on walking and after a block or two I would try jogging again. It takes patience though. In the two years that I've had him, I calculate we've walked around 2500 miles together! I love him so much, even though he can be a huge pain sometimes still!

These days he's an awesome running buddy and I do feel very safe with him by my side. I only take him on 3-4 mile runs though, and only if it's early in the morning or when the sun has gotten low, otherwise he overheats and really slows down.

Hope this helps somebody! I went through that phase too where I thought "Oh no my dog will never be able to run with me!" Consistency in training wins every time.

rudegyal_b

i run intervals with my chihuahua, i dont think i would make him run a whole 5k or anything but hes a great interval running partner. i didnt really have to train him, hes all stoked to do it on his own. i would start with intervals and build up but i dont think id take a small pup.

moodyfeesh14

I do and she was trained as a puppy, and I recommend going to petco and buying what is called an "easy walk" harness the first few weeks you should expect to fast walk and not run but once you both get used to it it makes running much more easy

HMVOL7409

Hell no! Though I wish! I have 2 labs; 1 lazy chocolate who sleeps all day and 1 hyper yellow lab that is purely a bird dog. I live out in the boonies surrounded by farm land so there's birds, rabbits, cats galore and he would be dragging me to go hunting instead of running. It sounds fun at first but I love my personal time during my runs. The neighbors hound dog sometimes escapes and runs with me up the road then heads back.

MindyBlack

Yes, I run with my dog She is a 7 year old beagle. We have been doing this for a few months. Since she has been doing it alongside me we have been on the same training. Just started increasing our walks, picking up the pace until we were running. I have 2 concerns. One is that after she gets bored she gets sniffy and therefore I have come close to tripping over her. The other is that sometimes it is too much for her. When I want a serious run I will leave her behind. She loves it but she started limping the next morning. I had to cut her back. The most we will run/walk now is about 3.5 miles. If we just walk we do about 5.
I love it and she loves it. Beagles get the old age spread going on but she hasn't gotten it yet. She isn't thin but she isn't fat either.

Trail_Addict

Before it got hot I did.

Here's our vid-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGSpmFmHUL0

steph124ny

I walk very fast with the dog. My knees can't take outright jogging. She is a lab mix...about 70 pounds. She LOVES to run, and my daughter often takes her running with her. She actually behaves better on a run than a walk because she's moving too quickly to stop and get distracted.

She was a rescue and was not the easiest to leash train, but now that she's about 4, she's pretty good. You just have to make sure they don't have to poop or pee before you start. Just like little kids! LOL!

Knightley27

I have an extremely large dog so running at a healthy speed for myself is out. If hes not moving faster than a trot he losses focus (which is a recipe to be clothes lined :laugh: it has happened... ). I find that biking works better for my beast. However I am not getting a maximum workout that way either because a good run for him is a leisurely bike ride for me. So I dont condsider taking the dog out as a workout. I dont even log it at this stage.

MindyBlack

Does anyone run with their dog? How did you train them? How far do you run? What kind of dog? How old were they when you started training them?

I run with my dog. He is a 4 yr old 20 lb Beagle/Bichon Mix. I even roller blade with him. He is a machine though, all muscle. The vet can't believe his back legs. I took him to puppy classes when I first got him to get him leash trained. He still pulls though, he is total beagle and follows his nose. He's actually easier to run with than walk. When I walk he pulls and is all over the place. When I run he stays more focused on the running. Except when a rabbit or squirrel crosses our path, then I have to make sure I brace myself, he made me pull something in my thigh not long ago, bolting in the other direction. He will also run on a treadmill with me. I think if you get a high energy dog they don't need much actual "training" to run. I figure if it's too hot for me to run, it's too hot for him, I don't run when it's super hot. And if I am thirsty, I figure he probably is too. Easier for him though, he can drink out of puddles/ ponds. I have probably run with him since he was 5-6 mos old. If he doesn't get enough exercise he is naughty, so it motivates me to get out with him.

I have a beagle mix (with what I dont know) and I can relate to everything you say. Those beagle genes are strong.

tabulator32

I walk my two border collies and my dachshund every day. Then I bring them back home and let them watch television with my wife while I go jogging.

Trying to jog with my trio would be like a Three Stooges episode.

angelashay42

What breed are you getting? Not all breeds are good to run with - ie: smaller dogs or dogs that overheat easily, such as Newfoundlands, Huskies, Boxers, Mastiffs, Bulldogs, and other brachycephalic breeds.

I recommend training the puppy to walk and heel with you first. Then build up to short jogs when the dog is 7-9 months old (check with your vet first). Any younger than 7 months and they won't have the agility or stamina to keep up with you.

Good luck and have fun!

Brandicaloriecountess

No! I walk with her but don't run with her. She's annoying and wants to stop and smell/pee on everything.

tappae

I used to take my dogs on almost all of my runs, but never more than 3 or 4 miles and never over 80 degrees. With the jogging stroller and the dogs hooked to my belt I got a lot of attention. The pit loves it. I have to use a gentle leader to keep her from pulling me. The hound isn't a fan, but he hates to be left alone. The only really tricky part was when I had to overtake someone walking a dog, because mine would turn around and pull against me after we passed. Unfortunately, my pit blew her knee out (barking at someone from the back yard) and I had to limit her exercise for a long time. We're just getting back to walking now, but she's rarely lame any more, so I might start running them again soon.

oats4breakfast

Haven't had a dog in 20 years. This reminds me of my dog when I was younger though. Just a mutt where you could pick one of 20 breeds and see it in him - we got him from the pound when he was 6-9 months old. Mostly german shepard and rhodesian ridgeback though, I taught him to sit and heel and he'd walk on a leash just fine and all that but never trained him to run with me. The first time I tried to run, we got about 20 minutes out and hadn't even made it to the end of the street yet. He kept stopping or grabbing the leash, or going from tree to tree, around the wrong way around a pole, opposite direction, stopping, backing up, sideways etc etc. So I took the leash off and said c'mon and started to run. I figured he'd come along because whenever I left him at home to ride my bike to my friends, he'd jump a 6+ft fence and catch up with me and just follow. He followed when running too - he'd still stop to sniff and try to pee on everything but I'd then be pulling away from him so he'd hurry and catch up. Never had time to poo. We both got a good run in because we were both going fast - he would often shuttle run, he'd run 20ft ahead at a time and take an extra sniff, then when I was 20ft past he'd sprint 20 ft ahead and repeat. Was great to see him look up panting with that giant tongue everytime he ran by, The only thing I had to watch out for was cats and possums (at night) and crossing a busy road (he'd heel and knew the route after a time). He would obey when I called him if he ever got interested in something for too long (I could tell, his half floppy ear would no longer be floppy - it was like it got stood on when he was a pup)..... almost always anyway.... because I'd give him mixed messages by teasing him by saying "cats" a special way and he'd go and search under all the parked cars on the street to find one (I was a teenager). Hedgehogs were a pain though because he stop and bark/bite at them until I came and got him - more fool him though, them hedgehogs never lost, they'd just roll up and take it.
So anyway, he'd just follow and as I got further away, he'd hurry to catch up and pass. The repeat. This was back in a different town, country and time though. There's too many cars, small purse dogs and other angrier seemingly ill disciplined dogs around to do this type of thing nowadays. I'm sure people would take the time to tell me off too (they may think it strange to see a kid running nowadays anyway)
After a while, I did try a to put him on a leash, he ran along beside me and always seemed to keep trying to grab it out of my hand. he was better about stopping and zig-zagging but what a pain. I gave him the handle and what do you know, he held it in his mouth and "ran himself" He just stayed right beside me (he would also do this during walks, but was more inclined to drop it and then bugger off). I figured what was the point as I ran better with nothing in my hands and he was fine off-leash anyway. The good old days.

toniRAD

I think I'm gonna give it a try tomorrow with my chihuahua!

LilRedRooster

I've run with mine a few times. He's a long-haired Aussie, so he doesn't do well in heat (he's also a mostly black tri-color, so his coloring limits us to times with less sun). He's naturally a pleaser, and we've done obedience since I adopted him at five months, so he knows to heel, and never had much issue with it. His problem is overheating and/or boredom with just running and not having a purpose. He hasn't gotten to point where he enjoys the running itself, so I don't take him more than two or three miles, because I want him to work up to enjoying it. What he enjoys more is running amok with the horses, so we let him off-leash more than controlled running with me, haha. He's four years old this year.

neverstray

When I was a kid, a vet told my mom that it was really bad for dogs, and almost cruel. They will do it to please you, but it's really bad forthem. They are sprinters, not long distance runners. So, whenever I saw people running with their dogs I would get pissed off.

Then, many years later, I did some Internet research, and it seems to be ok for short or moderate runs. But, like people, they have to work up to it. They can't just run 5 miles on day 1. But, they can get strong and get trained for it.

Stella_Leigh

Does anyone run with their dog? How did you train them? How far do you run? What kind of dog? How old were they when you started training them? I am getting a puppy this weekend and while I know it will be a while before he can run with me I was wondering if anyone had some advice on how to get there.
Thanks!

I have 4 dogs, but Zero, my two year old American Bulldog, is my running buddy. AB's are high energy workers so he can run for miles and still be ready to go when I'm tuckered out. My best advice to you is this...

1 - START SLOW!! Don't run with your new buddy until they're at least one year old to prevent injury. Growing babies need to take it easy or they could seriously hurt something. By all means, play with them and tire them out, but remember to take it easy.

2 - START EARLY WITH THEIR LEASH TRAINING!! The earlier they learn not to pull you on the leash, the better off you'll both be.

3 - TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF SO YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF THEM!! Stay hydrated, don't overdo it, and pace yourself so that neither of you are straining. Also, I highly recommend investing in a portable water dish. Zero loves his

Happy running!!

sheri02r

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-527--13611-0,00.html