Running with canine companions

noellabelle
noellabelle Posts: 6
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm trying to teach my dog to jog and walk with me, but we're having some training issues. He's pretty smart- a 40 lb lab mix, 2 years old. But he likes to stop mid-jog to sniff things. He usually walks on my right, but has issues trying to move in front of me or jolting left unexpectedly. Any safety or training tips would be greatly appreciated. Anyone else successfully exercising with a canine counterpart?

Replies

  • bonnienm
    bonnienm Posts: 329 Member
    Bump! I have a 7 yr old (rot/shep?) mutt and his (?) puppy that looks more like a lab that have these same issues (plus)! They drag me instead of walking with me. I have finally gotten the older one to heel when a car comes but the puppy hasn't quite mastered that yet. The vet told me that with labs their brain doesn't really start developing until they're body is developed at about the age of yours so good luck!
  • JustJessie
    JustJessie Posts: 162 Member
    I'm having the same problems! Any ideas would be helpful. My dog doesn't stop but does step in front of me or zig zag.
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
    You have to establish dominance. You're the pack leader. Where you go he follows. Try going for walks but do not let him lead/go past you. You may have to use a choke collar for this. When you feel more confident try increasing your pace. Good luck!
  • KendalBeee
    KendalBeee Posts: 2,269 Member
    I have a 62 pound boxer mix and have taught her to stay beside/behind me for the most part. Like Danohh said, its all about establishing dominancy and a tired dog is more likely to be a submissive dog. First of all, I put a backpack on her with two water bottles in it. Lexi is an INCREDIBLY high energy dog and putting this pack on her sets her brain to say "ok we're going for a walk." The longer the walk, the more tired (aka submissive) she becomes.

    I use a choke collar on her, but its not for choking. Its for a quick tug to get her to pay attention to ME because *I* am the leader, not her. It hangs loose on her neck as long as she's walking correctly beside me. I keep her leash just long enough so that she can walk beside me or sometimes I'll let the leash out so she can walk behind me, but if she tries to pass me, she gets a quick tug. She only walks on my right side and that helps me keep control. (my preference, I'm right handed)

    Also, I watch her ears and tail. When her ears are back and her tail is down, I know she's really focused on walking and not paying attention to anything else. When her ears perk up, there's probably another dog around and she's focused on them.....that gets another quick tug.

    Sometimes I talk to her when I give her a tug. A quick little "hey" in a low, controlled voice lets her know she needs to focus on me. You can also lightly jab a dog with the tips of your fingers to get their attention.

    We do NOT stop to smell stuff. When we are passing another dog though, I will let the leash out so she can reach the other dog and give a quick "hello" smell but she doesn't get to stop moving.

    I let her know that she is accompanying me on my jog, this is not something I'm doing for her.

    If I try all of the above and she's still too focused on something else (normally another dog) I will stop walking and make her sit with her back to the other dog. My dog is a bit of a lush though and will lay down and want me to rub her belly. I don't. When she stops trying to look at the other dog and there is enough distance between us, we continue our walk.
  • EliseMarie24
    EliseMarie24 Posts: 49 Member
    You have to establish dominance. You're the pack leader. Where you go he follows. Try going for walks but do not let him lead/go past you. You may have to use a choke collar for this. When you feel more confident try increasing your pace. Good luck!

    I don't agree with the choke collar because it causes damage to the dog. If you use a pinch collar it will simply give him a small pinch if he tries to take off in front of you or stop. Just pull the leash up really quick and then let the leash loose again just as quick, the dog will get the picture. :-)
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
    You have to establish dominance. You're the pack leader. Where you go he follows. Try going for walks but do not let him lead/go past you. You may have to use a choke collar for this. When you feel more confident try increasing your pace. Good luck!

    I don't agree with the choke collar because it causes damage to the dog. If you use a pinch collar it will simply give him a small pinch if he tries to take off in front of you or stop. Just pull the leash up really quick and then let the leash loose again just as quick, the dog will get the picture. :-)

    You are absolutely right about the pinch collar.
  • kennedar
    kennedar Posts: 306 Member
    Sorry but I have to completely disagree with all the "establish dominance" comments. We have a 45 pounds American Eskimo who was abused in her first home. We have seen what establishing dominance creates, a scared reactive dog. We have just recently completed a reactivity class with the local humane society and her entire personality has completely changed. Its about getting the animals to trust you and learn that you will keep them safe.

    A choke collar erodes the trust between you and the dog. A far more effective option is a 2 point harness and leash combo. This hooks onto her collar and onto the back of her harness. You can also get ones that hook onto the chest part of the harness, it depends on what works best for your dog. This reduces the resistance feeling that the dog gets, so they are less likely to keep pulling. It took us 2 weeks of training her with this collar and she no longer pulls at all, regardless of who is walking her.

    Establishing a trust based relationship with her has also reduced the number of accidents and has improved her behavior. I would contact your local Humane society or high end pet store to try a couple of different leash options. Very few dogs work best on the "traditional" leashes that we seem to put them all in.

    Something else to remember is that your dog is learning how to jog as much as you are. This is a new exercise for them, and they need to learn your signals and cues. Meeka (our pup) took 2 weeks or so to learn that when I say "lets go" its time to start jogging. When I say "rest" its time to start walking. Because she is a marker, she knows she is allowed to pee in the walking parts at the beginning and the end of the jog. She is still learning not to cut in front, but that has really been reduced as well.

    Its about consistancy and training, not fear and dominance. The Cesar Milan method makes for good tv and helps a number of dogs, but it is very rarely endorsed by professional trainers. The American Humane Association and the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists have come out against it because it can damage the relationship between you and your dog. I do not know of a professional trainer or vet who endorses his methods.

    http://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/
  • KendalBeee
    KendalBeee Posts: 2,269 Member
    Establishing dominancy isn't about being aggressive towards your dog. Its saying I am in control and you follow me. I have a great dog and many people have complimented me on how well behaved she is. I guess you have to find what works best for you and your dog.
  • jsecret
    jsecret Posts: 606 Member
    I have a husky and a husky/red wolf mix meaning that even once I'm wore out they are still begging for more. I'm looking into getting them each a backpack to wear them out a little more along the walk/jog! They have learned to stay beside me nicely and for my male the trick was walking him with the stroller my son was in, because if he got ahead or to the side the stroller would practically run him over which he did not enjoy, he has now learned to walk/jog nicely. And the best is that no guy is going to mess with some girl running with a husky on one side and a wolf cross on the other :)
  • jsecret
    jsecret Posts: 606 Member
    OH!!! And another thing about keeping the dog next to you is to make them pay attention to YOU! Meaning walk in a straight line, if your dog speeds up / lags behind / darts off / etc quickly spin yourself either 90 or 180 degrees and KEEP MOVING, it will tug on the leash and force them to move in that direction... if they start to do it again then once again promptly turn and continue on. They will eventually figure out they need to pay attention to you and not the surroundings!!!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I only started running a little bit with my dog. She behaves great. There are a few trees I know she's going to stop & sniff at, but otherwise she'll run just ahead of me & keeps checking my pace. If I speed up, she does too, just to stay a few steps ahead.
  • onetxjewel
    onetxjewel Posts: 39 Member
    I"m wanting to start getting up 30 minutes earlier and take my 90 pound labradoodle for an early morning walk, but he walks and then stops infront of me like "hey mom are you coming?!" The entire walk is a go stop go stop go process!!!
  • noellabelle
    noellabelle Posts: 6
    Thanks for the input everyone! I think I'm going to drop by the library today and grab a couple books on the subject since there seem to be a lot of different viewpoints about training your dog. I think that the method you use might also depend on the dog and his background. Highway was a shelter dog I adopted just 2 weeks ago so we're still trying to establish a basic relationship. Thanks again!
  • glfprncs2
    glfprncs2 Posts: 625 Member
    I think before you start running with your dog, you'll first need to establish basics with regards to loose leash walking. Our pup (our 3rd of 3 dogs) just 'graduated' from basic obedience (I attended as well) and it was the BEST thing I could've done for our relationship and for his behavior. It's difficult to start running with your dog if those basic skills aren't there at a basic walking gait.

    A few things we've really had to work hard on in our classes...

    First off, my dog is not to surge ahead of me. Simple corrections (using whichever method works for you--I use a prong collar (though we're down to a martingale now) and a short 'pop' with the leash as a reminder) made as necessary and praise for doing the right thing is key. The dog needs to learn what is expected of them, and then receive positive reinforcement for that proper behavior.

    Also, dog always stays on my left, however, I'm able to move him to my right if need be but he ALWAYS passes behind me. He never passes in front of me...too easy for me to trip. I simply switch the leash behind me, give an 'over' command, my dog now passes behind, stays on my right until I switch him back to the left side. It's nice to have this move if there are other dogs, kids, etc. while on your jog that you'll pass on the left.

    I make sure my dog 'does his business' before heading out. There's nothing worse than a dog that stops to poop mid run. Also, my dogs have learned that unless I give them an 'okay,' they don't get to go sniff trees, bushes, etc. There's a place about halfway from home that is 'sniff central.' I give them about 2 minutes to 'get their sniff on,' pee on some bushes to tell the dog community they've been there, and then we move on. I NEVER allow my dogs to come into contact with another dog. Period. You never know if that other person's dog is aggressive, has disease, etc. It's too easy to have problems.

    Finally...be patient. Don't expect your dog to go our and run 5 miles with your tomorrow. Also, give your dog time to build up his or her own endurance as well. You may be fit, but pupster may not.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Everyone has different training methods, and you just have to find one that works for you and for your dog. I do agree you need to learn to walk before you run...lol We have a 80lb Akita/Chow mix that's about 3 years old, we've taught him to walk next to us via the dog whisper method (the sheeshing with a tap on the side). I just started trying to jog with him (in mini paces...cause well...I can't jog for more than like a min), and he does really well because he is so used to walking next to us. We used to let him sniff and pee (I KNOW SO BAD)...and we just recently broke him of this habit with-in the last few weeks, so if your consistent I'm sure you'll see improvements!

    ON THE OTHER HAND...we have our 30lb puppy (about 7 months), who we just found out is deaf in one ear ... would explain why he always seems like he's not paying attention to us during training haha...but we're still working on the walking part with him, and I also tried jogging and almost died because he would swing out in front of me or behind me, or try jumping on me while I was running...so I think I just jumped the gun and need to keep up with just walking and training first like we did with our oldest.

    I used another method with another dog I grew up with (who passed away last year), but I would keep kibble in my pocket and reward her when she stayed next to me every 30 sec or so, and then mix it up, so she didn't get a reward each time, eventually she stayed next to me for long periods of time waiting for her reward of kibble (or sometimes tiny bits of meat chopped up, bacon etc...small so that she doesn't get FULL off the walk though haha.

    I've also noticed if you can (depends on how busy it is I guess) walking in the street helps my puppy from pulling vs walking on the sidewalk (where he is near to all the smells!).
  • runnerdad
    runnerdad Posts: 2,081 Member
    Establishing dominancy isn't about being aggressive towards your dog. Its saying I am in control and you follow me. I have a great dog and many people have complimented me on how well behaved she is. I guess you have to find what works best for you and your dog.

    Thank you for making that point. You can (and need to be) the 'pack leader' without being aggressive or abusive. The big thing is to clear of your expectations and to be consistent. Years ago, my wife and I had 7 (all male) dogs, and they knew they got to pee at the start of the run and at the end, but 'let's go' was run time and you don't stop at every tree to mark. They also knew that leash time meant being on the left side, and you could run with the pack at your left side with no cross-over trip-ups (except maybe for the occasional loss of concentration when a squirrel runs across the path). It's all a matter of basic obedience and consistency.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Establishing dominancy isn't about being aggressive towards your dog. Its saying I am in control and you follow me. I have a great dog and many people have complimented me on how well behaved she is. I guess you have to find what works best for you and your dog.

    Thank you for making that point. You can (and need to be) the 'pack leader' without being aggressive or abusive. The big thing is to clear of your expectations and to be consistent. Years ago, my wife and I had 7 (all male) dogs, and they knew they got to pee at the start of the run and at the end, but 'let's go' was run time and you don't stop at every tree to mark. They also knew that leash time meant being on the left side, and you could run with the pack at your left side with no cross-over trip-ups (except maybe for the occasional loss of concentration when a squirrel runs across the path). It's all a matter of basic obedience and consistency.

    I think this is true too. My husband for SOME reason thinks dominance means aggressive...and so he is very pissy with our two dogs. Not abusive, but very "DOWN!" *Stomps Feet*... I on the other hand...am never like that...in fact, I used to feel like I babied them to much (which I probably do)...but you know what...they listen to me just as good they do him..if not better.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Establishing dominancy isn't about being aggressive towards your dog. Its saying I am in control and you follow me. I have a great dog and many people have complimented me on how well behaved she is. I guess you have to find what works best for you and your dog.

    Thank you for making that point. You can (and need to be) the 'pack leader' without being aggressive or abusive. The big thing is to clear of your expectations and to be consistent. Years ago, my wife and I had 7 (all male) dogs, and they knew they got to pee at the start of the run and at the end, but 'let's go' was run time and you don't stop at every tree to mark. They also knew that leash time meant being on the left side, and you could run with the pack at your left side with no cross-over trip-ups (except maybe for the occasional loss of concentration when a squirrel runs across the path). It's all a matter of basic obedience and consistency.

    I think this is true too. My husband for SOME reason thinks dominance means aggressive...and so he is very pissy with our two dogs. Not abusive, but very "DOWN!" *Stomps Feet*... I on the other hand...am never like that...in fact, I used to feel like I babied them to much (which I probably do)...but you know what...they listen to me just as good they do him..if not better.

    Thumbs up on both comments. Dogs who know their places in the "order" are secure. In my experience, walks are a *critical* time for developing your relationship. Pinch collars can work, but also corrective sounds. People who yell at their dogs to obey look as stupid as people who yell at 2 yr old children about things that children that age are incapable of understanding.
  • BridgetteFLA
    BridgetteFLA Posts: 20
    I ride my bike with my 2 mixed breed 35 lb dogs (one at a time) so they can run full speed. I find that when they are running they are less distracted by cats and other things because they are running and enjoying it. I use this bike attachment and it works great. Just a different idea...

    http://www.dog-training.com/springer.htm
  • NoahVail
    NoahVail Posts: 13
    I"m wanting to start getting up 30 minutes earlier and take my 90 pound labradoodle for an early morning walk, but he walks and then stops infront of me like "hey mom are you coming?!" The entire walk is a go stop go stop go process!!!

    He's doing interval training!
  • pinbotchick
    pinbotchick Posts: 3,904
    If you're going to the library, I'd recommend "Through a Dog's Eyes" by Jennifer Arnold. She trains dogs to assist disabled people using praise and reward. The book gave me wonderful insight into how a dog thinks.
  • ohmohner
    ohmohner Posts: 29 Member
    I have two German Shepherds that I run with (1 on each side).. And the main things I have found to make sure we have a good run are this:

    1. I don't let them stop and sniff trees etc. If I did, we would never get any sort of momentum going and they would be leading my run, when it should be the other way around. I am leading them. My dogs are big, so when they jet out to the side or cut me off we all risk getting hurt.

    2. No saying "hello" to other dogs--maybe if you are walking that is ok, but on a run I want their full concentration so I don't trip and so they don't get hurt.

    3. Keep a tight leash--not tight meaning they have no wiggle room, You don't want to choke them, but they need to be kept next to you. Maybe "short" leash is a better way to put it. My dogs are pretty well trained, I keep them right next to me, however if I let them have a full leash they would absolutely take it! They won't stay right next to me and they will run a muck smelling things and pulling me around etc.. (I'm hoping as they get older this will change LOL).

    4. Pay attention to their ears--perky ears means they are too stimulated by something around you, whether its another dog or a person or something, which also means you don't have their full concentration. when this happens I usually pick up the pace a bit which forces them (usually) to concentrate on just running. Then their ears relax and I know they are in the "zone" :O)

    5. Run/Walk them often-- The more you train them, the better they get. Plus an exercised dog= a tired dog. a tired dog=a more obedient dog. an obedient dog= a happy owner :O) LOL -- its so true!!


    Good luck! And like everyone else has said, all dogs respond differently to different methods--find what works best for you and continue to do the best you can to keep them well behaved.

    side note: When I first started training my dogs on walks, I made them stop and sit and EVERY intersection. That has truly been the best thing I ever did. I no longer have to tell them to sit when I stop at a corner, they do it on their own!! (and people are crazy impressed by that LOL) :bigsmile:
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