Exercising with Dogs

I have a nearly one-year-old German Shepherd. She loves her daily walks and is a great soccer player!

I run with my two Husky crosses... I mentioned doing this last year and someone gave me a lot of grief over it. Very glad to see other people here who run with their dogs.

I run with my two Husky crosses... I mentioned doing this last year and someone gave me a lot of grief over it. Very glad to see other people here who run with their dogs.

It can be hard on them. My vet recommended that they don't run longer than 30 minutes at a time and no more than 1 hour a day. Also, some breeds shouldn't run at all because they are prone to hip dysplasia and contrary to popular belief, running does not help prevent that. Also, after a certain age, running time should be significantly decreased.

I run with my two Husky crosses... I mentioned doing this last year and someone gave me a lot of grief over it. Very glad to see other people here who run with their dogs.

It can be hard on them. My vet recommended that they don't run longer than 30 minutes at a time and no more than 1 hour a day. Also, some breeds shouldn't run at all because they are prone to hip dysplasia and contrary to popular belief, running does not help prevent that. Also, after a certain age, running time should be significantly decreased.

I definitely don't run for more than 20 minutes with them at a time. I can run longer on my own but with the dogs, it's too much for me (and for them). Thanks for posting that though so other owners can be aware

I have 8 dogs, we live out in the country, but I aim to walk with at least 4 of them every day, (2 at a time) My great pyrs are lazy, and just bumble along, but when I wanna kick up the pace I grab my Malamute and Huskie mix and let them walk me buwahahahhahaha!

Pyreneese and Bernese Mountain Dogs are some of my favorite dogs, although I would probably only get one when I'm much older and not as active as I am now... or maybe I'll just try to get a particularly hyper Mountain Dog.
Huskys are also great, but geez that is a lot of energy! Still, I want to get one someday; dog sledding is a sport I would love to try. Have you considered joring with them?

< Well, since you like dogs, and Huskies, I just had to comment. That husky is a real Inuit dog, born in Nunavut, Canada where I still currently live. Personally, I'm not a Husky person, but I rescued her from starvation and/or an eventual bullet at the dump. Yup it's that sad here.

My other dog, a pitbull/rottweiler mix is more my style and is a pleasure to walk and has pretty good recall. The Husky is NOT a pleasure to walk and if I let her off leash, which I almost have to do to keep my sanity, means a very difficult and lengthy recapture process. I'll be working with her more this summer so hopefully she improves. She really should be in a home with far more active people.

PS. What the heck is with the comments that dogs shouldn't run?! They were born to run... maybe not on cement, so get out on the trails! I'll be running my dogs next to my Skidoo and ATV very soon. Of course, I won't expect them to run for 10 miles on the first outing and I also train them to ride so that they can when they need to. And yes I walk and run a bit too, just that the locals freak if a dog isn't on leash 24/7. And dogs need to run OFF leash too.

I have 8 dogs, we live out in the country, but I aim to walk with at least 4 of them every day, (2 at a time) My great pyrs are lazy, and just bumble along, but when I wanna kick up the pace I grab my Malamute and Huskie mix and let them walk me buwahahahhahaha!

Pyreneese and Bernese Mountain Dogs are some of my favorite dogs, although I would probably only get one when I'm much older and not as active as I am now... or maybe I'll just try to get a particularly hyper Mountain Dog.
Huskys are also great, but geez that is a lot of energy! Still, I want to get one someday; dog sledding is a sport I would love to try. Have you considered joring with them?

< Well, since you like dogs, and Huskies, I just had to comment. That husky is a real Inuit dog, born in Nunavut, Canada where I still currently live. Personally, I'm not a Husky person, but I rescued her from starvation and/or an eventual bullet at the dump. Yup it's that sad here.

My other dog, a pitbull/rottweiler mix is more my style and is a pleasure to walk and has pretty good recall. The Husky is NOT a pleasure to walk and if I let her off leash, which I almost have to do to keep my sanity, means a very difficult and lengthy recapture process. I'll be working with her more this summer so hopefully she improves. She really should be in a home with far more active people.

I know what it's like up there. I lived in Northern MB on the NWT border and they used to have "Dog Day" where some of the townspeople would get together and ride around town shooting all the stray dogs. They would pile up that fast. I rescued one a long time ago who I found. His collar had been placed on him when he was a pup, then he either ran away or, more likely, was abandoned, and his collar grew into his neck as he got bigger. It was infected and had maggots inside. Very bad. But he lived and I gave him to a good home in Winnipeg.

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 !

Would you recommend a good website to get information on agility training, please? I think my Akita mix would be great at it, but I don't know where to get started. In case it matters, I live in Columbus, OH, for now. I'm planning to move back to Fayetteville, NC, later this year.

I run with my two Husky crosses... I mentioned doing this last year and someone gave me a lot of grief over it. Very glad to see other people here who run with their dogs.

It can be hard on them. My vet recommended that they don't run longer than 30 minutes at a time and no more than 1 hour a day. Also, some breeds shouldn't run at all because they are prone to hip dysplasia and contrary to popular belief, running does not help prevent that. Also, after a certain age, running time should be significantly decreased.

I definitely don't run for more than 20 minutes with them at a time. I can run longer on my own but with the dogs, it's too much for me (and for them). Thanks for posting that though so other owners can be aware

Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that running too much or too long can really harm a dog in the long run (pun intended). And once the hips go it's bye bye doggy time.

I run with my two Husky crosses... I mentioned doing this last year and someone gave me a lot of grief over it. Very glad to see other people here who run with their dogs.

It can be hard on them. My vet recommended that they don't run longer than 30 minutes at a time and no more than 1 hour a day. Also, some breeds shouldn't run at all because they are prone to hip dysplasia and contrary to popular belief, running does not help prevent that. Also, after a certain age, running time should be significantly decreased.

I definitely don't run for more than 20 minutes with them at a time. I can run longer on my own but with the dogs, it's too much for me (and for them). Thanks for posting that though so other owners can be aware

Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that running too much or too long can really harm a dog in the long run (pun intended). And once the hips go it's bye bye doggy time.

Diet matters. I resolved my joint problems by not eating grain, specifically wheat, yet many people are feeding their dogs wheat and/or corn based foods. Dogs are carnivores (yes they eat some plant foods in small amounts, such as berries). Something to ponder. Dogs are designed to run. They are related to wolves; same animal as evidenced by the ability to breed and produce viable offspring. Granted some selective breeding has created dogs not suited to running, but most dogs are fully able to run and should. (Not necessarily on cement and with attention to the temperature and availability of water of course, and increasing distance slowly over time...)

I run with my two Husky crosses... I mentioned doing this last year and someone gave me a lot of grief over it. Very glad to see other people here who run with their dogs.

It can be hard on them. My vet recommended that they don't run longer than 30 minutes at a time and no more than 1 hour a day. Also, some breeds shouldn't run at all because they are prone to hip dysplasia and contrary to popular belief, running does not help prevent that. Also, after a certain age, running time should be significantly decreased.

I definitely don't run for more than 20 minutes with them at a time. I can run longer on my own but with the dogs, it's too much for me (and for them). Thanks for posting that though so other owners can be aware

Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that running too much or too long can really harm a dog in the long run (pun intended). And once the hips go it's bye bye doggy time.

Diet matters. I resolved my joint problems by not eating grain, specifically wheat, yet many people are feeding their dogs wheat and/or corn based foods. Dogs are carnivores (yes they eat some plant foods in small amounts, such as berries). Something to ponder. Dogs are designed to run. They are related to wolves; same animal as evidenced by the ability to breed and produce viable offspring. Granted some selective breeding has created dogs not suited to running, but most dogs are fully able to run and should. (Not necessarily on cement and with attention to the temperature and availability of water of course, and increasing distance slowly over time...)

You should talk to a veterinarian. I think you have been severely misinformed.

I exercise with my dog watching me, if that counts. The little pest (I call her a pest in the nicest way possible) insists on being with me in my room when I'm in there. As I work out, she watches me. When I get on the floor to do floor based exercises (crunches, sit ups, certain yoga moves, etc) she jumps to the floor and will paw my face, climb under me, climb on my chest, and sometimes even try to imitate the move to the best of her ability. That probably doesn't count, though. She's a weird dog.

I do make sure to walk my dogs. My mom's big girl gets walked every day when I'm at home (provided I feel well) for at least 20 minutes. I'd go for more, except she pulls sometimes (she's not as well trained as my two) and I'm a little person. My two get walked as often as I can. Usually, alos, 20 minutes at a time at least. Though, my one can sometimes go for an hour with no problem. And since I have mine trained to heel and never pull, I can walk them a lot longer with no strain.

Sometimes, I jog with the one. She loves jogging. I'll take her for a walk, and then randomly start jogging. She'll jog nicely at my side. We'll go five minutes, stop, walk again, then repeat. This is fun. But I don't do it on a regular basis.

I have a corgi mix (that's the weird dog who exercises with me) and a Pomeranian.

We adopted this trembling tiny little puppy from the pound five years ago. Paco weighs 90 lbs. now! I had to take a dog training course with him so he wouldn't pull my arm off with the leash. He is very well behaved and obeys all commands. He is some kind of Rhodesian Ridgeback lab shepherd mix. Might have some rottie or pitbull because he's got the wrinkley skin on his face. He's very handsome with "mascara" around his eyes. I take him for walks in a field behind a residential complex. He loves it! We walk about three and a half miles 3 or 4 times a week. I can't go walking without him or I feel guilty. He knows when we're going walking when I put on my walking shoes, he gets all excited and freaky, it's so cute.

He is the best dog ever.

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.

IS that your pooch in your profile pic? If so, he is GORGEOUS!!!!!!

I cycle and run with my dog. He is a rottie x ridgeback. Took a while to teach him both, but he's awesome now! Spends 90% of our runs off the lead and just trots along, and the same with the bike. He did think it was all a huge game when I first tried to teach him, he was a rescue dog and had clearly never, ever been for a run or bike ride before. He doesn't bat an eyelid at runners and bicycles now, where as before he use to want to chase them!

Worst part is that he hasn't quite got the "inside command" meaning that he runs between the hedge and me and not on the road side. Can make for some sharp stops when he's weaving around trying to understand what I'm telling him!

Bro, Do your dogs even lift tho

Would you recommend a good website to get information on agility training, please? I think my Akita mix would be great at it, but I don't know where to get started. In case it matters, I live in Columbus, OH, for now. I'm planning to move back to Fayetteville, NC, later this year.

Although you can learn a little about agility on the web, I suggest that you sign up for a beginners agility class at a dog training club. Try searching for "agility dog training" for facilities near Columbus and Fayetteville. Most of the clubs have web sites with a list of classes. Contact the clubs, tell them you'd like to come watch an agility class, then go observe a class (without your dog). After class, talk to the instructor(s) to see if they're a good fit for you, and if you can, talk to some of the class participants too. I'd check out several different clubs and find one you're comfortable with. Some instructors might want you and your dog to take a basic obedience class at their facility before you start agility class.

I hope you find something that works for you and your dog...It's really fun!

Thanks for the advice!