Exercising with Dogs
Options
Replies
-
I have a nearly one-year-old German Shepherd. She loves her daily walks and is a great soccer player!0
-
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!
I just pick her up by her chest and belly and lift her as high as I can (about chest level) and then put her down. She is 70 lbs so that's a pretty good lift. I do it from a standing position.0 -
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.
0 -
Funny you posted this because just the other day I did squats while holding my puppy, lol
Shes a little 8 lbs Maltese. I felt bad because she was just staring at me while I was doing my workout wanting to play, so I picked her up and made her part of my work out! Funny enough, it made my squats easier. I think she made me balance myself better so I was able to have better form. Yay for puppies!!!
That would be SO awesome lol... My dogs are too oversized to squat with I think0 -
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.0 -
I have a little shih tzu. Since I live in a condo, we go on several walks a day. After about a block she is "over it" and sits down and refuses to move. Quite the stubborn pup I have...Kind of like her mom 0
-
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 0 -
Just my 2 dogs.... my protectors....0
-
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.0 -
I have two dogs. A terrier -chihuahua mix that I take on most of my runs. I usually run 3-4 miles and she loves it, with her I use a retractable leash and it works great but took a little training, she loves to stop and pee on everything. I also just recently adopted a 2 year old lab-pit mix and I am trying to train him to walk and run on a leash but would not try the retractable leash with him because he is too strong. I tried running with him the other day and he had me running so fast I thought I was going to fall on my face, thank goodness I finally was able to stop him. I think for now I'm going to keep training him to just behave on walks. Then maybe move to running. I would love to be able to run him.0
-
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.0 -
I have a German Shepherd/Border Collie mix; her picture is in my profile picture and ticker. I like taking her on walks, but since she's still a puppy (7 months old), she can't go running until she's fully grown at 1 1/2 years old. If you take a pup that's supposed to grow into a large dog running (besides letting her run through the house/in the soft grass and soil in the back yard), it could seriously damage and warp their joints and bones. And since both German Shepherd and Border Collies are prone to hip dysplasia, I'm not sure if I could really ever take her for long runs... both breeds seem more like sprinters rather than endurance runners. We'll see what the vet says when the time comes.
Although, for a GS/BC mix, she sure is lazy most of the time.0 -
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.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.
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.0 -
I take my husband's guide dog (2 year old, black female lab) for a fun walk every few days. We go three miles at a very fast clip. She loves getting out to strut her stuff and I love the exercise and company. Woof!0
-
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.0 -
I have two dogs. A terrier -chihuahua mix that I take on most of my runs. I usually run 3-4 miles and she loves it, with her I use a retractable leash and it works great but took a little training, she loves to stop and pee on everything. I also just recently adopted a 2 year old lab-pit mix and I am trying to train him to walk and run on a leash but would not try the retractable leash with him because he is too strong. I tried running with him the other day and he had me running so fast I thought I was going to fall on my face, thank goodness I finally was able to stop him. I think for now I'm going to keep training him to just behave on walks. Then maybe move to running. I would love to be able to run him.
2 suggestions for better walking with your Lab/Pit mix:
1. (I just recently figured this out for my Akita mix.) If you slide his collar up to where it's just under his head and not further down on his neck, near his body, it might help to control him better.
2. If that doesn't work well enough for you, try a Gentle Leader (I think a Halti is supposed to be similar). I used one on my previous dog (a Black Lab/Shar-pei mix) and it worked beautifully! Of course, he didn't like it, at first. But, once we used it more often, he understood it meant we were going for a walk and he learned to not hate it. He was funny, though, because he figured out how to get himself out of it and would try to do so while we were walking, if we encountered squirrels or off-leash dogs that got too close.0 -
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...)0 -
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!
I just pick her up by her chest and belly and lift her as high as I can (about chest level) and then put her down. She is 70 lbs so that's a pretty good lift. I do it from a standing position.
Oh, funny! My husband will do that sometimes with our dog. I don't know if he likes it or not, but he doesn't seem to mind! He's a pretty big boy - 95 pounds. I promise he's not fat, I like to keep him lean because of the problems they can have with their hips and joints, but he's oversized for a GSD - 30 inches at the shoulder. When we got him he was 75 pounds and you could see every rib and he was very flabby and his back legs and neck jiggled so much when he ran. Now you can only see his ribs if he's panting hard and his thigh/chest/shoulder areas look like he lifts, lol!0 -
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.0 -
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.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 hope you find something that works for you and your dog...It's really fun!0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 388 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 918 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions