Somewhat OT: Dogs and running

I will admit up front that I am somewhat biased against the idea of people running with their dogs. I know there are exceptions to that but, from my observation, the average person doesn't use the brains they were born with, doesn't know much about the dogs they own, and doesn't know much about exercise. The combination is usually bad for the dogs.

Again, I know there are dog owners who are knowlegeable, conscientious, and thoughtful on this topic, and there are some breeds that are "born to run". But my viewpoint is colored by the far greater number of selfish, ignorant, aholes I see all the time.

At first I wasn't going to reply to this topic, but I just saw another one. I was driving home from errands and here is some dbag guy in his 20s running with a maltese--at noon on a day where it is already 80+ degrees. He was using a retractable leash (another sign you are a total dumbass), and the poor dog was trailing about 8 feet behind. His tshirt was soaked with sweat. I yelled at him out the open window, but we were probably going too fast for him hear (plus he was wearing headphones--the better to be totally out of touch with how your dog is suffering).

My position when people ask is to actively discourage them from running with their dogs at all. While that may be unfair to a few dog owners, I feel it's better in general, since most people are just too f*@king selfish and stupid to do the right thing.

I will admit up front that I am somewhat biased against the idea of people running with their dogs. I know there are exceptions to that but, from my observation, the average person doesn't use the brains they were born with, doesn't know much about the dogs they own, and doesn't know much about exercise. The combination is usually bad for the dogs.

Again, I know there are dog owners who are knowlegeable, conscientious, and thoughtful on this topic, and there are some breeds that are "born to run". But my viewpoint is colored by the far greater number of selfish, ignorant, aholes I see all the time.

At first I wasn't going to reply to this topic, but I just saw another one. I was driving home from errands and here is some dbag guy in his 20s running with a maltese--at noon on a day where it is already 80+ degrees. He was using a retractable leash (another sign you are a total dumbass), and the poor dog was trailing about 8 feet behind. His tshirt was soaked with sweat. I yelled at him out the open window, but we were probably going too fast for him hear (plus he was wearing headphones--the better to be totally out of touch with how your dog is suffering).

My position when people ask is to actively discourage them from running with their dogs at all. While that may be unfair to a few dog owners, I feel it's better in general, since most people are just too f*@king selfish and stupid to do the right thing.

Per bolded:
Some people are irresponsible so no one should run with their dogs? I'm more about promoting knowledge and safe animal handling, not discouraging it entirely just because a few people don't act appropriately. That guy and his Maltese could benefit from good information. The more people hear about good practices, the more mainstream the knowledge can be and the more good dog owners will be made. How would the OP and all the lurkers with similar questions have benefited if everyone on these forums thought like you did?

Per OP:
You've gotten some great advice. I have a German short-hair pointer that loves to run. I walk/run 5-8 miles a day and my husband runs a few miles 3-4 times a week. Our dog winds up running/sprinting/pointing/digging/tracking/walking anywhere from 10-25 miles a day depending on how far he ranges. He's off leash and sets his own pace but I'm fortunate to live on large acreage that allows for this, along with having neighbor's permission for him to run on their property if he ranges that far. I'm only conveying this experience because of his need to cool off. I have a stock tank filled with water at the west end of our property, as do my closest neighbors to the south and I have a kiddie pool near the house. Each lap we do is about 1.5 miles and, depending on the temp, he routinely jumps in those tanks/pool to cool off and drink. This is the only reason he's able to go such distances almost every day. Having a cheap kiddie pool in your yard can really help your dog cool off at the end of a particularly hot run or to just cool off while outside at all on any hot day.

Just like others have said, it depends both on the breed, individual dog and conditioning as to how far their going to be able to run. GS, unfortunately, have a high incidence of hip dysplasia so you'd have to keep up with your vet to make sure that yours are still good to go. Their breeding line can have a big impact on this. Lines that come from Europe that haven't been bred to have the sloped back look are less likely to develop this condition (why most police and military working dogs are taken from those lines), the Americanized version suffer from it at a much larger rate.

One thing I do for my dog is messages. He gets one each night before I turn in and he gets one after walk/run I take. My husband isn't as diligent about this. I know a lot of people don't do this but, just as it's good for humans (foam rolling, general message, etc) and their muscles, it's good for your dog.

Okay, this post seems disjointed and rambley to me, I hope something useful comes from it because I just don't have it in me to rework it or delete it all together.

So I'll end with: Cheers, responsible pet owners! :drinker:

I will admit up front that I am somewhat biased against the idea of people running with their dogs. I know there are exceptions to that but, from my observation, the average person doesn't use the brains they were born with, doesn't know much about the dogs they own, and doesn't know much about exercise. The combination is usually bad for the dogs.

Again, I know there are dog owners who are knowlegeable, conscientious, and thoughtful on this topic, and there are some breeds that are "born to run". But my viewpoint is colored by the far greater number of selfish, ignorant, aholes I see all the time.

At first I wasn't going to reply to this topic, but I just saw another one. I was driving home from errands and here is some dbag guy in his 20s running with a maltese--at noon on a day where it is already 80+ degrees. He was using a retractable leash (another sign you are a total dumbass), and the poor dog was trailing about 8 feet behind. His tshirt was soaked with sweat. I yelled at him out the open window, but we were probably going too fast for him hear (plus he was wearing headphones--the better to be totally out of touch with how your dog is suffering).

My position when people ask is to actively discourage them from running with their dogs at all. While that may be unfair to a few dog owners, I feel it's better in general, since most people are just too f*@king selfish and stupid to do the right thing.

what about those of us with dogs that love to run and can outrun us any day? We should keep them in the house going stir crazy all day???? Runs and walks are the highlight of my dogs day.