who else runs with their dog? :-)

backinthenines
backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
edited September 27 in Fitness and Exercise
I thought I might start a thread for any of us who run with our dogs?

I have an 8-month old female border collie cross and I'm now gently easing her into distance running.

At the moment we're taking it easy and I've only let her jog with me for 20 minutes so far to allow for some slow adaptation. I've done quite a bit of reading about starting dogs into distance running and "canine x" races which sound like loads of fun.

We primarily run on mud-grit paths, woodland trails and grass so it's gentle on her paws. She runs off the lead and stays right by my side.

Here she is: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2243/5734826678_a304c67654.jpg

So who else is a runner who runs with their dog or is thinking about it?
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Replies

  • erinhale
    erinhale Posts: 137 Member
    We try....very ard. But my golden gets side tracked very easily. I think he has ADD. It does not work well, plius afte rabout 4 miles I am bragging him upthe hills!
  • CarolMorris66
    CarolMorris66 Posts: 59
    I have two spaniels that like to run with me, and being spaniels will still be running when I have collapsed and died!!! More of a walker myself and they walk for anything up to 30 miles at a time with me/us.... and they love it...
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
    When I 1st started running I ran with my dog and I was running 14 minutes miles. My dog loved it. Now that I run 7-8 minute miles I end up dragging him behind me. Poor doggy.
  • cghiggins518
    cghiggins518 Posts: 48 Member
    I do but my dog is getting older now. She is a 13 year old Aussie. The start of the run she is way ahead of me and by the end she is about 25 yards behind me. Still she has a lot of energy and needs to do this kind of running a couple days a week.
  • gooberr4
    gooberr4 Posts: 253 Member
    i have a german shepard/rottweiler mix that I sometimes take for runs with me. She does really good except when we cross the street, she doesn't know where to go and usually gets really close to me so I have to try not to step on her :). She can even last on the longer runs but I don't take her on those unless it's not so hot out.
  • a1schwei
    a1schwei Posts: 617 Member
    i love to run with my dog...it is extremely rare that i run any distance without him...he is a 3.5 year old beagle and he has tons of energy so running is a fabulous way to calm him down...he is the snuggliest, most tired dog ever when we get home from a run :) i know he slows my pace a bit (and gives me little breaks when he has to relieve himself a million times), but he is a trooper and has done multiple double-digit runs with me including two 12 milers training for my half marathon and 25k...honestly at this point i can't imagine running without him :) i would love to find a race where i could run with him, but he is super friendly and i worry that he would be more interested in meeting all of the people around him than actually running with me :)
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    I have a redbone coonhound/whippet mix that loves to run. He does best with a harness on and is SO fast that he's a little hard to keep up with! But sometimes he gets in my way and I trip over him, so we are working on that!
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    I have two spaniels that like to run with me, and being spaniels will still be running when I have collapsed and died!!! More of a walker myself and they walk for anything up to 30 miles at a time with me/us.... and they love it...

    I have friends with Springer Spaniels and indeed they can go on forever. :laugh:

    I'm sure mine could do A LOT more than I ask of her at the moment, but all the professional advice suggests to start them gently so I will.

    At the moment I sneak in a 20min jog into our evening walk every other day and when we're done she looks at me like "why are we stopping????" :happy:

    Mine being half border collie likes to round everything up... other dogs, people etc... LOL

    She is very good when we're running though and sticks by me. When we're just walking she might chase the occasional squirrel but never when we're walking. It's like she thinks she has to focus on a job to do. haha
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    We try....very ard. But my golden gets side tracked very easily. I think he has ADD. It does not work well, plius afte rabout 4 miles I am bragging him upthe hills!

    My friend who is a marathon runner tried to run with her 50kg Staffordshire Bull Terrier....

    After about a mile he just sat down and refused to move any further and she had to carry / drag him home!! :embarassed: :huh:
  • Rocchellita
    Rocchellita Posts: 21 Member
    I have eased by 1 year old chocolate into running for months. We are now running but we only do intervals. He loves it! When we walk, he can sniff around and relieve himself and when we run, he is all about business :) We do 2 miles a day for now.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    i love to run with my dog...it is extremely rare that i run any distance without him...he is a 3.5 year old beagle and he has tons of energy so running is a fabulous way to calm him down...he is the snuggliest, most tired dog ever when we get home from a run :) i know he slows my pace a bit (and gives me little breaks when he has to relieve himself a million times), but he is a trooper and has done multiple double-digit runs with me including two 12 milers training for my half marathon and 25k...honestly at this point i can't imagine running without him :) i would love to find a race where i could run with him, but he is super friendly and i worry that he would be more interested in meeting all of the people around him than actually running with me :)

    Excellent!! :bigsmile:

    Often I drive to particularly nice paces where we can run and then she always sleeps in the car on the way back! :happy:

    Have you heard of CaniX races? http://www.cani-cross.co.uk (you're probably in the US, but you may have something similar?)

    I have a place for the London Marathon next year and hope that she will be happy to do some long runs with me.
  • Irene8509
    Irene8509 Posts: 381 Member
    Hello. My dog and I are trying to get to that point. I have never been a runner (or athletic) but I was never over weight either. Unfortunately over the past eight years (and I won't bore you with all my excuses), I have allowed my weight to get out of control and I am ashamed to say my dogs' as well. Amber and I have been counting calories and like you taking to the local trails for exercise. We walk, but both she and I need something more. I am taking it slow for her and me using the website c25k.com for advise on how to do this right. I would welcome any support. Thanks for posting...Irene
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    Hi Irene, :flowerforyou:

    I also gained considerable weight last year after an injury. I couldn't exercise and ate too much or the wrong stuff.

    I'm only re-starting to run again myself so I am keeping it easy for both me and her. :wink:

    It's lovely companionship on a run though and much less boring! haha
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    I have a golden retriever and go for a short run with him sometimes. We mainly run on grass as there's a spacious green near where I live but he tends to go a bit crazy running all over the place sometimes (very exitable puppy) so he's always on a retractable lead as there's roads nearby. If we're just walking he stays by me but he tends to know the difference between a normal walk where he's reasonably calm and a run where it's round and round in circles and who can get where first :D
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    If we're just walking he stays by me but he tends to know the difference between a normal walk where he's reasonably calm and a run where it's round and round in circles and who can get where first :D

    Funny, mine is exactly the other way. :laugh:

    When we're walking it's nose to the floor, random zig-zagging whereever the scent takes her, oh hello another dog, oh hello a rabbit etc etc....

    When we're running she is right next to my left leg, totally focussed and if I'm not stopping - she's not stopping... regardless of people or dogs passing us etc.
  • MrsDanceBartley
    MrsDanceBartley Posts: 78 Member
    I run with my greyhound Annie. You might think she is fast, but they are sprinters not distance runners! She is happy to do 3 miles with me though and once she managed 6 miles with me. :)
  • Lauralovesmfp
    Lauralovesmfp Posts: 270 Member
    I have a pug, Bella who loves to run with me. Pugs can't take the heat though so we have to go early in the morning or late at night. My other pug Lilly would never run because she can't breathe (her face is WAY too flat lol.)

    FYI though, I talked to my vet and she said you shouldn't run with your dog until they are at least 18 months old because their bones haven't completely formed and you might be setting them up with problems later on like arthritis.
  • Irene8509
    Irene8509 Posts: 381 Member
    Agreed. She is my best buddy:smile:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I have a Pekingese. Three inch legs plus a flat face. He's not much of a runner. :laugh:
  • bluegirl10
    bluegirl10 Posts: 695 Member
    We have a belgian malinios and norwegian elkhound mix... Both are between 1 to 2 years old and love to run! However, the belgian will leave us in the dust!..lol! We do a mix of walking/jogging several times a week... :)
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    I run with my greyhound Annie. You might think she is fast, but they are sprinters not distance runners! She is happy to do 3 miles with me though and once she managed 6 miles with me. :)

    LOL yes I have friends with various sight hounds, greyhounds, whippets, lurchers... They are unbeliiiiievably fast!!! :noway: but also really lazy and sleep loads!! :laugh: And they never like to go out in the rain etc.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    I have a pug, Bella who loves to run with me. Pugs can't take the heat though so we have to go early in the morning or late at night. My other pug Lilly would never run because she can't breathe (her face is WAY too flat lol.)

    FYI though, I talked to my vet and she said you shouldn't run with your dog until they are at least 18 months old because their bones haven't completely formed and you might be setting them up with problems later on like arthritis.

    I've spoken to my vet and she was happy for her to start. She says it depends on the breed. Because she is a border collie cross, she is essentially a "working dog" and if she were on a farm she would be doing many more miles running around herding sheep that she does with me at the moment... When we "run" it's me that's suffering - I am only 10min miling so it's slow running... She doesn't even run properly like she does when she fetches a toy for instance, she just trots next to me, so it's not high impact. If I played fetch with her for 20mins she'd run a lot harder than when we go for a jog. I am certainly not looking to do any high mileage with her at this stage. :wink:
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    I have a Pekingese. Three inch legs plus a flat face. He's not much of a runner. :laugh:

    :laugh: :drinker:
  • icarmenmac
    icarmenmac Posts: 2 Member
    I like to run with my dog. However, as she is a whippet it can be a little demotivating for me all red faced and sweaty and she's hardly out of breath! We both enjoy it though and she's still young. Sometimes she crosses my path though - that can be hazardous!!
    K
  • LeanaJo
    LeanaJo Posts: 85
    I can't take a pug out for a run that's for sure! I'm getting a Pug very soon (my favorite type of dog). They aren't meant to run or do anything heavy for a while (I can walk it for about 20 minutes and it's fine with that)....

    But it can watch me do Pilates and Yoga at home with the DVD! LOL! I can't wait to get my Pug.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I have on occasion. She's an australian shepard mix. If we do the lap around the lake, its best to walk one first & let her get her sniffs out of the way. If we do trails, she stays more focused and keeps a really good pace. There have been times when I just wanted to walk, but she forced me into a jog. It depends on her mood.
  • mom2dms
    mom2dms Posts: 152 Member
    We have three dogs (2 black labs @ 100 and 110 lbs) and a lab pit mix (about 60 lbs) that I take running with me. Individually, they aren't too bad...accept the pit..she is afraid of EVERYTHING so she is constantly running through my legs...not fun! The two big dogs are good...but I only go about 4 miles. Anything more than that the older one is dragging but the younger one could still go! I have taken both the big dogs when I was training for a race...they sure make sure you run faster!
  • Legs_McGee
    Legs_McGee Posts: 845 Member
    I like to run with my dog. However, as she is a whippet it can be a little demotivating for me all red faced and sweaty and she's hardly out of breath! We both enjoy it though and she's still young. Sometimes she crosses my path though - that can be hazardous!!
    K

    My brother has a whippet mix. She had so much pent up energy until he finally got the idea to take her on his morning runs. He runs 8 or 9 miles every other morning at a sub-7 minute pace....the dog has no problem keeping up with him! I don't think she's worn out when she gets home but at least she's a little more mellow.

    My dachshund is good for for mini-sprints....we'll race for about 50 feet and then we stop... and smell every blade of grass in the vicinity....then we run backwards - and chase a rabbit....and then we race again...then we wrap the leash around a tree....it's all good.
  • FitJoani
    FitJoani Posts: 2,173 Member
    We try....very ard. But my golden gets side tracked very easily. I think he has ADD. It does not work well, plius afte rabout 4 miles I am bragging him upthe hills!
    ^^^^^^ Love Goldens!!!!!! My beagles are too dumb and the duck toller gets to easily distracted. He likes to chase invisible things see other dogs smell EVERYTHING....
  • jabbogurl
    jabbogurl Posts: 193
    My husband run with our black lab mix, but I can't. Not quick enough. When I try the dog barely trots, then looks back at me, like, "umm, hello? Let's go!" Lmao!
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