Running with dogs

libbyandblue

libbyandblue

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I'm thinking about running with my 8month old bedlington terrier, to get fit! I want to start in summer, when i can go before/after school. Does anyone else run with their dog? How far should I go to start with, she isnt a big dog, so i dont want to tire her out, im jus looking for some motivation! Should I get one of those extendable leads?
Any tips would be great!
thanks!
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My sister when training for the London marathon used to take her labrador with her. The dog voted with her paws and if the running shoes were on the dog scarpered upstairs and refused to go out, walking shoes and she was at the gate waiting.
 
its not advised to run or jog with puppys until they are around a year old as their joints and bones are still devoloping but walking is fine but seein as its a plan for summer as long as you slowly raise her level of fittness gradually to prevent injury i dont see any problems...if you start increasing the time on walks now ye should both be ready to go for the summer..
 
I have occasionally jogged with both Norwegian Buhunds and Finnish Lapphund that can be/is in about the same size. As Carney says, start increasing the time out walking, maybe walk where it goes a little bit more up and down to help build muscles.

When you do start to jog, do it in short intervals and remember to praise a lot, then slowly extend the intervals, but I suggest that when you take a pause in the jogging, you f. ex. let your dog either do something for a treat/toy or just walk and relax a bit. So your dog really feels it has something to gain on jogging with you.


from Sweden.
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Should I get one of those extendable leads?

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NOOOOOO!
Hate those things
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If you are going to be jogging near roads put the dog on a longer lead then normal but not an extending one.
My GSD's always came running with me and stayed by my side,sometimes grabbing trouser leg if I was going too slow for them
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We were lucky to have a lot of open space and woodland nearby that was perfect to let them off lead so we just used there(was normal walk routes) and a fast walk until I could let them off.

Some exalent advice about teaching him to jog with so so pointless repeting,but give him a few more months beofre you start to grow up.
 
Agree he isn't really old enough for that degree of concussion to his joints. I envy you because i couldn't do it with mine - the airheads would trip me up lol!
And those extending leads are tripe! Just get a nice short leash so the dog stays by your side.
 
I certainly wouldn't start running with him yet, give him time to mature fully. The people I work for run with their collies, they do Cani X, which is a sort of cross country running with dogs. Their dogs wear harness and the leads are clipped to a belt round the owners waist rather than in their hands, I think this is to stop the dogs being jerked as they run. I defiitely wouldn't use an extending lead, I have been wrapped up on more than one occasion by people walking their dogs on these, and have also heard of tragic accidents where dogs have gone into the road and been killed because a lead has extended at the wrong time. Good luck with your running, don't want to take the odd GSD with you do you
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Thanks everyone! Im not starting to run with her yet, its too dark still! will wait til about march, and will walk her mainly, and have the odd run, then wait until summer until i run her. I will probably only be able to run on the roads or maybe at the dog walk opposite our house, but there are grass verges that i will run her on.
I'll just use her normal lead, im not looking for a major work-out! She isn't walked everyday at the moment anyway, because of the dark
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Thanks for everyones advice! Looking forward to it now!
 
I run with my dalmations, sometimes faster than I would like, they dont care how far I would go but I've always been advised not to run with a dog until its 12-18 months old!

Someone I knew ran with an ultra young labrador puppy from the word go; the poor things back end was knackered but he knew best!!!!!!! or so he thought.
 
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