and I mean run or gallop, not jog? Jackie and I enjoy a late night gallop on the empty roads, as we never have traffic here late at night. (Don't worry, we are lit up quite visibly with both reflexes, headlamps, and LED-lights). I don't enjoy jogging as it jostles everything rather a lot, so I gallop (I think some people call it aggressive skipping?) and Jackie either runs or gallops along with me. I'm also a bit concerned, as my brother-in-law claims that running with your dogs hurts the dog in some way? Is that true?
Not anymore thanks to plantar fasciitis and migraine headaches. But I did with the two dogs before. Yes, running, not jogging. It can be bad for young dogs to run before growth plates are closed. Hard surfaces, constant pace, fast pace, straight lines are not good for their still forming joints and too much isn't good for adult dogs or people, even after building up to it. I was lucky to run on soft, sandy, forest trails and my dog was off leash so could vary direction a bit, pace a bit. Neighbours who do marathons and ironman took their dog with the worst straight hind legs I've ever seen running with them. It did eventually damage her back even though they limited her and did a lot of their own training without her. They told me they never went further than 10 km with her and that wasn't a steady 10 km, they stopped for plays in streams and puddles and stuff.
My dogs physio loves people who run with their dogs , he gets most if his clients this way . its high impact which isn't good for joints and doesn't help with correct muscle development. I would just be very careful not cause any sprains and make sure it's not the only form of exercise you dog gets. .
I don't really know how to respond to this. I mean, running is also high impact and bad for joints for humans? Jackie and I take very short runs, less than a mile at a time, but we both love running. It feels like a reward for both of us. I've never seen anyone say that you should stop your dog from having "zoomies" ? It's not about fitness or muscular development, it's just about joyful, playful running. Now I feel like I need to stop him doing it altogether.
Oh no, of course not! Run with your dog by all means, and I'm sure it's a joy for you and for him, and great exercise and super bonding experience for both of you!! I think the others were referring to long, on-lead runs on roads, which can be bad for joints for both humans and dogs. But you're not talking about that kind of running, so don't worry!!
In my experience dogs love to run around, hither and thither sniffing, chasing and generally appearing to enjoy themselves. I agree, regimented, straight line running for long periods on roads can't be good for their joints. As for me, well its been a while since I actually ran anywhere. A sort of stumbling, wobbly speed-ish totter is about my limit these days
I don't mean everyday stuff but yes when My dogs are young I'm careful about the exercise they get. Even now they are older I'm still very careful. Humans have a choice dogs don't really what I'm saying is just be aware that hard repeated exercise is something you need to be careful of. I do and have always stopped them doing anything excessively yes even zoomies. I had a disabled dog for 7 years it was hard i just wish I'd been aware of the necessity of more care then he was younger.you don't have to stop having fun just don't over do it.
Running is really bad for humans too we have a lot of track and field athletes in the family ones just had a new knee at 52 and a couple have had to leave army careers due to damaged joints and backs
I found something very interesting: If I start jogging, Snowie almost immediately falls into formation; it's the quickest and easiest way to get him to come to heel. So I guess that if you run with your dog, your dog will stay with you, and if you are a long distance runner, your dog probably won't stop to sniff, have little rests, change pace, etc, and then your dog could experience the damage that comes with pounding the pavement at an unvarying pace -- repetitive strain injury. I walked the Camino (in Spain) in 2007. I was amazed that by simply walking, I got incredibly injured!! In fact, for two days I was unable to walk due to shin splints (which took years to heal completely). It was from pounding the tar day in day out, with the most damage done on the plateau, ie no uphill or downhill, just simple straight walking (at speed I must add, I got really fit, and I also must add that I was wearing walking shoes, not running shoes -- I sadly discovered the padding in walking shoes is terrible). So I'm guessing your dog doesn't have to do outrageous antics to get injured; trotting along on a hard surface at unvarying pace with unvarying incline might indeed cause damage (repetitive strain injury). But galloping around in short bursts for fun... I guess not?
I don't think most owners could ever run far enough or fast enough to cause a problem for most reasonably fit Labs. When we run, they just sort of trot along. I'm no longer a runner but Cooper runs every chance she gets. She has great endurance and is of course much faster than human runners. She does get hot in warm weather so we have to give her a chance to swim or otherwise cool off. When we go for a hike, she does about 3 times the distance we do in the same time, so she must be running.
