Do any of you go running with your dog? I REALLY need to do some exercise and running is the easiest is terms of cost and accessibility. I'd like to take Stanley with me but do I need to train him or do I just leave him to do his own thing? It would all be off lead for him and it's only 2 miles (don't judge - I'm unfit). It's just usually when I'm walking him I'm 100% focussed on him and what he's upto whereas I'd be focussed on not dying So I don't want him running up to other dogs/eating things/ rolling in things etc. Any tips or experience gratefully appreciated
No judgement here... I lost my breath just reading your post The OH has taken Ella for a jog before but it's been on lead and quite unsuccessful as she's wanted to sniff/wee etc. I imagine off lead would work OK as I think they'd be more likely to catch up when they've stopped for a sniff as they'd suddenly realise they'd been left behind. It would probably help you run too as you'd be watching Stanley so much that you'd forget that you're exhausted
When I walk Monty now I trust him enough not to need to be 100% focused on him all the time , I'm looking ahead and back for other dogs but the rest I let him get on with. I'm looking at trees, birds, the scenery as well I keep his walks (that I do, not his dog walker) mostly low impact (no racing for balls, etc) due to his joint problems, he's normally a little behind me sniffing and mooching, then every 20 yards or so he does a quicker little trot to keep up with me. I don't often run with him,but every so often I'll do a bit of a power walk section just for my own benefit, he sometimes ignores me or sometimes catches up with me. My SIL walks him twice a week, and she does run (jog really, she's quite slow) and she just jogs on the spot waiting for him to catch up if needed. What he definitely doesn't do is run beside her. On lead, I would just walk normally with him as there's just too much sniffing to be done! Why don't you start off with a few minutes of running interspersed with walking, and see how he reacts?
When I go running I still bring treats with me. You can get running belts with a pouch in it to store them, or if you have pockets in your running gear, you could stash them in there. This might be a bit simplistic but one thing I do with my dog that he absolutely loves is I throw a biscuit ahead of me as far as I can (which isn't that far ) and he runs ahead to find it. It usually ends up bouncing along into the verge somewhere so he has to sniff around to find it. You don't have to stop or disrupt your running at all to do it. I don't do it constantly, just every so often. You can also ask him for hand touches as you run, and give him a little tidbit for that.
I run with mine, normally only one at a time (only the adults, Squidge is still too young) and I do make sure I always know where they are. I started off feeding treats on occasion, which is kinda hard to do, but now I just take a ball with me. They know I have it and I'm not afraid to use it Sometimes, they will get involved with a sniff and I have to run back and encourage them on, but they got better at not doing this the more we go out. Of course, this is keeping in mind that I almost never see another soul when I'm out, so you'd potentially have more distractions to contend with. I did train Shadow not to chase bunnies during runs, though; it's amazing what you can achieve. Us girls are good at multi-tasking
We've tried running (and also biking) with Quinn off leash a few times and it is so much easier than on leash. She races ahead, back, circles us, repeat. I am fine with her being quite far ahead of me where we run, and I call her back here and there for a treat or ball. In fact, she is more responsive than when walking because she can't be sure what route we are going, and we are moving at a faster pace!
Firstly well done for starting to run..its not easy I hope you feel chuffed. I used to run with my Malamute. I never trained him...I think he automatically thought we were with a sled and he trotted by my side, never pulling for up to about 10ish miles. Weather dependant. Meg age 3 just gets under my feet...but I think I need to persevere with her. I think if I had the patience she would get it...so I would suggest just keep trying and go slowly and build up. Many folk run at parkrun run with their dogs. Perhaps you could go to your local one and chat to someone with a dog. Also, try parkrun..its awesome
Aiaways off leash for us, in the bush where I don't have to worry about cars, the ground is sandy and there's a pond. None of my dogs would stop and sniff while I was running but I'd make it a point to visit the pond or find a stick to play with on our route. Similar for cross country skiing and they loved when we went down hills.
I tried running with Lucky but it never worked out so I gave up! He was either far behind sniffing things so I spent a lot of time jogging on the spot waiting for him to catch up, or he would get over-excited and run really far ahead and do the zoomies. I live in a city, so I can't just keep running to teach him that he has to keep up, there are bikes and dogs on the lead etc. So, for us it didn't work - but I think if I had somewhere quieter to run, he would get used to not being able to stop and sniff for ages. He's not castrated, and he is very interested in finding out what other dogs have been around, so gets quite engrossed in a sniff
I ran with Brogan a lot. And when I say "ran" I mean that I made a jogging motion while actually going at a walking pace. It's the thought that counts, right? I used a leash looped through my bum pack. To be honest, I can't really recall how/if I "trained" Brogan to do this. He was really good on leash and he knew when he was working not to sniff or pay attention to anything but going forward. He really loved to be in synch with me by my side. I think I just got lucky that way. I've posted these tips before, but I think the things to watch out for when jogging with your dog vs. jogging alone are other dogs (or cats, cows, sheep, goats...), cars and dangerous road conditions (i.e. broken glass). You need to keep alert and scan your environment to be able to react quickly as needed. I can't imagine jogging without music, but I'd just pop in one ear bud so that I could hear cars (or whatever) with the other. Also I tried to have routes where the majority could be off road (sand, grass, dirt). Even asphalt is easier on the joints (yours and your dog's) than concrete. Probably starting off in a quieter environment would be much easier, but I actually think that jogging in a busy environment with lots of distractions can be great for a dog because they are getting the mental challenge along with physical exercise. Especially for me as my pace is so slow, that was a big help. I jogged with Toby the Bodeguero (foster dog) for example and learned that he was much happier with going to varied places and places where he could "hunt" (lots of little ground animals and birds). It was harder for me to control him in that kind of setting, but it sure tired him out more!
I say give it a go @JenBainbridge because if nothing else, it gives me a vicarious pleasure, the thought of owners running with their dogs! I used to run (plod) but had to give up coz of arthritis but I would have loved to run with Plum. At the moment, if I run with her on lead, just a few metres to get past something, she gets all excited and jumps up at me so I would think off-lead is probably best. There was that programme on tv wasn't there about canicross? I would love to do that, but probably takes some work/training?
