# Advice please. Running.



## Rowan

Katie said:


> My daughter is a marathon runner, and would like to take Ruff (now 22 weeks) with her sometimes on training runs.
> 
> I have heard that one should not do this with a puppy as it is bad for their bones, so I said no.
> 
> However Ruff runs and plays with his best doggie friend, a puppy across the road who is 1 week younger than him. She is a border collie so has endless energy, and they run and tumble and play as long as we will let them.
> 
> So there are 2 questions really.
> 1. Is it Ok to let the puppies play and run....and run and play....and play and run...and....
> 
> 2. At what age is it safe to take a dog jogging with you. (on a sandy beach)
> 
> Thank you


I'd double check with your vet (of course), but here's my experience. My first poodle was an oversized miniature who is 17.5" and 18 lbs (Alex, pictured in my avi). My vet cleared him to run with me when he turned one. Prior to this, he went on fast/long walks to build up his endurance. I took him to the vet more frequently during this time just to make sure all was well and to ease my mind. My vet said he was perfectly healthy and perfectly capable. He did routine exams, checked his joints and we did bloodwork, etc. Poodles are built to run!

Once cleared, he advised that I watch Alex, avoid running in hot weather, and that I slowly build up his endurance. We started with a slow mile and then a mile and a half and then two miles, etc. Alex used to run 8 miles with me and he was still bouncing off the walls at times! He loved to run, rain or shine, snow or sunshine. 

He'll be ten on the 22nd so I don't run him as much anymore. He does sprints and slow miles but that's about it. (He'd love to do more but I'm cautious.)

Here's a great article: http://www.hairofthedog5k.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/runningwithyourdog.pdf


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## Katie

That's a great article. Thank you.


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## JE-UK

He's a bit too young now, but I'll bet when he grows up, he'll be a GREAT running dog!

Sustained exercise, like running with a person, is different from play, where he can stop if he gets tired. Plus, people usually run on hard surfaces, which is harder on joints. (Why don't people run on grass, I've always wondered?)

Give him time to grow up, and build him up slowly, and he'll be fantastic.


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## gr8pdls

*Don't rush it*

I'm a marathoner and run with my Poodles. I wait for the dogs to mature before going on any long runs with them. 

This is my program:
At about 9-10 months we'll start to build up to a mile.
Slowly increase the distance to about 5 KM when the dog's 1 1/2 years old.
After 1 1/2 to 2 years old, I limit the dogs to 10 KM (6.2 miles). 

10 KM is an arbitrary distance. The dogs probably could go more but they seem pretty tired the rest of the day after running 10 KM. Also, the temperature really makes a difference. Anything over 60 F is getting stressful for the dogs. Dogs don't know when to stop and can overheat to the point of death. A work associate of my wife knows that first-hand - lost both his Labs from biking with them in the heat.


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## frankgrimes

I asked my vet the last time we were in, when I would be able to start running with Ralph. He is a standard, and our vet advised us we can begin when he turns one year old and start short distances and slowly increase his mileage (just like a human runner does when they first start to run). She said it was too stressful on their growing joints to have them run while they are still growing so much. The run they do in play is much different than the run they would do as a jogging companion. I can't wait to run with Ralph! 6 more months for us :act-up:


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## Indiana

I know, it seems weird because when they're playing on their own, they seem to run much faster and play more roughly than when we run with them. But I guess the thing is when they are tired, they stop and sniff stuff or just lay flat out on the grass. Also, I'd much rather wait and be sure that I don't contribute to arthritis or whatever, so I'm just conditioning my two for running until they're older.


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## Arcticfox

So how do you know how much excersize your puppie's joints can handle at any given age? Is a couple of long brisk walks ok? Sometimes if I don't have time to take her out for walks several times, I'll just do one long one, maybe 45 min or so. She's 4 months right now. Then we might do a few rounds of fetch indoors, or "chase me" in the park for a few min. I can't do chase me for very long  I have very little stamina for running, she only gets a couple minutes of that.


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## ladybird

My spoo is coming up 7 months old now... I've been following the 5-minutes-per-month guide for walks, but I only applied it to hard ground, such as the streets before we get to the park or woodland (which takes 10 minutes to get there, 10 minutes to get back)... while at the park/woodland he would run around pretty much constantly for 30-60 minutes, then we would go home when he started to get tired. I'm not sure if I'm overdoing it though...


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## WestCoastSpoo

Both Huxley and I are itching for him to get out and run with me! He's 9 months old now and 3 more months seems like FOREVER! Last week on one of our walks he was (as usual) just DYING to go faster so I started jogging a little with him and honestly with his long legs (and my sloooow pace) he's not moving that differently than when we walk. When we walk he exaggerates his up and down movement so he's REALLY prancing and bouncing but when I start jogging he flattens out his stride and is much more efficient. On the little uphill by our house he was actually just walking and looking at me like "are you SERIOUS?! This is as fast as you can go!!" lol It was SO fun to have him on that little jog I can't wait for him to be able to go a little longer with me. He was SO happy - literally smiling and looking back at me constantly like "isn't this FUN!!!" I'm so excited to have a running partner dog since my great dane refused (like sat down in the middle of the street) if I started jogging even though his legs were almost longer than mine so he would have still been WALKING. lol

I'm planning on starting Huxley when he is one (if I can wait that long!) and just starting him off slow. I don't think I'll ever let him go with me on my longer runs (10-20 miles), but even on those I think I'd just run half and then swing by home and pick him up to run the second half with me!

I have a question about surfaces you guys run with your dogs on though. I don't know which surface is most comfortable for Huxley's feet. Here I have a choice of concrete, asphalt, or horse trails with like compacted sandy dirt stuff. The concrete is obviously the hardest, but it's the smoothest. The asphalt is what I like running on because it's noticeably softer but it can get hot on his feet I'm sure AND it's closer to cars. The horse trails are away from traffic and seem softer than the concrete but I don't know if the little pebbly stuff is bad for his feet. He doesn't seem to care when we're walking or on our little jog we went on. But I don't think he's the type to ever complain about something I ask him to do so I want to make sure I'm not asking him to do something that's going to be uncomfortable.


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## petitpie

I jogged on a fenced-in high school track and brought the poodles with me to exercise in their own pace in the middle or follow me around.


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## cdnchick

A good article was printed in this month's issue of iRun magazine. Coincidentally, I was asking the same questions because I do plan on running with Finley eventually and there's some helpful tips here:

iRun.ca | February 2012 Issue - Run Doggy Run

I had to laugh though when the vet from Iams blatantly promoted the company's dog food line. Other than that blip, good article.


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## Rowan

WestCoastSpoo said:


> ...
> I have a question about surfaces you guys run with your dogs on though. I don't know which surface is most comfortable for Huxley's feet. Here I have a choice of concrete, asphalt, or horse trails with like compacted sandy dirt stuff. The concrete is obviously the hardest, but it's the smoothest. The asphalt is what I like running on because it's noticeably softer but it can get hot on his feet I'm sure AND it's closer to cars. The horse trails are away from traffic and seem softer than the concrete but I don't know if the little pebbly stuff is bad for his feet. He doesn't seem to care when we're walking or on our little jog we went on. But I don't think he's the type to ever complain about something I ask him to do so I want to make sure I'm not asking him to do something that's going to be uncomfortable.


There is nothing like running with your poodle (or dog)! I've run with my poodles on all three surfaces you describe--concrete, asphalt (trails) and horse bridle paths. Alex and Pippin did fine on all three and never had any problems. I kept their claws trimmed (with a nail grinder) and checked them after each run. Both could easily handle 8-milers with me. The bridle trails were great because they were both hilly and usually in the shade for the most part. I carried water for all of us and monitored their intake. I also went early in the morning or late in the evening (morning is better all around) in the warmer months. 

There's a female Olympic marathon runner who has a MPOO who trains with her (or used to). I can't recall her name but will try and find the information. 

Dogs are natural athletes, especially poodles. Just go with it and have fun! As soon as your vet clears him, start him off on shorter runs and build up his endurance. Good luck!


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## Rowan

I mean to say "nails" and not "claws" in that last post! LOL (What _was _I thinking?) 

Can't find info on the other runner, but here's a woman who runs with her TPOOS:



> Yes, I said active too. As a marathon runner, my toy poodles have been conditioned to run some distances. Even my youngest and smallest pup of just under five pounds could run six miles at one year old – and even did so a week after being cleared from the doctor after breaking her front leg! At ten years old, my other poodle ran/walked 11 miles with me during a training run.


http://www.active-balanced-vegan.com/dogs.html (love the picture)


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## Arborgale

I would be so afraid to run with a tpoo. I would be afraid I would step on it and hurt it. Rosie (mpoo) is still learning to stay to my left, but occasionally she drifts in front of me and I accidently step on her foot. Maybe tpoo owners are more coordinated than I am. I, like Rosie, tend to drift sometimes too.


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## Indiana

Ha,ha, Aborgale, so true! My two have occasionally almost killed me by drifting right in front of me in a tricky spot, but just recently I have been running with only Maddy and she's been running like an angel! No pulling at all, and she mostly stays on my left without her sister along to distract her. We both thoroughly enjoy it, and I've been very cautious about slowly conditioning her so we are up to between 4 and 5 k at a time now.


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## Indiana

p.s. cool article Rowan!


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## cdnchick

For those who are looking for some more info and tips on running with your dog, I stumbled across a good site that's a subsidiary of Runner's World for runners and their dogs called The Dog Run.

The Dog Run from Runner's World

Happy running!


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## Joelly

I have a toypoodle, Charlie, who is now 16-week old. This week I just started to take him for a walk on a daily basis. It is just a 10-min walk but it does tired him out. I do this before breakfast and after such walk, he eats his breakfast and still hyper in the apt. But he wasn't complaining as much when we leave him for work.


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## Leooonie

Are any of you guys familiar with CaniX.. or is it a european phenomenom??
anyway.. it is something I'd like to do.. and it involved crosscountry running with your dog, in a race!
Info found here: CaniX UK: official website of Canicross UK, CaniX Team UK, EuroCaniX 2012 Cirencester 15th European Cani-Cross and Bikejor Championship

their guidelines are as follows:
Age groups and distances (dogs)
Dogs must be at least one year old on the day of the race. Dogs under one year old are not able to compete. The following distance restrictions apply:

Age 1 to 2: up to 7km. 
Age 2 and over: any distance (providing training for the distance in the lead-up to the race has been done). 
NB For ParaCaniX, bikejor and scooter the minimum age for race entry is 18 months. 
We advise you build your dogs distance up over several weeks/months. During training runs and hot weather (over 16°c) some breeds (ie those with short muzzles) may have difficulty cooling themselves. If your dog is overweight, unfit, not used to exercise, recovering from illness, of advancing years, or you have any doubt about your dogs ability, please consult your vet.

Always carry water with you – there are camel packs (designed for running) that hold up to 3 litres and folding dog bowls for this purpose. 
Do not train for long distances during hot weather (over 16°c). If your dog is unfit and not used to exercise, it may suffer from heat exhaustion in lower temperatures. 
Familiarise yourself with your dog’s normal behaviour while running. If at any time sh/e shows any signs they are struggling (excessive foaming at the mouth, shaking the head or pulling to the side), immediately find a shaded place to stop (preferably with a cool breeze) and give them some water. 
Watch your dogs behaviour for 1/2hr after your run – this is the most critical time when sh/e is likely to overheat. 
If entering a race with a distance over 7km, you must convince CaniX UK that your dog is fit enough to run.

CaniX UK reserve the right to refuse a dog on the start line if deemed unfit.


Its a really 'big' thing now, and I guess for such a sport it'd have to be at least supported by some veterinary professionals... so i think the guidelines set here are good for any sport really... i.e dont over exercise your dog too young.. but get it used to it!

For your pup. I would suggest teaching it directions (gee/haw left/right) and paces (steady(slow)/hike(quicker)/stop)
that was it lays a foundation for the future


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## cdnchick

Leooonie said:


> Are any of you guys familiar with CaniX.. or is it a european phenomenom??


I know a guy who goes skijoring (Skijoring - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) with his dogs every winter and I think I remember someone mentioning a race with dogs here in Ontario but I can't remember the details. 

Outdoor activities that involve competition with dogs are becoming more and more popular... pretty cool IMO. I'm going to have to look into it some more for Finley and myself!


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