Those of you who run with your dogs:

[RocketDog]

What age did you start them running?

Rocket seems to love to run. Always on our walks or hikes, we end up doing a bit of running. I have been a runner for 20+ years, and I want him to do some moderate mileage with me eventually. Right now, he's about 6 1/2 months. We have a small loop (I live on a mountain and there's only 2 roads on and off it, one loops into another) that is 2.3 miles. We walk it all the time, and he's hiked up to 8 miles a day. If I run slow enough, he's just at a nice trot.

Would it be ok to take him? Should I start him just at a mile of steady? He would be on asphalt some of the time but dirt/grass the rest.

It's hard for me to know what to believe, because in the human world, so much is out there about running being "bad" for your knees, joints, etc. Ha. My rhuematologist scoffs and tells me the longer I can keep running, the better my arthritis will be. Also, my son started running with me at age 8, and is an excellent runner--we don't wait with kids. As long as I'm careful and watch him, is he old enough to start now? Or would I be better off waiting a bit longer? He will be a year old in June.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Will the 2.3 miles be off leash? Cause that would be no problem at all for my dogs at 6 months.

On leash may be a bit more issue if it's on pavement and really repetitive.... but really the distance isn't the problem as far as I would be concerned.

If you have any trails that you can run with the dog off leash, that's perfect too.

[RocketDog]

Yes, that loop is on the road, so he would be leashed-- but there is a good dirt/sand shoulder for about half. Half would be on the asphalt.

We have great trails, duh I didn't even think about those, probably because I've never been a trail runner before. Guess I need a pair of trail shoes! They're out for now though, because we've had a massive warm front move in and the mud is ankle deep.

I'm tempted to take him today and try it out, and just be prepared to stop and walk. But I wanted to hear from other runners.

I don't have his weight right now, but at 6 mo he was 64 lbs. Still lean though (someone just remarked to me he looked too skinny--I just said " he's a GSD" ).

[brembo]

I look at it this way, if "excessive" running will cause a dog to have joint issues why don't we see Border Collies locking up like statues at age 5? A friend of mine had a smallish framed red/white collie that either A)running B)sleeping and she only slept in the wee hours of the morning. She passed due to a bizarre jaw cancer, but at age 6 she was just as zippy and ready to run as she was at age 2.

*edit*

Forgot to address the age thing. While growth plates are growing I would be careful. Keep the weight down, vary the terrain and just use common sense. Running is a great way to bond and dogs just love to do it, so no reason not to if you are prudent.

[katgreen]

I do not know how true it is but when we got our first shepherd we were told by the vet no running with my husband or running with sudden stopping until 18-24 months to protect her bones. That's what we did mostly, had to throw the ball sometimes.

[Gracie's My Girl]

I am a runner as well and cannot wait until I can hit the road with my dog. However, I have asked several different people...vet, our trainer, friends who run...and the answer is always to wait until the dog is around two years old. Give the bones time to finish growing and then begin regular running. That two years can't come soon enough for me!

[nitemares]

I don't know about that, I think we pamper our dogs a lot, more than we do to our kids. Wolf pups join the hunt at 7 months, I don't see why our dogs can't run that young. Using common sense, building muscles can help prevent any bone or joint injury. We don't wait till our kids are 18 and their bones are all grown to start them in sports. My 5 year old is a swimmer and runner. I'm a jogger and I'm planning to jog with my pup when he's around that age.

[meldleistikow]

I have always waited until my Shepherds were about 18 months, but I would run them short distances when they were pups to get them used to it and not run in front of me. I would be cautious because you don't want to cause any displasia from overuse. I keep my GSD on the grass most of the time, which she prefers anyway.

Also, if you like hands free leashes to use when running (I hate holding leashes when running), Stunt Puppy has some great ones.

Stunt Puppy - Hands Free Leashes - Active Dog Gear

Also, Stanford did a 20 year study and found that runners had better joints than non-runners. I hate it when people tell me I will ruin my knees by running.

Happy running!!!

[RocketDog]

Yes, and when people tell me their knees are bad from/because of running, I always want to ask how often they work/ed out with weights; that alone will prevent almost all of that kind of stuff.


The comment about waiting with kids is my thinking too...and the working dog thing. Dogs who are herding etc, don't wait until they're two. Neither do racehorses, in fact, they're done by age 3. And they're at much more risk than a nice slow trot--GSD's are big enough that if you run at the right pace, they don't even have to run. It's just a steady trot.

[Razzle J.Dazzle]

2 years? I was having a hard time waiting to run with Razz when I heard it was 1 year. Really, do we have to wait until 2??? I feel like he's a boy in a bubble. Geesh!