Running With Dogs
Written by Jill // February 15, 2010 // News & Events // 6 Comments // 430 views
I am a dog lover. I have been around dogs my entire life and when it came time to get married and settle down it was only natural for me to get a dog. The breed I found, or rather it found me, was the Rhodesian Ridgeback. I knew very little about them at the time, okay, I knew nothing about the breed. All I knew was that it was unusual and beautiful and it was love at first sight.
The thing about Rhodesian Ridgebacks is they are fast runners. They have Greyhound blood bred into them which enables them to run at very high speeds. I discovered this for the first time when I took my first Ridgeback to the Lehigh Parkway and let her off leash. She was about 5 or 6 months old at the time and she was so fast I could not possibly catch up to her and had to entice her back to me with treats, the Ridgeback’s downfall. I never let her off leash after that. I promptly went home and did a little reasearch to discover that they can reach up to 25 mph or more at their fastest speeds. What did I get myself into? Ridgebacks were originally bred to herd lions in Africa. Seriously. These dogs are tough. And gentle. And they love to run.
Currently, I am on my second Ridgeback. I rescued him from a family who could no longer care for him. He arrived at my home about 20 pounds overweight and I knew that the best thing for getting that weight under control was to restrict his diet and take him running. In all honestly, I was lugging around some extra weight as well and so running became our bond at this early stage in our relationship.
Running continues to be our special time together. There are definitely times when I prefer to run alone, such as speed work days, but those easy days are the perfect time for my dog and I to spend a morning together. I have taken him on runs upwards of 9 miles but generally he accompanies me on my shorter runs up to 5 miles. I’ve recently read that Ridgebacks can run up to 30 miles in one shot if properly trained. That is simply amazing to me. In the past year I did not take my dog with me on as many runs as he would have liked and so, in 2010, I made a New Year’s Resolution to take him with me more often.
Tips for running with dogs:
- Ease your dog into running. Just as you would not pick up running by going out your first time and running 10 miles, your dog needs to start short and slowly build up miles. Begin by adding a mile of running in the middle of a walk. Slowly add mileage until your dog can handle longer distances.
- Warm up by walking first and allow for a cool down as well.
- Always keep your dog on a leash and train your dog to run beside you.
- If your dog runs with you in the dark consider adding a reflective light to his collar, or better yet, buy a reflective collar.
- Bring enough water for both you and your dog.
- Run on soft surfaces so as to avoid pad wear.
- Clip your dog’s toenails regularly.
- Feed your dog after the run.
- Dogs are at greater risk for heat stroke and dehydration in warm weather. It is a good idea to avoid the hottest part of the day and instead, choose to run in the early morning or in the evening.
- Learn the signs of overheating: excessive panting, increased salivation, red gums, increased heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness.
Best Breeds for Running:
I did a little research online and the following breeds kept showing up as the best running partners:
Greyhound
Weimarener
Whippet
Dalmation
German Short Haired Pointer
Saluki
Afghan Hound
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Doberman Pinscher
Border Collie
Labrador Retrievers
Do you run with your dog? What breed is your running partner?
6 Comments on "Running With Dogs"
Please remember bullet point #3. Not everyone is a dog lover. In fact, dogs darting in front of runners can be dangerous for the runner and the dog.
So true! Unleashed dogs can be very dangerous. I wince every time I run by a dog that is off-leash.
I run with my dog on my shorter runs, in the fall/winter/spring. Summer is tough when it gets hot. He can usually go 2-3 miles, but he’s a bulldog (no not the Mack truck variety!) He’s purebred but rare – so the best description is a 50lb, shorter legged pup looking somewhat like a small pit.
When we moved to a new house where we’d have to run on roads unless we only went on one route – I found a really awesome dog reflective vest. It lights him up like a christmas tree…. :)
My Yellow Lab is now 13 years old and suffering from arthritis so she no longer runs with me. When she was younger we would run on the trails and fields, it is only the last few years that I could keep up with her. My previous dog was a Lab/Weimarener mix we rescued form animals in distress, he was very lean and could run for hours. I would take him to the State Game Lands and we would run together for about 30 minutes then I would walk and watch him run around the fields and swim in the river.
Jill,
You forgot Golden Retrievers… :) They make wonderful running partners and have no problem with long distance if trained & conditioned for it. Just like people you can’t expect a coach potato pup to run 10 miles.
My best running partner is my pup!!!!
Great read !!!
Cesar the dog “guro” mentions having one leash for walking and one for running and then being clear with “let’s go run” vs. “wanna go for a walk” to the dog. This seems to have helped my dog and I. I let him go to the bathroom before we run, and then discourage him from sniffing, marking every mailbox, etc when we’re running. When we walk he gets to do all that stuff. Now is someone would help me with what to do with those poop bags when you’re running…we leave it somewhere along the run and go back and get it in the car later. It’s understandably nasty if you forget it in the car….