Running With Your Dog

Running With Your Dog

Someone suggested to me the other day that I would enjoy my daily run more if I brought along “Man’s best Friend.”

I thought long and hard, about 3.5 seconds, and decided dab nabit I’m gonna give it a try. It was a disaster!

I kept spilling my beer while running. What? Man’s best friend isn’t beer? Are you sure? Ok, TV remote? A dog?

Why in the heck would I run with a dog when I have spent my entire life running from dogs? Oh I see, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

I am kidding, I kid cause I love. Now speaking of love, if you love your dog you will leash that puppy, get it-puppy?

Why the leash? Can you say Rabid Raccoon? See, your dog doesn’t know what rabid is so he will try to play with the plague infested bandit, not good.

Another plus of Running with your dog is well, think of all the pooping and peeing possibilities for Fido on a 12 mile run. Almost endless.

So run with your dog but start slowly, you don’t want Spot pulling a hammy.

Tips for Running With Your Dog

Just like a human though, dogs need to begin slowly to build strength and endurance. He or she may be just a little out of shape.

*You may want to check with your vet first before running with your dog.

• Don't run with your puppy, For small breeds wait at least 6 months, for larger breeds a year.
• Be careful when jogging with older dogs too. (I found out that big dogs over 7 could be too old to go on a long run and little dogs are considered too old at around 10 years.) Seems young to us, but in dog years it's ancient!

• Ease your dog into an exercise program, for several reasons, one being that the pads on his feet need to assimilate by toughening up.
• Keep your dog hydrated, bring along enough water for you and your dog.
• Always keep your dog on a leash, for reasons that I explain above and many more. I cannot emphasize the importance of this one, due to my past experiences. So I beg dog owners to understand. You will be protecting your baby, remember the rabid raccons?) and the other runners like myself who are not familiar with your baby.
Go here to my dog running/a runner's nightmare page.
• Try to run on soft trails when possible, to protect your dogs joints and foot pads. They don't have cushy
running sneakers like we do.
• Be on the look out for overheating. Avoid running at the hottest part of the day. This goes for us humans too.

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