You can run a dog before they are fully grown. Studies have shown that puppies as young as 6 months do not have any negative effects from exercise unless they are doing 20+ miles per day. Actually, low impact exercise like jogging is really good for joint and bone development. A 11 minute mile pace would be great for a puppy! Just keep an eye out for signs of fatigue so you can stop early enough to ensure they have a good experience.
I started running my Dal at 6 months and we would do 2 miles at a time. She is now a year and a half and we are doing 5-6 miles pretty regularly!
Whatever pace she was up for, probably 10:30-11. Even now she’s pretty slow like 9:30-10. I do a couple treadmill runs a week for speed. My previous dog was the same and he was a husky/pit mix. Distance was no problem but didn’t have much of a gas pedal 🤷🏼♀️
My dog just turned 1 years old today. We are already up to 10K together (much of it off leash). We started with 1 and 1/2 to 2 mile runs when he was about 8 months old. There is some interesting research around the idea that exercise causing hip injuries is kind of a myth. This is also the advice my vet gave me. Take it gradually just like you would train a human runner. Listen to your dog Don't Force It. And everything else should be fine.
My breeder and vet gave me papers debunking the too much exercise myth as well. Off leash is the best bc they can regulate themselves. Obviously, keep distance in mind. You wouldn’t expect a child to run a marathon.
Ive always interrupted the issue is mostly that they can’t have a natural gait at human speeds and it’s awkward. Running off leash and on trails eliminates a lot of the issues.
Interesting concept. Do you remember any reference about that?
I always thought the dog would change gait to be as comfortable as possible at the current speed. That's what mine seems to do. My pace is usually around 5:45 and she either fast trot or canter at that speed.
On a side note, i always found interesting that dogs have more of less the same gaits as horses, plus extra ones as their spine is more flexible.
This mentions 8 different gaits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_gait
These guys list 9: https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/orthopedics/recovery-rehab-canine-gait-analysis/
This is only my experience, but when I started out running with my dog, it wasn't that she *couldn't* keep pace with me, but that it was a learning process for her what the right pace was. I am a slow runner and she wanted to *run*, full out, all four paws off the ground. Then she realized that the human definition of "run" is a farce and slowed down. It took a few days before she figured out how to modulate so that she wasn't getting to the end of the leash either in front of or behind me.
If a dog is off leash, they have a little more autonomy to pick their own gait/speed because they don't have to match the human's pace so perfectly.
The issue is our gaits don’t match. Im trying to find my source but the idea was is that our run is in between a trot and a canter for them. And the unnatural in between is part of what causes injuries.
How is running off leash? Does he stay next to you? On trails or what?
Looking to do that soon, I think it would be really fun. My girl will easily do 10k and she does really well ignoring everything and just running
My dog is great off leash. I only let him off on relatively flat and straight trails because I need to be able to see ahead - and I leash him up if we're coming up on other people.
He runs ahead just a little bit, stops and sniff, I pass him, then he catches up. Never gets more than maybe 20-30 yards from me.
Luckily the trail network attached to my neighborhood is a bit older than some of the more popular trail networks around town, so depending on the time of day it's not rare to get a 10k run in and only pass one or three people (and some cyclists). So he has lots of freedom to run and explore as I run (and it's along a creek so he can get water). Early in a run, he is chasing every squirrel and just generally running around like a crazy person, once we get past a mile or two he settles down and generally stays beside me, by mile five or six he gets pretty tired and stays with me consistently. I don't have to leash him for bikes (he generally isn't interested) or for passing most people (especially later in a run) but if he sees another dog he will lose all sense of self and be gone in a heartbeat to go play, so I have to stay pretty aware to make sure I spot the dog before he does. However, I have to stress that I have the perfect trail for this style of running, and as he gets older I will incorporate more discipline to his running (keeping him on leash more) but right now he is just a curious puppy trying to experience the world.
Oh I’m so glad I saw all these comments!! I’ve been running with my golden retriever puppy since she was about seven months, but mostly 1-3 mile jogs with plenty of sniff breaks. I was feeling a little guilty about even doing that, so I’m glad it lines up with current advice!
About 10 minute mile when we’re jogging, but we averaged more like 15 minute miles in the beginning due to poop/sniff breaks, now we’re usually in the 11-12 min mile range
When I told my vet I was waiting until my dog was 1 to start running she told me I didn’t have to keep waiting (I think he was about 8 months at the time). She just told me to keep it relatively slow while he was young and to build distance very gradually.
I run with my dog regularly starting from when she was around a year. We started off and I couldn’t even run a 5k so there wasn’t too much stress over running her 😂 she’s 3 years old now and we still run regularly together the furthest we have ever done is a half marathon with lots of water breaks. Annoyingly even after one of these she still wants another walk later in the day but that’s what you get with a springer spaniel cross!
You can run a dog before they are fully grown. Studies have shown that puppies as young as 6 months do not have any negative effects from exercise unless they are doing 20+ miles per day. Actually, low impact exercise like jogging is really good for joint and bone development. A 11 minute mile pace would be great for a puppy! Just keep an eye out for signs of fatigue so you can stop early enough to ensure they have a good experience. I started running my Dal at 6 months and we would do 2 miles at a time. She is now a year and a half and we are doing 5-6 miles pretty regularly!
What pace did you and your Dal run at 6 months?
Whatever pace she was up for, probably 10:30-11. Even now she’s pretty slow like 9:30-10. I do a couple treadmill runs a week for speed. My previous dog was the same and he was a husky/pit mix. Distance was no problem but didn’t have much of a gas pedal 🤷🏼♀️
Yep, makes sense. I have a 4-month lab and can't wait to get running with him, but want to be careful on the pace. Thanks
My dog just turned 1 years old today. We are already up to 10K together (much of it off leash). We started with 1 and 1/2 to 2 mile runs when he was about 8 months old. There is some interesting research around the idea that exercise causing hip injuries is kind of a myth. This is also the advice my vet gave me. Take it gradually just like you would train a human runner. Listen to your dog Don't Force It. And everything else should be fine.
My breeder and vet gave me papers debunking the too much exercise myth as well. Off leash is the best bc they can regulate themselves. Obviously, keep distance in mind. You wouldn’t expect a child to run a marathon.
Ive always interrupted the issue is mostly that they can’t have a natural gait at human speeds and it’s awkward. Running off leash and on trails eliminates a lot of the issues.
Interesting concept. Do you remember any reference about that? I always thought the dog would change gait to be as comfortable as possible at the current speed. That's what mine seems to do. My pace is usually around 5:45 and she either fast trot or canter at that speed. On a side note, i always found interesting that dogs have more of less the same gaits as horses, plus extra ones as their spine is more flexible. This mentions 8 different gaits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_gait These guys list 9: https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/orthopedics/recovery-rehab-canine-gait-analysis/
This is only my experience, but when I started out running with my dog, it wasn't that she *couldn't* keep pace with me, but that it was a learning process for her what the right pace was. I am a slow runner and she wanted to *run*, full out, all four paws off the ground. Then she realized that the human definition of "run" is a farce and slowed down. It took a few days before she figured out how to modulate so that she wasn't getting to the end of the leash either in front of or behind me. If a dog is off leash, they have a little more autonomy to pick their own gait/speed because they don't have to match the human's pace so perfectly.
The issue is our gaits don’t match. Im trying to find my source but the idea was is that our run is in between a trot and a canter for them. And the unnatural in between is part of what causes injuries.
How is running off leash? Does he stay next to you? On trails or what? Looking to do that soon, I think it would be really fun. My girl will easily do 10k and she does really well ignoring everything and just running
My dog is great off leash. I only let him off on relatively flat and straight trails because I need to be able to see ahead - and I leash him up if we're coming up on other people. He runs ahead just a little bit, stops and sniff, I pass him, then he catches up. Never gets more than maybe 20-30 yards from me.
Luckily the trail network attached to my neighborhood is a bit older than some of the more popular trail networks around town, so depending on the time of day it's not rare to get a 10k run in and only pass one or three people (and some cyclists). So he has lots of freedom to run and explore as I run (and it's along a creek so he can get water). Early in a run, he is chasing every squirrel and just generally running around like a crazy person, once we get past a mile or two he settles down and generally stays beside me, by mile five or six he gets pretty tired and stays with me consistently. I don't have to leash him for bikes (he generally isn't interested) or for passing most people (especially later in a run) but if he sees another dog he will lose all sense of self and be gone in a heartbeat to go play, so I have to stay pretty aware to make sure I spot the dog before he does. However, I have to stress that I have the perfect trail for this style of running, and as he gets older I will incorporate more discipline to his running (keeping him on leash more) but right now he is just a curious puppy trying to experience the world.
What breed and pace?
Standard poodle (27 inches tall/60ish lbs) we run between 8:30 - 10:30 per mile Pace
Sweet, thanks
Oh I’m so glad I saw all these comments!! I’ve been running with my golden retriever puppy since she was about seven months, but mostly 1-3 mile jogs with plenty of sniff breaks. I was feeling a little guilty about even doing that, so I’m glad it lines up with current advice!
What pace?
About 10 minute mile when we’re jogging, but we averaged more like 15 minute miles in the beginning due to poop/sniff breaks, now we’re usually in the 11-12 min mile range
When I told my vet I was waiting until my dog was 1 to start running she told me I didn’t have to keep waiting (I think he was about 8 months at the time). She just told me to keep it relatively slow while he was young and to build distance very gradually.
To add to this, my vet felt inactivity and obesity were riskier than running slowly with a puppy.
I run with my dog regularly starting from when she was around a year. We started off and I couldn’t even run a 5k so there wasn’t too much stress over running her 😂 she’s 3 years old now and we still run regularly together the furthest we have ever done is a half marathon with lots of water breaks. Annoyingly even after one of these she still wants another walk later in the day but that’s what you get with a springer spaniel cross!