Thanks for visiting! Do you run with your dog? Please feel free to leave a comment, ask a question or drop me a note to say hi.

This blog is entered in the Best Dog Blog contest on www.trainpetdog.com. If you like what you read, and you’d like to vote for me, please go to the trainpetdog.com site and enter the code HlSlN

You’ve read my blog, you’ve become enthused and motivated, and you now want to start a running program with your dog. Great stuff!

Whatever you do, don’t just head out and pound the pavement with your dog. It’s not a good idea for you, and it’s even worse for your dog. You both need to gently build up to running together.

Here are my top tips for starting running with your dog.

1. Take your dog to your vet for a check-up. You’ve read my post on having a vet check-up before you start running, haven’t you?  If not, here it is. You need to be sure he doesn’t have a sub clinical problem that may worsen with exercise, or that he’s carrying a bit too much weight for athletic endeavours. While you’re at it, if you’re on the dark side of 40 or so, most medical folk suggest that you have a check-up too.

2. Follow a program. Have a look at Couch to 5k. I’ve personally taken four dogs through this program, and it works a treat. It is a 9 week program of running/walking, that takes you from doing nothing to being able to run 5km. You can download podcasts for your mp3 player, so you don’t need to keep an eye on your watch to know when to change from a walk to a run. If you’re finding it hard and want to repeat a week, go right ahead. Half an hour three times a week – you can fit that into your schedule!

3. Keep an eye on your dog as you run, and make sure he’s still happy to be there. Watch for signs of overheating, and make sure he doesn’t have a limp.  Keep an eye on where you’re running too. My hubby took our red dog, Cinnabar, out running one day and they weren’t far from home when the dog started limping. They both came home straight away. Turns out Cinnabar had a sliver of glass in a footpad – he’d stepped on some leftover glass from a broken bottle.

So, with these three guidelines in mind, off you go and have fun. I’d love to hear of your progress.

Introducing Linc, the Hungarian Visla who runs with El Fischer, from Queeensland, Australia.

This isn’t his best look, but Linc is a lean mean running machine. He’s not been running as much lately, as El has been kept busy with new babe Myla. Both Linc and El are looking forward to getting back out there and getting their fitness back.

He’s a great looking Running Buddy of the Month for February.

This is something I’m asked often. There is no cut and dried answer to that question. It depends on so many variables.

Some breeds of dog are bred to run. A fine example is my Australian Working Kelpie, Guinness.  He was raised on a sheep station, and those dogs are mustering sheep in the paddock from quite a young age. I started running with Guinness when he was around 8 months old.

Some breeds have inherent orthopaedic problems, and in those breeds, I’d hold off a while until their body is more physically mature.

Smaller breeds of dog are physically mature before larger ones, so it’s safe to say you can start running with a Jack Russell Terrier before you can start running with a German Shepherd Dog.

Veterinarians recommend that growing pups and dogs don’t participate in “forced exercise”. That is basically any exercise that they wouldn’t participate in with dogs of the same age. One guideline to consider is that a 5-6 month old dog is physically comparable with an 8-10 year old child. How much forced exercise would you allow your pre-teen child?

I think it’s a matter of plain common sense. If you have a high energy working breed, who is in lean condition, his family have no history of orthopaedic disease,  and he’s keen to go, there’s not a lot of reason to wait until some arbitrary age to start running with him. Start gently, don’t run too often, and keep him on soft terrain such as grass and trails. Make sure you watch him, because a lot of dogs don’t want to stop when they should. It’s up to us to keep their enthusiasm in check.

Running with dogs is great – they’re good company, they enjoy the exercise and they can help keep you safe when you’re on your own.

You don’t need a vet check for your dog before you start running with him. Do you?

In most cases, you know when your dog is well. He eats normally, isn’t limping and has plenty of enthusiasm and energy.

Even so, it’s a good idea to pop into your vet clinic and have him examined before you start an exercise program with him. This was brought home to me recently on a busy Saturday morning in the vet clinic where I work.

A beautiful lean healthy boxer was brought in for vaccinations. Nothing wrong with him at all, except the owner mentioned in passing that the dog occasionally had funny “turns” after he’d played ball for a while. He stared, seemed quite vacant, staggered a little and got over it very quickly. It wasn’t a problem and he nearly didn’t bring it up.

After much discussion, it turns out this dog quite possibly had a condition called syncope, a genetic heart problem which caused abnormal rhythms, and fainting. Imagine what could have happened if this owner had taken his healthy dog with no obvious problems out for a run?

A more common, but no less serious, condition that could interfere with your dog’s ability to enjoy a run, is obesity. Over 40% of our pet dogs are now overweight, and it can affect their joints, and their heart. Sometimes we’re not sure if our dog is actually overweight or not, so it’s not a bad idea to get a professional opinion. It may save a lot of pain later on.

It’s already well recognised that families with a dog will average at least half an hour more exercise a day than families without a dog. So, there’s already a plus to having a dog in your household.

Are there any advantages to running, compared to walking with your dog? Sure! From your perspective, you will get a better cardiovascular workout, and burn more calories. For your dog, it’s also a high energy workout and depending on the breed, it is almost essential to burn off that energy for them to be happy in suburbia. Examples of such breeds are Australian Cattle Dog, Border Collie and other working dogs.

Running with your dog is safe. Start by having your dog checked by your veterinarian to make sure he’s physically mature enough, and not overweight. Both will result in potential joint injury when you start running. Choose where you run carefully; I like to avoid high traffic areas, and stick to well lit areas with plenty of houses. Having said that, with company, there’s nothing better than a run through the trails with your dog. Lastly, keep your dog on a lead. This may mean you need to do some obedience training to teach your dog to stay close, but it’s by far the best way of preventing unexpected loss or injury.