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 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.