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.