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This afternoon, I took him on his first momma and son jog. We just did a little over mile, and he did so well. I expected him to hop around like a fool, run ahead of me, trip me, and just not be fun. Kyle looked really nervous as he handed me the leash and told me to “be good with him & keep him safe” (we’re such parents….) and I promised I would get him home safe and report back. He did so so so well but the poor thing was so hot and I am sure he was wondering where home was and how he could get there. He was lagging behind, made me stop a few times, but he did so well. 1.10 miles later we were home and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to lay on the cold kitchen tiles or drink ice water – so he kinda did both. 30 minutes l
ater the poor guy couldn’t even eat dinner. He would eat for a few seconds and have to take a break. Maybe a mile was too far for the first run, but I am hoping that he is down for the count early tonight. The picture to the right not him tonight, but that is pretty much what he looks like!
I am so excited to have a running pal. I am going to slowly ease him into it… build his endurance. But a few questions for the other dog running people.
- how do I keep him hydrated? I have a water bottle, what do I do for him?
- How far is too far? How fast can I ramp him up?
- Are there any signs that I should look for when running that means he may have had too much?
Oh I am so excited!!
I've read that depending on breed, you shouldn't take your dog running if it's over 75F (for bully breeds and other short nosed dogs) or 85F (longer nosed dogs). I take mine anyway because we don't go too far or fast and if I only took him under 75F that would be about 3 months out of the year; I let him take breaks if he needs them and definitely consider it HIS run time and not mine. we only go at dusk or later to keep him cooler...once he starts dragging a bit, I take him home.
ReplyDeleteyou might want to also look for hot spots on his paws while he gets used to running on pavement - or let him run on the grass next to you.
Wish I could help with some tips! Good luck on getting him into running with you. Sounds like you two had a great first run together!
ReplyDeleteI use to take the dogs running with me and here are a few things the vet suggested:
ReplyDelete1. be careful on cement in the summer. It's hot and can burn their pads
2. they don't often stop when they are overheating, so keep an eye on how he's doing. You were super smart to stop and walk when you noticed he was struggling
3. use the same 10% rule for building mileage that we do for our training schedules.
There was probably more, but that's all I can remember. Have lots of fun running together!
I just started taking my dog out on short jogs. Get a collapsable water bowl so you can give Mulligan some water.
ReplyDeleteUse 10% rule for increasing milage. I have yet to take Patches on anything over a mile though (I worry. Its so hot here in Texas!).
I'm going to have to figure things out as I go along just like you are. I'll keep you updated :)
check out the article from this months runners world (it's also on the site) they have tons of info about that!
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely check out Runners World - this month's issue had a lot on that and the website has constant new info.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you are ever concerned about the pulling thing, try a gentle leader. It looks like a muzzle kind of, but doesn't stop the dog from using their mouth - they can still eat, drink, play with a ball, etc - but it does give you more control because it controls the dog's head, not just move the neck.
Good luck!