Elite observations: Running with a dog
- Details
- Created on Tuesday, 26 April 2011 13:30
- Written by Tommy Manning
By TOMMY MANNING
Editor’s note: Manning is a math teacher and cross country coach at Fountain Valley School who's part of the U.S. Mountain Running Team. He will provide periodic tips — all of which can be found here on OutThereColorado.com.
I got a puppy about a year and a half ago, and people ask me all the time if I take him running with me? Well, not often and I have several reasons.
For one, I don’t think a puppy can handle a two-hour run at my pace. Two, I cross a lot of roads and don’t want him in traffic. Three, he is strong and pulls me all over the place, and taking a few steps here and there to visit a tree or a mailbox is not enjoyable while running.
I take Grumble Jones (named after Confederate General William Jones) for short runs occasionally, and he eventually will become a running partner. I am being patient and letting him grow and mature first so I don’t hurt him and so I don’t have to run zig zags while he is on leash.
Here are a few things I have learned about running with dogs:
Make sure you have plenty of water available. As distance runners, we can run two or more hours without stopping for water. Dogs cannot do this. Make sure to give your pup some water and let them rehydrate frequently.
Dogs get hot quickly. I went for a run with Grumble Jones and a buddy last summer when a guy in a car stopped, rolled down his window and said something like, “It’s pretty hot out here for a dog.” I simply said thanks and kept running. The guy drove a few hundred yards, pulled over again and waited for us. When we reached him, he said, “You know dogs have trouble in the heat and you can’t push him like a human.”
What this guy did not know is we had just left my buddy’s house, had only been running 4 minutes and were planning a short, 15-minute loop with the dog before dropping him off and continuing on our run. I thanked the guy and told him we were only going 15 minutes. While I did not like his tone or attitude toward me, I did like that he had dog safety in mind. He was right, and dogs can overheat quickly. In the summer, take the dog early in the morning or late at night and try to stay in the shade.
The most important thing is to take time building up mileage. Just like with humans, you should follow the 10-percent rule and build mileage slowly for safety. You don’t want your dog’s first run to be more than a few miles, and you don’t want him to go from 0 to 40 miles in one week. You would not tell a friend who is just starting to run five miles five times per week, and you should not expect that from your pet either.
Dogs will overdo it. They cannot turn around and ask you to slow down or stop, and they want to please you so they will keep running with you no matter what. That is why it is very important to give them water, keep them out of the heat and increase their mileage slowly. You have to monitor him closely, just like you monitor your own body while running. If your dog does stop on a run, take that as a red flag and end the run right there because he is definitely giving you a sign.
And here are a few tips on etiquette while running with the pooch. Unless your dog is very well-trained and behaved, keep him on leash if you are running around other people. Nobody wants a dog to trip them, lick them, jump on them or otherwise interfere with their run. Make sure to run on the side of the trail and do not let your dog run on the other side of the trail or the middle of the trail. You and Fido should not take up much more space than if you were running solo. And last, but most important, please pick up after your dog. Nobody wants to step in, smell or see dog poo on the trail.
Be smart with your four-legged friend, keep him healthy and take him out on the trails!
Weather
Current Contests
