Dog pros: how much is too much?
 

How long in time and or miles is safe to make him run IYO?

TIA

what breed?

it all depends on the dog. my boston his former owner used to take him on 5 mile runs. All the books no heavy exercise for them. The first time I took him to the vet,he said he has the slowest heart beat of any little dog I ever looked at. you have to be sensitive to your dog.

mutt, with a hint of border collie

I think 5 miles shouldnt be much ? a cat could walk that distance .....:thumbsup

http://www.healthypet.com/faq_view.aspx?ID=18&sid=1

ask a good vet - i talked to my vet years ago about it, he says what some people do is animal abuse when it comes to the amount of exercise their dog is forced to do - people who force their dog to jog with them and i have even seen people who bike ride with the dog on a leash.

depends how hot it is

5 miles? that's torture on a dog i'm sure. when a dog is on its own it can decide when it wants to take a break or slow down to a walk.

Pups will run themselves to death... an older dog (2+ years) usually knows it's limits if it's an off leash or controlled situation and will start laying down when it's reached it's limits.

Walking and running are not exactly the same thing. :2 cents:

You will know when the dog is tiring out, it will start to drag behind. That's the limit of your dog. It's different for each.

I am concerned that he won't show when he has had enough . . . plus running on concrete and asphalt I am concerned that he may hurt himself due to his exuberance.

border collies are endurance runners for one... and he should show ... tongue hanging... excessive panting...

and yea concrete is bad over time...

If he's not used to it, you could burn through his little pads easily running on streets. Inspect his feet for wear after a long run/walk and keep in mind also that dogs breathe at the same height as car exhausts, so if you're running in a traffic area, the dog may tire faster. best to stay away from traffic and rough roads if possible.

There's been some bad advice in this thread, IMHO.

Most dog's don't get enough exercise period. Some dogs are very energetic and need more than many humans could keep up with. Using a bike, or better yet roller blades, is absolutely fine. You just don't want to be dragging the dog to keep up. With bikes there's probably more danger to yourself than the dog, if it bolts suddenly you might crash. The fact of the matter is dogs can keep up with horses all day long, don't stress it.

That being said, all dogs are different just like people are. Some dogs will be able to walk a really long distance but they can't handle running at all. This will especially be true of dogs that have had their Cruiate ligaments repaired, had other knee or hip surgery or are developing arthritis.

Your dog will let you know! All you have to do is pay attention. You introduce a dog to running in the same way people start. You don't take a person that hasn't been running and kick them off on a 5 mile run. I'd start with 15 minutes and watch for signs of discomfort during the run or afterwards. If the dog shows no signs of distress you can go ahead and increase the distance/time by small amounts, maybe 5 minutes at a time. I have to run my dogs at different speeds for different lengths, and one doesn't run at all. So it really does vary.

Symptoms you want to watch out for:

- Dragging behind. You shouldn't have to drag the dog. A dog that stops moving is exhausted, most of the time.

- Limping, crying or straight legging. Straight legging is when the dog keeps the back legs straight and does not bend at the knee. Dogs who have been exercised too much will often cry a little when they stand up.

- Very heavy panting with foam, or gasping. This is a dog that is too hot and/or too tired and should be given water and rested.

In general, if your dog is full of energy and raring to go, you're not pushing him too hard. You do want to keep an eye on his pads, but I run a 140 pound Rottweiler on concrete daily and his feet are just fine. Unless you're doing daily marathons it won't be an issue. 5 miles isn't very far. Collies are herding dogs, they're made for running, Buddy will be fine.

sure it is... running is just like walking only faster :thumbsup

That's not true. The forces involved in the joints are much, much higher when running.

my dog would run with me 4-5 miles no problem, she is a 40lb mix. Also depends on the heat.

When I let my dog off leash to chase tennis balls and other dogs I just watch his tongue to see how hot he's getting. He'll start out with the thing in his mouth and when it gets to hitting himself in the back of his head with it I'll get him to take a break. It's a great indicator as to how hot and exhausted a dog can get.

I would think a dog's level of stamina would be different from dog to dog with some breeds doing better than others. I've always thought a dog doesn't know when to stop for his own good if he's running for something he really wants. On a hot day with little water they can push themselves too far.

It should be up to the dog how far or how hard you run and it's up to the handler to not let him go to far.

http://www.thewoop.com/public_html/p...ges/tongue.jpg

I have a Chocolate Lab and he's a raging ball of energy, but he gets a run on the trails off leash with his lab buddies, and this goes on for about an hour. Swimming, wrestling, running.

I've noticed that his energy level is cut in half when it gets hot outside. That's Ok with me, for sure. Summer heat is like Kryptonite for the Brown Tornado.

That is kind of what I thought. I noticed after particularly long/ quick runs (2-3 miles) he kind of plopped down when I let go of his leash. I think I finally discovered a way to tire him out.

Thanks

When are we taking the hounds to Dog Beach? I promise to keep my shirt on.

You should be fine as long as you monitor him. I would start slow with him though and make sure his pads can handle it. I also try and get him running on the grass whenever I get the chance. I'd start small with something like half a mile or a mile and work your way up all the while keeping a close eye on him. The problem with dogs is they will never stop. They just want to make you happy and be with you.