Tips On How To Start Running With Your Dog
Running with your dog is important considering the mental and physical benefits it can bring to you and the dog.
There are many other benefits, with one of them being weight loss in this era when veterinarians are reporting an increase in the number of overweight dogs.
Running also improves the well-being of your dog. When running, it will experience amazing sights, different smells and sounds, and a change of scenery.
These things help in stimulating and enriching the mental health of your dog as well as alleviating boredom and getting rid of anxiety.
If you have a dog with destructive behavior, you can also benefit from running with it in that it gets to destroy the things it comes across when running instead of valuable items in your home.
Despite all these benefits, most people do not know how to start running with their dogs.
Things To Consider When Running With Your Dog
Here is a list of things you need to put into consideration for you to start running with your dog:
1. Ensure The Dog Is Healthy
The first thing you need to check is the health of your dog. You do not want to be running with a dog with health challenges as this might worsen the situation for the dog. You can consult a veterinarian to have the dog checked.
In addition, running is a physical exercise that might cause injuries. You need to ensure that you have some common medications to help your dog recover from common injuries caused by physical activities.
One of these medications might include CBD for dog hip pain since hip pain is commonly caused by physical exercises such as running.
2. Ensure That Your Dog Fits Your Running Requirements
To check if your dog meets your running requirements, you need to consider its breed.
If you are a long-distance runner, dog breeds such as Collies, Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians, Gundogs, and Huskies would make amazing running partners for you.
Those that want to start with short distances can consider breeds such as Salukis and Greyhounds.
However, other breeds such as Shih Tzus, Frenchies, and Pugs are not suitable for running at all.
It is, therefore, important to consider the dog breed before you start running with a dog.
3. Take Running With Your Dog As A Hobby
You do not need to be running with your dog when you are running to beat a certain record or get a quick time. This is because you will still be taking care of the dog and picking it up especially when it stops to sniff or explore the new environment.
This would be a challenge for a runner who has timed themself or wants to cover a certain distance within a specified amount of time. It, therefore, means that you should be able to stop when the need arises.
In addition, take running with your dog as a way of helping with your fitness, not a competition.
4. Start Slowly
Running with your dog for the first time does not mean that you can just wake up one day and take it on a ten-kilometer run.
Putting yourself in the same situation, how would you feel if someone asked you to run with them for a similar distance and you have not been running before?
Just like human beings, dogs need to be trained and to have their tolerance build up over time.
To start running with your dog, you can start with shorter distances running slowly and making sure that the dog is comfortable. Scale-up with time if everything seems okay with the dog.
5. Use The Right Equipment
There are different types of dog running gear you can use when running with your dog. However, you need to make sure that you are choosing the right equipment for both yourself and the dog.
The equipment should not interfere with the natural movement of the dog when it is running.
In addition, it should not add any weight that would make it uncomfortable for the dog to run.
For instance, some collars might affect the neck movement of a dog while some harnesses restrict the movement of shoulders.
Conclusion
Running with your dog is not only fun but provides a way for both you and the dog to exercise.
However, if you want to start running with your dog for the first time, you need to make sure that you have followed the guidelines discussed above. You do not want to be engaging in a physical activity that is potentially harmful to your dog.
