The Running Thread - 2019

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: For those with pups or had pups I have a question. So our pup Bella is a Brittany and comes from a line of hunting dogs. With everyone being sick this weekend I couldn't get her outside for enough exercise and boy did it show. She's very bitty (not sure thats a real word) when she has all that energy. Anyway I was able to get back to our morning walk this morning but she seems like she wants to run. Shes 11 week now and everything I have read said to not do any serious running with her until she is closer to a year. So, my question is where is the line drawn for letting her run that isnt going to cause her harm? When did yall start running with your pups and for how far are these runs? Whats the longest run you have done with your pup?

ATTQOTD: We walked a little over a mile and a half this morning. We had little sections that I would run with her for about 50-75 yards and then walk again. Out of the whole distance this morning, she may have ran a total of .25 miles.

 

[LSUlakes]

Bonus question. Did anyone watch the video of those people fighting at Disneyland? I've never seen anything like that happen at the parks, and was surprised at how long it went on. Apparently Disney security was having a busy day, which explains why it took so long to get there. Such a shame that something happens at a theme park like that.

 

[rteetz]

Bonus question. Did anyone watch the video of those people fighting at Disneyland? I've never seen anything like that happen at the parks, and was surprised at how long it went on. Apparently Disney security was having a busy day, which explains why it took so long to get there. Such a shame that something happens at a theme park like that.

I did. I was surprised at the response time but after seeing some information Disney CMs are not allowed to intervene in a situation like that as a liability. I am not sure how that applies to security. I was surprised there was no Anaheim police on hand.

 

[Capang]

Bonus question. Did anyone watch the video of those people fighting at Disneyland? I've never seen anything like that happen at the parks, and was surprised at how long it went on. Apparently Disney security was having a busy day, which explains why it took so long to get there. Such a shame that something happens at a theme park like that.

I did. And then I decided maybe we will go on a cruise instead of Disneyland next summer.

 

[Neon Cactus]

I just looked that up. Wow! I’ve seen people yell at each other at some of the parks but not hit each other.

 

[LdyStormy76]

@LSUlakes, has Bella shown any interest in tennis balls and playing fetch? If so there is a really cool device out there where a dog can drop the tennis ball into a device that then shoots it back out. This allows the dog to play fetch, and burn off energy, long after a human is tired of throwing the ball. According to a pup parent on the corgi Facebook page I lurk on it can also be modified for indoor use (it keeps their pup entertained during the day and wears him out while the humans are gone.). As to the qotd, both of our dogs were adult when we adopted them and running was/is for the sole purpose of chasing things that were/are intruding in the yard so can not help you there.

 

[Dis5150]

OMG! I had to look it up to as I hadn't heard about it. But they were all together, related/friends, so I wouldn't take that as something that will start happening, I wouldn't think. But if we were there I can guarantee you my DH would have been in the middle of it, at least of the guys hitting the women.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

QOTD: For those with pups or had pups I have a question. So our pup Bella is a Brittany and comes from a line of hunting dogs. With everyone being sick this weekend I couldn't get her outside for enough exercise and boy did it show. She's very bitty (not sure thats a real word) when she has all that energy. Anyway I was able to get back to our morning walk this morning but she seems like she wants to run. Shes 11 week now and everything I have read said to not do any serious running with her until she is closer to a year. So, my question is where is the line drawn for letting her run that isnt going to cause her harm? When did yall start running with your pups and for how far are these runs? Whats the longest run you have done with your pup?

ATTQOTD: We walked a little over a mile and a half this morning. We had little sections that I would run with her for about 50-75 yards and then walk again. Out of the whole distance this morning, she may have ran a total of .25 miles.

Do not run with a puppy that is 11 weeks old while on leash. Her running freely is a different story. I’m copying the following from my breeder on the subject. I also need to find the YouTube video about gaits of dogs in various situations and harnesses. I saw videos of the dog mentioned below and it was heartbreaking .



Here is an X-ray of a 2 week old puppy. Look how much the bones have to grow before they form a proper bony joint! This is why you should never let puppies get too much strenuous exercise, such as jumping or running up and down then stairs. Please do not over-exercise your young baby! Doing too much impact activity at a young age will cause serious issues later in life (and sometimes even at a young age), such as hip dysplasia and other orthopedic conditions are rising in puppies!
This chart is worth gold:
https://www.puppyculture.com/new-exercise-chart.html
Enjoy your new puppy but remember you wouldn't make a 6 month old baby run a mile a day so don't make your puppy either! I love Puppy Culture! They have an awesome FB group, too!
https://www.puppyculture.com/new-appropriate-exercise.html
Also, please take a moment to read this article, too. It also explains why early spay and neuter is NOT good for dogs, especially for agile large breed dogs: https://www.dailydogdiscoveries.com/puppy-growth-plates/?fbclid=IwAR0vawpxeKINmuP_4fUONmQGNt-gdFmR9JSsKQXvfgJ7vsa4qMUqzQIox6Q
I actually had a puppy owner run their puppy girl 6 miles daily at the age of 4 months, and they doubled the distance in a few months. They wanted her to run a full marathon by the age of 1. Said dog was returned to me at the age of 10 months with a completely destroyed elbow, the joint damaged so severely that it had fused together. Surgery was a bit less than $4,000, and needless to say the dog had no way of fully recovering. She made an exceptional companion for another family who provided her with a slow steady farm life with no active physical activity other than sniffing around and sunning in the sun in a pasture of her choice. She will forever limp and will always be at risk of re-injuring her damaged front leg.
Again, common sense and "less is more" attitude wins in the long run! Large breed dogs are slow maturers! Please give their bodies a chance to grow up before you let them show all the incredible athletic tricks they can do!

Some more information on harness use as well:
https://m.facebook.com/notes/tierph...lections-on-chest-harnesses/1369929759778331/

Our 17 Month Old Rhodesian gets maybe a mile run once or twice a week but at my pace, it’s more a fast walk for him. He wears a martingale collar but he’s had lots of loose leash walking training so we aren’t restricting him in anyway. He turns 18 months on the 29th but I’m probably waiting until 21 months for neutering. We weren’t going to neuter but with our 16 week old show girl, there is no way we won’t neuter him now as no accidental litters here!

 

[steph0808]

Yes, what @Dis_Yoda said.

Even at this age, walks aren't recommended. What is recommended is letting your dog take the lead. Our lab is now 12 weeks, and we just run and play around the yard. He plays and runs as much as he wants in the house and in the yard - because it's not forced. When he's tired, he lays down.

Our breeder says not to run with them before 15 months. I'll probably stretch that longer - to 18 months or more. He also won't get neutered until 18-ish months as well, to give his bones more time to fuse.

 

[KSellers88]

ATTQOTD: Barkley, our golden retriever, was at least a year old before I started running with him due to the joint concerns. I did walk him daily starting at around 7-8 months, but never any more than 2 miles. He always wanted to run, but some puppy training helped work on the excitement and pulling on the leash. He is now 18 months and has not been neutered yet due to the points @steph0808 made. I'd rather be conservative than have him getting hurt from something I could have prevented. At 11 weeks, he was mainly playing in the yard and acting like a little heathen with some minor leash training. LOL.

 

[FFigawi]

ATTQOTD: Like has been said above, you need to wait until a dog’s growth plates close before you do any serious running or jumping with them. We don’t let our puppies run or jump anything higher than 8-12” until they’re a year old or more. For exercise, they get lots of walks and plenty of free time playing in the yard. As hard as it can be, you need to be very cautious now to allow them a full life for the next 15 years.

 

[PrincessV]

Catching up after a week off...

No pups and I know nothing about running with them, so I'll leave that one alone!

I love the QOTD, but totally understand if going to a QOTW works better. I think I'd just add that we really don't have to wait for an official QOTD, folks - jump in and ask anytime a question comes up for you! I think there are always folks here happy to engage.

 

[LSUlakes]

@LSUlakes, has Bella shown any interest in tennis balls and playing fetch? If so there is a really cool device out there where a dog can drop the tennis ball into a device that then shoots it back out. This allows the dog to play fetch, and burn off energy, long after a human is tired of throwing the ball. According to a pup parent on the corgi Facebook page I lurk on it can also be modified for indoor use (it keeps their pup entertained during the day and wears him out while the humans are gone.). As to the qotd, both of our dogs were adult when we adopted them and running was/is for the sole purpose of chasing things that were/are intruding in the yard so can not help you there.

She is interested in fetch.. kinda. It really varies from one outing to the next. It's not always a tennis ball she wants to retrieve either. At times I'll throw a object and she will go get it and like a perfect dog drop it at my feet. Then repeat this several more times. Then at other times she chases it, touches it and runs back with nothing. Then the other times, she runs to it, grabs it and then just plays with it while never bringing it back. I do the same thing each time, so I havent figured out why she is doing one thing v/s another on any occasion yet. I've seen these machines you are talking about and they seem wonderful, I just havent had the dog outlast my ability to want to play with her yet lol.

Do not run with a puppy that is 11 weeks old while on leash. Her running freely is a different story. I’m copying the following from my breeder on the subject. I also need to find the YouTube video about gaits of dogs in various situations and harnesses. I saw videos of the dog mentioned below and it was heartbreaking .

View attachment 415378

Here is an X-ray of a 2 week old puppy. Look how much the bones have to grow before they form a proper bony joint! This is why you should never let puppies get too much strenuous exercise, such as jumping or running up and down then stairs. Please do not over-exercise your young baby! Doing too much impact activity at a young age will cause serious issues later in life (and sometimes even at a young age), such as hip dysplasia and other orthopedic conditions are rising in puppies!
This chart is worth gold:
https://www.puppyculture.com/new-exercise-chart.html
Enjoy your new puppy but remember you wouldn't make a 6 month old baby run a mile a day so don't make your puppy either! I love Puppy Culture! They have an awesome FB group, too!
https://www.puppyculture.com/new-appropriate-exercise.html
Also, please take a moment to read this article, too. It also explains why early spay and neuter is NOT good for dogs, especially for agile large breed dogs: https://www.dailydogdiscoveries.com/puppy-growth-plates/?fbclid=IwAR0vawpxeKINmuP_4fUONmQGNt-gdFmR9JSsKQXvfgJ7vsa4qMUqzQIox6Q
I actually had a puppy owner run their puppy girl 6 miles daily at the age of 4 months, and they doubled the distance in a few months. They wanted her to run a full marathon by the age of 1. Said dog was returned to me at the age of 10 months with a completely destroyed elbow, the joint damaged so severely that it had fused together. Surgery was a bit less than $4,000, and needless to say the dog had no way of fully recovering. She made an exceptional companion for another family who provided her with a slow steady farm life with no active physical activity other than sniffing around and sunning in the sun in a pasture of her choice. She will forever limp and will always be at risk of re-injuring her damaged front leg.
Again, common sense and "less is more" attitude wins in the long run! Large breed dogs are slow maturers! Please give their bodies a chance to grow up before you let them show all the incredible athletic tricks they can do!

Some more information on harness use as well:
https://m.facebook.com/notes/tierph...lections-on-chest-harnesses/1369929759778331/

Our 17 Month Old Rhodesian gets maybe a mile run once or twice a week but at my pace, it’s more a fast walk for him. He wears a martingale collar but he’s had lots of loose leash walking training so we aren’t restricting him in anyway. He turns 18 months on the 29th but I’m probably waiting until 21 months for neutering. We weren’t going to neuter but with our 16 week old show girl, there is no way we won’t neuter him now as no accidental litters here!

Thanks for all the info. No more runs for now. The story or 6 miles a day at 4 months seems even wild to me. I was just curious of little short slow jogs would be ok, and it seems that it's still to early for that. Appreciate the response!

 

[gjramsey]

Wow, going on a roller coaster road trip makes is hard to catch up on this thread. Over the last two weeks, we drove over 3600 miles and hit Six Flags over Ga, Kings Island, Cedar Point, Holiday World (on the 4th) and Six Flags St. Louis. Also a couple National Parks along the way. This was a gift to the HS Grad in the family. Over the 6 days of parks time, I was able to ride 40+ different roller coasters. A blast was had by all.

To the QOTD about the QOTD: This is the first thread I hit when coming on DIS, the questions make for some good and interesting discussions (even with the differences in food tastes (bananas and cilantro are good)). This is a great group of folks!

June Totals:
Total Miles - 120.18 mi
Total Time - 17:22:00
Average Pace - 8.40/mi
Avg HR - 140

Not bad, considering no running the last 8 days of the month.

 

[Princess_Nikki]

ATTQOTD:

Oh the irony!!! I have not posted on here in about two months or so because I’ve been super busy moving but I came on here to see how everyone was doing and saw the latest QOTD. I haven’t ran in about a week because my Pup here, Willy, isn’t the most coordinated yet and nearly contributed to breaking my leg on our most recent Trail Run. He just turned a year old and the attention span is something we are working on. He was getting a drink on our run and got a little too excited and jumped up onto the bridge instead of choosing to take the stairs I slipped on a rock and went crashing down on my shin and it scraped it all the way down my leg. It’s still so bruised, swollen, & sore! Healthwise I don’t know much about running with dogs but so far I’ve only been taking him for about a mile at a time right now. Trying to work him up. After I manage to recover. Lol.

 

[Miranda]

QOTD: For those with pups or had pups I have a question. So our pup Bella is a Brittany and comes from a line of hunting dogs. With everyone being sick this weekend I couldn't get her outside for enough exercise and boy did it show. She's very bitty (not sure thats a real word) when she has all that energy. Anyway I was able to get back to our morning walk this morning but she seems like she wants to run. Shes 11 week now and everything I have read said to not do any serious running with her until she is closer to a year. So, my question is where is the line drawn for letting her run that isnt going to cause her harm? When did yall start running with your pups and for how far are these runs? Whats the longest run you have done with your pup?

ATTQOTD: We walked a little over a mile and a half this morning. We had little sections that I would run with her for about 50-75 yards and then walk again. Out of the whole distance this morning, she may have ran a total of .25 miles.

I don't know how big Brittanys get but you do not want to run or do structured exercise like that with her until her growth plates are closed. Smaller dogs it can be like 10-12 months, larger dogs it can be closer to 18-24 months. You'll want to ask your vet to be sure when they are closed.

For puppies, the general rule of thumb is 5 minutes of exercise per month at a time, 2x per day (so she'll be 3 months soon, that's 15 minutes of exercise at once). No high impact or repetitive motions like running and jumping for a ball/frisbee, or jogging on concrete, or anything like that. It can damage the growth plates and cause all sorts of problems.

Edit: Or what @Dis_Yoda said

 

[Professor_Cookie]

Attqotd bonus: hey, sometimes you really really wanna get that second ride on Roger Rabbit.

 

[Miranda]

Oh, to actually answer the QOTD, I did not start running with my dog until she was 2 and she's never been more than a couple miles. Mostly because she just turned 4 and I have run less than 5 times I think in the past 11 months, although she has been with me 2x of those 5, including today! Which did not turn out so well for us, as somehow I lost her entire set of tags in the shoulder on our route. I'm going to go back out tonight and walk the route and hope I can find them, but we were on roads with no sidewalks and she was running in the grass (mostly tall grass) and dirt shoulder the entire time. I have a suspicion that maybe it happened when she suddenly tried to drag me into a leaf filled gully but I can't remember exactly at what point along the gully that was (I ran a 2.5 mile out and back and there was a gully on at least a half mile of the back section).

It's not running (well, technically it is! but not on a road), but we also do agility, and we did start that at about 11 months, but with the jumps very low and it was a once a week thing back then. For her height (she's 20" at the withers/shoulders), her regular jump height is 22". We started out in beginner class back at 11 months jumping like 8 or 10", and then she mostly stayed at 12" until she was 2 years 2 months and we started competing. I entered her in a division where she jumps 1 height lower than her regular one and I have actually never changed that, so she still only jumps 16" instead of 22". She just turned 4 at the end of June.

 

[LSUlakes]

Seems like the LA marathon guy is in the news again, but for tragic reasons now. News Story Here
This is a few days old so yall might have talked about it and I overlooked it.

 

[opusone]

ATTQOTD: I didn't start running with our dog until she was about 1.5 years old... granted we didn't get her until she was about 1.5 years old, but I don't think she was ready until about then. Also, we eased her into it, only running 3-5 minutes in the beginning and then slowly working our way up to about three miles. She is about 11-12 years old now (see recent pictures below), and I have never taken her on anything longer than four miles (usually only 2-3 miles). She has never had any joint issues.

With my daughter...


With another dog we were dog sitting...