RUNNING WITH DOGS

Hotlanta Voyeur taken March 8, 2012, DSCO 2012.3.08 Piedmont Park and Blake's. Flickr. CC 2.0 license.

BUDDY RUNS “17 Paw-fect Dogs for Running” by Fara Rosenzweig and Kolby Paxton for Active.com divides breeds into those suited for shorter versus longer distance runs with owners. 

Short distance: these canines include the smaller variety; Toy Poodles get respect as well as terriers like Jack Russell and Tenterfield, and Shelties. The larger breeds listed in this group are Airedales and Golden and Labrador Retrievers.
 
Long distance: breeds recommended for the long-haul are the herding German and Australian Shepherds and Border Collies, the sled pulling Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute, and racetrack running Greyhound. Canine breeds that may not be familiar to many include the Rhodesian Ridgeback, Ibizan Hound, Wiemaraner, and Vizsla. The list could be much longer; rescued dogs of mixed/unknown breed might be the best runners of all!

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Identifying whether your constant canine companion is the type of breed that might be appropriate for running by your side is possibly the easiest part of this activity.
 
The more difficult part is preparing your buddy for these runs. Mackenzie Lobby Havey wrote an article for MapMyRun.com in late 2016, “How to Train Your Dog to Run with You” that contains insightful and helpful advice. Just like with humans, ‘parents’ of doggy runners need to obtain medical clearance for this activity and must ‘train” pets to cover increasingly longer stretches. This means starting with short duration runs (10 minutes, she advises), building slowly and incrementally with small increases, and monitoring your pal’s physical status to avoid overtraining and environmental stresses (hot and cold weather).
 
Also, there are prerequisite skills that runners and dog must learn that are essential to maintaining control of the situation. Other runners, plus/minus pets of their own, don’t wish to have training sessions interrupted by YOUR pet displaying undisciplined ‘social’, ‘guarding’, or other disruptive behaviors on the path or trail.
 
It’s very likely that your pooch will adore the extra attention, time with you, and exercise that running together provides. The article has more information and inspiration to get training.
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
http://www.active.com/running/articles/17-paw-fect-dogs-for-runners
 
http://blog.mapmyrun.com/how-to-train-your-dog-to-run-with-you/