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Post by tank on Jun 20, 2009 17:13:05 GMT -5
I know we have talked about this a little bit in the past, but I was wondering if any of you jog with your dog and if you have any helpful suggestions for me. I have jogged with Lucy a few times and she did fairly well with it. She didn't run too far ahead of me and we kept at a good pace. Because I am sort of new at jogging as well we take a lot of breaks. Right now we use the regular 6 foot leash with the traffic handle and she uses a martingale collar. I am thinking of switching to a harness and maybe finding a leash I can put around my waist? She pulls when we walk a little bit still but only once in a great while but when we jog she stays right with me. Any tricks for making jogging easier? Anything I should avoid doing? any specific leash/collar combo that works well? Do I need to bring water with us if our jogs are short? we are going to start off slow (for both of our sakes) and do very short jogs, but I am hoping to progress into longer ones. She has a lot of energy that can always be helped and I need to get back into shape too We probably won't start for a few more weeks because I have been very sick for the past 2 weeks with poison ivy (I'm extremely allergic) and I couldn't walk for more than a few steps until a couple of days ago because I was in so much pain. Any advice at all would be helpful, even obvious things. Thanks!
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Post by pistis on Jun 20, 2009 23:25:44 GMT -5
Don't know how your dogs pads are but try to not jog when its too hot outside. We made that mistake with Lola when she was a puppy and burnt her pads off the bottom of her feet b/c of how hot he concrete gets in summer. It was pretty bad. Poor girl, didn't even flinch until we got home and about an hour later she started limping =(. Other than that also keep in mind dogs overheating especially in summer weather. Although if you're taking it slow at first it probably won't be too much of a problem. What else... just make sure the basics are down for walking/running i.e. a good heal, ect. It's just good for the dog and makes it easier on you. That's my advice, I'm sure other people will have better info than that too. Hope it helps!
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Post by DiamondTiger on Jun 22, 2009 6:47:14 GMT -5
I always carry water whether I'm walking or biking (bad knee so I can't jog), even if we're only going around the block. It is easy for a dog to overheat, especially in these hot summer months, so it's better to have an not need than need and not have. As far as collar/leash combo's go, if she pulls... I'd suggest starting her off with a training collar of some sort - either a martingale or head collar. (I prefer head collars because it allows me more control over the dog.) If you do start with a head collar, be sure to use a light weight leash (no more than 4 ft in length) and back it up with a martingale or flat collar and second leash until Lucy's used to it and doesn't try to back out of the head collar. The point about hot concrete is a great one to remember. We don't think about it because we wear shoes on our feet. Maybe you could get Lucy some booties to wear while walking/jogging to protect her pads a little more. Oh! Where are you at and what's the temp like in your area? A doggie backpack is always a great way to carry items like water/ice and give your pup a little extra workout... but I personally wouldn't use one in the heat we have down here in the South. It might be an option for you though. ETA: Oopsie! Nope guess the backpack isn't a good idea for you either. I just looked at your "stats" by your name and see you're in NC... so you have the same heat wave summers we have here.
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Post by toospooky on Jun 22, 2009 11:06:39 GMT -5
I used to run with my Labs, mostly on trails and sometimes on the Silver Comet. What Pistis said about the pads, absolutely right! And if you're running on asphalt, regardless of whether it's hot or not, check on the pads. They can wear down and torn pads are very painful. I never found a good solution to holding the leash. The only advice I can give is to not loop it around your wrist. I fell once while running with the leash around my wrist and the pain was very bad. After that, I just kept the leash in my hand. And sorry about your poison ivy. There's a plant that grows up there on the riverbanks called jewelweed. You can take the leaves and "mush" them up or boil them, then put them on your rash and leave them for a while. This seems to draw the itch right out. You know, when all else fails....
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Post by tank on Jun 22, 2009 12:39:06 GMT -5
Actually the way I was going to take her to start jogging is the same way we do our walks and we live in a highly wooded area so there is always shade on the sidewalks but I'll make sure to keep the hot pad thing in mind. She does get overheated easily and drinks way more water than I have ever seen a single dog drink though. I think I might invest in a doggie backpack and put some water in there for her. She could use the extra exercise. She is actually really bad at heeling but when we jog she stays right next to me and when I slow down she slows down with me. She knows the command "slow." She also knows the command "with me" but she doesn't think it means heel if we are walking unless I have a treat in my hand. I still need to do more work on that. She uses a martingale collar normally for walks. So for safety reasons I probably shouldn't get a leash that attaches to me right? In case she doesn't stop?
Thanks for the advice about the poison ivy. Unfortunately I am no stranger to it. I have gotten it for months at a time numerous times in my life. I once couldn't see for a month and a half because it was on my face. It is awful. It cleared up faster this time purely by location I think. It is almost gone but still so itchy because my skin is all dry (which is a very good thing.) It grows around here like crazy and it is all where I usually bring Lucy to play.
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