Wednesday Workout: Tips for Running With Your Dog

Wednesday, June 11, 2014


I'm going to start off this post with a little disclaimer: my dog is a psycho. She has an insane amount of energy and an insane amount of quirks, so this may not apply to all dogs. A few years ago when I was training for my half marathon, Andi trained for the entire thing with me. That's right, Andi ran up to 11 miles- afterwards she would sprint a few laps in the backyard, take a poo, then pass out on the couch for 10 hours. It was amazing! Here are things I learned running with my dog (keep in mind I'm not a professional at all- vet OR runner- these are just my own pieces of advice).


  1. Talk to Your Vet First: Different breeds have different needs. When I asked my vet about running with Andi he said if the temperature is above 70 degrees, she shouldn't run any more than one mile because of her breathing and the risk of heat stroke.
  2. Know the Signs of Heat Stroke: Some dogs are at higher risk for heat stroke than others, plus running makes US hot so imagine how much it sucks for dogs who can't sweat! Some symptoms include heavy panting, excessive thirst, vommitting/diahrrea, bright or dark red teeth/gums, staggering, excessive drooling, and more. If your dog's behaviors even start to concern you while you're running, DON'T risk it!
  3. Be Patient: Remember the first time you ran the mile in gym class? Did you sprint as hard as you could for the first 400 then almost die for the rest? Dogs know nothing about pacing, and Andi just wanted to go at 1000% as soon as we started running. They also get incredibly distracted which is super frustrating when you're just trying to get your workout in. It took a lot of practice and getting used to for us to get in sync with running. In the beginning I would take Andi with me for the first mile or 2, then drop her off at home and finish my long runs. Eventually we were in sync with each other and the best running buddies.
  4. Stick to a Route: The same route is pretty exciting every day for dogs, but for Andi every single smell, bush, tree and blade of grass wasn't quite as exciting after 2 weeks of passing it every single day. Sticking with the same route helps with those distractions. Speaking of distractions- don't be embarrassed to talk to your dog while you're running. For some reason, and maybe this was in my head, whenever I gave Andi positive praise she would kick it up a notch.
  5. Pay Attention to Your Dog: Watch out for limps or anything out of the ordinary for your dog. Sometimes I had my music turned up loud and was in the zone and didn't even notice little Andi was limping alongside me! It turned out she's just getting old and needed some glucosamine vitamins to oil up her joints, but I felt terrible!


Do you run with your dog? Do you have any advice?

Linking up today at TWIT with Kateri VonSteel and Little Friday!

14 comments :

  1. Good tips although with my dog (who lives with my parents) being as wild as he is (think Marley and me) I will just save my sanity and run alone. I envy those with well behaved dogs who can though haha

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  2. These are great tips! Running with my dog definitely took patience in the beginning. He wanted to stop every 2 seconds!

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  3. Great tips! I would love to have a dog to run with someday! #wowlinkup

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  4. These are amazing tips.

    I miss our dog... :(

    But, yours is super cute. I want to squeeze is face.

    Don't forget about TWIT Thursdays!

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  5. My dog wishes I was a runner. Haha. But, such helpful tips! Love that photo!
    Stopping by from the Humpday Blog Hop!
    Kallie - But First, Coffee

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  6. I run with my lab puppy--or better yet, he pulls me behind him like a dog sled!! But he's getting better! Good to know about the heat thing though--I am a new puppy owner so this was very helpful!

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  7. These are awesome! I wonder if I could run with my cats.....hahaha!

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  8. I cant run with my dogs. Mainly because Gracie is part beagle and has to stop and sniff ALL of the things....and Mac is a boy and must pee on all of the things. Also, I am pretty sure if I started running with Gracie, after about a minute she would stop in the middle of the road and look at me like I have lost my mind.

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  9. Thanks for sharing this! I've been starting to run more and would love to take my dog with me all the time. He has tons of energy too (he would be like Andi and run with me and then come home and want to play more), so it would be great for him...except when I start to run, he thinks we need to sprint! haha. I know I just need to work with him on it and he'll get it, but it can be hard when I'm trying to get in a good run. Do you use any special type of harness or anything when you run with Andi?

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  10. I see folks run with their dogs all the time. I did not know it took a lot of patience and training to get them to "behave" and pace on the run. Who knew? #wowlinkup

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  11. Great post and I'm sharing this on my Facebook page. I can't use it because I have a cat. Visiting from the #wowlinkup

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  12. Aw I wish I had a dog to run with!I have a bunny and my hubby has a golden, but he's 14 so his running days are past him. Great tips! #wowlinkup

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  13. Super cute pup! I want a dog but I'm never home long enough and that would be unfair. #wowlinkup

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  14. these a great tips! i don't have a dog, but if we get one i would love to be able to run with it.

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