How much Running is too Much??? - Page 1

i have 2 german shepherd dogs a male and female they are 8month now i like to go jogging every 2-3 days for about 1 hour nearly 5-6km.

i thought about taking them with me but i'm afriad that this may be too much for them, how long should they be taken for walks and how far would the distance be?

i used to take them for walks for 30min - 1 hour daily. would running for this distance hurt them or its ok?

please be careful dont do 5~6 Km you can damage the bones. Be vrery gentle till 18 months of age.

15 20 minutes walk and then ball chasing little bit 5-7 minutes is more than enough. Focus more on doing imprinting like food tracking. Bitework, and heeling exercises etc

Be very very cautious

good luck wish you the best

Runing I would not recomend for that long of a distance. Walking no problems. My is walked about 5 miles a day at 4 months.

Walking and running that long of a distance as you stated are 2 VERY different things. Walking is better at this stage and easier on them than running, whihc should be limited. Can they run? Yes, sure, but limited amount.

Don't run with them that much, please stay on the safe side. Their structure is very much developing and it has a long way to go still.

Walking and running that long of a distance as you stated are 2 VERY different things. Walking is better at this stage and easier on them than running, whihc should be limited. Can they run? Yes, sure, but limited amount.

Don't run with them that much, please stay on the safe side. Their structure is very much developing and it has a long way to go still.

Our male malinois runs 3 miles at fairly fast speeds 4 nights a week on a treadmill. He is 20 months old and has been doing so since he was about a year.

He is solid muscle and loves it!

i never thought about what was too much running. my late lab/gsd/husky could run/walk 30 miles in a day with me on the bike, with frequent rest stops and me getting off the bike and walking when i could see she was tired. my current gsd and poodle can easily handle a 15 mile round trip in about 12 hours with rests and me walking a couple miles of that. i let them set the pace. if they want to pull we go fast and if they are tired we walk. our vet said that was fine but i was told not to start them with the bike until they were a year old. fluffy is a year now and spunky is a year and a half. (i don't have a driver's license, and don't like going anywhere without the dogs due to anxiety). both dogs go nuts when i pull out the bike and their harnesses. we don't do long trips often, once or twice a month in summer and not at all after it gets below freezing. otherwise we are walking 2 or 3 miles a day and when we get home spunky pouts cuz she wants to keep walking. she moans and groans and whines. very annoying......

I have been running with my dogs for years now with no problems at all. It is a super form of exercise for both you and your dogs and it is a lot of fun. Also, if you like to show off a little, it is a pretty impressive sight to run down the street with two well behaved German shepherds leading the way in that beautiful stride they are so famously known for. Here are a few suggestions that I have come up with that you may find helpful.

First off, invest in a two-way lead that connects the two dogs at the collars and requires only 1 lead to control them. This gives you better control over the dogs when say a cat, squirrel, or rabbit happens to go flying by on your running course. Be sure though the collars are firmly on as you do not want one of the dogs to be able to "back out" of the collar and go running after their prey. The prey instinct is so ingrained in them, when this happens it is virtually impossible to prevent them from reacting to it. Besides, you are jogging and are somewhat "zoned out" into your run it is hard to even prepare for it .

Secondly, go at a slow pace so that the dogs get into their slow trot. German shepherds are the best breed to jog with as they are built for this type of trot. The slow pace is not as harmful to their joints while at the same time improving their endurance. And also, you will be able to last longer this way too. Pay attention to your dogs while you are jogging. Keep an eye on their panting rhythms, length of tongue, and their structure. Over time you will be able to make better judgments as to little nuances in their strides and will be able to readily identify problems as they start to occur. If a dog stops or lies down during the run then something is wrong. Immediately stop and walk back home. The dogs know best when enough is enough. I never force my dogs to run if for whatever reason they decide not to. Remember to always keep it fun and enjoyable for the dog.

I don't start running with a dog on my normal morning jog until they have reached 2 years of age. This is just a rule of thumb and depends more on the dog’s size and maturity level. Some dogs mature early while others are late bloomers. It is better to be cautious though because what you don't want to happen is the bones to become lazy from too much jogging. Once the bones become lazy there is no getting it back. This is why it is very important the dog is fully mature before starting them on a regular regimen of morning jogs. This is also why jogging is discouraged by most but I do believe if you’re going to jog with your dogs then do it right.

Just remember, error on the side of caution. I wouldn’t run an 8 month old dog more than a half a mile to a mile and this is only to train him/her to get use to getting out in front of me and jogging down the road, usually with a more experienced dog attached. My morning jogs are usually 2-3 miles a day – 5 days a week and I reserve that for the older more experienced dogs. I am sure they could probably handle a longer distance but as I get up in my own age I am finding I am no longer able to run as far. However, because of my slow pace, which is the key point here, I do find that my dogs still do get a good workout because we are on the course longer (about an hour).

Hope this helps and happy doggy jogging.