What age to start jogging with puppy?

[Jes]

Hello!! I'm starting to get into jogging and would love to take my pup (8 weeks) with me when he is ready but I have no clue what age that would be. I defiantly don't want to force exercise on him. I've heard of the 5 minutes per month of life rule for walking but how about jogging? I'm assuming you would start out small and work your way up (similar to walking) but what age and distance?

[maloneandme]

OK FIRST Of all - that is the most adorable picture i've seen in a long while! those chubby little labby legs, the pads on his paws... the cute witto tail.... etc etc. I LOVE IT!!!!!! Remi, can I eat you?

Anyways, ha ha. Had to get that out my system.

Sorry Jes, you got a long way to wait. The rule of thumb is to wait until they are 18 months or done growing. They can run around a park and chase something, but running on lead (and especially on concrete) doesn't give them an opportunity to stop if tired, and labs are notorious people pleasers, so they will just keep going and going.

[Jes]

Thanks! Remi is defiantly edible lol I will be posting more pics of him later

I was afraid that was going to be the response to my question. Well shucks.. I feel far more secure jogging with a dog and the vet told me not to do any strenuous exercise with Tucker (my 10 year old). I will just have to be patient. Thanks for your reply!!

[SharonaZamboni]

Adorable photo!!!

[Tanya]

18-24 months (when their joints stop growing). This is why I adopted a dog who was 18 months and i didn't want to wait for a jogging partner!E

ETA: some vets will say "ok" earlier than this. EVEN if the vet says "ok" at a year I caution you do to more research and understand both sides before making a decision. It isn't worth the potential harm (LONG TERM - you won't see it until they are much older) caused by hurring them into running on leash with you.

[Jes]

Thank you!! I will defiantly take that into consideration. I may just have to borrow a dog during my runs for the time being

[Tanya]

You get used to leaving the dogs at home. It took me awhile but Rocky can't run in this heat (it has been a hot summer) and I don,t think he should be running as often in a week anymore. It was a hard adjustment but I rescheduled my day and things are working out. I am also fosternig a younger dog (my past 3 fosters) so I need to find activities for them anyway (we go to teh dog park for 1.5-2hrs).

yes it sucked at first and I felt guilty for leaving Rocky at home but after forcing myself into a new routine we are all happier. In the fall I hope to bring Rocky with me a few times a week again.

[Mark_J]

Don't be disappointed just yet, where there is a will there is always a way! The age you can take your dog running with you can depend on a few factors;

1) Where you're jogging
2) How fast you run
3) The amount of time you run
4) How well trained your dog is.

I started running with two of my dogs when they were 6 months old and kept it up for about 2 years. One dog was a Flat Coat retriever and the other a Lab, both lived long healthy lives without any joint/bone issues. I was fortunate enough to have a beach to run on so most of the concerns about being on a leash, running on concrete etc, etc were just not really valid. When they would look to get tired, I'd just tell them to stay. I would continue up the beach about 50 yards then come back toward them, pass them and go 50 yards the other way. I'd get 200 yards in before they joined me again and then we would just rinse and repeat this back and forth pattern until I was done.

Another dog I had would run with me at the track, he was about 9 months old when we started. The track was one of those rubberized tracks around a football field and was great to run at. I would bring a chew toy, a ball and water bowl and set them up on the field. Max would run with me for a bit then go hang out with his toy and water bowl, when he wanted to join me he would just take off after me and when he got tired he would go rest by the water bowl. Worked out great and he loved that time at the field.

The point is that if you can modify what most people think of as 'jogging' to accommodate a younger dog you can get some great exercise and include your dog with you.

[Tanya]

For the record, it has NOTHING to do wtih being "tired" or able to keep up. THEY CAN keep up, especially a one year old lab - they can probably run much faster even! But that doesn't mean it is "ok", it still has an impact on their joints.

Your examples are fine, on sand...where a dog can putter inside the track, but are not normal examples of what people mean when they ask if they can run with their dog - people want to RUN and improve their time/distance or at least keep their heart rate up. I only WISH I could find a track to run around and let my dog's do their thing.

My mom did that with me when I was very young, she ran around a high school track (after hours) while I either jogged with her or just played in the middle of the track and played - it was perfect!!

[Mark_J]

I agree that running a young dog on a leash, on concrete or asphalt is not a healthy situation for the dog. My point is simply that if you think outside the box a little bit you can find or create the condition that will accommodate for a great run for you AND include your dog in the activity. Schools, YMCA's, Parks and even some of the larger Churches may have the right conditions to accommodate running with your dog. It's worth the effort trying to find one!