Kahlua is almost 6 months old now, and I've been rollerblading and biking with her regularly for weeks now. We usually go for about a half hour or so. We also go for very long walks, sometimes an hour or two, up to 10 km.
I've always believed that the best thing you can do for your dog is to give her lots and lots of exercise (obviously without pushing her past exhaustion), but tonight at obedience class the trainer told me that what I'm doing is too much at her age, and that she shouldn't be subjected to "forced running" until the age of 18 months, or even walks over a half hour. Her reasoning is that it's hard on her growing bones and joints. She recommends instead "free running", such as playing fetch, running free, etc... But this is nothing like travelling with your dog.
I love running Kahlua and until now I thought I was doing it for her benefit. It is also very relaxing and I find it's a great way to connect with her. I don't want to harm her, but I don't want to deprive her of this great activity if it's not actually hurting her. I should add that she makes it very clear when she doesn't feel like running anymore, and I slow down to accommodate her pace. Any advice? Thanks a lot!
Jasen
I've always believed that the best thing you can do for your dog is to give her lots and lots of exercise (obviously without pushing her past exhaustion), but tonight at obedience class the trainer told me that what I'm doing is too much at her age, and that she shouldn't be subjected to "forced running" until the age of 18 months, or even walks over a half hour. Her reasoning is that it's hard on her growing bones and joints. She recommends instead "free running", such as playing fetch, running free, etc... But this is nothing like travelling with your dog.
I love running Kahlua and until now I thought I was doing it for her benefit. It is also very relaxing and I find it's a great way to connect with her. I don't want to harm her, but I don't want to deprive her of this great activity if it's not actually hurting her. I should add that she makes it very clear when she doesn't feel like running anymore, and I slow down to accommodate her pace. Any advice? Thanks a lot!
Jasen