Running with your dog

How Meeko became such a good runner is a question we get asked a lot so we thought we would share our experience.

Full disclosure: We didn’t read any books, attend any behavioral boot camps, nor do we claim to be the dog whisperer. Each dog is different and has their own personalities/behaviors. Basically what works for us may or may not work for your pup.

Let’s start at the beginning:

One of the big reasons we decided to go with Meeko’s breed (standard size aussie-doodle) was because my husband is a pretty avid runner. This breed was perfect because they are hypoallergenic (for the hub’s allergies), large enough to run fast and far, and energetic/athletic thus motivated to run. This can be a two edged-sword… while Australian Shepherds were bred to herd animals, they need to have exercise/stimulation or they can quickly become a handful. Moral of the story is a tired Meeko, is a well behaved Meeko.

Why we run:

My husband ran in college and still likes to get a good cardio workout from time to time. While he is not competing anymore (nor training for anything), he just likes to go for runs to clear his head, stay fit, and get his and Meeko’s energy out so they sleep like rocks. Nothing better than going for a run, eating a big delicious meal (guilt free), and chilling. Then rinse and repeat in a day or two.  

Meeko’s Progress:

One of the first questions we asked our Veterinarian when Meeko was just a pup was how far could Meeko go and how soon. Their advice was not to push him until he was finished growing (~8 months) and probably not a good idea to push too hard until he turned 1 years old. After that we could push him reasonably as far as he would go. We started out with short slow jogs and walks at about 8 months (less than half to ¾ mile jogs at his pace). Once he turned One, we started running 1.5-2 miles pretty easily. By about 1.5 years, he could sustain a good pace for approximately 5 miles and still have energy to put a ball in our laps to play fetch after getting rehydrated. It’s important to work up gradually and consistently. Just like humans train and build endurance, we approached it the same way as Meeko. The typical run has us going between 6:40/mile- 7:00/mile pace. The first mile, Meeko is very excited and pulls on the leash but laser focused. He runs in a straight line and has learned to go in the direction he gently gets pulled. My husband tried to make clicking noise right before a turn and that seems to prime him to get ready to turn in the direction of the slight pull. Mile 2-3.5 is the sweet spot where Meeko and my husband are in sync on pace. Usually around 3.5-4, Meeko goes from a gallop to a trot but by the time he gets to mile marker 4, he is back in it through the end of the run (4.5-5 miles on average). We do this 2-3 times a week. During the heat of the summer we only go about 3 miles because it can be brutally hot for him under all that hair and so we take special note of his behavior and panting to read if he needs to cut it short or if he is good to keep going.

Meeko’s Behavior:

The good – Meeko is really good at running in a straight line at a consistent pace. This might be part of the breed (known as the Velcro dog for a reason because they like to stay beside you) and also might be partly due to always walking on a rope leash (~6 ft) which isn’t retractable. When he’s on leash, he knows he is going where I’m going. He isn’t overly distracted by much with the exception of other dogs.

The bad – He does pull for the first mile and lunges at dogs in yards or on their own walks. Typically a playful/curious pull to meet the other dogs so when I see a house or a person with a dog, I try to go out of my way to stay a good distance. Once we are past, he gets back into the zone. If he didn’t pull too much or bark, I give him lots of praise. This is still a work in progress.

Meeko’s Running Equipment:

We spoke about the rope leash (use our code meeko10 to save!) already which is attached to a front connecting harness (check out more of our favorites here). I can give him a good tug without choking him and keep pretty good control. The front connection supposedly keeps them from instinctively pulling (if the clip were say on their back). We do live in the South so the sidewalks can get pretty toasty. If the temp is in the 80s, we have little we put on him to keep his pads from getting burned. We do carry the leash in our hands which gives us complete control, but now that he knows the ropes (pun intended), we may switch to a waist leash (hands free).

Parting Thoughts:

Lastly, we always give Meeko a treato for being a good side-kick at the end of each run which he fully expects upon arrival back at the casa. We also make sure he has lots of water in his bowl. He doesn’t always drink right away but it’s there when/if he needs it. Stay safe out there and hope this was entertaining if nothing else. For updates on our runs, check us out on Strava.