Running/jogging with dog

About 2 months ago I adopted an adorable 45lb boxer mix female, Hero, and
it's been a small struggle to keep her happy through enough exercise. Being
as it's winter, though not harsh here in north-central West Virginia, it is
somewhat difficult to find an acitvity we can enjoy together. Recently I
have been taking her to a nearby subdivision (we live on an actively used
road with no shoulders) to walk, and I've been trying to incorporate some
jogging in the routine because Hero seems to be able to walk forever without
tiring, but if she trots she expends more energy.

So, two questions, I guess:
First, I have wierd feet (high arches, bunions), but I'm young and light of
build and have been known to throw a 40lb bag of dog food over my shoulder
on a daily basis. What is the best way for both of us to work up to a
jog/run of a couple miles every day or two?

Second, does anyone have any other ideas for exercise that I can start
without much dog training? I'll leave most of that for the summer when the

Newsdude...

Melody: First thing you should do is go to your pet store and get a halter-

Dally...

Don't listen to Newsdud, he's a sicko pervert.

type collar for the dog. Not one of the body collars, but the kind often
referred to as a 'haltie' They sort of wrap around the dog's snout and
connect to the leash under their neck, instead of on top. As a result, it
creates different pressure points if the dog tries to pull on the leash --
and pretty much eliminates such pulling and the need for a ton of training
for running.

I have an Aussie/Border Collie mix that loves to run, but pulls terribly on
a standard collar and leash. When I bought the haltie it was almost like
having a different dog instantly. It'll make it more enjoyable for both of
you.

Janet B...

Or - you could TRAIN your dog and not risk neck injury by using one of

Mary Beth...

Where in the OP's original post did she mention that she was having trouble
with her dog *pulling* or any such problem?

MaryBeth 'halties' type collars, pertaining to neck damage>

To the OP, I'd check into agility, probably starting with an obedience
class. This will give the dog and you time to learn to communicate. Learning

Melody of the Forest...

Actually, I do plan on doing obedience and agility with her, but I need to

David...

Well they might get you better under control, but your agility won't
be effected.

get thru a 6 week beginners obedience class starting in Feb before the
pre-agility class in April. I'm looking forward to bending her energy in
that direction...I just have to make it till then! Thanks for the response.

anything new will give the dog plenty of 'brain exercise'. Also, make the
bond stronger.
I don't have any experience myself, with either agility, (me being
physically unable to so this), or obedience. I've worked with my own three
dogs, (and past dogs), myself, and really enjoy it.
But if you want more, I'd suggest trying activities that are structured.
Many ppl here go for agility, obedience, hunting, tracking and more that
have gone right out of my head at the moment.

those *^&*( head collars! Enjoyable? Most dogs hate them.

Newsdude...

Bull. Mine goes bonkers if I even take the haltie down off the coat rack in
the back room. She knows what it means and she's never hesitated to let me
put it on her.

AnimalBehaviorForensicSciencesResearchLaboratory...

But they LOVE THIS:

"Loop the lead (it's basically a GIANT nylon or leather
choke collar) over his snarly little head, and give him a
stern correction" --Janet Boss

AnimalBehaviorForensicSciencesResearchLaboratory...

An INSENSITIVE DOG???

AnimalBehaviorForensicSciencesResearchLaboratory...

Additionally you coulda gave some SUGGESTIONS abHOWET
physically conditioning the dog, like observing his respiration
rate when he starts huffin an puffin, walk the dog till his breath
gets back to normal and resume jogging till you observe him
"puffing" again and noting the distances he can comfortably
go till it's gradually increased to the desired distances and
DON'T FORGET that when he BURNS HOWET you still gotta
make it back to your HOWES, so PLAN on THAT as well <{) ; ~ ) >

AnimalBehaviorForensicSciencesResearchLaboratory...

Here's somemore of janet's valuable advice:

chris jung...

Well, every time you interact with your dog, your dog is learning something
so IMHO it might as well be good walking/running partner manners. Training
doesn't have to be a big deal.

I jog the local trails with my collies nearly every morning. My Lucy

AnimalBehaviorForensicSciencesResearchLaboratory...

one reason I call them slip collars. Their is a correction involved,
and while it causes momentary discomfort, does not choke the dog.
OTOH, it is CAPABLE fo being used to do that, should a situation
warrant it.

collie was a second hand dog (got her at just under two years of age) and
didn't know much. She was puzzled by the whole jogging thing and learned a

White Monkey...

Ooooh, wow, a pet store recommendation! My pet store, vet, and trainer all
recommended them for Saskia. Her neck problem hadn't shown itself yet at
that time, but a while after starting with the Halti she started having
problems I am sure she'd have had to some degree anyway--yelping when
playing and so forth--and eventually she would yelp and cringe fairly often
if someone touched the back of her neck. After we discontinued the Halti use
and went back to the body harness, the symptoms retreated to where they are
now--if she plays too wildly with a big dog she will very occasionally yelp
and display 30 seconds of lameness in her left foreleg. We're talking about
once every 5 weeks or more now, for 30 seconds. When we were using the Halti
it was a few times a day, and sometimes just when she shifted position while
asleep. The orthopedists both agreed with me that in situations where Haltis
are used properly and there are no accidents, if there is already a neck
problem, diagnosed or not, it can be exacerbated by the use of the Halti.
That said, the short period we did use it completely cured her of
pulling--we've been back on the body harness for about 8 months now, after
three weeks of Halti use, and she almost never pulls and is easily corrected
with a slight tug and a "back" or a "with me" when she does, and she never
just pull steadily while walking. Good thing, too, in a 112-pound dog which
must be walked with one hand because I need the other hand for the stroller.

few things by trial and error (cross too close in front of my path and you
will get bumped) and the other things by me calmly correcting and
repositioning her. For example, to get to the trails, we go down two roads,
one with a lot of traffic. In this situation, I did not want Lucy to swing
out to the end of her leash but stay close to the side of the road. This is
something I didn't want her to learn by trial & error (swing out and get hit
by a car). Every time she would try to swing out, even if there were no cars
and it was safe, I corrected her by saying whoops and brought her back into
position with the words "Get close." Whenever she self-corrected herself, I
praised her highly. The other words she knows are "Whoa" which can mean
slow down or stop depending on my tone (useful when I find myself on ice)
and "Let's go" which means walk briskly - it's other meaning is "no you
can't stop and pee here."

As far as equipment, I use plain buckle collars and 6 foot cotton leashes.
I have also used flexi leashes when I've had one dog (or had a visiting dog
with a lot of energy). Flexis are nice in that your dog has a more generous
range of movement. However if there are other people & dogs around, you
must shorten the flexi to a normal 6-4 foot length and pay attention to your
dog's actions. Do not let your dog invade other people's spaces and,
especially if your dog is on a flexi, do not let him go around people or
dogs - those flexi leash cords can give both dogs and people nasty rope
burns.

Oh and bring poop bags.

Chris and her snoozing smoothies,
Pablo & Lucy

trails are better.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

-Reta and Hero the boxer mix

Dally...

Put the stinkin' fleabag down. Dogs suck.