CymruAmByth Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Hi, first time Collie owner. I went to my local RSPCA centre as I was after a dog that could handle coming out on my runs with me, I cover between 7 to 10 miles 3x per week so I wanted a breed that would be able to keep up with me and 18 month old Harvey was their suggestion! As he was nervous they suggested 5 socialisation visits first but we bonded so quickly they felt he was ready after just 3 and we brought him home on Easter Sunday :-) Learning more about him all the time and although he needs quite a bit of obedience training once that's sorted, can't wait for the summer so we can find all kinds of places for us to explore together :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Hi I love to hear that someone has adopted a rescue. If you build up his fitness gradually you should have many years of happy running together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom of Mya Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 welcome and thanks for giving Harvey a home. Happy running together.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Welcome! Kodus to you for rescuing a dog! Happy Trails to you and Harvey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 CymruAmByth, on 22 Apr 2014 - 00:04, said: .. I was after a dog that could handle coming out on my runs with me, I cover between 7 to 10 miles 3x per week so I wanted a breed that would be able to keep up with me and 18 month old Harvey was their suggestion! A healthy Collie should be able to run you into the ground and still be ready for more, so you have received good advice. Still, running on asphalt can be tough on paws and joints, but you have a long beach strip that is ideal for running together. Congratulation to Harvey on getting himself a new owner; and the same to you on getting a new partner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Festerling Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Congrats to Harvey and you. And welcome to the boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymruAmByth Posted April 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 A healthy Collie should be able to run you into the ground and still be ready for more, so you have received good advice. Still, running on asphalt can be tough on paws and joints, but you have a long beach strip that is ideal for running together. Congratulation to Harvey on getting himself a new owner; and the same to you on getting a new partner. Thanks everyone. Running on roads, pavements and asphalt is tough on my joints too ;-) I try to mix it up anyway and get a few miles on grass as well. There is a beach here but dogs are only permitted from May to September so that's not something I'm looking at right now. Still, once we're sure he's fit enough I'm sure he'll give me a run for my money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Another welcome. And more kudos for adopting a rescue. Please make sure you ease your dog into the running with shorter runs for a while to introduce it and then build up to longer runs (just as you did yourself ). Here's wishing you many happy years of running together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymruAmByth Posted April 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Please make sure you ease your dog into the running with shorter runs for a while to introduce it and then build up to longer runs (just as you did yourself ) Oh absolutely - he's very energetic and has a LOT of energy he needs to burn but gets distracted far too easily when we're out especially in new places so I need to get him along to obediance training first as I think he could inadvertantly be dangerous right now on a run. Once that's sorted I'm pretty sure he'll be able to handle a 2 or 3 mile stretch so I'll start off there and increase the mileage the same way I do when prepping for a long race - 10% increases in distance per week. I'll keep an eye out for any limping too, and check his paws over when we get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Aww, lucky Harvey. Please post more pictures when you can! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 P.S. This may not be an issue in the UK, but here in summer asphalt/pavement gets really hot and can burns paws, so beware of that hazard as well. There are some great boots available for dogs, and it may be helpful to consider some for Harvey to help protect his paws. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 ...but here in summer asphalt/pavement gets really hot and can burns paws, so beware of that hazard as well. There are some great boots available for dogs, and it may be helpful to consider some for Harvey to help protect his paws.Julie has a good point. In summer, the asphalt can get so hot that dogs' paws can easily blister. Check, by holding your hand on the asphalt If it hurts, then it will hurt Harvey too. Collies are bred tough; by the time they show that they're in pain, it's serious. Keep your outings to early morning or late evening when it gets really hot. Your partner trusts you; don't let him down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymruAmByth Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 That's good advice too. I'm fair skinned so I don't tend to run between midday and 3pm anyway. To be honest I'd probably avoid taking him out in the later afternoon or evening too as asphalt will have had all day to heat up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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