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Is jogging ever good for a dog?


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Are you suggesting that a dog (talk about a small sample!) being "stupid about her body" (whatever that means) caused her arthritis?

 

Seriously?

 

ETA: I have a hard time believing it's that simple.

There are multiple types of arthritis and one is definitely known to be due to injuries. Even mild injuries and mild repetitive injuries can cause it. My Micah uses his body stupidly, and I expect him to have joint issues when he is older. He seems to think that the only way to get across the floor is to slide. He runs North while looking South. He crashes into all the furniture all the time.

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I am convinced that Rievaulx does more damage to his body by chasing things, and everything else he attempts, he looks like he wants the cover of Sports Illustrated everytime he gets a ball, than running with me. That said he does not go running with my husband who is faster than me and pushes harder and often goes further we just feel it is bit much for him.

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  • 2 weeks later...

From a human pov, although I am 50% overweight and have never done any real running my peers who are currently having replacement hips and knees are those who aren't overweight but have run in one form or another most of their lives while my joints are absolutely fine.

 

And it often seems to me to be the dogs that have not been exercised hard that stay fit and active longer.

 

Too much exercise can be as harmful as too little. Our bodies have to last a lifetime so best to pace our use of them IMO.

 

This is completely wrong. It has been well documented in many scientific papers studying runners that running is beneficial to joints not detrimental. Runners on average have significantly better joint health than non runners. The notion that running is bad for the joints is an outdated idea from a time before it was studied scientifically.

 

As far as BCs go, I run with mine all the time. They never even break out of a trot and I run pretty fast. They aren't even the slightest bit tired when we finish and are chomping at the bit to catch some frisbees.

 

Life is short for our furry friends compared to us. Let them LIVE!

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This is completely wrong. It has been well documented in many scientific papers studying runners that running is beneficial to joints not detrimental. Runners on average have significantly better joint health than non runners. The notion that running is bad for the joints is an outdated idea from a time before it was studied scientifically.

 

As far as BCs go, I run with mine all the time. They never even break out of a trot and I run pretty fast. They aren't even the slightest bit tired when we finish and are chomping at the bit to catch some frisbees.

 

Life is short for our furry friends compared to us. Let them LIVE!

 

Thank you! I get sooo sick of people (mostly out of shape and overweight) telling me how bad running is for my joints!! I've been running now for 30 years and have NO joint pain what-so-ever. The only two friends I have that have had joint replacement never ran a step in their lives. As far as running with the dogs, moderation and proper training are the key, iMO.

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This is completely wrong. It has been well documented in many scientific papers studying runners that running is beneficial to joints not detrimental. Runners on average have significantly better joint health than non runners. The notion that running is bad for the joints is an outdated idea from a time before it was studied scientifically.

 

My husband's joints must be wrong then - and those of the many people I know who have to strap up their knees before running or who have had knee and/or hip replacements.

 

What do you or the studies you mention count as a "runner"? What type of running, how often, how fast, what distance? Marathon or sedate jog around the block? Fell running involving a considerable amount of twisting or track sprint? Running as a single activity or as a component of another?

 

What were the control groups? People who led completely sedentary lives, people who took a moderate level of low impact activity such as walking, long distance hikers, swimmers? I fall into the second category with a bit of occasional sprinting thrown in when doing agility.

 

I did refer to people who have "run in one form or another" .

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My husband's joints must be wrong then - and those of the many people I know who have to strap up their knees before running or who have had knee and/or hip replacements.

 

What do you or the studies you mention count as a "runner"? What type of running, how often, how fast, what distance? Marathon or sedate jog around the block? Fell running involving a considerable amount of twisting or track sprint? Running as a single activity or as a component of another?

 

What were the control groups? People who led completely sedentary lives, people who took a moderate level of low impact activity such as walking, long distance hikers, swimmers? I fall into the second category with a bit of occasional sprinting thrown in when doing agility.

 

I did refer to people who have "run in one form or another" .

 

 

Your ëvidence"is what is known as anecdotal (ie based on a few random examples you have encountered personally). Anecdotal ëvidence"is essentially worthless. Any scientist knows this.

 

I don't have the time or energy to site all the sources regarding the many benefits of running, including joint health, they are legion. Use Google and see for yourself. I am an MD very involved with exercise physiology and joint imaging. Many of the studies I have referred to involve AVID runners, those doing 25-50 miles per week or more, far more than the typical runner. They all show they same thing. Running is a very healthy activity with many benefits including joint health.

 

That being said there is a spectrum of genetic predisposition to joint disease. If you are unlucky enough to have bad joint genes your will get arthritis no matter what you do, but if you are active it will happen later.

 

Please know the facts before you spout off incorrect information.

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  • 8 months later...

I know this is an old topic, but after reading through it I am curious to know what peoples' opinions are on rollerblading or biking with a dog. Obviously the dog "not breaking a trot" would no longer apply. At faster speeds, how long is too long? How young is too young?

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I know f-all about this but as this is the internet it won't stop me from offering an opinion. I've the same opinion as before- done on the right surfaces, warmed up gradually, and with proper conditioning I don't see much of a problem with it. It used to be perfectly normal to have the dog run behind your carriage or horse for miles on end to exercise it.

 

Most of the dogs I see suffer from far too little exercise, and that includes my own a fair bit of the time. The average dog can just go much faster and further than the average human. And yet I see so many little round dogs, some that have to be carried on walks at the age of 5. Or bouncy two year olds who are neurotic and unmanageable, and 'have to live outside', because they're getting two fifteen minute strolls a day (or nothing at all because they're too bouncy) when 8 or 10 miles a day would be nearer the mark.

 

There are so many physical and behavioural problems in dogs that could be alleviated with more and regular exercise. So walking, off-leash walking, swimming might be the best, but at this stage most dogs would be better off with any exercise that was MORE.

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I think the benefits outweight the risks. I'm pretty conservative with how much exercise (encouraged, structured, repetitive exercise) my dogs get when they're puppies but after that the game is on. Even my 7.5 year old, 2 luxating patellas, and a high grade heart murmur Boston Terrier (also deaf, allergic to the world and generally a train wreck) Boston gets quite a lot of exercise. At the end of the day having good muscle tone can do a lot of GOOD for joints - at least in cases of things like HD and luxating patellas where the muscle helps keep things where they need to be. It's also just good for all around health and behavior.

 

So, my dogs get quite a lot of exercise as adults. I still don't keep a strict routine, I still enforce calm behavior in the house, and *I* still determine when, what and how much, but we do a lot. Running, swimming, dog sports, fetch, frisbee, fairly hard hikes, off leash time and playing silly, silly games.

 

I'd be careful with something like biking or rollerblading where the dog was going full out, but how far is too far? Depends on the condition of the dog. Work up to it. Pay close attention to the dog and be aware that the dog may not choose to stop on its own. Apply the same rules you would for playing fetch, where the dog is going full out and is too driven to continue to stop the game on its own.

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My 12 year old, arthritic, previously-broken-pelvis terrier did a 12 mile walk last year of a hot sunny day. And her only complaint was that I didn't want to play fetch when we got home.

 

Sad to think it's been that long since we've done that particular walk.

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I used to Rollerblade with Willow, when we both were younger and I lived where there are good places to skate safely. The only real disadvantage is that you do need a more structured surface than you need for jogging. However, you don't have to skate at top speed--I would do sprints and skate slower in between. I always paid close attention to Willow because obviously being on skates changed the "farther/faster" dynamic and I had to be aware of the possibility of her overheating. I used to mainly skate along a paved path, which did have grassy shoulders, though Willow mostly chose to stay on the paved path as well. I really think this would be an individual dog thing, but one really does need to pay attention to the fact that a good surface for the *dog* to run on might not be as readily available if the human is on skates.

 

I used to jog a lot. Lately, I've been doing a good deal of walking. I find that if I'm walking at a good pace my dogs are trotting. As long as it's not really hot with a heat index in the triple digits, the dogs don't seem much bothered by trotting steadily for 2-3 miles (or more). Because where I go for exercise is a subdivision, I am not likely to jog with them there because it is more difficult for them to be on leash and get off the pavement (though part of the subdivision actually has gravel, so not as hard of a surface). And trotting is really the pace a dog would take if it wanted to cover a lot of ground without killing itself in the process. I think trotting is much better for building stamina in my working dogs than taking them out for sprints behind a golf cart of 4-wheeler (neither of which I own, but which a lot of working dog folks use to exercise their dogs).

 

J.

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It used to be perfectly normal to have the dog run behind your carriage or horse for miles on end to exercise it.

It still is, I just got home from riding with Gláma jogging along. It is how I condition my dogs.

And because we work sheep from horseback they have to be well used to each others presence.

 

@Julie, Quads, and their bigger brothers the six wheelers are getting more and more popular here, I don´t like them at all....Noisy, and upsetting to sheep, especially because they are too fast.

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I agree Smalahundur. Part of the pleasure I take in walking my dogs wherever as a pack for exercise is the enjoyment of the quiet of the countryside. I would love to have a horse and be able to ride out with the dogs. Being on a quad or golf cart just doesn't hold much interest for me, even aside from the noise and disruptiveness of the machines.

 

J.

It still is, I just got home from riding with Gláma jogging along. It is how I condition my dogs.

And because we work sheep from horseback they have to be well used to each others presence.

 

@Julie, Quads, and their bigger brothers the six wheelers are getting more and more popular here, I don´t like them at all....Noisy, and upsetting to sheep, especially because they are too fast.

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I haven't watched any of Cesar Milan's shows, and I am not a big advocate of the 'alpha' idea as it's usually interpreted.

 

But one of the things I liked about his book is that it was pretty clear that dogs need exercise and psychological stimulation, and you don't get to opt out of providing what your dog needs because you don't want to do it. Lots of stuff I didn't like, same as with most dog books, but that bit rang true.

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