Mattie Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 I am a runner and have run a couple of marathons but that was before I got Bandit. I take him on my daily runs(about 6 mi) but was wondering if I could take him with me on long runs if I work him up to it. I would take water along with me for him to drink but was wondering if that would be good for him. Bandit is 1-1/2 yrs almost 2. Does anyone out there run with their dog. Mattie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaelinTess Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 I plan to run with Tess. She is only 8 months old right now, so I am waiting until she is older to start her running program. I've done 8 marathons and I hope to do one a year from now on, with Tess as my training partner. I am not sure how far I will have her run with me, but I think that I will watch her paws carefully and see how they do. I'm sure she can do the distance, but depending on the surface, she might need little booties. I'm sure she'll love that. I am sure someone will chime in here, but as I understand it, BCs are meant to run all day, herding sheep. 15-20 miles, after training for it over a period of 3-4 months (same as we human runners build up to it) should not be a problem. Someone asked this question at the Ask Border Collie Rescue page: http://www.bcrescue.org/endurance.html I plan to have Tess run with me when she's old enough. She loves going with me wherever I go, and this will be a nice way to get her some more exercise in addition to our 3 walks, endless ball games, and soon-to-start (also when she is a year old) agility classes. (: I've got Tess wearing a little pack to start learning to carry her little dog biscuits and her collapsing water bowl. (: I will carry her water, though. Or plan a route that includes water fountains. Allie & Tess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 Maybe DogDoc will chime in here, but the immediate things I see that might be a problem is that while bc's were indeed bred to run long distances, the situations were very different from running marathon style, for miles and miles at one go. Watch any dog herding, and they drop and or stop frequently. It seems to me that this is something that should be taken in to account. Another thing is the terrain. Running on a paved surface is much harder on the body than running on dirt or grass. And your question about water is a good one. I know individual dogs vary, but one of mine won't take a drink unless her ball is put up out of sight. That bc focus could be difficult to deal with, if your dog is of that type. And I second the suggestion to watch his pads. Samantha wore her front pads to hamburger once, before I saw the blood flying and stopped. BC's tend to get in the zone so far that we have to be careful for them. Good luck! I hope you do well with your marathons. Ruth n the Border Trio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattie Posted April 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 Thanks for all the suggestions. A lot of good things to remember. I just want to be sure that I don't injure Bandit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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