Tips for running with a dog?
 

Does anyone do this? How did you get the dog started? I have a Border Collie cross who is in good shape and very active. I thought of taking him on a small run tonight.. about 3k. I have a very long leash (10'?) that I'm thinking of looping around my waist then attaching it to his collar. It's not hot out today and I'm very aware of his body language so I should know if he needs to stop (likely I will before he will!). But I'm worried about getting our paces right and getting him to run with me instead of in front of me. He's usually very well behaved but can be a bit of a nut. I'm also well aware a 65lb dog could probably pull me off my feet if he really wanted to... he is very well muscled.

I'm thinking we may just need to practice running together but was wondering if anyone had any tips?

we used a very short leash and just nudged her with our knee and said " side" when she tried to get around us. It wasn't great the first couple of times, but it didn't take that long until it was pretty easy.Our dog is a herder so she likes to circle us. Not OK on a run unless your like being tripped all the time LOL. Don't worry about pace, you' re the pack leader and you set it. Your pup will figure it out soon enough and fall in with you. My dh takes her trail running off leash and its perfect now she sticks to the side and it's great for everyone. The only challenge we have is how easy her pads crack because she's running on cement or road at home. She really loves running with us, so it was worth the effort .

I have a border collie mix and she was pretty erratic. I keep her on a short leash and if she tugs me, I stop completely and tell her no and tell her to sit. She likes to keep going, so she learned pretty fast to watch me. When she runs with me, I tell her good dog etc.

I'd walk at first, and I wouldn't recommend tying it around your waist because of the reasons you said

always a short leash. if all you have is a 6 ft. clip the clip to the buckle and then take the handle loop and clip the collsr through it to make it a 3ft. this will help you teach your dog to run by your side and focus on the task at hand. A long leash will allow him to wander and do his own thing which is not safe for eith of you.
BTW 3K should be a perfect first run.

Have fun

Ok... great tips, thanks everyone. I hadn't thought about the long vrs short lead issues. We do have a short lead also so I'll use that one instead. I really think getting him to run beside me will be the biggest problem since he's an all or nothing type dog. He'll need to learn to give 50% instead of 110%. I guess practice will make perfect!

I'm glad he's only half herding dog because he doesn't herd us (anymore).. just other dogs at the off leash area and he doesn't herd at all when he's on leash. I know 3k won't tire him out completely and it's an easy route for me... now my biggest worry is that he'll want to stop and sniff something. What do you guys do then?

Oh... and just cause.. here's a pic of my baby. The cape and "S" were added by a friend on photoshop but the jump is real.

Cute pic :)

I have an Australian Shepherd and have tried to run with her but as she is a little nuts as soon as I break out into a jog she thinks it's sprint and herd time! My finace tried to run with her a little faster but still she just wants to sprint and herd. Then I got me a bike so I can go really fast! I hold the leash in my hand and she runs along side me.

If I don't want to ride my bike I usually take her on a 30min walk to the park then let her off leash and we play fetch, she can sprint as much as she wants there!

I don't allow Kammi to stop and sniff and go to the bathroom as she pleases while we are walking, she can only do those things if I let her so she has learned not to try, she will wait until we get to the park - walking is working time, park is fun time. In the beginning, if she went to put her head down and sniff I would say no loudly then give a gentle sideways tug on the leash and just continue walking. If she did manage to get her nose down and stop to sniff I would do the same thing but I wouldn't stop walking and keep the same pace I was already walking. I find that she is very focused now when we walk she's not really interested in sniffing around.

Kudos to you if you can get him to run alongside you though! Tough with a herding breed :)

We managed to do 3.5k yesterday at not to bad a pace. After the first 1.5 km or so he seemed to understand what I wanted and settled in beside me pretty well. I have to give him credit, he is an extremely smart little pup and very eager to please which is a nice combination. So a lot of praise and some gentle corrections (he's also very soft) seemed to work really well. We did have to stop a few times when he started pulling and when he saw a cat, a squirrel, a neighbor who wanted to chat.

He seemed to grasp that I wanted to keep moving and did the sniff on the go thing. I did pick a few spots and stop long enough to let him have a sniff and a pee.

Over all I think it went pretty well, the short leash tip was awesome, I had great control. I have no doubt he'll remember what I want for the next run. The hardest part of the whole thing was sneaking out of the house and leaving my 15 year old dog behind... hubby said she was not impressed.

I'm glad it went well! Yeah, I know what you mean about leaving the other dog behind. We also have a basset hound, and she'll howl and howl when one of us takes the other dog out. We usually do 2 separate walks because my border collie mix could run and go forever, but the basset is usually pooped out after 2 blocks lol.
Your dog is so cute, love the pic :)

Good for you guys. I think that no matter the distance your dog will love it. Boarder collies are smart dogs. They pick up things pretty quick......

Oh, I think it's great that you are exercising with your dog. I have started walking mine regularly (I sadly confess I was not good about it before) and he gets so excited each night. It's like he can read my mind- almost as soon as I think of taking him for a walk he gets this look of expectation on his face and as soon as I stand up he is headed for the door. Like you, I have an older dog who is bummed about being left behind but in addition to being older she has a paralyzed esophagus and she can't walk for more than a block. I take my dog on a 2 mile walk in hills and the older dog just couldn't do that. Hopefully I'll work up to running soon. I did jog a little yesterday but only on the downhill parts.

Thanks for the encouragement and kind words. Being a BC cross I don't really have a choice but to keep him active, he's 7 years old and people still mistake him for being 2 or 3. But his walks were usually to the off leash area so he can run while we walk or the 3.5 route around the community. These days though my old dog can't make the 3.5k and I don't want to push her beyond what she is comfortable doing. I love the off leash area but I tend not to get enough exercise while we're there. We've also been active in agility for many years. It's fun that I can keep up to him better on course now because now I'm challanging him to go even faster through the obsticles and I think it's become a challange for him again too.

We're going to run the same 3.5 route again tomorrow it's to hot today and it's agility night. I think I'll take the route in reverse this time though.

I have an aussie, and we go jogging sometimes. I have to keep at a jog, because at a walk she has enough time to weave around and get tangled in me. At a jog she just runs and enjoys the run. I have a Dring at the end of her leash that I hook on my pants.
Luckily she's a header (dog at the front of the pack who leads the sheep) so she doesn't try to heard me :) My mom's dog is a heeler, and it's impossible to run with her, she's always behind you and if it's particularly exiting, or if your pants are at all interesting, she may try to nip your heels!