Am i really doin my dog harm?

A friend of mine who owns nothing but bullies is telling me im not doin my dog any good by running her the way i do. Shes almost 1 year a solid 40 pounder she loves to work, i let her pull me on my bike for the first mile then she slows up a bit to a good jog pace for the next 2 miles. All together its 1 1/2 miles up and back so 3 miles total which sometimes dont seem like enough for her. I didnt think this was a whole lot its under 30 minutes and we only do it 2- 3 times a week. I listen to my friend cause hes a trainer himself a buff guy but that dont make him smart guy so im asking my real gamedog people who read this is he full of shit? He says im not doin anything for building muscles and the road is no good for her joints, he said when shes 5 she'l have arthiritis. Im not into keeps i dont even know how to show my dogs i just like her to look cut and be healthy. :confused:

 

imo he is full of crap

 

For her age (almost a yr) I think you might want to take it slow. While she may love to work I would find another outlet for it until she is 1 1/2 to 2. Flirt pole, fetch, maybe get a pulling harness and start tethering lighter things to it for her to pull around the yard for short periods of time. Pavement isn't good for joints period (at any age, on just about any working animal) so any amount of work on pavement should be traded off from time to time with something else. 2-3 times a week isn't bad IMO, just make sure you take lots of time to warm her up and cool her out.

You know your dog, if she loves to work then let her work but now isn't the time to push her. Now is the time to build that drive and always quit before she is ready to that way she will look forward to it every time, always leave her wanting more, while at the same time giving her time for her body to catch up to her mind and grow/fill out.

 

i agree with you shameless for the most part but as far as his friend goes i think he is full of it!

 

nothing streaneous in the developing years. You can imprint what type of activies you would like her to do in the coming years, be it weight pull, obedience.

let a puppy be a puppy, it sounds to me like you are doing a great job with her, taking her for walks, runs, its good for physical and mental stimulation and your bonding with her so you are on the right track.


Keep up the good work.

 

I agree, don't work em too hard when they're young and the bones are still developing. I hunted the hair off my first dog before I knew better day and nite for hours at a time. She took it and begged for more but for a young dog keep it less intense and shorter workouts. What you're doing is exatcly that I wouldn't change your routine.

 

Thank you people. I knew i wasnt pushing her or anything. Her age is what made me think twice about the running routine. Im gona go bike with her right now ill post pics soon as i get a camera

 

as stated, wait until ~adulthood~ for strenuous work, but when its time... warm up slowly-then hard work, and then always cool down. letting the dog pull you right off the bat is bad news, gotta get the muscles warmed up and twitching before you rip them. then always give time for the muscles to heal. (i.e. you need to throw a light workout in every couple of days for the body to heal up)

 

I didn't see if was already mentioned, but be careful of her pads. Have heard of dogs bout running them off their feet. I don't know what kind of surface you are on. If it is concrete though just make sure her feet are protected and not hurt.

 

I agree with all of the above rednoze. Hold out a little till she's older.Sometimes when they're young they are so full of energy and puppy stamina that you think it's not enough.It's a good thing that she likes the work and is ready for more after a good long run, but ease her into it as she approaches 2.

 

Thanks again folks, im confident i wont be doing harm to her with this amount of exersize so im thinkin i just wont be increasing her work. Her paws are still like new. I will warm her up before the bike from now on, i been letting her just take off most the time.

 

Sorry mate, that would be my first clue. He's probably right... about his dogs.

Running extensively on a hard surface, of course, is not good for developing joints; and even after that, if you have the option to work your dog out in a field or on dirt, take it. But beyond that, handwalking/running is

At a year, it definitely does not sound like you're over-doing anything. So don't worry about it

 

After reading comments it is clear to me now that I did not realize how when I took my dogs to the beach each day casually for an hour or two I was actually working them out well with safe resistance of sand.. Maybe RedNoseChamp could find an area like the beach or soft wooded area to work his dog hard at.

 

I don't think you are doing too much but you also don't want to overdo it at a young age as shameless suggested. Personally I don't like my dogs running on asphalt or concrete not only because grassy or sand/dirt surfaces are easier on the dogs joints but I know how hard my dogs like to pull and they tend to tear their pads up like crazy on asphalt.

 

We have all red dirt roads where I live . My bitch jogs behind my jeep for 5-ten miles every other day depending on the temperature. if its been raining we wait till the roads are passable though. Its all soft dirt and good jogging surface for her pads. Oh yeah shell be 3 in august and I usually have to stop her or she will go till she drops!

 

Not really any wooded areas around me and not really any empty fields usually only in front of a busy streets near intersections or next to houses. City life isnt great for owning my type of dog. Best i can do is run them along the American River bike trail but thats pavement. No letting my dog off the leash anywhere i would be in big trouble. I shouldnt even bike them during normal hours because so many people have thier dogs out on walks. If were already goin 10+ mph on my bike and my dog sees an animal down the road its very hard to break the bike. Even at the beach i wouldnt let my dogs offleash they think thier suppose to hunt.

 

This is where his opinion on working out working dogs loses value. That's fine, just make sure you're checking the dog's pads and you aren't overdoing it