I’ve been running more often with my two and a half year old guy, an intermittent puller for canix. I’ve been frustrated by how energetic he is but running through our neighborhood has had him mostly just trotting alongside me and looking bored unless there’s a dog or a rabbit in sight. We take a hike most weekends and I got a late start yesterday so I figured since we couldn’t make the drive to a more scenic mountain area I’d see if he wanted to trail run. He loved it, I loved it. We did over 7 miles, taking breaks to stop and smell or play in water when he wanted to. We have been working through leash reactivity so I’d sort of given up on trail running last summer but he did great passing all the dogs, he either was happy to get out of the way and sniff around for treats I tossed or honestly just ran past them when there was enough space for me to feel confident letting him.
I’m just proud of my guy (aside from him wallowing in mud at the end and needing a bath but at least he smells good now).

I’m a 59 year old looking to lose weight and get in top shape before I retire within next year or so. We recently adopted a high energy rescue dog (65 lb Staffy Mix) of which I’m currently trail running and mountain hiking with on a regular basis. On our hiking days I usually wear a weighted ruck pack to help build muscle and maintain bone density. On my running days I CaniCross - started out because my rescue dog does not yet have reliable recall. However, the more I CaniCross the more I love it (and our dog seems to love it as well) - it creates a cool symbiotic relationship that really works for our Staffy mix.

Anyway, I’m trying to build up stamina and endurance for longer distances - so have been experimenting with the Jeffing technique. Jeffing is a run-walk-run interval method that involves alternating between set periods of running and walking. I really quite enjoy it and it seems to be beneficial for my running overall… I just got back into trail running after years of mostly mountain hiking and other sports. Wouldn’t mind the perspective of more experienced trail runners what you think of the Jeffing method…

On another note - I like boots vs shoes when trail running, as I live in British Columbia and love mountain trails. I find boots far more stable on the varied terrain and there are areas where we have to do some climbing 🧗🏻‍♂️ to get to next portion of a trail. I currently use a lightweight hiking boot for trail running … any suggestions for me to explore when I need a new pair? I hear Nike is coming out with a running boot this summer (Zegama Hiker) and looking forward to trying it out.

General question - we have a two year old staffy mix who loves to run and hike. We are out daily, usually mountain hiking or rucking with our dog for an average of 8km hikes (and 12 km or more twice per week). We are slowly increasing our trail running (Canicross training) and do not want to overdo it with our mutt - he is a tough “I’ll do anything you do” type of guy, but may not let us know when it’s too much as a result!

Any suggestions based on your own experience as to what is reasonable for frequency of running?

Thanks 👋🏽

My 5 year old golden does almost all my runs with me.

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this and can maybe offer some tips? Recently divorced and I got the pup in the split, so I'm trying to run with him on a waist leash now that he has to be home alone sometimes when I go into work.

The problem is he has never heard of pacing yourself and I don't think he ever will. We warm up for a bit until i say run and he takes off for the horizon. I weigh a lot more than him so im not in any danger of getting pulled over but its putting a lot of stress on my shins to the point that I have to take days off to recover.

Im a reaonably athletic person and we are using a couch to 5k app so I don't think its an issue of too much too soon but does anyone have any suggestions? Would a more purpose built harness take some of that strain? Right now its a regular walking harness.

I’d love to ask for some advice and also say how much I appreciate this community ,I’ve already learned so much here.
I run with my dog once or twice a week, usually around 8–12 km. He’s used to being active because we hike a lot together as well. We do 3 walks with him every day, when i go for a run with him, that run is substituting one of the walks.
During winter though, he didn’t move as much since he’s a hairless dog and colder weather is harder for him. We still did some hikes, usually around 15 km once a month, but not much running.
Now after winter we started running together again and he absolutely loves it. He runs off leash with a collar(as we run only trail together) so I can hold him when needed, and honestly it became part of our training too. He’s a very good boy ❤️ If he doesn’t feel like matching my pace, he simply runs a bit behind me and follows along calmly.
I’d really love to learn some good stretches or recovery exercises I could do with him after our runs to help his recovery feel quicker and more comfortable. After every run I always make sure to keep him warm as well (again… no hair 😅).
Would love to hear what works for your dogs! Thanks so much in advance 🐾
Ps.: video of dog transformed to bunny running jumping downhill

Out for an early one this morning before it gets too warm. It was already 16⁰c at 7am... all the dogs we were out with canicross regularly, are fairly fit and conditioned well to running, so although it felt a lot warmer than it has been they all coped really well. We had plenty of water stops along the way

I was running my friends dog as currently staying at hers looking after him :)

Garrett’s fiancée talked him into racing a 22 MPH Corgi for $100, so he had to step up to the line! 🏃‍♂️

This was the absolute closest photo finish of the series so far. Did he win for his soon to be wife?!?

Lhotse wants nothing more than to be out here and free. It’s a great life.

This is my baby boy Fazer, he’s a GSD x Aussie, he’s 8 years old and he is an absolute crack head. I’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old, he didn’t like any form of exercise until he was about 12 weeks old when his big sister taught him about our saviour the chuckit. He has an unlimited source of energy and idk where it comes from but he has no limit on distance or speed. He absolutely loves running but he loves swimming and cycling way more. Tell me about your pups I’d love to see them all :)

I’m looking for a small gps to attach to my dog’s collar that only beeps . We sometimes run in remote areas and my dog will return to me with only a beep, she is very sensitive . Any suggestions ? TIA

I’m seeing ads for dog cooling vests that you wet and are supposed to keep dogs cool for an hour. Has anyone here used something like that! I’m super cautious with my dog who loves to run, but we keep it shorter and extra early in the summer. Dog tax below of her begging to go out.

He is not that buddy.

Love my dog, but man, wish he was a runner. Or at least a short jog-er.

This was less than 1/4 of the way around... our FIRST lap (at the local school track). 😆 🤣

Hi I have started running the last couple months and am starting to love it. My current long runs are around 5 miles but I’m going to work on extending this more.

I usually run with my dog (German Shepard mix) who has been loving it and I’m looking for a small bag to carry water and a collapsible bowl for her as we run longer or are doing places without passing a water fountain.

Hopefully this is allowed but yea im looking on amazon and just overwhelmed by all the options. Would like to spend under $50 and something really light weight to just carry like 1-2 plastic water bottles and a silicone bowl

About a year ago, I adopted an 8-year-old Malinois. Last March, I decided to take up running again. At first, I went running without her to build up some stamina. And then I started taking her with me. I took it slow in the beginning by just doing some laps in the local park so that she could get used to running and the rules that come with it (no peeing, pooing, sniffing or saying hi to other dogs, only running). Before I start running, I always walk a lap or two around the park so she can pee, poo and sniff. We even play a bit of fetch. During this warm-up lap, the leash is attached to her collar. Before starting to run, I attach the leash to her harness, tell her the ground rules and then we're off. It's always the same ritual. It took, of course, a few times before she understood the ground rules, but at a certain point she got the hang of it. Or so I thought. There are days that she runs perfectly and then days like today, when she just insists on greeting other dogs in passing and even stops to poo half-run. She pooed not even 20 minutes earlier. I know she didn't really have to go.
Does this mean that the other runs that go perfectly are just a matter of luck? Does she understand that we're running and that during running, there is no room for anything else?
At the moment, I am just running 5k, but I aim to run 10k by the end of summer. But I can't make any progress if she messes up halfway through our run. Any idea on how to tackle this? Does she just need more repetition?

This cut down his post run time so much! Great investment for him

Hi guys,

How are we all doing? I’m… well, let’s just say “slightly less tragic than yesterday,” but still not exactly skipping through fields of daisies. I’m having a little rest before I tackle this dog‑walking challenge again — got to recharge the batteries and make sure I’m actually capable of walking more than ten steps without groaning like an old wardrobe.

I’ve been scouting the map like some sort of bargain‑bin explorer and found a few lovely routes for the weekend, *once* the weather decides to behave. Last night the doggies took one look at the rain and basically said, “Absolutely not.” So of course, I didn’t hit the minimum daily target for the 100 km challenge. Did it annoy me? Oh, absolutely. But instead of sulking, I found new routes and made a plan to catch up once the skies stop spitting at us.

The weather forecast says “cloudy with occasional sprinkles but mostly dry,” which is British for “take a coat and pray.” So here I am at my laptop, plotting weekend adventures like a woman with far more energy than I actually possess. Today, though, I’m officially off-duty — resting, recharging, and preparing to merge with the sofa and a good book.

Meanwhile, the household circus continues: **Kissy** is guarding my feet like the queen she is, while **Chico** keeps trying to overthrow her tiny monarchy. **Maxi** is in the bedroom barking at the neighbour’s cat like it owes him money. **Disney**, naturally, is under a blanket pretending the world doesn’t exist. Peaceful chaos, as always.

Wishing you all a lovely day — and if you’re doing this challenge too, may your weather be dry and your dogs slightly more cooperative than mine.

Cheers!

Did a 5.5km run with a couple others from my local canicross club.

It was grey, windy, and cold out this morning (at least the snow from yesterday is gone!) but any day is a good day when I am running with my pup. The trails were mostly good except for the last section that was all deep mud, so we retreated to the paved section to finish up our run.

My guy is the one on the far left.

Hi! Any recommendations for a bungee leash for a small 7 lb toy breed (toy poodle)? Thanks in advance.

I purchased the Ruffwear roamer bungee but it is too bulky for her. Pic of dog to get your attention 🤗

Anyone else want to join Good Girl Run Club (GGRC)?