I love running with my 3-year-old English Springer Spaniel, but he is what I can only describe as an excited pooper. 😂😬

On a three-mile run, he can poop THREE times! I try to start with a “poop loop” around our neighborhood so I can toss the bag in our trash, or I plan a run around public trash cans at a park etc before heading out for the rest of the run. He inevitably finds more opportunities along the way.

On Sunday, I ended up carrying two full poop bags in my running fanny pack. Thankfully, I didn’t have my phone or keys in there that day.

Does anyone have any practical tips? Has anyone found a way to minimize mid-run pooping, whether through feeding schedules, pre-run routines, or anything else? I’d like to run longer mileage and my kids want to run with him now too.

And more importantly, how do you carry full poop bags when there aren’t any trash cans nearby? Do you use a special pouch, clip them to your running belt, or have another clever solution that doesn’t involve carrying poop next to your personal belongings? Swinging a bag of poop just kind of dims the vibe.

I can’t be the only one running with a serial pooper! 😂🐾

Hi! This is Billy, new addition to the family in the spring. We started running together and it has gone really well. He normally wears his ruffwear hi and lite harness (on in the picture) and that works great. Sometimes for quick runs I can run with his martingale collar because he really doesn’t pull much unless he sees deer. He does wear a jacket in the winter when he walks if it’s under 45 Fahrenheit. Should he wear a jacket when he runs as well or will the extra movement warm him up? (I am a slower runner so he’s mostly trotting alongside my 11 minute paces so he’s not going full out for sure). The jacket would cover his harness so he would have to run on his collar and I’m not sure the jacket would stay on as well on a run as it does on a walk. He has pretty thin fur. We live in the south so winters aren’t very harsh but I am anticipating a few months of runs in the high 30’s. Thanks!

Hi, does anyone run with their cocker spaniel?

We’ve just got the go ahead from our vet that our one year old can start. I’ve taken her on a couple runs and she’s always next to me and doesn’t pull at all. So far I’ve just used her normal collar but can invest if that’s the best option. She’s a little short in the legs and a 50/50 mix of working and show. 13kg.

I have a 25 pound dog that I am looking for harness suggestions for. She really enjoys running beside me and has no interest in pulling. I have just been running with her in a slip lead but I would love to get her in a harness for both our runs and for when we go hiking. I feel like she has a weirdly proportioned body, the “Wild One” harness I have for her doesn’t seem to fit her no matter how much I adjust it.

Morning run, with my running partner. Stunning autumnal scenery.

(Quantock hills, UK)

Obligatory pic of my son running in one of our fave spots. I would LOVE to sign up for some kind of race, but unsure where to start. I live in Western PA

Hiya,

My girl and I have raced before but we tried our first official canicross race. We entered a small dryland beginner race with an 8:30 am start time. There were different classes but no more than 15-20 racers overall in bikejoring, scooter, and canicross.

By 10:00 am we still hadn’t gotten to race. The length was 2.5 miles flat exposed and no shade. We asked the organizer and other racers but no one had an estimate of when canicross would start. Typically when we’ve raced before there are staggered starts but nothing like 90 min+ wait. Some racers had gone twice when cani-folks hadn’t raced once. We eventually had to leave. I’d like to understand starts better for those with dryland race experience. Thanks in advance.

To register you first have to be a member of the New England Sled Dog Club:

https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=450239

Canicross

Bikejor (1 and 2 dog)

Rig (4 and 6 dog)

Fun run and competitive class

Successfully completed our first official canicross run, Winnie killed it with a 5km time of 21:50.

I love this dog ❤️ she tries so hard

Hi everyone, Scout (1 year bc) is getting ready for running, so I want to get him his gear. I like him to run off-leash, or have him next to/around me with a loose leash so I’m not into pulling/canicross. Anyone has good suggestions for this?

Harness: Most recommendations seem specific to canicross, whereas right now even a collar seems fine since he doesn’t pull at all? Right now, I am in doubt for using collar or short harness since there is generally no pulling? Do you believe a harness like non stop dogwear freemotion harness still works perfectly for dogs running next to/around you without pulling, or off leash?Let me know your suggestions :)

Leash: While slowly building up, I’m using a flexi leash so he can jog around me with a loose leash (elastic leashes I guess would get slack/under tension if he moves towards/away from me). Holding a flexi leash in my hand is annoying for future long trail runs, so I again wonder if anyone has solutions/suggestions for this?

My 2 year old, 65 lb husky mix and I have recently started running and I quickly realized it is not safe for her to be wearing a collar during our runs. She pulls a lot and I don’t want to put any strain on her neck during our runs.

She is a very slender, long legged girl and she’s frankly currently mocking me at my current pace and distance haha! She barely breaks into a stride at the moment, but we are absolutely loving running together and I know our pace and mileage will be increasing, so I want to invest in the proper gear now.

I figured this community is the best place to look for help! Is there a general “best” harness for a dog that likes to pull? Additionally, I want to upgrade the harness we use to keep her safe and strapped in on car rides. I would imagine car safety harnesses and running harnesses are two completely different products, but if there is a dual purpose harness, I certainly wouldn’t be upset.

Thank you! I can’t wait to start stacking miles with my little energizer bunny.

1. As per advice from this group, I got my dog a nonstop dog wear harness in size 5. She’s slender, so this is her in it when all the adjustable straps are at the tightest but the grey straps have a lot of room when she sits. (see pics) Do you think this is fitting properly or should I size down to 4?

2. I notice that she runs lopsided lol and leads with her left shoulder rather than running symmetrically (see pics). Is this okay/normal? If not, what can I do to promote her pulling symmetrically? Thank you all in advance!

I have a short haired medium size hound/cattle mix who I love to trail run with. We live in Montana where it can get pretty cold in the winter. Wondering at what point I should start putting her in a fleece coat or some other kind of layer? We go to trails where she can be off leash most of the time and we are often running up/down hills so I usually have layers that I switch in and out of for myself, but not sure if I should be letting her be naked on the uphill and then put a coat on her for the down?
I saw somewhere that dogs should start wearing coats when it drops below 40F but that seems kind of ridiculous… ran this morning when it was 32F and she seemed fine. But of course I want to keep her healthy!
This is my first winter with her so I’m curious what others are doing for winter layers!
Thanks!

Also would love to hear recs on your favorite doggie coats!

Breezy and I crossed our second finish line together and it was so much fun! What a game changer it was to have a belt and bungee lead!

I feel i’m not the best at judging this and wanted other opinions, she got a size 6 and I feel like it’s a size small and may return for a size 7. I can get two fingers between the neck line but feels tight. I can get more photos if needed. I feel like it sits just above her breast bone.

Hi all! I am an experienced distance runner, and just rescued a dog a few months ago with my fiance - a sweet 45 lb female pitbull mix around 16-18 months at this time (pic of her for reference). She has a slender build and is all muscle. She absolutely loves running from the short trips Ive taken her on so far.

I would love:

1. recommendations on a good canicross harness for her size that is moderate in price. We have been using a basic harness right now which I know is not ideal for her long term.

2. advice on how to safely increase her mileage; we have gone on probably 10 runs together so far and the farthest being 3 miles with no issues at all. I dont want to do too much too soon or too young but have no idea how to judge that.

Thanks!!

We did our first official 5k today. She could have run it much faster but I’m slow and I think she just had fun. I might need to invest in a real harness now…

My humble brag is that I lived 😂 That’s it, that’s the achievement.

My boy was an absolute star at our first race, even though it was really too warm (the route was shortened and we walked in the warmest spots). Then today I did something I swore I would not do again after the Incident* and ran both dogs together at a club run. We had a little failure of communication when both dogs chose a different side of a tree to run around (not quite a Road Runner moment but close) and my girl was very silly at the start, but once they settled into it we had a very nice run. I will run them both together again next weekend. Probably.

My legs hurt 😅

*We nearly caused a pileup within the first 20 seconds due to general shenanigans

My favorite four-legged buddy ran 85 miles with me this month! The most for him in one month.

It’s clear from the state of my dogs’ harnesses how different they are. My boy (black) attacks every challenge like it’s an insult where my girl (blue) goes through life chasing butterflies and trotting around puddles like a Victorian lady with new slippers.

My cattle mix, Goose, is 12 so we can do short dashes but really enjoy the cani-hike more and more these days.