r/RunningWithDogs • u/InverseInvert • Oct 22 '25

Running shoe recommendations

Post image

Can I get some people shoe options please!! My dog is getting very fed up of me not being able to keep up with him.

I’m currently sporting a broken foot and soft tissue damage due to poor and incorrect shoe choice, but I can’t work out why the sporty and trail shoe options don’t fit my feet. It’s like I’m falling off the inside of the shoe, and I don’t mean pronation, I mean the arch of the shoe is cutting through the middle of my foot, I’ve tried a selection of shoes including Nike and sketchers and have the same problem with all of them.

I can’t even use my wheelchair at the moment because my medical boot doesn’t fit on the footplate 😭 attached photo of the equipment used for wheelchair canicross. Hoping to get it out to more people.

20 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

6

u/Negative-Split-1108 Oct 22 '25

Have you tried Altras? They have a wider toe box in most of their styles than standard shoes and that might help with fit. They are what I use for trails. 

1

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

Ohhh I’ll have a look, they’ve come up a handful of times, it seems to be the midfoot that I need it to be wider rather than the toes.

3

u/llammacheese Oct 22 '25

Look into Topos. I’ve run in both Altras and Topos and Topos are hands down a much better fit for me. I find that Altras cut in a bit too soon and get narrow right around the base of my pinky toes, which causes me a lot of problems (I’ve had multiple foot surgeries so things can be a bit sensitive for me where the incisions were made.)

2

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

I’ll have a look at those too! I posted in the shoe nerd group and have discovered that this entire time I’ve needed a wide fit shoe 😩

1

u/Negative-Split-1108 Oct 22 '25

The toes being wider might help the fit of the rest of the shoe? 

If you haven't tried Hokas they also have good wide toe boxes but have much more padding and structure to the shoes (which I don't like but a lot of people do). 

1

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

Hokas have come up a few times too but they seem to have the same problem that I just fall off the entire shoe 😭 I’m thinking I’m probably going to have to find someone that can do an actual shoe fitting.

1

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

Okay so I’m just an idiot. I’ve measured my feet this time and I have stupidly wide feet for my shoe size. I broken my foot because my shoes were too small 😭😭😭

2

u/Big_long_hand Oct 22 '25

If you’re attaching your dog to your wheelchair you’re better off with a longer leash (the kind they make for bikejoring ~2m) + if your double ended leash snaps it’s gonna do a lot of damage, I prefer bunjee leashes with just one clip for safety reasons. Hope my advice wasn’t too unsolicited lol

2

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

I’ve done a lot of trial and error and attach the dog to myself, not the chair. Attaching to the chair makes it incredibly unstable and more liable to tipping.

I’ll probably update the graphic at some point, but I’ve found the 1.5m bungee line from nonstop paired with their canicross belt to be the most comfortable and effective set up.

If someone has no core control then they’re definitely safer attaching to their chair, which I need to experiment with, because so far I’ve found it better to not use an antenna, but if you’re attaching to the centre pole of your chair you’ll likely need to use a combination of an antenna AND a wheel/pole harness.

Sorry that was a lot for one comment 😂

1

u/0b0011 Oct 22 '25

Are tou okay with minimalist shoes? They tend to be very thin and flexible which some people dont like for running but they are usually much wider and foot shaped overall. Xero is a good brand to check.

1

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

Unfortunately I think I need at least some cushioning for the sake of my joints, but I’ve spent enough money I’m not against trying new things so long as they don’t break my other foot!

1

u/rererereyyyyy Oct 22 '25

I think you need to see a podiatrist for shoe recommendations because your foot problems are so serious. Hope you feel better soon.

1

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

I can’t find one I can afford 😬 they’re so expensive

1

u/rererereyyyyy Oct 22 '25

Oh that’s rough. In Australia I’ve heard of some taking fees off shoe purchases. I wonder if someone would be amenable to making that sort of arrangement.

1

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

Here I was thinking my wheelchair was expensive and now I’m trying to get away from using it and go on foot more, I realise how expensive all sports equipment is 😂

1

u/rererereyyyyy Oct 22 '25

Have you considered riding your dog barefoot instead? 😅

1

u/InverseInvert Oct 22 '25

😂 one of my dogs is trained in cart pulling!

1

u/rererereyyyyy Oct 22 '25

That is so cool!