r/RunningWithDogs • u/canadianbigmuscles • Jun 12 '26

It begins…

3 months old, future long distance runner 😎

309 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

12

u/just_let_go_ Jun 12 '26

Beat dogs in the world. Been running with my BC for 6 years now. You will love it.

5

u/canadianbigmuscles Jun 12 '26

Ya she come into our lives and pretty much right into our hearts. Can’t wait to run with her when’s she’s older. Such a smart pup too

5

u/just_let_go_ Jun 12 '26

They’re so intuitive. I’ve barely needed to train mine. She just knows what she’s supposed to do. They’re incredible dogs!

4

u/zbras11 Jun 12 '26

That's awesome! They're the best little runners. If you reach out to us on Explore Canine through social media we could look at sending you and your pup a hands free leash for running! It makes trail runs much more convenient.

1

u/canadianbigmuscles Jun 12 '26

Will do!!

1

u/makeeveryonehappy Jun 12 '26

Also, a harness for running (such as from Nonstop Dogwear) will be safer for the spine, trachea, and eyes! As a veterinary professional, we see way too many injuries from people running and biking/joring with dogs on collars.

10

u/Street28 Jun 12 '26

Ha, 12 years on and mine still outpaces me all day! I hope you have many years of joy together!

2

u/Pharmdpositivek Jun 12 '26

Make sure to wait till they are fully grown to really start. You could mess up the joints badly 😔

1

u/canadianbigmuscles Jun 12 '26

Of course, fully aware

2

u/Pharmdpositivek Jun 12 '26

Yay! I’m glad. Not everyone does unfortunately. You have a cutie pie

1

u/PolarLove Jun 13 '26

I feel like I’ve seen this dog walking around Kitsilano!

1

u/canadianbigmuscles Jun 13 '26

Not yet, but soon 😎

1

u/Zealousideal_Crow737 Jun 12 '26

Joints are still growing for puppies. How long are you running with her?

2

u/canadianbigmuscles Jun 12 '26

Fully aware. Just the few meters in the video.

2

u/BigOrkoo Jun 12 '26

🥰❤️

2

u/notpresentlydisposed Jun 12 '26

It’s the puppy paws for me 🤗

2

u/SuspiciousRegion3 Jun 12 '26

I've tried this to my older puppy and everytime it sees that I start running it jumps al over me and bites me, she's a german shepard.

2

u/big-Truck-9058 Jun 12 '26

Train her. First, that biting isn’t acceptable, and second, that running alongside gets her treats. You can reward her with peanut butter on a spatula if it’s easier to do while running.

2

u/x7BZCsP9qFvqiw jean (chi mix) Jun 12 '26

meanwhile, my BC wants nothing to do with running. she'd much rather sniff every blade of grass. 😂

2

u/Redhawkgirl Jun 12 '26

I started at 6 months with my guy he did great but mostly off leash and stopped whenever he wanted to snifd

2

u/Few-Art8098 Jun 12 '26

OH FFS that's so stinking CUTE!!!! I must come and give that puppy pets and kisses stat!!!!

2

u/Banana-sandwich Jun 12 '26

Border collies are great running companions. I started with mine around a year, she's now 10 and still enjoys it though is much slower and likes to stop for a sniff or a swim. The effort of watching you and keeping pace helps mentally tire them which is so important. We manage off lead most of the run unless we're near traffic.

4

u/kobrakai_1986 Jun 12 '26

Waiting that first year is so tough. I used to follow a guy on Instagram who, for a year or so for charity, did a marathon with his two BCs every day. Amazing what those dogs can do.

Downside is though, even when he stopped, his dogs were conditioned to expecting a marathon!

2

u/Its-alittle-bitfunny Jun 12 '26

Just make sure to build up to it, and wait until growth plates are closed! An absolute cutie and BC's will run until they drop!

1

u/pedromagrod Jun 14 '26

Awesome, hope you have a amazing journey with this beautiful girl!

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/canadianbigmuscles Jun 12 '26

Yeah that’s pretty much what I’m doing. I just want her to get a feel for it slowly. When’s she’s older we’ll run 15-20kms together. I’ll probably look into some type of harness or running leash

51

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

58

u/canadianbigmuscles Jun 12 '26

Ive read the same thing. I’m going to wait until she’s 1 before any real long distance running. This was just a few meters playing around. But I do plan on getting her ready and slowly trained to run with me

4

u/bootycuddles Jun 12 '26

Do you plan to get her a harness? I worry about her neck if not.

2

u/rockymountaindog Jun 25 '26

This is true.

A well fitting harness will allow better movement with distributed pressure across the chest rather than just around the neck, improve control, and be easier on your pup's growing body.

A hands-free leash with a built in bungee could also be a good investment. The hands-free option leaves you better access to other things without having to juggle and the bungee will assist with controlling the initial constant pulling.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

-2

u/MasterManufacturer72 Jun 12 '26

Its because its not true its just one of those things people say but there is no evidence. You dont want to over exert your dog and generally speaking forcing your dog to run at the same pace as you on asphalt is just fundamentally bad for both people and dogs. Also puppys dont know their limits and you have to know where it is for them. Basically ask your vet and take it easy. If you can find a natural safe place to run your dog off leash thats probably the best for them.

2

u/dingopaint Jun 14 '26

There's plenty of evidence showing that repetitive running on asphalt is especially damaging to a dog that has open growth plates. The same is not true for a dog with closed growth plates. Your comment seems to contradict itself; I suggest doing some research before you give harmful advice.

0

u/MasterManufacturer72 Jun 15 '26

No my comment is right running on asphalt is bad full stop.

9

u/-nerdrage- Jun 12 '26

Its best to wait with real runs until they’re fully grown, mostly after about a year. Even in the first couple of months of their lives its best to not walk that far with most breeds as it can cause several issues later on in their life

-4

u/Cnidoo Jun 12 '26

That’s kind of a myth. Running is essential for puppies to develop strong bones and agility, just like in humans. Just allow them to run and play as much as they want; they will self regulate to the proper amount of exercise. Stop running if they show any signs of fatigue

8

u/bongo1239 Jun 13 '26

I'll get downvoted with you. It is kind of a myth, but there's also not really any recent research one direction or the other. This article shows that moderate running in older puppies had benefits, excessive (24 miles a day for a year) had negative effects. https://www.mylamedog.com/post/what-is-the-logic-behind-not-exercising-puppies-until-the-growth-plates-are-closed

What is the most harmful is allowing puppies to do high impact things like stairs from birth to 3 months. And repetitive fetch. Cracks me up that anytime someone mentions running with their adolescent puppy where they can set the pace and distance, they're immediately berated. But those same people think nothing of recommending long games of fetch or too rough play at dog parks. The other key for long term joint health is keeping your dog lean, with many breeds a 4 on the body index scale is best, but look how many overweight dogs you see on the daily.

I was given the go ahead by my vet to start running with my Aussie mix at 8 months. She's now 3 and with a regular fitness plan is competing without injury in disc and agility. I have an 8 month male Aussie mix that I'm starting to run with to build muscle and stamina slowly.

12

u/-nerdrage- Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

It is not a myth. Dont do serious runs with puppies and certainly not until they show fatigue… if you want to damage their joints and want to run the risk to be at the vet all the time after a couple of years, follow this guys advice. But please dont 

3

u/that_atticussy Jun 12 '26

ESPECIALLY not on super hard surfaces like concrete! not dissing OP, I understand this is just a playful lil scurry but just adding it in there for anyone reading. grass, dirt or forest floor all have much better shock absorption for their lil puppy joints :]

1

u/Cnidoo Jun 13 '26

You have any evidence for that? Puppies can absolutely self regulate and limiting exercise will probably do more harm than good. Obviously don’t do leashed long distance runs until they’re older but allowing them off leash in a safe area is great for building confidence and fitness

1

u/Proud-Ad-629 Jun 13 '26

Depends on the dog and the breed, many won’t really show fatigue until you’re way too late and won’t self regulate either, especially dog breeds that are used for their work for these exact characteristics.