[F.N.G]

I have a super awesome dog, Louis, that loves to run. When it’s cold out, he can run 15 miles and want to go more. Many people. Tell me that I am hurting the dog running him too much. He’s under 3 and so athletic. After yesterday’s 15 mile trail ride, he went to park and played with other dogs for hour.

I looked on internet and got mixed information. I don’t run him that hard in summer cuz he gets tired from heat. But in cold he just keeps going and it’s so fun to run him as much as he wants. It actually makes me ride more!

Any useful opinions on experience/thoughts on if running dogs on trail is dangerous?

 

[J.B. Weld]

Unless you're riding at a super chill pace I think the dog would be better off if you limited his runs/rides to less than an hour for the most part. A friend of mine had a really athletic smallish dog that he took on long rides regularly and that dog did pay for it later in life.

Completely anecdotal story I know and overall the dog had a pretty good life but I do think less would have been better.

 

[North woods gal]

We have a Border Collie, Star, who is my trail riding partner, given my hubby does not like riding off pavement. My riding is on single track that I have built over the years on our property. I have Star trained as my helper to pick up sticks and branches that fall on our trails which run through our north woods forests. She loves the work. She even breaks the larger sticks into smaller pieces before handing them to me. All she asks in return is that I throw one of the sticks for her to retrieve, now and then. Fair trade.

Given that she is a herding breed, I also like that she runs off squirrels and deer (very common) only 20 or 30 yards and comes right back, unlike some hunting breeds that I have tried that want to run the deer much farther. Being a Border, she's also very visually aware, so she doesn't miss much. Any thing new or out of place gets her immediate attention, but always at a safe distance, as is her nature. She also knows the trails as well as I do, so she sometimes takes shortcuts and picks me up, again, rather than always following me, directly.

Borders are heat sensitive, though, so I have to be very careful when riding on hot days. I go slower, then, and keep an eye her. She's very good, though, about letting me know she's had enough, but on warm days I still take no chances and watch her very closely.

Not all dogs I've used as trail companions are like this, though. Some I've used will run till they drop, so my advice is to get to know your dog and watch for the warning signs and carry extra water, if needed or just leave them at home when conditions get too extreme.

 

[d365]

My opinion is that your dog wasn't built for distance running, and 15 miles is too much, especially the harder you push it.

 

[BadgerOne]

Another thing to consider is your wildlife environment. Louis looks like a small dog, and small dogs make good snacks for coyotes and targets for venomous snakes. Make sure you aren't exposing him to hazards that he cannot mitigate.

 

[Harold]

All of the specifics depend heavily on the individual dog. My dog was actually bred to be able to run with horses, so even though he's small, he keeps up well on rides. He does best when the climbs and descents are smaller and the terrain is flatter.

I still have to pay very close attention to him when I ride with him. He can't go as fast as I can on the descents, even though he can destroy me on the climbs. He's sensitive to the heat (esp when his outer guard coat is in), like your dog, so his summertime trail outings are all hiking-oriented and usually include cooler, higher elevations or spots he can splash in cool streams.

You do need to watch for long term issues, too. Exercise tends to be best when it's moderated, because repetitive stress injuries and overuse injuries are the real deal. I have some of my own and as mentioned above, dogs will get them, too. So even though your dog might seem fine with the activity level you've chosen, you need to be very sensitive to your dog's condition. Moderate your ride intensity with your dog in mind, not your own conditioning. Monitor how your dog does after the ride, too, because that gives you a good idea of how the ride was for your dog.

I don't think going to the dog park afterwards is a good idea, either. Your dog is probably plenty happy after your ride and going to the dog park just sustains that arousal level for even longer. Your dog does need some rest after that ride. It takes my dog some time to wind down after a ride. He doesn't crash out immediately. It's not because he isn't tired. It's because the adrenaline and endorphins and everything take some time to flush out. Oftentimes, we get home from a ride and he wants to play more at home. What he needs is to rest, and when he does settle down, he's not going anywhere for awhile.



Here's his full shaggy coat.



As I said before, I have to watch him closely when I'm riding with him. When my wife and I are riding together, we're training him to run between us. He's taking to it pretty quickly, actually. That way the forward rider can be the check on him running too far ahead. And the rider in the back can make sure he doesn't stop for a sniff for too long or make a wrong turn at an intersection, and also monitor his conditioning. We take frequent breaks for him to geat a drink and catch his breath. And for longer rides, we also give him a little snack break because little dogs don't have super deep energy reserves. When I ride with him solo, I have to pay extra attention because it's only me keeping an eye on how he's doing.

The usual loop we do with him is 9.5mi and that definitely works him hard. Other folks use that loop with their dogs sometimes, too, and we've encountered a few. I think a 5mi loop would be ideal to increase frequency for him. 9.5mi is enough for him that I don't want to do that to him too often.

 

[LaloKera]

Own an 8 year old male labrador retriever.

Ages 2-6- he could sprint maybe eleven trail miles.
After this i started to notice a slight limp after runs.
I have cut his miles down to 1-2 miles. At a slow pace so hardly take him on bike rides anymore.

My advise, Proceed with caution. They do not know their limits.

 

[Harold]

Own an 8 year old male labrador retriever.

Ages 2-6- he could sprint maybe eleven trail miles.
After this i started to notice a slight limp after runs.
I have cut his miles down to 1-2 miles. At a slow pace so hardly take him on bike rides anymore.

My advise, Proceed with caution. They do not know their limits.

It's so incredibly individual that you can't extrapolate those numbers much.

Is your lab one of the leaner/lighter ones, or a heavier-boned lab? Labs are genetically predisposed to certain joint conditions, so you have to be really careful about that, too. The age at which each dog slows down is going to vary a lot, too. A dog that might live 20yrs is going to be different than one where 10yrs is old/geriatric. I've seen folks out riding with dogs ranging from miniature pinschers to mastiffs. They can all do something, but the details are what matter when it comes to distance and intensity.

 

[sherpaxc]

I am putting down my beloved blue heeler next week. She is 16 and I have had her since she was a puppy. Until the age of about 11 she could do 10 miles easily while I was on a bike. More if I was riding technical stuff. As she got older she was still a good trail dog while I ran since it was a slower pace. It wasn't until she was 14 that we could only do walks. Her hips have finally given up on her. I think it is individual to the breed. Heelers man. They are the best.

 

[Harold]

I am putting down my beloved blue heeler next week. She is 16 and I have had her since she was a puppy. Until the age of about 11 she could do 10 miles easily while I was on a bike. More if I was riding technical stuff. As she got older she was still a good trail dog while I ran since it was a slower pace. It wasn't until she was 14 that we could only do walks. Her hips have finally given up on her. I think it is individual to the breed. Heelers man. They are the best.

condolences. sounds like you've had some great times with your dog

 

[WHALENARD]

Condolences

I hope to own a Heeler within the next three years or so.

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

 

[Mike Aswell]

My twin brother is my dogs' veterinarian so I can talk to him about it as much as I want. I have had dogs who did great and loved it and dogs who were done 4 miles in any time I ever tried.

The main points he always emphasizes to me are: definitely go easy when they are still growing or it can screw up their joints. Once they are done growing, with regard to everything other than heat: use your judgment, and when you have to slow down or bail on a ride because of your dog, do so. But most importantly, heat stroke happens fast with little to no warning. Don't take them at all when the temp is even somewhat high -- literally talking like anything above mid-70s depending upon the breed and size. My current dog comes on Spring and Fall rides but in the summer he is relegated to hikes only....

 

[FJSnoozer]

As someone who can really feel the difference, when running at 180 vs 190 pounds. I would really keep that in mind when running any dogs. (How heavy they are and the weight on their hips.

I think that’s why we see some of these smaller dogs going the distance.

Dogs don’t know when to say when especially when they are tracking their owner or see how happy you are with their performance. My Rhodesian/Rottweiler used to run and cut until her pads tore off. Put her in the water and she would swim against the current for hours until you drug her out.

Also keep an eye on how much recovery it’s taking for them to do that effort. That will tell you a little bit about what they are putting themselves through. Are they sleeping for 2 days straight after a 15 miler, etc?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Harold]

I'll also point out that my wife is a veterinarian, so she's keeping extremely conservative eyes on what we have our dog doing.

he was 1.5yrs old before he did his first bike ride, which I cut off at 4mi (he was doing 7mi+ hikes for awhile before that point).

our previous dogs were a total mixed bag, too. first one was a husky/shepherd mix and it would have to be below about 50F for him to not overheat (and preferably snowy), so even though he loved running and had incredible stamina, it just wasn't something we really did with him with any regularity, especially considering the limited number of places we could take him. he was about 55lbs, leggy, and very lean.

our next dog weighed about the same, but couldn't have been more different. a 1 mi walk for him was his limit. he would just sit down and tell us to F off with the look on his face. he hated camping, too. he was a much more difficult dog for us to live with.

 

[F.N.G]

Thanks for input. We ride from house to trails and it’s all uphill. I am working my tail off pedaling up and he is just trotting. I have him on leash on way up. Once at trail, unless we run into hikers or bikers, i unleash him. When off leash, he is right behind my rear tire and when i descend, i don’t go too fast so he keeps up. He is in good hands with me on runs. When he gets hot, he darts to shade and cools off. I stop with him. The rides are all about him, not me. I ride alone for my rides.
Actually, on rides back home if i notice he’s dragging, I’ll hold him under my left arm and on knee. Coast down all the way home. He loves that too.
I get him out about 3x week. Not always 15 miles. Just lately since it’s cold and heat is not an issue.

He sure does make for some fun tho.

 

[F.N.G]

I am putting down my beloved blue heeler next week. She is 16 and I have had her since she was a puppy. Until the age of about 11 she could do 10 miles easily while I was on a bike. More if I was riding technical stuff. As she got older she was still a good trail dog while I ran since it was a slower pace. It wasn't until she was 14 that we could only do walks. Her hips have finally given up on her. I think it is individual to the breed. Heelers man. They are the best.

So sorry...

 

[LaloKera]

It's so incredibly individual that you can't extrapolate those numbers much.

Is your lab one of the leaner/lighter ones, or a heavier-boned lab? Labs are genetically predisposed to certain joint conditions, so you have to be really careful about that, too. The age at which each dog slows down is going to vary a lot, too. A dog that might live 20yrs is going to be different than one where 10yrs is old/geriatric. I've seen folks out riding with dogs ranging from miniature pinschers to mastiffs. They can all do something, but the details are what matter when it comes to distance and intensity.

I am aware of the predisposition. First dog ive ever had and so has been a constant learning experience.
My lab is more like one of those big boned labs(giant paws). I have always tried to keep him lean though by not feeding him too much.
Spends most all day sleeping since I am at work until late afternoon so Is a balance between excercising him too much and not enough.
He is great swimmer too. Is like he is in some kind of hypnosis if near water.

But Like anything, wear and tear will eventually catch up to you.

 

[Lenny7]

Dogs always "want more" to please and be with their owners. My guess, by looking at your dogs size, 15 miles is too much. Get a rig like this and put hime in back when he's had enough.

 

[Ft.Rock]

My Vizsla will run all day if I let her. She's only 4 but has been going out with me 4x per week for 2 years now. In general I keep it to 60-90 minutes because we ride technical trails and that's my limit. In summer though when the heat is up I limit her to 30-40 minutes because she won't regulate herself to suit conditions. One place we ride though has 4 ponds on the loop we ride so there I'll stay out longer and take swim/drink breaks at each pond.

 

[3blackbikes]

I've got an old lady Rez dog/pointer mix who had a fruitful life on the trail.

I didn't know any better other than I ended up with a tiny puppy abandoned on the side of the highway, and she was very crazy because of her bad start in life. So we started going on adventures together to forge a bond and to run the crazy out.

I likely made a lot of mistakes with her over the last 13 years of adventure together, including some too far mileage days, too hot days, and one incident where she got too close to the edge of a cliff in Ouray, CO and nearly fell to an early death. She likes to look over the edge for some reason, and we climb a lot of peaks.

I guess my advice is just to learn your dog's signs, and always err on a little less, than a little more. Dogs are loyal to the death, and will keep going and going in order to keep up and to please you. Mine finally got crochety enough in her older (and wiser) age to just get in front of me on the trail and block me to tell me she'd had enough. Now I can read her every thought, and we have the routine down. I've only had to carry her off a mountain in a rescue harness once, when she had definitely had too much, and I missed the signs that day. I do not recommend hauling a 45 lb dog in a sling off Mt. Elbert, it is not fun.

Fitness plans work for dogs too, every spring we would gradually increase the training load until she was fit for all day hikes or mountain climbs by summer. Lots of paw and tick checks. Always have enough water. I taught mine to drink from my Osprey hose, so I didn't have to worry about parasites from streams. She usually drinks more water than me and I'm the one dehydrated at the end of the day. And she loves snack breaks and rest days just as much as the adventure days.

So from a dog mom who's watching an old lady grow white in the face and get a little slower each day, be loving and enjoy your time with your adventure buddy!