# Jogging



## flamefrost (Apr 4, 2012)

Hi, I've got one question, I love running and sports in general but I wanted to know, at what age are the muscles or bones of the dog ready enough to start jogging ? I know I can't start from too young cause they're still gettin strenght and such so I wanted to know at what age I can start jogging, 5 mins to start to 10 to 15 and so on.
Thanks!


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## malamutelove (Dec 6, 2010)

I started running with my mal, when she was 8 months. You can walk a pup little by litte everyday to get them use to a leash.


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## flamefrost (Apr 4, 2012)

Yeah, she isn't used at all, I got to drag her in order to make her move and I don't like dragging her hehe, tomorrow is her last shot so finally I can take her out after 2 days or 3 in order the shot to take effect, can't wait!


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

I would wait till the dog is 12 months if a small breed (less than 30 lbs) and 18 months or more if it's a bigger breed, and then after doing prelim xrays start SLOWLY on working up to it. Till then it's off leash on grassy areas and let 'em decide how hard to run and play - so not hiking ten miles but going at a steady pace while the dog is free to run and explore as needed.

You can start now but would likely end up with a lot of long term damage and a shortened lifespan as far as activity goes. A friend had a retriever that she started training young, did jumping, hiking and two 2-3 hour off leash walks daily (her mom took the dogs out in the morning, she did the same in the evening). At 18 months he started limping and the xrays showed almost nothing for actual hip joints. She reduced his weight and he ran for a few years on pure muscle till the pain was too much and he was put down at the age of 3. Both parents had excellent hips. Better safe than sorry.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

It is less about the muscles than about the growing joints. The impact of repetitive running on the joints is hard, and its worse before the growth plates have closed.

You want to figure out the typical time of physical maturity for your breed and wait at least till then for any on-leash running, running on hard surfaces (pavement, concrete, asphalt etc) or "forced running" as in, running that is not completely freely chosen by the dog.

When you do start running at about aged 18 months or so, you need to build slowly in distance and speed. Dirt paths are fairly low impact, asphalt is somewhat low impact and concrete is the highest impact typical running surface. If you talk to distance runners, NO ONE runs on sidewalks, they all run in the streets to reduce impact on the knees and ankles.


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## GR's rock (Apr 17, 2012)

If you have a small breed then I would wait until 12 months if you want to be sure that jogging isnt damanging the muscles, bones and joints. If you have a large breed then wait until 18 months. With both small and large breeds slowly increase the time you run and the surfaces you run on. Start with soft surfaces and if you want when their older they can start jogging on hard surfaces. Correct me if im wrong, hope i helped.


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