Want to trail run with my dobie

[brody3773]

Hi,

I have a dobie named Brody and he is a 18 months now (told him not to run him till after 12-16 months). I would like to start running him now and I have taken him out on short runs. He is extremely fast on short runs; however, I want to run with him on my longer runs. Most of my runs are either 6 to 20 miles depending on the day. My runs are slow like 11 minute miles and are on dirt trails. I bought him as a pet for the family but also as a running companion. My lab (Sophia) is getting older plus Brody looks a little more "Scary" (but he is the biggest sweetheart). So my question is after building him to run farther, how long or far can a dobie run? Are they good long distance runners? I know they were designed to be sprinters so I don't want to hurt him by running him too much. Once he is up to Sophia's ability, I will alternate them to prevent injury.

Thanks...Brody's mom

[Rich S]

Hi there Body's mom,

I run with my two-year-old boy Magnum all the time. We run on average 7k about three times a week.

There are a few considerations you have to keep in mind when running with a Doberman.

Age: Is your dog fully grown? To do the distances that you want to run, it may be hard on a growing pup.

Build endurance: Take your time building Brody’s endurance for those longer runs. The longest run I have taken Magnum on is 10k (just over 6 miles). I haven’t heard of anyone taking a dog on a 20 mile run. You may want to check with your vet and get their opinion.

Weather: Heat is a major factor when running with a dog. Although a Doberman's hair is short, they still can get very hot on a run. Even on a cool day, if the sun is shinning it can still raise their body temperature.

Water: Take lots of water for Brody. I trained Magnum to drink of a water bottle. I just squeeze it in his mouth and it works well.

Speed: Don’t worry that you run too fast for Brody. I consider my running pace fast (around 4 min kilometers). My running speed, for the most part, is very easy for Magnum. If I let Magnum set the pace, I would be getting ready for the Olympics. I always say I went for a run and Magnum went for an easy jog.

I hope this helps. Be sure to let us know how you and Brody do when you start running.

Rich