Running your dog to death!!

Thought i'd bring this up for discussion.
Its not something i ever gave much thought to but here goes. Several years ago i paid a regular visit to the vet with a staff i used to have. We were chatting and i mentioned that i took her out with me when i rode my bike into the countryside. Then the vet stopped me in my tracks and gave me a stern warning that having my dog run alongside me while cycling could kill her!!
He told me that short bursts of maybe 100 yards then a rest is fine but to go on a 5 or 10 mile ride could be very dangerous, Even the fittest of dogs need rest and the muscular physique of the staff means they are not built for distance, He continued to tell me that because your dog is loyal and loves you it will fear being left behind and try to keep up with you no matter what, this could lead to a heart attack, exhaustion, damage to the hips and so on.

I paused for thought and digested what i had been told and it made a lot of sense. Never been on a bike ride with a dog since.

What are your thoughts on this??

This scares me alot.. I so want to go on long runs with Ramsey but I'm worried it won't be good for him.

I did run with Taz, but I only did 2-3 miles and I am not fast. ( once he was mature)

I think the vet makes a lot of sense , Staffys are more Daley Thompsons than Mo Farah's.

Jason wrote:This scares me alot.. I so want to go on long runs with Ramsey but I'm worried it won't be good for him.

I think jogging would be fine, the distance and speeds on a cycle are the problem yuo just dont realise how far or fast your going when your having fun>

Yeah I guess but I run 3 miles quite quick and he's still kinda young

I was cycling with Tilly for a while but more for her than me so probably about 2 miles at a time a t a steady pace, not been since we got Tommy though .

Its only food for thought, Lots of people run with their dogs, i'm thinking of taking up jogging but i'll speak to the vet first just to make sure

Jason wrote:This scares me alot.. I so want to go on long runs with Ramsey but I'm worried it won't be good for him.

If your dog is in good health and over 18 months old running shouldn't have a negative effect unless you are Paula Radclife in disguise?

Whatever method I'd use to exercise a dog one thing for sure I would start small and build up according to ability and purpose. My current dog is bonkers and runs at full pelt for an hour off leash before she starts to show signs of calming down so I doubt chasing me on a bike at moderate pace for half hour would harm her.

I think common sense is a must just as it is with humans wanting to get/keep fit.

I thought it was true, I read somewhere that dogs aren't usually suited to running long distances, they tend to have short bursts of energy but can't do very well over long distances. Suppose if you make sure to rest it'd be fine though.

I played fetch with Monty this weekend, and walked for a couple of hours. He was shattered by the time we got home. That night he was limping quite badly... I guess I over worked him. He was fime the next day.

I agree with what the vet said, though I would have thought that people would have the sense to give their dogs a break. They're smaller than humans, so when the owner gets tired, the dog is probably exhausted. All exercise should be gradually built up anyway.

I run/jog with Ledger but only about 5km (3miles) that is the standard distance for Canix so figure it is safe enough. I'm also not overly quick and Ledger has been known to turn round grab the lead and run faster with me but it also isn't a constant run as he does like his toilet stops

Long distance running for dogs is fine provided the dog is trained & fed properly. For example, huskies do hundreds of miles in races (Iditerod, The Great West Quest etc) and are fine, but these dogs receive very high fat/protein feed that would be no good for a normal house dog, and are trained for months to reach a very high level of fitness.

Most of our pets, even the very fit ones, would struggle with long road running.

Staffs are not built for distance no, and they can over heat easily, but i would say that all dogs are different. Some are more lean and could run this distence fine, others are more bulky and might pass out

Staffys have stamina and will mostly go for as long as taken out of their character to please, but u need to think about injury to paw pads, strains, dehydration etc. I wouldn't do it for 5-10miles that's insane tbh.
Whereas a leisurely strole for 5miles is fine, slowly slowly does it. No need to have them running or trotting for 5-10 miles

Being one that "works" his dog fairly hard, I would agree completely with the vet on this one!

Max is very fit, and a bit of a workaholic, so its up to me to rain him in, and make sure he dosent over do it! .. they are built for strength, and intense burst's of energy ... not miles of running IMO!

and as already said, I have no doubt that he would follow me flat out on my motorbike untill he collapsed if I'd let him ... so I monitor his excercise pretty closely

before romeo's surger we had ben building up his running. at first i would only go in bursts, and then for an amount of time until we had managed to get it to about 3kms at an even jog.
when we get the all clear from the vets, we are going to try a little roller pull in the summer, but like the running, we will start off very small, and build it up over time. We have though to do this more tough one since even after 3kms of jogging.... romeo is still ready to go when we get home while i'm dead on the floor...

Tara wrote:I thought it was true, I read somewhere that dogs aren't usually suited to running long distances, they tend to have short bursts of energy but can't do very well over long distances. Suppose if you make sure to rest it'd be fine though.

Quite the opposite, dogs are well capable and suited to running long distances. Look at hounds or huskies. Wolves in the wild will follow a herd for miles. The deer will tire out as THEY are only suited to short burts, thus the wolves can hunt tired animals.

When I take Suki for a run she only goes as far and as fast as I can on foot and I tend to go slower and for a shorter distance with her. I also make sure the weather is cool

Personally i don't agree with cycling and running a dog. They cant choose to stop and i prefer to let them run while off lead etc

Hi, Jstaff made a good point regarding exercising dogs and the weather.
Surely if a Staffie is fit, strong exercise is not a problem, you just have to know your dog and more importantly when you know it has had enough, no good going out on your bike or for a fast run if your dogs not up to it, that can cause damage.

Hayley wrote:

Tara wrote:I thought it was true, I read somewhere that dogs aren't usually suited to running long distances, they tend to have short bursts of energy but can't do very well over long distances. Suppose if you make sure to rest it'd be fine though.

Quite the opposite, dogs are well capable and suited to running long distances. Look at hounds or huskies. Wolves in the wild will follow a herd for miles. The deer will tire out as THEY are only suited to short burts, thus the wolves can hunt tired animals.

Some breeds are, but Staffy's arnt Hounds, Huskys or Wolves .... they is gladiators innit

i think its just common sense, dont run him like mad when its 30 degrees outside, stop for regular breaks, take plenty of water. I often go for long runs/bike rides with bruce, he loves it.

Some breeds are, but Staffy's arnt Hounds, Huskys or Wolves .... they is gladiators innit [/quote] agree with you my max is Maximus from the GLADIATOR from there i chose his name

danielirl wrote:

Some breeds are, but Staffy's arnt Hounds, Huskys or Wolves .... they is gladiators innit

agree with you my max is Maximus from the GLADIATOR from there i chose his name [/quote]

My two are half and half bold as brass but go for hours on end. Both have husky type body except laskas staffy head. They act and play like staffs but have the endurance of a husky. 10 flipping miles dragging me about yesterday and they still spent time between that walk and night walk playing and wrestling...
Ive also heard a staffs need to please will lead them through any pain barrier so its up to us as owners ti make the call when enough is enough

I usually run 4 miles every morning before college/work and I've taken the dog out with me a few times! While I'm running she keeps up with me and absolutely loves it! She's a tough cookie to tire out though! When she's older I'd probably take her out every other day as to give her a bit of a rest since she still gets her afternoon walk!

Running with you isnt an issue as far as I'm concerned, but running with a cyclist is a very differant thing!!

Max could run all day long at jogging pace, but if I expected him to keep up with me on my mountain bike for mile after mile, thats just rediculous and cruel to him as far as I'm concerned

Andy wrote:Running with you isnt an issue as far as I'm concerned, but running with a cyclist is a very differant thing!!

Max could run all day long at jogging pace, but if I expected him to keep up with me on my mountain bike for mile after mile, thats just rediculous and cruel to him as far as I'm concerned

Agreed and also make sure they are 18 months of age before starting a routine.