Jog my Dog – good or bad?
Taking your dog with you on a run can be a divisive subject, let’s demystify what’s going on
Although more commonly seen in larger cities, you are likely to see someone out jogging with their dog pretty much anywhere. Especially when the days are longer. Sometimes the dog is tethered to the jogger’s waist, though it could be on or off-lead too.
To clear the air and to be fair, what are the benefits of this pastime? The obvious one is that it helps with your time management, especially if you lead a very busy life. So the scenario might be that the dog won’t get their exercise at all, unless you can both combine your exercise together. There otherwise just isn’t the time in your day. And the physical and mental benefits of a jog with your dog, in theory, are obvious. You are both outside exercising, and the very fact of doing this together reinforces your bond. Right?
Well, this is a dog blog, so you know where I’m going to go with this! But rather than berate anyone for doing it, I want to highlight why I don’t think it’s a good idea. And maybe I can suggest some alternative ways of time management if this is an issue. That’s important, because some people jog with their dogs fully believing it’s a good thing for everyone. This should be distinguished from those who know better but still do it!
Today we will look at three reasons why I am suggesting jogging your dog is not a good idea.
- Your dog’s walk is for their benefit. For their wellbeing and health. Any undoubted benefit to you, the physical exercise and mental rest and the like, is secondary.
- Unless you own a Husky, your dog is not physiologically designed to run non-stop and may indeed struggle to keep your pace over a longer run. So you are storing up a health risk.
- You may be creating unwanted behavioural issues in other contexts by creating frustration and anxiety. Because they can’t stop and be a dog.
Let’s take a close look at these.
A dog walk is for their benefit
For our dogs, a walk is a highlight of the day. They of course can burn off some energy by physically exerting themselves. Equally the walk is their major point of contact with the outside world. They learn a little more every day to socialise and cope with different situations by seeing them or being involved in them. They can meet friends old and new. Or simply observe another person or dog – they are interested in all these things. They can (hopefully!) hear birds, see trees, or even just become sensitized to man-made sounds. It’s all so interesting for a dog. Sight hounds will love to look at potential “prey” in the far distance. Or a terrier might like to have a little dig. You know what your dog likes…
Above all, they want to smell the world. They use their noses to find out and recognise who has been where, and what a new friend smells like. And I am sure a lot of things are interesting to sniff because they are, well, interesting! So, a dog walk is enriching in so many other ways than simply physical exercise. And they will certainly need to stop to go to the toilet, if not just a desire to ‘mark’. Our Duty of Care to our dogs means we should give them the choice (within reason!) about where and when they do this.
Dogs are not designed to jog
Adding to the many other causes of joint failure, arthritis, or even heart failure, we can add non-stop running to the list. Apart from a few select breeds, your dog is literally not designed and built to jog. Depending on the breed, they are suited to a wide range of pace of movement, but all of these involve regularly stopping! If it’s a warm day or your dog is getting on in years or happens to be a flat-faced breed, we need to take this extra seriously. If you attend an accredited Canine First Aid course, you will hear plenty of horror stories about this.
Creating unwanted behaviours
If we are inhibiting our dogs from going at their own pace, being allowed to stop and sniff at their pace, or greet other dogs, we are building a sense of frustration in them. And frustration will start to resurface in the form of undesirable behaviours. This could range from excessive sniffing and marking when on a genuine dog walk. “Better have a good sniff now, because I don’t know when I will be allowed to do it again”. To destructive behaviours in the house. “I am frustrated! Let’s tear this up”.
If you are jogging with your dog off lead, you are opening the door to creating anxiety. Your dog’s time to stop and sniff at something is compromised by their fear of not catching up with you. There is constant pressure to keep on the move. Creating anxiety is exactly what we don’t want to do on a dog walk, as this can gradually build into reactive behaviours that were never otherwise there.
What if you still want to jog with your dog?
If you are on your own, and your dog suffers separation anxiety for example, then this would be a good opportunity to start talking to a dog trainer or behaviourist. If you want to jog your dog but infrequently, at least have frequent stops. Or, let them have a short but proper walk over the same ground you would be covering before your run. That way they can at least toilet and smell stuff! If the issue really is time, it would be better to walk the dog for a shorter time. At least it’s their time, and it’s quality time. But it’s also an opportunity to evaluate our lives, and why we have a dog.
Training aside and within obvious boundaries, the bottom line is anything that let’s our dog be a dog, is a good thing. So, letting them have their own time shared with you on a dog walk is the way to go!
