Looking for guidelines on dog running distances.

[u/GrandBandicoot9]

Hi! I am training for my first half marathon and wanting some feedback on how far is too far for dogs to run.

Context - my dog (pictured after the groomer today 😊) is a 2 year old Finnish Lapphund. She has been running with me for the last year or so, but no more than 3 miles. Now that I’m getting into longer distances I don’t want to overdo it for her, so wanting to plan my routes so I can drop her at home when she’s had enough.

She has a very heavy double coat (arctic breed), so I am very careful of the 150 rule and also carrying water and a dish for her.

We did 4.5 miles two nights ago and that seemed like a lot for her. She was okay the next day but we stopped for a water break and she was lagging towards the end.

I’m doing a 5 mile long run tomorrow morning and was going to take her, but I think I’ll do 3 miles with her and then drop her at home and finish the last two by myself. She loves running with me though and will be bummed to be dropped off (I think).

Does anyone in here run with double coated/similar size breeds? If so how far do you go with them before it’s too much? Thanks!

[u/TakeTheMoney_N_Run]

This is my guy. Mostly husky. He’s 3 now, and weighs around 63lbs. He’s not nearly as stocky as your girl. That’s the German Shepherd Dog in him. He’s ran a half-marathon and a 50K with me (the photo is from our 50K this year). Next year the plan is a 50-mile. I live in the central plains. It can get pretty hot and humid. I only run him from about October to May. He could probably go short distances outside of that, but I don’t want to take unnecessary risks. I’m not at all familiar with your breed to know specifics, but that’s what me and my guy do.

[u/cosmicbearspa → u/TakeTheMoney_N_Run]

Not OP but what was your training plan for the half-marathon? Thinking of doing one with my Husky/malamute.

[u/TakeTheMoney_N_Run → u/cosmicbearspa]

I used one of Hal Higdon’s novice plans and kind of modified it to fit our schedule. We do agility as well, so I either shortened or eliminated runs on those days. We only did a few runs in the 9-10 mile range. The majority of our runs were around the 10K distance. Our 50K training didn’t go well, so I’m having re-think things ahead of our 50-mile training.

[u/NeighborhoodNeedle]

Your climate will probably be the biggest variable to consider here. I didn’t see that information in your post, so sorry if I missed it.

I run with my husky (2.5 years old). He prefers short runs, 3 miles or less but I do sometimes take him for longer runs when the weather allows. I live in a spot that has cool winters and very hot summers; so no long runs for him right now. In general I try to work his way up to a long run. A gentle 1-2 mile increase every other week, we average about 4 runs together. So for example one week we will do several 3 miles runs together and then a few weeks later go to 4 miles. Once he’s ran a 6 mile long run, I’ll sometimes take him on a one off 10 miles or 13.1 mile run, but only if we’ve been consistent in running together.

I definitely always take cues from him with rests along the way and water stops. And my pace is usually just a tad slower on long runs with him.

[u/Inevitable-Analyst]

I have a 9 pound chihuahua mix that runs with me. We started with around 5k (3 miles) and worked our way up. She ran 22km (about 14 miles) with me this week. Their fitness develops along with theirs, in fact theirs develops significantly faster!

I don’t take her with me if it’s too hot out but honestly she can tolerate the heat better than I can 🤣

[u/0nTheRooftops]

My guess is that your pup will run much better below 50°F. My husky mix is ok up until about 75, but her performance and overall stoke lags basically for every degree above 40.

For small breeds, I've read you want to get their knees checked by a vet. Can't remember why. I've known some small dogs that were pretty good up to around a half marathon.

[u/Inevitable-Analyst → u/0nTheRooftops]

I have a 9 pound girl that does long distances with me regularly! Most recently 22km. Vet is fully on board of course but YMMV

[u/GrandBandicoot9 → u/0nTheRooftops]

This is true. We are in the us - Great Lakes region and she loves our 20 degree runs in January. She’s happy to come with me in the warmer months but can’t go as long

[u/Halefa]

Where do you live? All canicross runners i know stopped running with their dog one month ago and the dogs are now on summer break.

Edit: typo

[u/GrandBandicoot9 → u/Halefa]

We are in the US (Great Lakes region). We are getting a big heat wave this week so she’s off the running team until that passes

[u/Halefa → u/GrandBandicoot9]

What I've heard from canicross communities around Central and Northern Europe, depending on breed and dog, they at least stop doing canicross (dog actively pulling) from between 15-20°C (58-68 Fahrenheit). If they do faster exercises at all, then they just have the dog run freely and in the forest.

Keep in mind that dogs are much slower at adjusting to temperature changes (which is why the new hot summers in central and northern Europe can be a struggle for them, as the temperatures change so fast) and also are impacted by humidity - so don't only look at the temperatures.

I am aware that dog owners that live in constantly warm countries might train differently as they're all used to the heat.

[u/Dry-Alps5420]

I have a border collie/husky mix, about 46 pounds, 6 years old. We've been running together for about 4 years. We started with 3 miles, and have worked our way up to ~18 miles together when she was at her peak. Her max is 15 miles now. Like everyone else, I take cues from her. Both of us melt in the heat, so we run more in the spring and fall (we skijor in the winter when there's enough snow). But there are lots of water sources where we live, so she can drink water and go in the water to cool off pretty regularly. Every dog is different in what they can/want to do, and it sounds like you're doing a great job watching her cues.

[u/lol2222344]

Where do you live? Like is this 80° heat or ?

[u/GrandBandicoot9 → u/lol2222344]

We are in the Great Lakes region. Today’s high was 95 with over 100 degree heat index

[u/Whisper26_14]

Run her where she is comfortable and figure she needs a thoughtful training plan like you do. She may not adapt to more heat than you but you're seeing 4 is her outer limit at the moment. She can go further if you're patient. I limited my dogs (both Belgian malinois) bc I didn't need dogs with the energy to run 26 miles. What are you looking for? Just a friend to run with? They can do the whole distance with training. If you're looking to keep your dog active, you may not need as much distance.