Hey there, I am training as a runner and would really like to be able to take my Airedale with me (I always ran with my Parsons Russel). I have heard that I shouldn’t even consider running with him until after he’s a year old. It’s not like I’m running a marathon or anything..just training for 5 or 10 k distances and I would really like to get him out there with me to at least get the whole behaviour thing understood while running. Does anybody have any feedback? I don’t want to risk any injury to him at all. He’s just 6 months old and I want to start him off right!
It think it would depend on the type of surface are you running on. The normal rule is 5 minutes on lead walking for each month of the puppy's age, but free running on grassland is OK. As a guide, the Kennel Club do not allow dogs under 12 months to compete in Canicross races of over 5k, and dogs must be 18 months before they do the 10k distances. These are cross country races of course. You might get more detailed help on conditioning and running with your dog from one of the Canicross clubs.
I would say 5/10 k is far to much for a young pup Taking young pups for forced runs with you isn't encouraged,(there bones are still growing) its recommend not over doing it on hard surfaces, but some free running on dirt and grass is ok.
I see that I have not explained the KC rules very well. Dogs cannot compete in Canicross below 12 months. From 12 months they are allowed to run in 5k cross country races, but must be 18 months old before being allowed to enter for the 10k distance. Sorry about that, blame Father Time.
Ok thank you! I will keep him strictly to lawn zoomies for at least a year Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you! I will certainly research the Canicross more as well! I’ve never run an official race with my pup but would love to eventually once he’s ready! It’s all trail and dirt road so for now we’ll stick with walks and those time limits! Everything is pretty new to him so really expecting an actual run with all the new smells to sniff..not very realistic Thanks again!
