Dawg Run Tip #7 - Water

Just as it is important for you to stay well hydrated at all times, it is just important (and oftentimes more difficult) for your dawg as well.

Since dawgs cool themselves through their mouths by panting, they need water more frequently than you do – both to hydrate and to cool themselves – and that will take some minor planning on your part.

For starters, I keep a stainless steel water/food bowel on the floor behind my driver’s seat at all times. Anytime I head out with the dawg, I will fill a bottle of tap water and make sure I have a bag of kibble as well. You never know what life has in store for you and you don’t want your dawg to have to suffer hunger or dehydration due to your lack of preparation.

If the dawg and I are headed out for a particularly long or hot (or both) excursion, I will take along a foldable water bowl that I can tuck in my waistband in the small of my back. This goes not only for runs but for simple walks around town as well.

Some dos and don’ts regarding water:

1) Don’t leave your dawg’s water in the car for an extended period of time. For one, it gets hot which will defeat half its purpose. Secondly, there have been enough bad things said about the combination of water, plastic bottles, and heat causing health problems that I am not willing to risk it (at the very least, it tastes bad). I always fill up a fresh bottle of water when we head out and if it gets too hot, I look for another source of cooler, non-plastic-contaminated water.

2) Bottled water may not be a good idea. Your dawg is used to tap water. Bottled water is different and may not agree with your pooch. I discovered this the hard way and had to mop out the back of the car after giving the dawg some bottled water with the best of intentions. Think twice before sharing that bottle of Fuji water with your dawg – it may be good for you, bad for him and bad for your upholstery.

3) Ground water can pose a danger. Water in streams, lakes, even public fountains, can contain contaminants that can make your dawg sick. Many of these concerns can be dealt with by getting your dawg the right combination of vaccinations. Specifically the giardia vaccine. Just tell your local vet that you plan on camping and letting your dawg drink from streams and lakes – they should be able to hook you up.

Running with your dawg can be a fun, rewarding and bonding experience. The key is to put your dawg first, look at the situation from their point of view, be safe and be prepared.

Happy trails.

Dawg Run Tip #6: Hot Dawgs

While it is important to consider your dawg when planning your route, you also need to consider your dawg when planning on when to run your route. When you get hot, you sweat. When the sweat evaporates, it takes some of your body heat with you.

When was the last time you met a sweaty dawg? It's a trick question. Dawgs don't really sweat, they perspire. (Sorry - it's early and I had to throw that one in there)

Dawgs don't really sweat (or perspire) they pant. Panting means a dawg is hot, thirsty or both. As you can image, we humans are much better adapted to deal with rising temperatures than our canine friends. For one, we can strip down and run in shorts and a sweaty tank-top. Your dawg wears the same fur coat every time he runs.

Some warning signs about hot-dawgs: If your dawg is pulling on the leash towards a shady spot, you have a hot-dawg. If your dawg is lagging behind you for no apparent reason on a warm day - you have a hot-dawg. If you dawg just stops or sits or lays down in a shady spot, you have a hot-dawg.

Dawgs are susceptible to all the same heat maladies that humans are (heat stroke etc). Combine that with your dawg's natural inclination to keep up with you even if it causes injury, and you begin to realize the importance of watching very closely for signs of overheating.

As a general rule, if the temp is under 70 degrees, I know my dawg is going to do fine. 70-72 and we try to stick to the shade as much as possible. Above 72 we either skip it or I watch the dawg very closely.

So it is important to give careful consideration to what time of day you run. I do not much care for getting up in the dark on a Saturday or Sunday morning to go for a run when I could sleep in and run later. But in So. Cal in the summer, later means hotter and that means the dawg would have to skip it. So up at o-dark-thirty it is. It is worth it.

Dawg Run Tip #5: Plan Your Route

Some of this may seem obvious but when you are taking your dawg into consideration, it adds a whole new dynamic to planning your route.

Do you want to run on asphalt, concrete or dirt? Do you mind traffic? Do you want to run with or without a leash? What are the temperatures like where you live?

Personally, I don't want to be near traffic with my dawg. I prefer dirt to asphalt or concrete. I like to have the dawg off-leash and, in San Diego, we tend to be a little warmer than some other places.

All that means that:

A) I have to run in the mornings when it is cool (mostly for the dawg's sake)
2) I have to drive to the park, the bay or the waterfront to do my runs (they are the closest traffic-free places where I feel comfortable letting the dawg off-leash)

It is something of a drag to have to drive to the run and it adds an extra 30-40 minutes to my 57-step morning routine but it is worth it. Running in the park, at the waterfront, or around the bay is just so beautiful and wonderful compared to running the hills of my neighborhood - dodging traffic and setting off canine alarms every other house that we run by.

Decide what is best for you and the pooch (even if it means a drive) - then get out and do it.

Dawg Run Tip #4: Leash or No Leash?

Let me start by saying that I advise all dawg owners to obey the leash laws of their neighborhood. I would never advocate for people to let their dawgs run free in a leash-only area. No no no - not me.

Now that's over . . . As a general rule, if I am walking or doing a combination of walking and running, I will keep the dawg on a 6-foot nylon leash. I like the "long leash" because it works well if I need to tie him up somewhere or if he needs a little personal space to "take care of business". Even though the leash is 6-feet, when we are walking, I shorten it up and he walks right at my side the whole time in an approximate "heel" position. None of this retractable leash let-your-dawg-run-amok nonsense for me.

When we are running, I prefer to let him off-leash (if possible) for a number of reasons:

1) He runs more. When he is off leash, he runs a little ahead, then races back behind, runs circles, chases rabbits etc. If I run 4 miles, he runs 5. And a tired dawg makes for a happy owner.

2) I can more closely monitor him. When the dawg is running on-leash, he is right there, at my side, trudging along. Being off-leash gives him the chance to run on the grass next to the paved path I am on - thereby protecting his paws. I can also better gauge when he is tired as he will fall back when he has had enough instead of being forced to keep up on a leash.

3) Taking care of business. Off-leash gives him the chance to stop and relieve himself at will. On leash, he pretty much just holds it until nature forces him to skid to a stop.

4) It is just plain fun. I love to watch him run across a wide lawn in the morning - big smile on his face.

Obviously, it is important for you to be very cautious about letting your dawg off-leash. I generally run in parks or near the beach where the traffic is non-existent. I would never take him on a run off-leash near traffic. His is a very well-behaved dawg but he is still a dawg. You never know when he is going to see a squirrel across the street and dart into traffic.

You should also be in control of your dawg at all times - leash or no leash. If your free-range dawg runs off into the distance or will not come when called, you really should not have him off the leash.

You also need to be socially conscious. You may have the most wonderful dawg in the world but strangers don't know that. When a stranger sees an 85lb mutt charging them, they are right to be concerned and no one should have their morning walk ruined buy your off-leash dawg stressing them out.

Remember that other dawgs are not always friendly. I always assume that when someone has their dawg on a leash, it is for a good reason. If your off-leash dawg charges up to a dawg that is on-leash, it may stress out the other dawg-owner and/or lead to a canine confrontation.

For all these reasons, I always carry the long leash with me. When we approach an unknown dawg,*clip*, on goes the leash. When we get near other people and I sense he is going to stress them out, *clip*. When we get near traffic, *clip*. You get the picture. In an hour run I may leash and un-leash him 5-6 times. It sounds like a pain but we are to the point that we can almost do it on the run - without breaking our stride.

So my default is: walking=leash / running=off-leash

Dawg Run Tip #3: Footwear

It is important that you outfit yourself with good quality shoes that match the way you run. THE store in my area for getting your feet analyzed and fitted is Road Runner Sports. The staff there are all runners themselves and I have never left there disappointed. Just as it is important to take care of your feet, it is equally important to take care of your dawg's feet. Unlike you, your dawg is going to be doing all this running barefoot.

Dawgs are born with soft, smooth paw pads - not unlike an infant's feet. It takes time for your dawg to build up the tough calloused pads that he will need for running. If you push too far, too fast, you will end up with a dawg that has cracked, skinned and bleeding paws. I cobbled together my "Plan C" training schedule in part to accommodate this portion of my new puppy's development and it worked well.

When you are out and about, watch the terrain for hazards. I have had to stop and change direction more than once to prevent the dawg from running through broken glass. Fox tails (those irritating weeds that burrow into your socks) have the potential to be pretty nasty if your dawg ends up with one between his toes.

Also be mindful of heat. You may be fine in your high-tech shoes and socks running on that black-top road but remember that your dawg may not. If you find your dawg pulling you into the shade, the ground may be too hot for his paws or he may just be too hot in general.

Even though your dawg may have good established paw pads, it is a good idea to check his feet at least once a week - you never know what he may have gotten himself into when your head was turned.

Dawg Run Tip #2: Know Your Dawg's Abilities

A maltipoo is not going to be able to run as fast or as far as a Lab.

If you want a dog that is going to be a good running companion, you need to opt for a medium to large breed dog.

Many pure breed dogs have trouble with their hips and joints so give some consideration to rescuing a mutt from your local shelter.

Our dawg is an 85lb mix of lab, spaniel and lord only knows what else and he is wonderful.

Just as with people, dawgs need to build up to running. Their paw pads and their bodies can't go from a couch-potato lifestyle to distance runner overnight. My "Plan C" workout schedule worked very well for both the Dawg and I. While it takes a loooong time to build up to running an hour every other day, it is a safe way to do it without pushing your dawg too far too fast and it gives his paw pads a chance to thicken and toughen up.

Again, keep a close eye on your Dawg. If your dawg lays down whenever you come to a brief stop, he is tired and you need to hang it up for the day.

Also remember that dawgs are generally sprinters - not distance runners. Our dawg does pretty well on runs under an hour but longer than that seems to be too much for him so I leave him home if I am going for a long run on the weekends.

Dawg Run Tip #1: The Dawg Comes First

When we first added the lousy Dawg to our life, I looked everywhere for tips on running with your Dawg. I was surprised at how little I found.

So just in case anyone else is thinking of doing the same, I thought I would put together some observations that I have had over the last 8mos and counting.

Tip #1: The Dawg Comes First

Dawgs love their humans and they love to run! A dawg will run itself to the point of injury and beyond just to keep up with its human. The last thing you want to do is have your dawg suffer from hip, shoulder and joint injuries all because you didn't know when to "say when".

It is very important that you keep a close eye on your dawg. If he is too tired, too hot, too thirsty or just plain old doesn't feel like running - you need to stop immediately and get your dawg what it needs. Your record-breaking workout can wait for another day.