Do you have a dog and do you like to run? Would you like your dog to be able to run with you? It’s a great idea. This sport even has its name – canicross. It will more than benefit your pet and you can combine your two favorite activities into one. Don’t know how to start or what to focus on? Come find out with us.
What is canicross
Officially, it is a sport that involves running and “walking” with a dog. With canicross, the owner and the dog become a synchronized team that runs at the same pace. Canicross is run with a special harness and leash. Of course – you can run with a dog in other ways, it is not necessarily a canicross.
What is important at the beginning?
The first thing to do is find out when to start with. It’s great that it’s never really too late. As long as your dog is in shape, you can start running training. But be careful not to start too soon. It is not appropriate or meaningful to start training canicross with a puppy. When a dog is small, it is good to focus on proper upbringing and building a relationship with your pet. Once the dog is physically and mentally mature, this is the ideal time to embark on a canicross.
Before the start, it is also important to teach the dog obedience and all the classic and basic instructions. If you want to run free with your dog, it is good to teach him that there is no time for sniffing and stops while running – he should focus on you and running.
If you know someone who is already running with the dog, it is also a win for you. You can arrange with him and go jogging together from the beginning. If a matched pair runs in front of you, it is much easier for your pet to learn to run and synchronize.
It is also good to choose destinations where you will run, find out how often you should run and how to reconcile with your pet.
Why it’s good to run with a dog
Running with your pet is good for many reasons. For your dog, movement and running is very healthy and beneficial. You keep him in shape. And not only your dog, but you too. Thanks to running with a dog, you may fall in love with running even more than you love it now. You will create a kind of tradition and a common hobby for you and your four-legged friend.
If you run with your dog, you will actively spend more time together and thus support mutual relationships. Furthermore, you teach the dog to listen more, you train him and you train yourself.
Running is a natural activity for us and the dogs. For dogs especially. So it’s clear that running together is a great choice.
Is it better to have a dog on a leash or on vacation?
A lot depends on where you go to run, that’s the first thing. If you go jogging on busy paths, bike paths and the like, it is advisable (at least from the beginning) to have a dog on a leash. If you have it on leave, especially if the dog is not yet sufficiently trained, it could spread out, run in the way of others and there could be a risk of injury to him or the surrounding runners, cyclists, skaters or pedestrians.
If you want to have a dog on vacation, go jogging in nature. If you run in the woods, on dirt roads and any other trails that are not frequented, you can afford to let the dog go. But beware of education. If your dog can’t listen well yet, be careful not to run into the field or run away in the woods behind a deer or a hare.
When and where to go with a dog to run?
The best places to start running are soft fields, forests and generally peaceful nature, where not many people go and there is not so much distraction for the dog. The route does not have to be long, especially from the beginning when it is mainly a matter of harmonization.
If you do not have such a possibility, you can go jogging on bike paths and similar places adapted for sports, or possibly in the park. As we mentioned, it is good to have a dog on a leash in such places.
Try to avoid running around the city, busy roads and the like.
Going jogging is good when it’s not too hot. In spring and autumn, you can go jogging basically at any time, but on hot summer days, try to go jogging early in the morning, in the evening, or calmly at night, after nine o’clock, when the sun is setting.
If you run with your dog, you will actively spend more time together and thus support mutual relationships. Furthermore, you teach the dog to listen more, you train him and you train yourself.
Running is a natural activity for us and the dogs. For dogs especially. So it’s clear that running together is a great choice.
Running equipment
Canicross belt
This is a special belt for canicross. You do not lead the dog on a classic leash, but on a belt. You have your hands free and the dog is running in front of you. With the right technique, the dog should pull you lightly. The belt is comfortable and non-adjustable so that the pressure goes mainly to the lower part of your hips and to the buttocks, not to the spine, thus avoiding back pain.
Special harness for the dog
Just as there is a belt for you to simplify running, there is a harness for the dog, which is under the whole chest and over the back. The pressure for the dog is distributed evenly so that the harness does not strangle or pull him anywhere.
Leash for running
A running leash means a leash with a so-called shock absorber – rubber shock absorber. It is a leash that dampens the impact when jerked and it is not such a shock for your dog.
Running shoes
For the right experience, it is advisable to choose the right running shoes for you. If you run in uncomfortable shoes that start to push you after a while, or your legs hurt, you will not enjoy running and caroling about an injury. Therefore, it is definitely advisable to choose the right sports shoes for running.
I don’t want to do canicross, I just want to run with a dog
If your goal is not canicross, but you just want to start running with your pet, all the above tips apply to you in exactly the same way. The difference is that it is definitely advisable to look for just unfrequented ways where you can have your dog free and be sure that the dog will listen to you no matter what happens. It takes proper training and a strong will.
What to watch out for
Animal obedience – the dog should listen to you and you should be in tune
Dehydration – both yours and your dog’s – bring water for both of you
Route and terrain – from the beginning, avoid long routes on hard surfaces
Temperature and weather – do not run in steam heat
Beware of food – the dog should not be just after eating