hill/trail running and dogs

I'm a keen hill runner and my daughter has a 4 month old Collie/Doberman
thingy. Is 4 month of age too young to take it out running with me? I was
thinking of easy 3 milers to begin with.

Cheers,

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Bob Watkinson wrote:
I'm a keen hill runner and my daughter has a 4 month old Collie/Doberman
thingy. Is 4 month of age too young to take it out running with me?

Definitely. I'd wait until 9-12 months, and then I'd start
with an easy mile, not an easy 3 mile. Puppies have soft
bones and open growth plates, and high-impact exercise can
cause serious problems. And conditioning dogs is really not
that different from conditioning humans - a dog that's not
in shape for what's being asked of it will be vulnerable to
repetitive stress injuries, fractures from muscles being
unable to support the bone, development of the aerobic
system, etc.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community.

Right, thanks for that Melinda

Melinda Shore wrote:

In article ,
Bob Watkinson wrote:

I'm a keen hill runner and my daughter has a 4 month old Collie/Doberman
thingy. Is 4 month of age too young to take it out running with me?


Definitely. I'd wait until 9-12 months, and then I'd start
with an easy mile, not an easy 3 mile. Puppies have soft
bones and open growth plates, and high-impact exercise can
cause serious problems. And conditioning dogs is really not
that different from conditioning humans - a dog that's not
in shape for what's being asked of it will be vulnerable to
repetitive stress injuries, fractures from muscles being
unable to support the bone, development of the aerobic
system, etc.

Also, when you do start training with dog, remember that you'll have to
be his/her (a dog is never an "it") common sense. If it's hot out, plan
on stopping frequently for drink breaks and use this down time to
appraise your puppy's condition. How hard is he breathing? Is she
walking normally? Keep an eye on the puppy's pads. It takes a while to
build up callouses and you don't want them to get blistered or torn.

Build your distances slowly. I started mountainbiking with my dogs in
cool weather. This lessened my concerns about overheating during their
run, and it also allowed me to crate them in the van and finish out a
longer ride by myself.

Kathleen

I'm a keen hill runner and my daughter has a 4 month old Collie/Doberman
thingy.

thingy?