10 Month Old Whippet And Jogging

[coylt]

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Hi All

I was wondering if someone could give me some advice in regards to jogging and whippets. I have a 10month old bitch called Saffie, she is very good off the lead (not near roads).

I currently run about 7km every other day (about 35mins of running and other 15 mins of cool down and warm up). I would dearly like to take her with me, which I have done once this week - most of the run she is on the lead but part of the tack runs via the park in which I remove the lead - so during the park bit she can run free. She was very good on her first ever run, to add to this, she is quite fit already as she done a lot, from about 6 months old, of run walk type exercise with the idea of taking her jogging with me. The problem is after seeking lots of advice on jogging with Whippets I am still not sure if jogging with Whippets is harmful for the dog, or how far or for how long a Whippet can safely jog if at all.

Please help

Cheers

Tim

 

[Seraphina]

Jogging is excelent for a Whippet, I doubt if you would manage to run further than she could . I would probably intruduce her to it bit more gradually, but at 10 months she is old enough. I would just watch her, make sure she is not too exhausted afterwards. I used to run my dogs with a bicycle or a horse for about 8 km almost every day. :thumbsup:

Lida

 

[Smiffy@VeronnaV]

:- "

Logically, if you wanted a jogging companion why didn't you buy a breed which was bred specifically to jog like the dalmation or find a partner who likes to suffer on a daily basis in the name of good health??

Contrary to the last post, I do not believe jogging to be good for anyone, and to be very bad indeed for under age dogs. For unless a dog is fully grown, and that means the bones have stopped growing, they are not physically ready for the rigours of the hunt - or in this case the jog. The whippet is not considered fully grown until nearly 14 months of age. This is a biological fact - the bones aren't set until during their 13th month. So jog your dog for long distances before then?

It is also not recommended by any reputable running club or sports trainer. This I know because I have in a past life discussed this with a member of the UK athletics team. You run the risk of long term damage to either or all of the following your neck, shoulders and upper arms, upper spine, lower spine - not to mention risks associated with running with a dog who chases things like cats if caught in their sights. If you don't believe me, go and ask at your local harriers club or reputable sports centre. Because, if you are on the public highway, your dog MUST be on a lead that is the law. And because of this, you will have to hold the lead and this is what leads (excuse the pun) to you holding your body incorrectly which is where the risks of long term damage to you come from.

Lecture over, and I haven't even mentioned running you for 10K wearing a fur coat and trousers and only being able to lose body heat from your mouth and the soles of your feet and never giving you a break and not letting up until you get home. :- "

 

[Mark Roberts]

Hi Tim,

Several years ago we sold a pup to a bloke that did hill running, once old enough and built up gradualy the dog loved going for the runs with his owner and looked fantastic for it.

if you & your dog enjoy it and it works for the both of you I say go for it.

good luck

 

[chelynnah]

Well I must disagree with Smiffy. My girls love going running with Daddy, as do MANY MANY whippets that I know of. I also know of MANY who go biking (usually with a Springer bike attachment - Springer being the name of the attachment, not the dog).

Why on earth shouldn't they run/jog. They're happy to, they love it. Whippets will go for as long as you want or crash for as long as you need. And certainly can't see why it's bad for them. Hmm - perhaps they shouldn't do agility either. Perhaps the only exercise they should get shoudl be flat out sprinting for about 5 minutes a day? Oh no - that could be dangerous as well (tongue firmly planted in cheek :- " )

I expect you'll find yourself in the minority on this one.

At 10 months I think she'd be okay to start. I'm not sure I'd do the full circuit till she was over a year, but that's my opion on being sure joints are complete and growth plates are closed.

Wendy

 

[Lolcoe]

A lot of greyhound pups in Ireland are openly reared in large fields and must run some distance in a day, does it harm them? Does it heck as like, a lot of breeders swear by it. We are talking about jogging not sprinting and i dont think it will do any harm whatsoever.

 

[Vicky]

I'd like to bet your dog isn't even jogging, more of a trot, i know when i bike mine they rarely break into a gallop. My pups will get biked when they're a similar age to yours and i wont worry about it.

You'll have a very very fit whippet - good on you!

 

[05whippet]

It's an odd one this :blink:

Seems people have very different views on the subject, but we exercise our dogs out with us when riding our horses cross country I must say the dogs absoloutley adore it :lol: but they do get LOTS of breathers as we stop regularily & do alot of walking as I have a young horse & don't want to strain his tendons

Our dogs vary in age from a very fit 5yr old to a 2yr old,we do have younger dogs but I have to say here that I don't feel they're bodies are fit enough or strong enough yet for this as sometimes we can be out for 3 or 4 hours :sweating: I think the secret to exercising any dog is lots of stopping & resting Also if you tried to get the dog into hard condition for fitness road work is ideal but just walking,maybe you could take up power walking instead :teehee: until your dog is a little bit more mature & able to build up it's stamina :thumbsup:

Ultimately the choice is yours Good luck whatever you decide :luck: :thumbsup:

 

[Esthermax]

My OH jogs at least 4 days a week, we have 4 whippets so he takes 2 at a time. He loves jogging & so do they.

 

[masta]

:- " Logically, if you wanted a jogging companion why didn't you buy a breed which was bred specifically to jog like the dalmation or find a partner who likes to suffer on a daily basis in the name of good health??

Contrary to the last post, I do not believe jogging to be good for anyone, and to be very bad indeed for under age dogs.  For unless a dog is fully grown, and that means the bones have stopped growing, they are not physically ready for the rigours of the hunt - or in this case the jog.  The whippet is not considered fully grown until nearly 14 months of age.  This is a biological fact - the bones aren't set until during their 13th month.  So jog your dog for long distances before then?

It is also not recommended by any reputable running club or sports trainer.  This I know because I have in a past life discussed this with a member of the UK athletics team.  You run the risk of long term damage to either or all of the following your neck, shoulders and upper arms, upper spine, lower spine - not to mention risks associated with running with a dog who chases things like cats if caught in their sights.  If you don't believe me, go and ask at your local harriers club or reputable sports centre.  Because, if you are on the public highway, your dog MUST be on a lead that is the law.  And because of this, you will have to hold the lead and this is what leads (excuse the pun) to you holding your body incorrectly which is where the risks of long term damage to you come from.

Lecture over, and I haven't even mentioned running you for 10K wearing a fur coat and trousers and only being able to lose body heat from your mouth and the soles of your feet and never giving you a break and not letting up until you get home. :- "

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

when was the dalmation designated "jogging dog"?

"Wearing a fur coat and trousers" maybe coylt should buy a chinese crested?

 

[05whippet]

I assume the referal to Dalmation was as it was originally bred as a carriage dog to run along side the carriage :- "

 

[kris]

dalmations were bred to be carriage dogs to the gentry.they are specifically bred to trot under or alongside carriages for long distances.i always thought whippys were bred for short intense bursts of speed but hey what do i know?i know i dont allow my dogs to overexercise before their bones are finished growing but dobermanns are a different ball game. :- "

 

[Max&Smokey]

Relax your talking of running 4 miles doing 8 minute miles good running speed for you keep it up( but a girl P.Radcliffe 26 miles sub 6minute miles now that might knacker your whippet!) , but it really won't tax your dog, a whippet can run a short distance at 35ish mph you can sprint 100metres at a very fast pace but you can still jog miles at a slower pace, so can your whippet. The key is to not make them go faster than a canter. Dont get a dalmation thinking 4miles every other day would be enough excercise stick with your whippet and enjoy!.

Have fun and enjoy your excercise.

 

[playawhile]

:- " Logically, if you wanted a jogging companion why didn't you buy a breed which was bred specifically to jog like the dalmation or find a partner who likes to suffer on a daily basis in the name of good health??

Contrary to the last post, I do not believe jogging to be good for anyone, and to be very bad indeed for under age dogs.  For unless a dog is fully grown, and that means the bones have stopped growing, they are not physically ready for the rigours of the hunt - or in this case the jog.  The whippet is not considered fully grown until nearly 14 months of age.  This is a biological fact - the bones aren't set until during their 13th month.  So jog your dog for long distances before then?

It is also not recommended by any reputable running club or sports trainer.  This I know because I have in a past life discussed this with a member of the UK athletics team.  You run the risk of long term damage to either or all of the following your neck, shoulders and upper arms, upper spine, lower spine - not to mention risks associated with running with a dog who chases things like cats if caught in their sights.  If you don't believe me, go and ask at your local harriers club or reputable sports centre.  Because, if you are on the public highway, your dog MUST be on a lead that is the law.  And because of this, you will have to hold the lead and this is what leads (excuse the pun) to you holding your body incorrectly which is where the risks of long term damage to you come from.

Lecture over, and I haven't even mentioned running you for 10K wearing a fur coat and trousers and only being able to lose body heat from your mouth and the soles of your feet and never giving you a break and not letting up until you get home. :- "

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Hi!

may I ask how much experiance you have from running with dogs?

Henrik Härling

 

[playawhile]

Hi again!

I have been running with my whippets for over 20 years and I have never had any problems with either my dogs or injuries my self connected to running with the dogs. A distance of 7 kilometres when a dog is 10 months old is ok I think and it’s good if you - whenever it is suitable concerning were you run – let it run by it self now and then. The older the dog gets the longer you can run. I avoid running and hard surfaces as asphalt, concrete and so on, as I find the dogs getting stiffer in the muscles. As I show my dogs I try to stay on surfaces that keeps the dogs more smooth, like gravel roads and tracks in the forest.

I have had my dogs with me at distances up to 25 kilometres without problems, but this has not been many times. If you were to experience problems holding the dog in a lead while running why not buy a belt with a flexible rope that expand contracts automatically, as this will keep pressure of you.

You will notice that the running is very, very important for the dogs and they are very disapointed if they can´t come along!!

Henrik Härling

 

[coylt]

Hi All

Wow such a response, I really appreciate it.

I am much more confident about jogging with Saffie now - just to answer a few questions. Saffie gets to run off lead for about 5km of the run - this is in a park. I live in Australia and the rules governing dogs off the lead are different here. More important than anything else is the fact that she loves the run - my real concern was any injury that it might cause her.

Once again thank you all for your replies.

Cheers

Tim