When can my puppy join me on a run?

AkiratheKishu

I have 5 month-old Kishu pup that is brimming with energy (as expected). I enjoy running and want to take him along, but I keep reading recommendations to wait until he is older (confession: we'd already gone on a couple of jaunts before I stumbled across this information). The surface would be primarily asphalt, not when it's too hot, only as long as he appears comfortable and I have a doggy water bottle. Thoughts?

jellyfish

Yea, wait until he is one year old. You want his bones to grow correctly and you put him at risk of this not happening if you run him too much this young on concrete.

You can gently take him on easy jogs in the woods on dirt paths (ONLY dirt paths!), but don't do any more than he would normally run while playing with another dog in the backyard. That means LOTS of breaks and not much running. But its fun to sprint every once and a while. Besides, he doesn't have an attention span, so you'd take lots of breaks anyway at this age.

I know what you're feeling - you can't wait to go run with him. I was there!! But its worth it to take it very slow and easy until he is one. You don't want to create a lifetime of damage in these next 7 months.

AkiratheKishu

Thanks, for the advice. I want his joints to last a long, long time of course. We'll start looking into dirt paths in the meantime. Time seems to be whizzing by, so a few more months will probably pass before we know it and then I'll wonder what happened to my puppy!

MapleTwinkie

Saigo (JA) is not a good running companion. I never expected him to be a running buddy (JA's are not running dogs) but I thought I could train him. Unfortunately, there's not a patch of pee that he can run by without sniffing. So after almost injuring myself a few dozen times as a result of him suddenly changing directions, I gave up running with Saigo. We go to the off leash park instead and I'll run on the trails while he runs free through the forests