Dog math!!
Okay this is kind of silly, but I got to thinking about math, which is never good.
Help me do math!!!
What would be the optimal amount of running for a dog to be in the best shape, or better, what is the equivilant of a 2 mile human run for a dog?
Id say that running about 2-3 miles a day for a human is pretty good, or for myself anyway. I jog a pretty slow 10-13 minute mile. But assuming that one doesn't run everyday, since that isn't optimal nor healthy, I'll say 10 miles a week. But a dog, with their four legs and what not, are built for running. So what would be the equivalent of a 2 mile human run for a dog?
Dogs sprint about 30 miles an hour, so I think that a comfortable jogging speed might be about 10-15 mph. But I cant even sprint that fast. I'm comfortable at jogging 5-6 mph. So a dog is going to have to do a 6mph jog unless I got a motorbike or a dog pacer like @poeticdragon over here.
I was thinking of an equation like, 3 miles burns about 250 calories, which is a percentage of my body weight, so then asking how many miles would have to be ran by a dog to burn the same percentage of body weight/calories...and that would.....not make any sense.
Anyway. I was just curious. Any help with math would help. I'm got one of those art degrees.
Help me do math!!!
What would be the optimal amount of running for a dog to be in the best shape, or better, what is the equivilant of a 2 mile human run for a dog?
Id say that running about 2-3 miles a day for a human is pretty good, or for myself anyway. I jog a pretty slow 10-13 minute mile. But assuming that one doesn't run everyday, since that isn't optimal nor healthy, I'll say 10 miles a week. But a dog, with their four legs and what not, are built for running. So what would be the equivalent of a 2 mile human run for a dog?
Dogs sprint about 30 miles an hour, so I think that a comfortable jogging speed might be about 10-15 mph. But I cant even sprint that fast. I'm comfortable at jogging 5-6 mph. So a dog is going to have to do a 6mph jog unless I got a motorbike or a dog pacer like @poeticdragon over here.
I was thinking of an equation like, 3 miles burns about 250 calories, which is a percentage of my body weight, so then asking how many miles would have to be ran by a dog to burn the same percentage of body weight/calories...and that would.....not make any sense.
Anyway. I was just curious. Any help with math would help. I'm got one of those art degrees.
Comments
If training for show, it's more important to stay at a speed that keeps the dog in a trot. You don't want to go at a speed where the dog breaks into a lope (sled dogs) or gallop (sighthounds).
These days most percentage of her hiking time is the trot though. The Kai will lope on our hikes for quite a bit, but then also settle into an nice trot for the duration.
I've been sick this whole month of January, so I was just curious as to what a amount of distance should have been being. I haven't been able to run Toki at all. Last time I tried in the middle of the month I got super sick again since I wasn't 100% healed. It's frustrating because the AKIHO show is coming up and I haven't been working him out. My poor little couch potato.
I'm starting with Karin and will start with tachi few months later since he is still young puppppy~
Always said biggest hills in Texas are the freeway on-ramps.
@timkim the issue I have with the bike is Toki's overwhelming urge to piss on everything. Have this problem with Tachi?
I've been doing the leash thing where you hold it up in the air and walk, but I try to make it look not awkward cause it is kind of an awkward thing. I can feel him pulling from his chest when I do that, so I'm continuing it. Though a week before the show, it wont have much of an effect.
I was thinking about somehow magyvering a backup leash that is always attached to my belt loop, that way if i fall and die, he will have to drag me around and wont be able to escape. bahaha
You could also try something called Canicross. Basically, the dog is hooked to a special belt on your waist and they pull you while you walk or jog behind them. This puts a little bit more of a work out on the dog as they are pulling some of your weight.
Remind me the day of the show, or maybe Saturday afternoon, and I'll bring my bike and attachment so you can see it in action. Or come over to my house later and you can see the treadmill, too.
@calia The canicross look intense! Toki can do some pretty serious pulling, he might enjoy this (before i got sick with this super intensely stupid month long cold, we were running pretty regularly, so this would be a good "next step" thing", once we get back in the groove of things.)
Don't go to far early on cause you'll hurt the Dogs pads. I use a harness and a shorter leash.
The foot brake is key.
It's not something we normally think about around here because our ground is so sandy/gravel etc - our dogs pads are like stone, but we had some company a few years back that came from the city, their dogs had a ton of fun the first day but by day two were pretty tender on their feet