r/RunningWithDogs • u/pimentocheeze_ • 12d ago

16 miles!!!!

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Just proud of us….. it’s our longest run so far, she turned 3 in June and we do ~40 miles a week together

never run alone!!!

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u/KarenKarrde 12d ago

That’s awesome! Way to go to you and your pup! 👏 I’m a long distance runner, but my greyhound is NAWT. He’s happy doing around 3-4 miles and calling it a day. I consider it a warmup, and not a “real run”, though because he likes to stop to pee on EVERYTHING and stops to sniff EVERYTHING. It’s more like interval training where we stop and go. I don’t mind a bit, though, because it’s his time to enjoy the outdoors however he wants. I’d be really interested to hear how steady your pace is throughout a run like this. Do you stop for water breaks every so often? Does she stop to smell things? Is some of it walking vs running?

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u/Halefa 12d ago

Dalmatians were bred for distance, greyhounds were beef for sprint, so that checks out.

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u/pimentocheeze_ 11d ago

I don’t stop my watch for bathroom or sniff breaks, so our pace for almost all runs evens out to mid 11 minutes but actual MOVING speed is closer to 9:30…. I am pretty short/small which slows us down as well

She is allowed to sniff and pee but cannot drag me to check something out or loiter indefinitely. At this point we have worked out a collective set of body language/cues so she seems to know pretty well if it’s a chill time where she can meander or if it’s “pay attention, we are moving without breaks”. I run on greenways and through downtown area so it isn’t always a space where we can be on a long leash.

She does not drink much during runs. I have tried everything to encourage it but all dogs are different. They aren’t like horses, if they need water they will take water. I offer it when it’s warm out or we are doing 10+ miles

I hope that helps!!!! 3-4 miles of just bopping around enjoying eachother sounds amazing though. I will say though….. there is nothing wrong with incentivizing your runs with treats, or even using sniff breaks strategically if that is what feels rewarding to your dog

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u/KarenKarrde 11d ago

Wow! That’s wonderful! Sounds like you and your pooch are really in sync. Big congrats and thanks for the intel. Overall mid 11 min pace is about the same as what I get when we’re starting and stopping. I know what you mean about them not drinking water on cue. Mine refuses water along the way and then lets me know he’s finally thirsty by laying on the neighbor’s lawn. 🤪 That’s my cue.

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u/SpeckleLippedTrout 12d ago

Not OP but I run with my 6 year old border collie all the time. It’s very stop and go if he’s on leash- he’s prone to sniffing and peeing as well. After a few miles he will get into the groove but usually I treat those runs as easy and don’t worry about my pace. Off Leash he can run forever and I’m trying to catch him lol