How Far is Reasonable for a Dog to Walk/Run?

[Shooby]

  I have a doodle who is a little over a year old.  She's a great dog and loves to walk and be outside.  Sometimes i go bike rails to trails and I might ride a couple of miles.  She happily trots alongside my bike.  She really loves being in the woods.  My last ride was about 8 miles.  I don't race/ride, i leisure ride.  And, we stop and i give her frequent water breaks and sometimes a snack.  But, what would be a reasonable distance for a young dog in good shape?

[weltschmerz]

Aug 7, 2017 16:09:28 GMT -5 Shooby said:

  I have a doodle who is a little over a year old.  She's a great dog and loves to walk and be outside.  Sometimes i go bike rails to trails and I might ride a couple of miles.  She happily trots alongside my bike.  She really loves being in the woods.  My last ride was about 8 miles.  I don't race/ride, i leisure ride.  And, we stop and i give her frequent water breaks and sometimes a snack.  But, what would be a reasonable distance for a young dog in good shape?

You said TEN miles elsewhere. It's too much.

[Shooby]

     It's not a nonstop ride.  We park and gaze off the bridges, etc.  She seems to enjoy and bounces along happily.  It isn't high impact as she isn't running the entire time.  But, I will check with my vet.

SPOILER: Click to show

[andi9899]

She's really cute.

[Jaguar]

She is so adorable, my brother and SIL have a Havapoo named Tonka that's the same apricot color as yours.

[Shooby]

She's tossing her chewy across the keyboard on my laptop trying to get my attention!  Lol  

[Rob Base 2.0]

As far as a hot dog travels

[Shooby]

Aug 7, 2017 16:53:33 GMT -5 Rob Base 2.0 said:

As far as a hot dog travels

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dannylion]

Awww.  She looks like a sweetie pumpkin!

A dog will do its best to stay with its person until it drops from exhaustion, so the dog's apparent willingness might not give you the answers you need. 

She may be fine with the what is being asked of her or she might benefit from a more gradual increase in the amount of activity she does at one time.  Your vet will be able to provide advice on the appropriate amount of exercise for your dog.

[Shooby]

Just got back.  This was a lovely morning and we stopped at the creek and my pooch took a swim and chased some sticks, lol.  

[engineerdoe]

If you are making frequent stops and watering the dog it should be fine.  If you can do it so can they.  I would make sure to bring along a first aid kit in case somebody broke a bottle on the trail or something.  Maybe even apply balm to the feet after a run if the trail is paved.

Are you in an area where there is smoke from wildfires?

[Shooby]

Aug 8, 2017 15:11:29 GMT -5 engineerdoe said:

If you are making frequent stops and watering the dog it should be fine.  If you can do it so can they.  I would make sure to bring along a first aid kit in case somebody broke a bottle on the trail or something.  Maybe even apply balm to the feet after a run if the trail is paved.

Are you in an area where there is smoke from wildfires?

It's a wooded trail so pretty soft on her feet.  And, it's pretty flat mostly and there are other folks out.

[Green Eyed Lady]

So darling! I have a German Shepherd. We don't go for miles long walks because I don't want him to have joint issues later. I also try to avoid stairs with him. We usually walk every night, but I'd guess it's only about 1/2 mile. I keep an even leisurely pace so he isn't stressing his joints too much.  However, he gets home and runs around the yard like his butt is on fire so maybe I'm being too cautious!

It's also very important to keep track of the temperature of the pavement. It can burn a dog's paws very quickly. I have terrible knees so I try to stick to the pavement so I don't miss a hole and step into it. We have to be very careful in the summer and walk after the sun goes down so he doesn't get burnt feet. I don't know about every dog, but mine tells me when he's had enough by slowing down and acting like he wants to turn around.

Ask your vet about a reasonable distance.  It may be fine for him now, but a vet will know the long-term outcome. 

[Shooby]

No pavement.   It's a wooded trail.  And, it is very cool in the woods.  This was her first time in the creek, lol.  I tossed in a stick and she wasn't sure what to do.  I said "go get it", and i only tossed it a foot or so out.  Then she went in gingerly.  After she did, then she was bouncing around in it like Tigger, lol.  Even dipped her head in.
  2 deer ran across the trail and she briefly chased but i yelled "no" and she stopped and stayed on the trail. Then we saw a couple of turkeys and she wasn't sure what to do about those so she ignored them.  

[Green Eyed Lady]

I'd love to be along to watch. I so love it when they are having fun!  I have an issue with strays when I walk with mine.  Some of them are kind of aggressive and he doesn't much like being challenged. I'm pretty sure that one of them would have taken a chunk out of my leg had I been without him to drive it away. I think I'd rather have deer and turkeys!

[Shooby]

I was thinking about getting her some dog booties.  Does anyone use those or will they really stay on?   

[milee]

Aug 8, 2017 15:11:29 GMT -5 engineerdoe said:

If you are making frequent stops and watering the dog it should be fine.  If you can do it so can they.  

Totally agree - if you start out at the same fitness level and you're both "on foot."  OP is on a bike while the dog is running alongside her, which is a much different level of exertion. 

A person who doesn't have a physical disability is going to be able to bicycle much farther than many dogs can walk/run, especially if the dog hasn't been used to traveling those distances in the past.  Just like a person wouldn't go from just being fit enough to take walks around the neighborhood to one day taking an 8-10 mile walk/run, dogs shouldn't either.  

If you're both on foot and you both start at the same level of fitness, then you'll both work up to walking/running longer distances.  But it's pushing it to think a dog can walk/run the same distance that a person could bike unless that dog has been walking/running similar distances over time.