Emily, Eko and I have put in plenty of miles on trails and paths
Since Penny came along, our adventures have multiplied but our runs have been scaled back. Per veterinary guidelines, it’s best for a dog’s long term health to wait until the pupĀ is around 18 months old before running with them on a regular basis.
Penny is 15 months old now, so I’ve decided to start in on the basics of training her to run.
Penny knows how to run, but not so much how to run with me
Ridgebacks are born runners, so there’s no question of desire or ability. The real challenge is teaching Penny to run at my considerably slower pace. Our first trial runs were short jogs around the block where I did my best to coax Penny into matching my speed and Penny did her best to coax my shoulder from its socket.
Ever so slowly we’ve worked our way up to slightly longer runs.
Since Penny is still on the younger side, I keep her running on grass/soft surfaces as much as possible
Penny’s catching on to the idea that running by my side is much more enjoyable than trying to be a sled dogĀ
Of course, we still have a long way to go and there are plenty of challenges to overcome
Like when Penny stops dead in order to pursue more interesting hobbies (CSI: Enhance…)
We’re glad to have spring weather back, but the birds and critters that come with it make running just a bit challenging!
Like all things training, teaching Penny to run with me is a gradual process. Right now we’re keeping both mileage and frequency to a bare minimum. But also like all things training, I know the effort will pay off. Ā I can’t wait to cruise along the lake with both Eko and Penny by my side.
Any other runners out there have training tips for teaching a pup to jog with you?
