Okay, heres the deal...I've made a New Years Resolution to lose some unwanted pounds. I have a dog that needs more exercise and no doubt needs to increase his stamina. I need some advice on what is and what isn't the best way to go about this. I have never had a four legged jogging companion and I'm not sure how much or how far I should travel w/him. Does it matter what kind of surface I run on? What's the best way to contain the dog w/out stepping on him or tripping all over the place? Do I have him pack his own water? How often do I stop? Anything you guys can think of that would help me put this together to achieve success would be seriously appreciated!

How old is he now Robbin?

I would start by power walking and then gradually slip into jogging so that he gets used to being at your side at a quick pace.
He could pack his own but I would start out with no pack at first.

Do you have a camel hydration pack that you wear? You could put a collapsible dish in one of the pockets or teach him to drink out of the spout.

Sorry I forgot to put his age He turned 14 months Dec. 24th.

I just thought of something else. Should his hips be evaluated before I start this? I mean, we have already been doing protection work and my trainer says his use of his legs/hips appears to be fine. I don't know much about HD so I dont know what is expected here. My contract w/my breeder allows for up to two years for xrays, I believe.

Power walking, can do! However, I am concerned about how to get him to behave on the leash walking long distances. We have only done foosing up to the 50 paces, which he does really well if I have an orbee in hand, lol. However, walking him has been more challenging because he pulls more. Should I use a prong to start? I have a DD collar but it's too long, I need to return it for a smaller size even though I am not so sure what size to get now considering the size of his neck is the size I requested?? If we run into other dogs we are going to be in trouble if I have the prong on because this increases his drive when other dogs are the issue. Crap! Why didn't I start thinking about all this stuff earlier? Sometimes I wonder what's between my ears!

I don't have a camel pack but I could try and find one, I have a collapseable dog food/water dish that I could take w/me. Um...not sure where I would put it. A fanny pack, maybe? I dunno.

Your first line in the post gives me the Idea that whatever you can do at this point, he will be able to do. The surface will matter, I never run him on concrete. I can usually only jog about a mile before my shins ache but I can bike Andy 3 or 4 miles and he can handle that no problem. If he heels at all on walks he'll probably stay on your left ok when you jog.

 Quote: steve strom

Your first line in the post gives me the Idea that whatever you can do at this point, he will be able to do.

What are you trying to say, Steve?

You calling me out of shape or my dog? LOL!

I think that alot of people teach two kinds of "heel" one is general, just for traveling walking etc and the other is performance which requires alot of contentration that isnt comfortable for long distances.

Yeah, I didnt mean a strict heel. I just meant he walks on your left side. If he does that he'll probably continue to as you progress through power walking and jogging. I'm not about to comment on anybody's condition Robbin. I am Al Bundy except for the selling shoes.

 Quote: steve strom

I'm not about to comment on anybody's condition Robbin. I am Al Bundy except for the selling shoes.

LOL! It's all good, Steve, heehee. I'm just razzin ya!

I know,I can take it.LOL. One thing I like to do with Andy is recalls up hills. That way I'm hiking up it and he's sprinting up it.

Hmmmm...that sounds like a great idea, although I'm guessing you have to live in a place where God left hills...lol! Not in a flat, barren wasteland like where I live. Guess I could take a 3 hour drive north into the mountains for a day. I think I will save that for when it gets horribly hot down here. Be a good thing to get away from the heat!

In the meantime, I feel like we could get away with jogging on the farmers road in front of my home adjacent to the cotton field, only thing that scares me is a lot of people walk their dogs unleashed on this road. I will see dogs going by and think they are strays and then a few mintues later see a person walking. No control over their dogs whatsoever! Sheesh! I'd literally have to get up and drive somewhere out into the middle of nowhere in order to not run across idiots with loose dogs. I don't know, this whole game plan is starting to frustrate me already!