# At what age can he run/jog?



## Andythom (Jun 20, 2009)

I'm sure this has been covered, but the search keywords are too common.

I've got an active 10 month old and our 2 mile morning walk just isn't getting the job done. I have a fenced in area near my apartment where i used to take him to play fetch after our walk, but i recently figured out it's infested with fleas.

So anyways, at 10 months, is he old enough that we can lightly run/jog together? 

Thanks


----------



## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

I think they want them to be fully grown and at 10 months his joints are still growing and developing. 16-18 months - closer to the 1.5-2 year mark.


----------



## Andythom (Jun 20, 2009)

What about jogging on sand/grass versus concrete? Would that make any difference?


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

There are two things that make a big difference: whether the dog is on or off leash, and what surface the dog is on.

Yielding surfaces like sand, grass, and forest floor are easier on the joints, so a younger dog would be at less risk than on concrete.

Forcing a dog to run at your pace rather than his is also harder on him, so on-leash running is something I'd wait longer to do.

I let the dogs sprint together on hikes basically from 8 weeks on. I keep the hikes short and watch the puppy carefully for signs of exhaustion, but I don't really worry about the joints when he's driving his own activity and the surface is natural.

I don't run the dogs on concrete at all, unless it's to or from a trail (and one trail we like has about 1/4 mile of concrete bridge through a salt marsh), and I don't run if I have to have them on leash, so I can't really give you an age for which either of those things is appropriate.


----------



## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

The recommendation is waiting until the dog is at least 18 months before running/jogging on hard surfaces. Their joints are still developing until that age and running on hard surfaces during this time can potentially cause ortho problems later on. I still have about 5 more more months to go until I can take Tucker running with me.


----------



## slip_kid (May 12, 2009)

tippykayak said:


> There are two things that make a big difference: whether the dog is on or off leash, and what surface the dog is on.
> 
> Yielding surfaces like sand, grass, and forest floor are easier on the joints, so a younger dog would be at less risk than on concrete.
> 
> ...


hey Tippy, do you ever go up the quarry route at Sleeping Giant? If so how old would you recommend our dog to be to do that trail up and the main path down. Wife adn I do this one annually. hoping to have him up that rock face by the spring (he's 5 months today). For this fall we'll just do Hueblien Tower in Simsbury.
Just noticed you were from southern CT.


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

slip_kid said:


> hey Tippy, do you ever go up the quarry route at Sleeping Giant? If so how old would you recommend our dog to be to do that trail up and the main path down. Wife adn I do this one annually. hoping to have him up that rock face by the spring (he's 5 months today). For this fall we'll just do Hueblien Tower in Simsbury.
> Just noticed you were from southern CT.


Yeah - we do that one! We haven't in ages, though. I'd probably wait until the dog was at least a year before trying it.


----------



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I know with the Giant Breeds it is at least a year to 18 months. The reason for the gaint breeds is to also prevent bone cancer later on in life.

With a golden, I wouldn't until they were a year.


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

cubbysan said:


> I know with the Giant Breeds it is at least a year to 18 months. The reason for the gaint breeds is to also prevent bone cancer later on in life.
> 
> With a golden, I wouldn't until they were a year.


There is no way that exercise causes bone cancer in dogs. Where did you hear that?


----------



## goldens2show (May 7, 2009)

I think it is going to depend on the line your dog comes from some mature very quickly and others take longer. I would suggest you consult with your breeder on this. I can say for my dogs I absolutely insist on no forced exercise until 18 months. Free running in fields, on trails etc is fine where the dog picks the pace and energy level but even then I watch what surfaces they run on. I also do x-rays to make sure the growth plates are closed before they do hard impact sports like jumping. I know this isn't reasonable for everyone. For my dogs it usually ends up being closer to 2 years before they are physically mature to do a lot of very hard running/jogging/biking with their people. I understand how tempting it can be, especially if you are wanting to wear them out. I'm afraid it just isn't worth the risk. Maybe something less impact like swimming? I think most of the time with these very active puppies can also benefit from adding more mental stimulation along with increase in activity. Maybe there is a good agility class near you with a trainer who understands young dog training and can teach you and your dog fun and safe ways to burn off extra energy? You can do that just for fun and to have bonding time with your dog. 

Good luck,
Christina
www.heritagegoldens.com


----------



## Everlore (Mar 27, 2008)

My chiropractic vet feels that you should not jog a dog until the growth plates close.
Although the time for this varies, most times it will not happen prior to 15 months of age.


----------



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> There is no way that exercise causes bone cancer in dogs. Where did you hear that?


 
It was a very common theme that I read about multiple times when I was raising my Great Pyrenees puppy. The giant breeds grow SO fast. In the first year, long walks and forced excercise was a no-no, because of causing stress fractures. Canine osteosarcoma is a very common cancer for the Giant breeds. For prevention it is advised to slow the growth and try to prevent stress fractures.


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

cubbysan said:


> It was a very common theme that I read about multiple times when I was raising my Great Pyrenees puppy. The giant breeds grow SO fast. In the first year, long walks and forced excercise was a no-no, because of causing stress fractures. Canine osteosarcoma is a very common cancer for the Giant breeds. For prevention it is advised to slow the growth and try to prevent stress fractures.


I know osteosarcoma is more common in larger breeds, but I would be very curious to see studies that linked it to exercise or stress fractures. I've never heard that and I don't see how a stress fracture could increase the risk. I do know that some inflammatory processes have been linked to certain cancers, so I suppose it isn't impossible, but, like I said, I'd like to see real data on a correlation.

It's certainly really important to avoid long walks and forced exercise in large and giant breed puppies, but I'm very skeptical of this bone cancer claim you heard.


----------

