WORKING OUT WITH YOUR FURBABY
If you have a healthy furbaby, why are you not including them in your workouts with you? Daisy LOVES to workout with me! Running is one of her most favorite things to do and she has even completed a few races alongside me.
But did I take Daisy out for ten miles on our first run together? NOPE! We began at a mile and worked her mileage up, just as we are supposed to do with our bodies. When you decide to include your furbaby into your training runs and workouts, you need to be mindful of them and where they currently are healthwise. It is also a good idea to have their vet clear them for running and to becoming active with you, just to be on the safe side. I have been known to take walk breaks to give her a chance to recharge, or even take a rest break, though she normally doesn’t want to stop and pulls me on to continue running. I am also aware of our surroundings to be on the watch for other dogs, runners, bicyclist and even vehicles.
You should also take your pup’s life span into consideration. I have had Daisy up to 14 miles together, which is my cutoff distance for her. While her breed is known to work all day on ranches, her feet and body just simply should not sustain the pounding of pavement for too long. She will run on the grass more often than the sidewalk, which is good and lesser impact then constantly hitting the pavement. The way I see it, I want Daisy to live a long and healthy life. She will turn 10 this winter and I would like for her to be healthy for her entire lifespan instead of having to deal with her having aches and pain throughout the remaining years of her life.
I also took the time to work with her to properly run with me. She knows that she is to run either in front of me or to my side. Daisy also knows to jump to the side if she needs to make a “stop”. And when you do have to “stop”, make sure you clean up the mess. Pet waste bags are cheap, you can even buy them at the Dollar Tree, and help to not only keep our environment clean, but you’re also not risking the chance of another person stepping in the mess. It’s also part of being a good pet owner, not to mention, you can be fined if you are caught not cleaning up after your furbaby.
They also make various types of harnesses. You may need to try a few before figuring out which one works best for the two of you. I also invested in a running belt so that I could guide her with my waist instead of the chance of being jerked while holding a leash in my hands. It’s also a good idea to invest in a dog water bottle. I found one off of Amazon, but any pet store should also carry them.
I’m not one to run Daisy in the extreme weather. If it is to be a scorcher day, I leave her at home, as well as myself. Same if the weather is sub-zero with snow on the ground. You do not want to injure their paws on the hot concrete or freezing snow that is still on the ground. I try not to run her in the rain. I did run a 5K once with her and it began POURING in the middle of the race. I went straight home afterwards and gave her a bath and extra treats even before I took my post-rainy race shower.
Running with your furbaby is a great chance to spend time together while getting exercise. Daisy knows what it means when I put on my running shoes and even whimpers and cries with excitement as I grab her harness that is used for running only. She has even been known to “assist” while I’m completing my core workouts by laying under me during a plank or having her face by my knees when I am doing my sit-ups. Having an active furbaby while being, or striving to be, active is a way to bond before going to Starbucks to get your coffee and their puppuccino.
Do you already workout with your furbaby, or will you begin to now?
