Corgis and Running

Hi everyone - I just got accepted into this group and needless to say, I am THRILLED! What a wonderful community of people and Corgs. I just adore my Arthur, he is a bundle of joy, energy and is sometimes a little devil with how smart and clever (errr... sneaky) he can be.

I have taken back to running/jogging and given the energy level of Arthur and he is just a little over one year old, I want to take him out with me. He can easily run/jog a mile right now. What are your experiences going longer distances? He is a water lover too so to cool off, he plops his body right down in the lake whenever I let him on our jogs. He looks like heaven just opened up when he plops down.

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Permalink Reply by Debbie Dudley on May 30, 2012 at 2:20pm

My Kaley was just like this, and our walks were pretty stressful for her. What I did is start out with very short walks (like to the mailbox and back). She is very people oriented and would gladly trot up the street to visit neighbors, so I made sure we were walking towards something, and not away from her home. That worked out amazingly well.

I also, would pop a treat ahead of her, or a toy, which made the walk a lot more fun for her. She is now 6 months old and our walks have increased to 15 minutes down the street and 15 minutes back home. If the neighbors are out, it will take us twice that long, and I'll have to encourage her to walk back home. She loves to visit.

If she is becoming stressed, I don't push it. Can't argue with genetics telling a young puppy to stay close to the den. But I know one day I'll want to go home, and she'll be the one wanting to go further.

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Permalink Reply by Justin and Pancake on June 1, 2012 at 6:28am

So maybe have someone walk toward the end of the sidewalk and have us walk toward them? I will try that out. I usually only take him to the end of the sidewalk and back. Maybe a house length away, but he struggles the whole time. If I take off running a bit he will usually follow but only for a few seconds. I constantly tell him good run if he starts running and good walk if he is walking along with me.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy, Steve, Nathan & Lu on June 1, 2012 at 8:43pm

Hi, I have a 6 year old Corgi, and she's good for long, repeated sprints at the park, but I've never taken her out for a lengthy run. I would recommend getting his joints double-checked for any potential hip displasia before you take him out for extensive runs. I had Lulu checked when she was a pup, and all seemed well; evidently, it's fairly easy to tell if hip displasia is a possibility, and with Lu she was completely fine. (Note: it cost twice as much to have Lu X-Rayed because she was so long! Oh well, it was worth it to make sure she was o.k.. :)

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Permalink Reply by Denise on July 5, 2012 at 12:06pm

Arthur isn't as enthusiastic as my yellow lab but will slowly run if he absolutely must. Otherwise, he would rather play crazy corgi games! I know what you mean though about getting some energy out of a Corg so they aren't destructive. Happy running!

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on July 4, 2012 at 6:51pm

Denise, keep in mind that a dog can safely run much longer distances on a natural surface than on pavement. Pavement will contribute to breaking down of pasterns. I have not run Corgis, but did run with Malamutes who were trained sled-dogs and my rule was no more than two miles on a paved surface, if I did not have a better choice available, and that is assuming the pavement is not hot, which creates other concerns.

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Permalink Reply by Denise on July 5, 2012 at 12:07pm

The paved surfaces can certainly be unbearable for a dog, no matter the breed, especially when as hot as it has been here in Minneapolis. Nice post - thanks!