Jogging with my corgi

So we went to the vet this weekend and found out that Spencer has put on on some weight. So we've gone back to measuring his food exactly and cutting back on treats. The past two mornings I've been running with him to help burn more calories. We're running 1 - 1.5 miles, he seems to love it and can totally keep up. My question is, is it ok for him to run the entire time? I know they are generally built for more short sprints.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Jane on April 19, 2011 at 1:55pm

How old is Spencer?

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on April 19, 2011 at 3:26pm

"No long hikes or big physical challenges until 1 year old" -- our breeder -- I think cartilage growth-plate injury is the major concern, from jumping down from heights.

Otherwise, it's like any new physical thing -- build up gradually, add challenges gradually. If you run a marathon in your first year as a jogger, you're gonna hurt yourself. Be patient, or you'll get a reminder of your greed. If he's not used to running, I'd give a rest day in between, say, a brisk walk instead.

I dunno -- ?? -- I'd think 1 - 1.5 mi. isn't too much for a healthy young corgi who is used to it. Or do mixed training: sprints interspersed with walking.

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Permalink Reply by Edison on April 19, 2011 at 4:50pm

It depends on how fast you're running, though as far as I can tell, corgis can do a 3 minute mile for 1 mile, without any trouble. Edison does 1 - 1.5 miles (at human speeds) on a semi-regular basis (once every 1-2 months). It's only when he's pushed to more than two miles that he starts to drag- literally! :)

Watching out for overheating. My experience has been that if the weather is more than 60 degrees out, Edison will refuse to do more than a mile without a dip in the river to cool off. :)

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Permalink Reply by Spencer (and his parents) on April 19, 2011 at 6:05pm

Spencer is 2.5 years old and loves to run at the dog park. We just need to drop 1.5 - 2 lbs. Usually we walk a total of 3.5 miles a day spread out among 3 walks and a 3 - 6 mile hike once a week with an additional 1-2 visits to the dog park a week. I've replaced our morning walk with a morning run.

Overall Spencer is very fit, we just had a few months of over feeding.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on April 19, 2011 at 6:19pm

Oh yea! As long he's done growing...should be a year at least. Seanna loves to run now on our "walks"...it's great exercise for me and she has a blast. She runs, I jog...except for when we stop to sniff or pee...Her leg is finally back to normal, and we're both getting thin!