# Dog dad is worried his young companion may be urging him to overtrain her



## RunnerDoggoDad (Apr 14, 2020)

Okay, my dog is not a pure bred Vizsla, but I'll post a picture and everything else about her pretty much points to that either her mom or dad is.

My issue is that she's currently only around 10 months old and i've been training with her regularly, as the vet okayed it as he said her and her half sister were fully grown.

I'm not a fast runner, I usually only go around 9-10 min mile pace, which to her is a trot... am I placing her at risk?

Her pads are looking good, I check them. I always bring both of us water. We're about 50/50 road/trail...

I keep reading about hip issues, but mine is a half breed...

longest run has been 7 miles easy on soft trails... most are around 3-5 easy miles...

I'm already at the point where if it's around 6:30pm and we haven't set out, she starts to act like we need to get with the program and go on our "walk", which for me is a run/jog...

Nobody, including my dog or vet has me worried, just the internet and general rules of thumb about dogs in general.

Mind you, I'm not running with her half sister, because she's not into running/trotting over about a half mile or so after chasing my girl around the back yard all day.

Anyway, my dog looks like a Vizsla no? I do not push her to run with me in any way, in fact, it's the other way around. I can go really far, I'm an ultra runner... The furthest I've gone with her is 7 miles as stated earlier. Am I risking her mileage later down the road by running easy with her now, or are those joint issues genetic?


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## fosterlisa (Jun 30, 2016)

She's a sweetie! I am a runner too & was told to wait until Lucy was 1 year old before starting to run with her. We of course let her "run" on her own for play. I did walk her a great amount after about 8 months. Good luck!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Let's put some perspective and personal experience into this.
I was a former USCF CAT2 cyclist and time trialist, so I have a fairly good idea where you're coming from.
I was also a collegiate 800m runner. This was all a zillion years ago, but the basic dog hasn't changed. I've just gotten older and slower
These dogs can run, and I mean flat out run, and they can do it for hours. This is one of the fastest dogs in the world over open ground and probably the fastest over terrain. They're impressive when they're in shape! 
I would train with mine year round on a Mtn. Bike in the forests. I never "ran with them", it just wasn't going to keep them engaged, but they were with me when I ran doing what ever they wanted to.
A typical bike session would be 3-4 hours at speed. Probably averaging 16-18 miles an hour, less if there was a lot of technical single track,with max speeds close to 35 mph. They never had any trouble keeping up, but they were in shape. Yes, were really talking about them running +50 miles.
The concession I made were to do loops, and carry lots of water for them. Stop at water places and let them cool off, or swim if they needed to. They kind of dictated the pace.
They trained like athletes, so I fed them like athletes. Dog food, regardless of quality, is not enough if you're going to run dogs like this. They need lots of protein! carbohydrates, and electrolytes. Pedialite, (sp.) was a normal item in my refrigerator. ( Pedialite is an electrolyte replenishment fluid for infants and toddler suffering diarrhea.)
They also need days off, even though the cry in their crate when you leave them behind, along with slow days and fast days. 
They will also run themselves to death to please you, so you also have to be their moderator. These dogs are special. Very special.
My dogs would start this regimen between 6-8 months old and within a few months they were able to really get into it. By 10 months old they could outpace me on a bicycle with ease. They are lungs on legs.
At 10 months old, and you running, she should easily be able to keep up. 
Watch her, feed her right, train and supplement her like an athlete, and enjoy your dog. You're the limiting factor in your partnership.


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