# Running with a V



## annaelle (Apr 20, 2015)

Hello, 
We just adopted Penelope, cute little girl. She is 11 weeks now.
We are planning to run with her, both my hubby and I are runners. 
We are new to the breed. 

We have heard we should wait until at least 9 months to get her to run with us, if not a full year.
Would you mind sharing your experience? 
Thanks much!

p.s. this is her at 9 weeks.


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

Most of the runners I know wait for at least 1 yr. the dogs must be fully developed, and mature enough to follow commands. I don't run so I am not an authority, just repeating what I have read in the threads on this forum and those runners I am acquainted with. "Search running with your V"... 
I Envy you, I think the V is the perfect running companion... what fun.

Such an adorable pup!!


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

I'd go with MilesMom's advice on this. http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,31914.msg229954.html#msg229954


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## annaelle (Apr 20, 2015)

Thanks much! 
I will read carefully all of the suggestions! 
Cheers,
Elle


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

We were told by our breeder not until 18 months old and physiologically mature. That way you are not doing any joint, muscle or bone damage.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Annaelle, welcome to the forums! I'm not a runner... Just wanted to say how adorable your Penelope is. What a cutie! Congratulations!!


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## annaelle (Apr 20, 2015)

Thanks! 
We absolutely love her so far. I am learning a lot from the forum and I see already some common stories... 
She is also hyper energetic in the morning and loves to run around, but so sweet and loyal!

And, she is so incredibly skinny! I worry about her every day, but reading the forum is helping.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

She's adorable! Don't worry about her being skinny. Most V pups go through that "don't you feed your dog?" stage.


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## trevor1000 (Sep 20, 2013)

She looks great
She doesnt look skinny at all
8)


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## toadnmeme (Jun 7, 2014)

Our oldest is a little over one and we are slowly starting. There is a lot of great advice on here from veterans  My advice would be LOTS of good solid leash training during this year and lots of walks, it will pay off when you go to start running. Also, be prepared that you might have to do 2 runs in the beginning, one for training the dog and then one without so you can get in an uninterrupted run  Maybe you and your husband can alternate and tag team the training run. Just like any training with this breed, consistency is key. They're so smart and will take advantage of any inconsistencies. Think about the manners you want your dog to have when older and spend this year getting those down and bonding. And of course lots of patience, lol. The wait is well worth it!! Enjoy the chaotic, snuggly wild times of puppyhood, it goes by so fast! I am with you as we now have a 4 month old too and I am leash training all over again  So I'm on here getting refreshers all the time from the veterans! Such a great forum, welcome!!


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## annaelle (Apr 20, 2015)

Penny is now a Year old! Beautiful strong lady. We love her so much, she is a wonder. 
We run with her, we started off with 1 mile at a time only, very easy. Now she is up to 6/7 miles, easy (for her). Sometime husband takes her off leash in the woods. It seems to be her favorite activity. She is grown to be a good runner, but we are mindful of not overdoing her (both husband and I are marathon runners, so she could run with us A LOT if needed). Here she is in the woods a couple of months back.


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## Oyster (Mar 7, 2016)

Hi! I'm by no means an expert but I can share my experiences thus far. I have a 10 month old, and I'm a runner, and one of the reasons I chose Vizsla was for their ability to run... If I'm going out for a 13m run, it's gonna take me 2 hrs (ish) and I want me dog with me! That's the dream... 

There were lots of articles posted about different problems if you run dogs too young, but she also wasn't really getting the exercise she needed, so we took some test runs. (I'll say also that in puppy classes they told me not to let her use the stairs I think until 9 months - it just seemed... extreme) When I'm running (8:00-9:00 per mile) she's trotting. So in my totally uneducated opinion... I decided 25-30 minutes of trotting every other day was fine. That said, we went out say 10-20 times from 3 months to 6 months and it was NOT fun, and just a little dangerous. Without proper leash training it's total madness. She knew her commands really fast in the house, but once we're outside she went into chaotic frenzy puppy mode, and nothing was going to pull her out of it (we'd do 3 miles and after mile 1, if I didn't pick her up and carry her home cursing all the way, she was a bit better I think in part because that loop starts uphill at 1.0 ). 

I take her now with a special leash that has some bungee to it and attaches to a belt. The leash goes to a 'no pull freedom harness' that keeps the pulling to a minimum (and I've been told doesn't hurt her). Still, if something surprises her (person, animal, car) she WILL lunge for it, so I keep a somewhat manic eye out for what's coming up because if it's on my right side and it's super exciting (and just about everything IS) she will NOT mind my legs. I've kicked her in the head a few times, but so far we haven't actually gone in a pile of flailing limbs...

At my wit's end, I had a trainer come to the house for help with leash training. (at around 9 months or so) She recommended this as the one time she'd suggest negative feedback training - we set up a tasty pile of treats and the theory was every time she pulled, we'd walk away from the treats. Problem is that my dog, anyway, is so psyched about EVERYTHING that treats are pretty marginally exciting and walking away from them is still walking towards something amazing. Grass!!!! Was THAT there BEFORE?!?!?! We got one 'good' reaction which was a little snort when I made her walk away from treat city, and the trainer didn't offer up defeat but my sense was that she thought we had some months of puppy crazy left before this was actually going to work.

In the meantime, I was getting fat and out of shape because I HATE leaving her in the crate alone... So now I just take her and put up with a little pulling and accept it's not yet the relaxing time I remember it being... 

Good luck, and for sure let me know if you find something that works!!! I wish I knew this forum existed - I just signed up myself and think I need to spend the next few hours reading...


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## Oyster (Mar 7, 2016)

I just read the last post! Hah, I thought I was helping! Never mind...


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## mrmra (Jul 18, 2013)

We're runners here, sort of, anyway. More on the sporting side of the house than the hunting, as far as this forum goes. We started doing some easy 2 milers with our pup when he was around 6 to 8 months. Nothing too stressful, because our V doesn't let us know when he wants to stop. Some dogs do, but out V doesn't. He aims to please to the point he could harm himself w/o our knowing.

Piros is now 3 years old and easy to run with! He loves going out for a solid run and it's our typical daily dog activity. We just run him with a gentle leader. When it is on, he knows we are going for a run, and so long as I am running, he's trotting along without much pulling. He usually does trot out in front and near the limits of the leash. Pointer, after all! Hard to point things out to me when he's behind! But he does behave well, now.

We tried a number of different running products and training, but what worked for us was just steady experience over the course of a couple years and the gentle leader (a type of nose harness). He did require a fairly firm hand with the gentle leader for the first 6 months or so of longer running (we started longer runs at about 1.5 years, as he was a little late to finish growing). He still pulls off when he sees some ducks, but takes redirection well.

Leash training is a constant challenge and it doesn't come naturally to our guy or most Vs, that I've seen or heard. Which makes sense for the breed. But the gentle leader and letting him play out a 4 or 6 foot leash a ways in front works great for us.

Keep at it! We really love running with our V. The experience of doing it really does add up. Give it the course of a year or two you'll have your good running companion. Worth it. Totally.

M


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