Cardio with your K-9: here's what you need to know to turn man's best friend into your faithful workout partner - Cardio Clinic

Men's Fitness, April, 2002 by Bob Cooper

Imagine a running partner who's not only willing but salivating to head out for a jaunt--any time, any place, any pace. Plus he's your best friend, no bones about it. Men have run with dogs since they began hunting in tandem 20,000 years ago. Survival is still the reason they hit the trail together, but now the enemy is not hunger--it's inactivity. "Like men, many dogs have become sedentary and overfed, resulting in obesity and poor cardiovascular health," says Richard Dixon, D.V.M., of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Owner and mongrel alike derive the same benefits from running--weight control, muscle development, disease prevention, even stress relief.

"A dog confined to a house or backyard all day often releases his pent-up energy in destructive ways," says Dixon. "Exercise can be a way to redirect that energy." When dogs start running, they tend to do less barking, chewing and digging. With running, they are returning to their ancestral roots as hunters, herders, retrievers and sled pullers.

"Dogs are better endurance animals than we are," says Clinton Kay, D.V.M. "I run up to 10 miles on the trails with my retriever, Cirque, and hike for up to 10 hours with him, and he rarely gets tired." Kay is race veterinarian for the Canine Classic 5K/10K in Boulder, Colo. (see "On Your Bark," page 32), which brought out 650 owner-dog duos in a snowstorm last spring. He didn't have a single canine patient on race day, demonstrating the durability of man's best friend.

Need more reasons to have your woofer fetch your running shoes instead of your slippers?

* Simultaneously getting exercise for yourself and your dog is a timesaving two-fer. Why get bored on a treadmill when you can walk or run outdoors with your best bud?

* Another two-fer: Running provides protective value against heart disease and some cancers, while the companionship value of pet ownership adds more health perks. Research has linked pet ownership with lower blood-pressure and cholesterol levels, better psychological well-being, reduced stress and loneliness, and increased longevity after a heart attack. "Spending time with a pet lowers stress, which in turn strengthens your immune system," explains Nancy Peterson of the U.S. Humane Society.

* If you have a hard time getting out the door, a pooch accustomed to running will do everything but turn the doorknob for you. Its eagerness to go, and disappointment if you don't, will ensure that you both get out more often.

* A good running dog will "pull" you along at a faster clip than you might be able to manage without it, giving you a better workout.

Convinced? Then here's what you should know about running with your dog. (If you don't have one, the animal shelters are packed.)

* Ready or not? Your dog may be too young, too old or the wrong breed to run (see "Speeds of the Breeds," right). It's best to wait until it's full grown at 18 months, so that it's at full strength and you don't risk damaging its growth plates. Your dog may never get too old to run, but factor in its age if you log serious miles. Like their owners, dogs lose endurance and speed as they age, and become more susceptible to joint injuries.

* What's up, vet? Just as you should get your doctor's okay before starting an exercise program, get a veterinarian's clearance for your dog. A vet can ascertain the dog's general health, check for underlying problems, and ensure that vaccinations are up-to-date--because exposure to other dogs on the run increases your pet's disease risk.

* Heel, boy. If Fido is not obedience-trained, you'll spend more trail time scolding than running. You can try a book or Web advice, but a group class is the only way your dog will learn to obey in the presence of strangers and strange dogs. "Teaching your dog to overcome distractions, especially other dogs, is the biggest challenge," says Kim Ringer of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. The APDT lists 3,000 dog trainers (800-738-4637; www.apdt.com, click "Trainer Search"), or ask your veterinarian for a referral. A typical class meets one hour a week for six to eight weeks and costs $60 to $80, and is usually offered by recreation departments or private trainers. By learning the basic commands of "heel," "sit" and "stay," your proud graduate won't trip you up anymore.

* Hang on. A six-foot leash will keep your dog close for encounters with traffic, pedestrians and tight spaces. A leash also lets you control the pace so your dog doesn't sprint ahead at the beginning and wear out. Letting your dog run off-leash is unsafe--temptations like cats and squirrels can entice even well-trained dogs away--and illegal nearly everywhere. If you do so anyway, keep your dog within voice-control range.

* Dogged determination. You couldn't run nonstop for miles without building up to it, and neither can Rover. He needs to gradually develop endurance and tougher paw pads. If either of you is overweight or out of shape, start with 20-minute walks and phase in two-minute segments of running until you're running the full 20 several times a week. Allow a couple of months to reach that level, and even if you go beyond it, never add more than 10 percent per week to your total running time.