Training with dogs!

Now I don't mean rough birds etc...
Been out training tonight and took the dog with me. I usually take him when I run in the local woods, to kill two birds with one stone (not really)(this post is going to get me banned if I carry on at this rate). Yet tonight I took him on the moors. He's a well natured dog and after attempting to chase the first sheep and being told off he quickly adapted to just looking at them as we passed.

I quickly realised that he is superb as a training partner for hill work as he accelerates uphill and forces me to keep up with him and down hill is just fearless. Just worried that walkers/bikers/fell runners etc... would rather he wasn't up there? Any thoughts, experiences etc...

I've got a Kerry Blue Terrier, who is definitely not suited for training with. He'd run off with any stranger we passed, would want to scrap with every other dog out there, and would be forever chasing the local wildlife.

Would certainly make me run, but I'm not sure I could ever work that hard (nor would I want the potentially large legal bills!)

I have nothing but admiration for your dog if he is so well behaved and energetic. Personally I'd have no problem if you were out there with your dog.

Give that dog a bone.:)

I have no problem training with my dog, or other people training with their's. They can be good companions when out on the fells, make sure to take extra water for them on hot days if your not likely to come across any water when out.
Mine can't stand the heat, but there again he is a black lab so it's fairly understandable.
Keep an eye on your dog, particularly their paw pads, and check for stones between their toes too. Regular worming and defleaing should avoid any parasites or ticks being picked up.

I too run with a dog (collie-lab cross) and have to be quite sensitive to local farmers/landowners as we're surrounded by sheep farms and moors with ground-nesting birds. I normally keep him on a long lead until the sheep have lambed (I think farmers' main concern is that dogs will cause sheep to miscarry). Also, he stays on the path, as he's too lazy to put in the extra mileage when I'm running with him.

I've never had any negative comments from walkers/runners/bikers - I like to think they share my view that a man out walking/running with his dog is what the moors and fells are all about.

When out on my own I tend to run with my border collie on road or hill. She is fine with wildlife but not always great with people, & will normally bark at one person per run, usually the numpty who goes to stroke her.

Other than that the only risk is she will run off with any fast runner we meet as she is used to running with the club and goes with the lead runner every time. They dont mind so I dont mind.

Also in the winter she sometimes gets scared in the woods on windy nights and I have to make her run with me so SHE feels better:o.

Jason

I have found this to be a bit of a double edged sword. My dog (surprisingly enough called Bob) is a border collie and does what he is told (i.e does not chase sheep but does have a glint in his eye that he would like to round them up). However, down my way in the Lammermuir (a shooting estate and sheep grazing) and Pentland Hills (sheep) the landowners have to play the lowest common denominator card with signs up that dogs should be kept on a lead at almost all times of the year. Whilst I understand where they are coming from putting a collie on a lead is like taking me to the pub and telling me to drink water all night.

I have from time to time taken him up in the Lammermuirs, outwith the nesting season, and have encountered estate workers who have not said anything. I would like to think that they realise that I am not out with a pack of untrained rottweilers and that if kept under close control (which can be demonstrated with verbal commands rather than by physical means) he poses no threat to what, I appreciate is somebody's livelihood.

The other obvious downside is how inferior the dog makes me feel as he trots uphill and then stops about 50 yards ahead and looks back with a expression of disdain that I am making such heavy weather of a mere 1 in 2 hill.

Just a point worth mentioning if you are running on "open" land covered by the CROW act...

...Special requirements also exist to control dogs on land covered by the CROW Act. There is a general requirement for dogs to be kept on a short fixed lead of no more than two metres in length between 1 March and 31 July, and at any time in the vicinity of livestock. Landowners also have powers to restrict people with dogs from small enclosures for lambing, and across grouse moors...

mainly to prevent disturbance to ground-nesting birds...from the DEFRA website.

public info service;)

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Originally Posted by Trossachs!

When out on my own I tend to run with my border collie on road or hill. She is fine with wildlife but not always great with people, & will normally bark at one person per run,

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mine too (border collie). sometimes fine all the way even with groups, but then sometimes part way into a group run he will bark at a particular person :confused:. can often be brought back on side by flapjack/jelly baby bribes though :)

apart from that, and sounding like a billy no mates....i often prefer the lone runs with my dog the most. just need to stop him jumping on me if i trip over :D

Trouble with running with my dog is she's so fantastic looking (check the avatar) that everybody I meet wants to talk about her breed (Border/Lakeland) which gives me too many rests. Another downside is if I let her off the lead any self respecting keeper will feel perfectly entitled to shoot her as she will hunt any living thing on a moor except people and stock. Plus as she needs a lead she has a tendency to trip me up on the edge of cliffs. I still run with her most days though.

Mine are with me on every run bar races. 2 collies - love running with their pack (Ambleside AC) - great on recces as they seem to have a nose for the best route.

Had 2 really scary moments today though :eek:

First an incident with a rather pi**ed off adder (whoever said snakes are more afraid of us than we are of them was lying - or that snake didn't read the rule book!).

Just managed to call the dog back when i heard the hissing and saw the dog barking/shying from something. Snake was quite big and at full strike and when the dog took 2 steps back, it turned to me, i swear!!! (I'll never be able to go for a pee in the bushes again :o)

Secondly, whilst stupidly trying to cut from Hare Crag to Skiddaw House, in the knee deep heather/moss, one dog suddenly dissapeared!

Luckily she was close by so i noticed & took action straight away. She'd fallen into a drainage channel (thigh deep, full of thick mud & too narrow for her to get out - and the heather had just closed over her - i never would have found her again had i not seen it!!!

It took 2 shampoos to get the claggy mud & stench off her again...

So good to hear other doggy stories , i agree with dogs being best training partner , mine just loves open fells and goes scatty at streams. I think the more varied the terrain and area i can take her on the better , new sniffs etc.
I understand the need for controlling idiots who let their dogs chase sheep , if in doubt mine goes on but 90% of the time it's not an issue. She has even done some farmers a favour by controlling a few rabbits , much more fun than a cuddly santa or a squeaking hedgehog.
Btw has anyone tried any Cani-X events? They seem to be based down south.

Been enjoying this thread!
I love running with my dog - She is an Alaskan Malmamute and chases anything that moves, has a very high prey drive! I run with her on a waist belt and lead attached so that i have my hands free. Plus it means she can't run off and when the hills get hard work she pulls me up them!
Have been looking at Cani Cross for next year to tie in with the Husky rallies - think most of them are about 2 - 3 miles so quite short.

I agree though very good to train with except in summer for mine as she gets too hot and only manages about 2 miles

Vic

dogs are great to run with pip and lucy both collie are normally quite well behaved but pip has a tendancy to round the odd stray lamb up.. of late though we have taken them to puppy training classes to get them trained for shows etc.. agility obidiance and of late a white poodle has joined the class pip thinks this is a sheep.. other than that they are great to run with untill they get stuck in the odd bog where one has to get them out then they shake emselves all over you..

Love malamutes , bet they take some feeding . If they do a cani x nearby i'll enter

Malamutes are fab - ours was a rescue only got her at Christmas. On the feeding front though they eat only a little - we always feel cruel feeding her but she eats very small amounts. People tend to overfeed them then they are no good for running with! Only two small cups of complete a day. - we give her a bit more when rallying but not much.

some photos of her if you want a nose!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/viccib/

They are absolutely gorgeous and look really happy, a credit to you. Btw have you heard of a book called ' Call of the Wild My escape to Alaska' Guy Grieve (Hodder) , may be of interest. Should be widely available ; published in 2006.

I wouldnt be without my border collie now on a run. Best thing I ever did was get him:)

My Border Collie pups come running with me and my mates on a Saturday morning in the woods. After a half hour walk we all run a steady 4 mile lap. then they have a kip in the van while we humans run another lap flat out.

I have to be careful how much I run them as they are still young, but ideally, by this time next year they will be running with me 4 or 5 times a week.

I run with my Jack Russell Muttley. Wouldn't be without him. As mentioned a dog can be a great training partner but above all a fantastic companion.
I do take great care around sheep though and will always put him on a lead. I personally know of some one out walking their dog and him beeing shot by the farmer for chasing sheep.
As regards other leasure users of the country side I have never had any complaints.

Hello everyone, started this game on 01/01/08 with my first fell race: Nine Standards Rigg ( "not really a fell race" I was told) which, having come about last, put the fear of god into me! Anyroad, me and 'My Bitch' Yan are regulars on the fells and other than racing nothing is more rewarding than fell running with a dog. She sees the 'entertainment opportunities' presented by sheep but recognises that this would be frowned upon and so will heel through a flock. She's fantastic with people but I'm careful no one is surprised by being goosed by a large and athletic German Shepherd. I put her on the lead when I see another dog as she tends to take umbrage if offered violence. Like Britta came off Bowscale towards Blencathra and heard this big splash, I knew what had happened so laughed out loud, turned round, no Yan! went back and saw a black head poking out of the bog. A more terrifying spectacle of a devil dog you would not want to meet, eyes peering out from the pitch black birds nest of a head hurtling down the Glendermalkin. However we got in the beck beneath the Mill (pub) and splashed about then had a Pint in the sun. Now tell me a better day.

Welcome to the forum Henry.

HP said "...came off Bowscale towards Blencathra and heard this big splash, I knew what had happened so laughed out loud, turned round, no Yan! went back and saw a black head poking out of the bog. A more terrifying spectacle of a devil dog you would not want to meet, eyes peering out from the pitch black birds nest of a head hurtling down the Glendermalkin. However we got in the beck beneath the Mill (pub) and splashed about then had a Pint in the sun. Now tell me a better day."


That's exactly the type of day you need to remember when the clag is down or you are at the back of a race. This is what it's about for me, the races are just social humuliations.

Funny how many perfect days end in a pint though isn't it?
:D
Jason

Doggy (billy) is poorly sick at the moment with a cut pad :( after i took him running with the club around the local area the other night. some A******E's had thought it a good idea to smash some bottles all over a footpath :mad::mad:. didnt see them until it was too late

now im £50 poorer after a trip to the vets and billy is moping around the house as he cant go for a walk without a sock taped over his foot

One of my favorite topics ! Can't believe I did not see this sooner :confused:

I only run with mine when it is cold, because they are northern breeds (malamutes, samoyeds, and a type of Alaskan village dog called a Hedlund Husky). They are sled dogs (and sometimes skijor dogs), although my old mal is retired from the team. They cook if it is above freezing or even close to it. The mals are "slow," which means they can go at an easy trot for them and I can run along and keep up. Unless he sees a bunny :eek:. The sams like to go faster but are not as strong. They are plenty strong enough to pull me off my feet, except maybe the little girls, who are still strong enough to get me moving faster. Running with the sams is a good way to do speed and cadence training.

I live in farm country and always run with the dog attached by a skijor line, canicross style. Otherwise the neighbors or their cows might object. Even an average dog is a much better endurance athlete than most people, but they are great running companions because they never lose their enthusiasm. Just gotta take care of their feet.

Sounds like you have many dogs!!

I totally agree with the rabbits and the Malamute! - Also squirrels, cows, sheep, chickens and i nearly always end up on my face - quite good for sprint training though!

Do you do Bike joring or Cani Cross then? - We are doing the rallies this year scooter and Rig - Just waiting for my new rig to arrive - but she only goes on it if it is 11 degrees or less - same with running she lets me know when she has had enough

We currently have 22 dogs - 16 sams, 3 mals, 1 AK husky, and a couple of brown dogs (1 golden retreiver, 1 mixed breed of uncertain recent ancestry who looks like a sled dog but she don't go).

I have done bikejoring, but it is too dangerous for my tastes. So canicross and skijoring with whoever my wife is not running in her team. Our dryland training involves mostly ATV (heavy enough to control team). We gave up on "lightweight" rigs when we (meaning my wife) started running more than 6 dogs in the team.

My old mal (that's him on the couch in my avatar) is also good at self-regulating his effort, usually related to temperature. But he is willing to run if rabbits are involved. He also likes to suddenly pounce on voles, etc, in the grass or snow next to the trail :rolleyes: Unfortunately he has slowed down a lot in the last year (he is 11 yrs old in Oct) so he does not run with the team or me anymore. But I have lots of young dogs to choose from (young dogs who are not ready to go into the big team, or who are getting some command training, girls in heat, or any dog who does not fit in the team for any number of reasons). They don't all like to run solo (without other dogs) though, but there's always someone to take.

Just to take this back to run training - running attached to a dog who wants to go a little faster than you is Excellent speed training, if you can survive the experience ;)

I usually take either 1 or 2 of my collie cross mutts with me on the fells. the question i have is how far should dogs of 14 years run? mine have been with me for up to 28 miles and seemed ok, but should i take them on long uns?

Picked up a rescue Staffie from the RSPCA last year, she is the best dog I've ever had and have ever run with...Slow intro into running on the fell with her, ie. walk/run stuff and within six months she was right at home on the fell.
A year on she has no problems covering 20+ miles, no problems with sheep or other dogs but she does her best to get those moorland hares, never succeeded yet.
So if you are out around Blackhill, Bleaklow or Kinder and you see an ageing, stumbling fella being left behind by a white with black eye patch Staffie, say hello, it will be me and Tilly...:)

What is the best food (if any) to take with you to feed the dog on a long run ?

I take some of my rain's dry dog food if it's a long run (above 20) and some treats too in the hip pockets of my omm sac. Water isn't usually a problem as dogs will drink stuff we wouldn't touch or could indeed drink.

Can't believe i didn't see this thread sooner either-also my favourite subject. I am a lurcher fanatic and masquerade as the local vet when not fell running. I own the best dog for training with ever- no argument, and that is the mighty Brown Dog. She is the ultimate canine athlete, i will not have a word said against her.

I am not in favour of feeding them much if anything during long runs. They are built to go long distances and have infrequent large meals. With lurchers and other deep-chested breeds gastric torsion is a risk. Brown Dog has run for over 10 hours with plenty of energy eating nothing but a stolen cake from a passing BGR participant..

Speaking of stolen cake, the dog on my avatar, who is frankly useless at running, ate the end off someone's wedding cake at the weekend!

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What is the best food (if any) to take with you to feed the dog on a long run ?

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Very rarely take anything unless it's a real epic - around the 20 mile mark they are usually happy to share my sandwich or flapjack or maltloaf or in emergencies even a bite of mars bar...

Ours run better after a good brekky, normally porridge. I tried feeding her dog food before a 10 hr run a few weeks back and she refused to eat it and sat watching me eating my porridge, looking mightily pissed off that she wasn't having her usual.

We take our collieish dogs out in all conditions.

http://sarzmountainrun.blogspot.com/...n-glyders.html

They are great for motivation, great company. I tend to feed them bits on the run, but Fly was a stray so she just goes back to 'stray' mode scavenges of walkers.

Bella seems to get tired after 3-4 hrs, but she had a liver Shunt as a pup and we were told she'd have reduced stamina, which is probably a good thing now as a fully pepped up Bella would be in a rescue shelter as she's almost unkeepable as it is. At least now she sleeps occassionally, but she only has 2 gears, manic or dead. Bella also doesn't like running the same routes and hates hill reps on the Llanberis path. Clearly her worst session. She has been known to refuse to go out in the rain though as well.

Fly will just plod along faithfully following all day. She's a lot more conservative on the hill though.

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Originally Posted by Longdogs

Can't believe i didn't see this thread sooner either-also my favourite subject. I am a lurcher fanatic and masquerade as the local vet when not fell running.

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I've seen your lovely dogs at several races lately - we have a lurcher with a bit of Saluki in him, wonderful runner and has both speed and stamina but he readily admits that his brain is a bit on the small side! Our Irish Wolfhound on the other hand lies down and won't go any further after about a mile or so.

After 2 months of restricted walks due to injury, Billy(see avatar) came out for a run with me. Both happy again.

Don't feed Tilly at all on a long run, gets her water enroute from whichever water source she discovers.....Problems only arise when Soreen Malt Loaf appears, she then uses her Staffie Jedi mind tricks and I give in ;).