Best Dog for Running Partner?

Triathlon Forum
44

I’ll second the spotted dog recommendation. Mine used to run for ages with me and recover with one deep sigh. He also loved post run stretches (belly scratches for him) And there are plenty in need of rescue. Look up a local Dal breeder and I’m sure they’ll lpoint you in the right direction. After I suffered the early loss of my Bobo and put the word out I needed another hound…I wound up with a boxer that was in need of rescue. He can go fast, but his stamina isn’t there and he can’t handle the heat at all. I still get sad when I see someone with a spotted wonder.

Whatever you decide, remember, a puppies turn into dogs and a dog is for life ~ until death do you part.

45

Quote I have A buddy that has a Mini. Dachshound that handle an hour and a half with no problem

An hour-and-a-half of what? With legs that small it’s certainly not running?!

Oh ye of little faith. Gus Boy would hammer all day long. More than a few of his running partners were humbled at the end of a run by having to trail in behind the little guy.

Gus was one of a whole herd of dogs that would run with my group. There were days when we had more dogs than people. We had a couple of whippets that showed us what speed was. A pair of Weimaraners that you had to keep an eye on, or they would appear out of nowhere and take you out at the knees.

46

“…spotted wonder”

What did you call them? Yea, us too. Our three Spotted Wonders (Dalmatians). Hmmm… and I though I coined that name…

As for Bobo… I would never disrespect the lost of your loved one, but that’s what I call… Ah, never mind. This is a family show…

Joel

47

I can just imagine! LOL

Bobo was what I wound up shortening (is that a word that isn’t lard?) Beemer to. His registered name was Firecracker Red BMW… a grand name for a grand dog.

48

What I have enjoyed so much from this post is that people really love their dogs. We have been very lucky to find two healthy and loving dogs. We found our second lab at a breeder that no one wanted because the hair on her nose was crooked and she wouldn’t “show well”. I guess we just got lucky.

49

I like the posts about getting a dog at a shelter or at the Humane Society. In general, male dogs run better and for more years than females. On average, you will not find a better runner than a lab for all types of conditions. Remember, not only do you need a dog that can run distance, but you need a well behaved dog. Long haired dogs will generate more heat, so if you are going to run with them in hot to mild temps, think about shaving them. Hot weather is a little tough for runs over 5 to 6 miles. Run the hose on them before you go and give them water during the run. If the temp is 50 or below they can run farther than you want to. Puppies should not run very far, wait till the dog is at least over a year. Prime running years are 2 to 10 years old.

If you go the pound route, get a male with some lab mix.

Greyhounds should not go more than a mile or so, they are not bred for it.

50

I grew up with Dobies and they are great dogs. But the best running partner I ever had was my … DON’T LAUGH … standard poodle.

The standards were orginally bred as hunting dogs and at 50-70 lbs, they are good sized dogs with Whippet-like springs for legs.

Their coat is great for snow (just don’t give 'em the pom pom hair do, clip them down completely) and they have amazing endurance. Their tempermant is sweet as can be and they are among the smartet breeds. My standard used to grab my running shoes, day timer, socks and car keys and sit outside next to the pile so I couldn’t leave without him knowing!

51

(Forewarning: This goes far afield from the original post regarding good running dogs, and doves into a discussion about Dobermans misconceptions as well as proper training of dogs. Oh yeah, and its long. Stop here if this what you are looking for.)

Cerveloguy, I have to disagree with your post about Dobes. Although your post is based on commonly held beliefs, I believe it is a misconception.

Dobes aren’t “hit of miss”, it’s the owners that are “hit or miss.” Dobes are a function of their owners. If the owner is mealy, the Dobe WILL take over the role of leader of the pack and present a hand full of issues. On the other hand, if the owner is abusive, the Dobe will became fearful (which leads to fear biting) and/or aggressive.

For an owner that understands the dynamics of the breed and how to raise a good, social dog, there isn’t a finer breed. Trying at times, but not a better dog.

Tom’s post is accurate. Dobes require a lot of attention, and a strong willed owner. For potential owners that don’t meet these requirements, the breed is NOT for them and they should NOT purchase this dog. Dobe rescue organizations don’t need any additional help keeping themselves busy.

And to clarify a couple other points, Dobes, as a general rule, are not by nature aggressive. Protective, yes, but aggressive, no. (Yes, there are breeders that select aggression as a trait, but these breeders are easily identifiable and likely will advise you - - if not brag - - of the dogs tempermant. The same is true of many breeds; This is not Dobe specific).

With improper training and/or mistreatment, Dobes can become aggressive, but the same is true of all breeds. If you tie a Lhasa Apso up to a stake in your back yard and do not give it attention, guess what, it’s not going to be socialized and likely will exhibit aggressive tendencies. Again, it isn’t the breed, it’s the owner.

As for the “training” requirement that has been mentioned multiple times in this posting, this shouldn’t be confused with anything more than the training any responsible owner should undertake, i.e., Schutzhund or other advanced training isn’t necessary. However the training need to be continually enforced because the breed needs mental stimulation and constant reminders of who is the Alpha Male. Training and continued enforcement of what has been learned provides Dobes the direction. Without this direction, the Dobes’ extremely mischievous mind is left to wander. A very intelligent dog without direction can result in holes in your walls, a dog’s greeting card for “I need more attention.”

If you are thinking of buying a Dobe, think of raising a permanent three year old, temperamental child that weighs 85 lbs and you’ll have a good idea. The breed has drive, will power and determination that is unmatched. If my Dobe truly wants something, there is no amount of pain that can be inflicted that will break their this drive. This is the breed; You must be able to focus the drive and determination, or suffer the consequences. (Bear in mind here that my experiences are tempered by the fact that I have the Alpha Male of all Alpha Males; my dog is a worst case scenario for dominance issues. Note: the problems with the breed are primarily dominance issues, not aggression. Although the two are closely related, they are not the same thing - - not dog trainer here, but a very well read owner.)

And, if you are afraid to put a pinch collar/choke chain on your dog and snap the leash with substantial force, Dobermans are not the breed for you (nor are many of the medium/large size breeds). And if the dog responds by growling/showing his teeth and you don’t yank the leash twice as hard, Dobes are not the breed for you. (Yes. I can hear the gasps now from non-dog owner and owners of passive breeds. And if you did gasp, this should be your clue that you should never purchase a dog with any hint of dominance issues. No amount of love or praise is going to stop a dog that wants to chew on your shoe from doing so; it requires stern discipline.)

The key here is the difference between being a stern owner and a sadistic owner. When your dog respects you (this comes from learning to trust you) and learns that you expect his obedience, you will receive it. Until then, especially with a Dobe, your dog will continually test its boundaries to see what it can get away with.

Frankly, I’m happy keeping Dobes in a very small population of owners. I prefer having a dog that is uncommon. And for the sake of the breed, keeping them in the hands of the right owners is very important to me. I don’t ever want to see this dog becoming a popular/common breed. That is why I have no problems pointing out that this isn’t the breed for everyone. I just prefer that the misconception about their alleged aggressive tendencies be fully understood as being the fault of a bad owner and not the breed.

52

Maybe the user name should be a clue, but just in case my vote would be for dalmatians as well. We have two and they never turn down a run. Other than on hot, humid days they can run as far and as fast as you want to. Like the other post indicated, they were originally bred to run long distances and despite their shedding problem, they would always be my first choice for a running dog.

53

I hesitated to post this, because I thought it would be off topic, but I think I can keep it applicable.

“Dobes aren’t hit-and-miss”

I’ve gotta disagree. Dobermans can be hit-and-miss, just like any dog. Dogs are naturally companion animals, but deep, deep down they are still just animals. For most people out their can go their whole life with out having troubles with a dog, but there are bad ones, that no matter how well you train them, love them, and show your dominance, they still “snap” and go crazy (meaning go off the deep end aggresively.) And their are some breeds that are more likely to than others (due to selective/poor breeding.)

 Some of these breeds include (but are not limited to) Pitbulls, Huskies, German Shepards, most dogs in the Hound Group (deerhound, Saluki's, ect...) and some of the "Mountain Dogs."   I will never as long as I live own a pitbull.  Some people say they are sweet loving dogs, (which I'm sure some of them are) but when it comes to a dog that was breed for one purpose (to kill other dogs, rats, and animals for sport/fun) a few years aren't going to take that instinct out of a dog.  A very large percentage of Pitbulls have to end up being put down due to their extremly aggresive behavior, (and I'm not talking dogs that belong to bad owners, I'm talking about showdogs, that are raised by profesional dog handlers.)  Huskies are a breed that suprise a lot of people becaue they look so sweet, but they ain't.  A couple of years ago when I was looking for a  "new" dog I looked at a couple of sled dog breeds for a short time; I then talked to a friend of mine who worked at a small vet clinic and was my dog trainer at the time, she said and I quote, "Don't get a huskie, we have to put down at least one of those a week due to extremly aggressive behavior." Most every dog breed there is was breed for a purpose, Huskies were breed to be pretty wild, animal dogs.  That's what it takes to pull a sled.  Hunting hounds were breed to run animals down and kill them, thus to this day, very few Deerhounds, saluki's, and such can be trusted with cats. They'll be fine for years, and then suddenly without warning, will kill their "best buddy" feline.  All breeds have been breed for a purpose, labs were origonally breed to hunt, but have since been heavily breed to be pets (which is why there are so many good ones.)  When you get a dog it is going to have instincts, a Dobermans will be to guard something, don't be suprised if some of them get to carried away with this. 

Now I'm not saying that many dogs that turn agressive or might turn aggressive have to; training can help a lot.  Read my story below.

 So, here's how I spin it for everyone's benefit, if you get a dog as a puppy:
  1. Make sure you talk to one or more people who already have that kind of dog. Have them level with you about the strengths and weaknesses of the breed. (No, their is no “perfect” breed.)
  2. Only buy from a respected breeder.
  3. Make sure you meet at least one of the parents (though if at all possible, meet both the father and mother.)
  4. Never buy from a Petstore/Puppymill. (You’re doing no one a favor.)
  5. Get to a dog training class/Puppy kindergarden class as soon as possible.

There are some dogs that are bad apples, I used to own one. He started out as a fine puppy, but we hadn’t gotten him from a good breeder, (it was just someone who had breed their border collie) and we never got to meet the father. We took him to Puppy kindergarden when he was six/seven mothes old (a little late, but ussually too late.) He was fine, but shortly after he turned one things started to change. We kept training him, and keeping in contact with dog trainers, but he started to get aggressive with some strangers. We worked on introducing him to more and more strangers (gently, and slowly, but he was hit and miss, sometimes he’d behave, sometimes he wouldn’t.) He was great with myself and family, but strangers were another item entirely. To make a long story short, though we trained him the way we should have, worked submissive exercises into it, and tried every remedy in the book (and some on our own) it never worked. He went on to chase/try to attack several neighbors, and bit a little girl. I had to have him put down. If I were to go back and do it again (minus getting it from a bad breeder) I still believe there was nothing that we have been done to keep him well behaved.
Not to scare people of off Border Collies, I have one now who is the sweetest, friendliest, most loving dog on earth. She has a great temperment (which can’t be entirely due to her upbringing because I got her out of questionable circumstances), I beleive a large part of this is her bloodline, she comes from a great breed line of family working dogs. Bloodline plays as big of role in a dogs temperment as training does. Had I done a little more research, I probably wouldn’t have had to live with a “problem” dog for five years. Believe me, you’re better never owning a dog, than ending up with a highly aggressive one, it’s no fun for anyone.

To close up, I still recomends most people get a Mixed breed from your local pound/shelter. When their adults you see what kind of temperment they’ve got, and your saving one more innocent dog from being destroyed. Just to be clear, I don’t think Dobermans are a bad breed, but you have to be very careful with where you get them from as they have been breed for a purpose, and some of them still think deep down that they are army dogs.

54

I’m wondering if it is a case of dobes being more inclined to snap than other breeds, or the ramification of a dobe “snapping” are greater than other breeds.

If a cocker spaniel “loses it” or “gets pissed off”, it isn’t going to be as big of a deal as if a dobe or pit bull gets pissed off. One breaks the flesh, the other could choke you out.

I have found weiner dogs to be very aggressive and tempermental … just they’re not big enough to knock an adult (or worse, a kid) to the ground and continue the attack.

I strongly agree with the comment about establishing your dominance when your dog shows his teeth to you. A lot of people would say “Whoa, let him be, he’s getting mad”. Wrong, if you don’t show him who the boss is right then and there, then you’re going to see those teeth a lot more often. Dogs aren’t dumb. They know who is in control, whether it be you or them. I’m not for abusing your dog, but if you have to take them down, and lay on top of them so they can see who is the boss, then do it (the occassion is very rare). Make your dog submit. You likely have to do this once (if ever). You don’t want your dog to fear you (so I wouldn’t advice punching, etc), but you defintaly want to get your point across.

I better get to bed, me … and the aussie cattle dog are going fror a cold run tomorrow at 5am.

55

"I’m Wondering if it is a case of dobes being more inclined to snap than other breeds, or the ramification of a dobe “snapping are greater than other breeds.”

I think it’s a little of both. There are a lot of smaller breeds that are very aggressive, and true, many people don’t care if their weiner dog bites people, but I wrote that with that in mind. Those dogs fall under the same criteria, they’ve been (though not on purpose) bred to be aggressive. In the area of being agressive, I don’t think Dobes are the worst, but they do have attacking instincts. Example, a hunting dog doesn’t learn to break the neck of a smaller animal by chance; somewhere in the back of its head it has that knowledge inscribed in it. Some aggressive dogs, will, when feeling threatend, bite your hand or fingers, some working dogs won’t even think about that, they’ll go straight for your neck/face area.

And again, I don't hate these kinds of dogs, but they aren't for beginners, and you need to watch the bloodline.
56

IMO, bigs dogs are like when people get “tigers” as pets. They’re cute when they’re little, but once they get bigger people don’t realize what they’ve got … a whole lot of animal.

A someone that knew they were starting a fmaily and would have young kids, I chose dogs that …

  1. I could easily subdue. I’m a fairly big guy 6’3 200. Screaming at your dog when they “show a little teeth” or growl in an aggressive way isn’t subdueing them. You need to be able to physically “reason with” your dog. Sitting them down for a time-out and explaining why they cannot be allowed to snap at people isn’t going to work. Sometimes smaller folks get bigger dogs to feel safer, then they realize they could not control their dog if they needed to (this is not true in all cases).

  2. would not stand taller than my son (or bully him around while just playing)

I think animals in general get more aggressive when they are able to physically “look down” on someone/somebody (especially if they knock them down). It’s almost as if they get more confident with every move. It’s not usually an animal’s instict to attack something larger than it (which is why many animal’s defense mechanism is to do something that makes them look “bigger”).

I made it a point, by letting my 2 year old feed/treat and displine (“No. Oscar. No”) the dogs, so that the dogs know that even though he’s “little than the big ugly guy” he’s still a “boss”.

IMO, many dogs are comfortable with a defined role in a family (just like everyone else). Depending on perspective, it’s almost like they enjoy a heirarchy of knowing exactly where they stand. There’s no “competition for rank”, once dominance is established. They know their role, and seem to enjoy knowing the role’s boundaries.

57

Why not adopt a greyhound from a greyhound rescue center

According to the greyhound rescue folks, they are not dogs for long runs. They are sprinters, and do not take to long running.

58

For a dog to be a long distance runner they are going to need some decent sized paws with quite a bit of padding. A greyhounds paws are sort of similar to those of a cheetah, where they more resemble “track cleets”, than they do “cushion running shoes”.

Distance dogs are also going to need to have some durable joints to absorb the constant pounding, greyhounds don’t.

The most interesting things about greyhounds is the anatomy of their hips prevents them form “sitting”, so they must stand or lay down. I never knew that until a buddy of mine adopted a couple of old race dogs. These dogs were just a couple of friendly “throw rugs”, laying all of the place.

59

“I beleive a large part of this is her bloodline, she comes from a great breed line of family working dogs. Bloodline plays as big of role in a dogs temperment as training does.”
“To close up, I still recomends most people get a Mixed breed from your local pound/shelter. When their adults you see what kind of temperment they’ve got,”

The two statements above are somewhat contradictory IMO. Plus, you cannot judge the temperment of a dog at a pound so cut and dry. A dog in the pound is not in his established territory, you don’t know how he is going to act once he has established “his” territory at your house. Based on the statments above, you won’t know the bloodlines either at the pound and therefore really would have no way to judge or more precisely, predict, the actual temperment until the dog finds his place in the pack and establishes his territory away from the pound. Simply stated, a dog that seems nice and friendly at the pound can still cause problems if they come into a situation where they feel they can challenge for the alpha role.

Dog are like people, shitty owners are as bad as shitty parents, and both end up locked up if the owners/parents fail . . . (for the most part anyway)

60

“A dog in the pound is not in his established territory, …”

I do a good bit of volunteer work at an animal shelter and unfortunately I would have to disagree with that statement. Puppies aside, the average dog is there for several weeks so they are pretty much in their established territory. Adopting form the pound has the added benefit of seeing how your dog will act with other dogs.

And there are few reputable shelters that will adopt out an agressive dog. At this one you can adopt a mellow pit-mix, but not an aggressive dachsund. Obviously, I am biased but I think getting a dog from the pound is the way to go. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem - you would be amazed at how many animals are put down in an average sized city.

61

This discussion has been good, and I’ve enjoyed tagging along with it. Do your research before you buy/adopt a dog, and get one that was bred to run. Dalmations are among the best, so are Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Border collies, Australian shepherds, Airedales, Dobermans, German shepherds, and many others all make good running partners. I’ve run with Jack Russell terriers before, and those little guys can hang in there for quite a long distance. Tibbs is also correct about rat terriers – they are good for a surprising distance.

I currently own to dogs: a Yorkie and a miniature Daschund. Terrible little dogs, both of them. However, both have run with me and thrive on a brisk 20-minute jaunt around the block. That pretty much wipes out the Yorkie, but the mini Daschund is just getting warmed up. I can see where a mini D could handle a pretty long run. Ours is quite amazing. Ill behaved, but amazing nonetheless.

RP

62

A family member had a Greyhound. They would run about 40 miles a week (8 - 10 mile runs). Man she could fly…

They put on weight very easily, but are still fast fat

63

“I will never own another non-German dog as long as I live.”

And I once said the same thing about German cars!

Jeff, I was expecting some flack for my comments but I’ve been only bit once - by a German Shepherd. My wife has been bit twice in the last five years while running. You guessed it by German Shepherds. My Golden Retriever was involved in only four four unprovoked fights with other dogs - with a Doberman (2), Rottweiller and German Shepherd(he held his own each time, one tough Retreiver). My Black Lab(much more of a wimp) has been attacked twice by a Doby and German Shepherd while minding his own business.

I realize that not all these dogs are “bad”, and some are wonderful family pets, but I’ll stick to my guns about German dogs being “hit and miss”. Think about what these dogs were partially bred for. Conjures up images of patrolling concentration camps in my mind.

I’ll gladly drink German beer, drive a German car, I even speak the language a bit, but I don’t want one of their dogs.

I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.