I’m considering getting a dog in the spring, but wanted to see how pet ownership works for those of you who work full time and train a lot? My wife and I both work full time. She’s not a triathlete, so she will be at home a few more hours per day than I will. If we get a dog, we’ve decided to have a walker come by once a day. I also understand I wont be able to have a training partner for at least 18 months or so, and will have to have his own exercise time in the beginning.
Anyway, I know triathletes are also dog lovers, so I wanted to see how you make it work. If you have the situation I"m describing, and find it’s been really difficult, I need to hear that, too!
My Toy Poodles are great. But, they are “recovery” dogs, not work out dogs. So, when I’m sitting on the chair recovering after a Workout, they join me on the chair and provide some warmth :).
I have a recovery dog as well. Plus I live close enough to my office that I can go home over the lunch hour and spend some time with him as well. It isn’t as bad in the winter now that my bike is relegated to the trainer. He just hangs out while I ride my bike.
If I know I am going to have a busy day, I drop him off at doggy day care for half a day or so.
I have a border collie that I love trail running with and he does most of my long runs with me in the spring and fall. During the summer if its above 85ish he can’t run more than an hour because he pads start to blister. Honestly I wouldn’t trade him for the world but he does add to my training planning. For example if I need to get a run in and I planned it for my lunch hour but work got in the way it’s a bit more difficult to do in the evening because I need to spend time with him.
For my dog to be happy he needs his Frisbee and his own “training” time. He is happy to run with me but all he really wants out of life is some Frisbee time, so I plan several hours a week with him for his activity. We has a GSP growing up and I have never been around a dog with that much energy, I’m sure a GSP would make a great training partner but they are working dogs and will need the mental challenge along with physical challenge.
I guess what I’m saying is, training with you wont be enough to keep your dog truly happy!
My dog was starting to get depressed at me being gone so much, so I ended up getting him a puppy. They hang out and play with each other when I’m gone, so it’s really not so bad for them anymore and they’re always in great spirits now. If they didn’t have each other, I would probably consider doggy day care or something just so he’d have some company.
Good call on the hunting breed. Mine are medium sized mutts at around 40-50 lb and they do fine on my recovery runs, but I wouldn’t take them much farther or faster than they’re doing right now. After some training, a lab or something should be good to go for all but the longest and fastest runs.
Having a lab that you can’t run regularly (because they aren’t 18 months) and training for IM is pretty hard. They need a lot of exercise. Swimming is about 2-3x as tiring for them as running and they can do that young, but that takes time. Moose (21 month old black lab) is a regular running partner now. I started him at 1-2 miles 3-4 times a week when he was 15 months. But we also went to the beach a lot for ocean fetch. If your wife is able to help with the exercise or you have a yard you can sit in an play fetch after a workout then it’s doable. It’s doable if it’s just you too (I did it, but I worked from the home). Look into doggy day care for 2-3 times a week, that works wonders and they get to be socialized with lots of other dogs. If I had doggy day care near me I’d still send him there (and then get to do some of my runs without 20 stop and sniff and pee breaks).
I’ve only met one GSP (who was abnormally chill)… so i’m glad to hear from someone else who was an owner. The energy level may be a problem and I’m glad you bring that up.
Regarding challenging the dog mentally, I’m really looking forward to that. What kind of games do you play with your border collie for mental exercise? I worked on finding blinds with my last lab and he LOVED that, but I’d love to hear more ways of engaging them as well.
I bought a flat coat retriever in March - he is now 11 months. Initially in terms of impact on your time it will revolve around shortish walks, interrupted sleep due to house-training, pup training etc. in time things do settle down but in terms of exercise we are up to around 90-120mins a day now spread over 2-3 walks, and even then gundogs are often intelligent and when not tired will be badgering you for attention.
if you can gradually get them running with you (be mindful of their joints) then this will help - i’ve not tried it yet but TBH dont expect the workout to be high quality as they are easily distracted. I would say if you are hell bent on being tbe best athlete you can be dont get one, but u learn to work around a dog e.g. ensure only short walks or get someone else to walk the dog b4 the odd key workout, and I would not want to be without one now. if u have a relative or friend who can look after the dog too that will help alot - the 1 on 1 relationship can be very intense all the time and u will need time apart sometimes.
i will say i work from home too and if i didnt we do not think we couldve managed anywhere near as well.
Whatever you do, please adopt a dog from a rescue group or shelter and do not buy from a breeder. There are breed specific rescues for almost every breed as well as all-breed rescues. For the breeds you mention you can pretty easily find one with a rescue or in a shelter. There are also big advantages to adopting an adult or young (6 mo-1 yr) dog than a puppy. My husband and I have 3 dogs (all rescues) plus we currently have a foster dog (our 3rd foster this year). Many people, especially first time dog owners, have no idea how many absolutely wonderful homeless dogs there are out there in resuces and shelters, and have no idea how many dogs are killed every year in shelters - many of which are pure breeds. Sorry for the tangent, but just wanted to encourage you to think resuce rather then breeder.
We have a lab/pointer mix and he is an awesome dog. He joins me on some of my shorter runs and is a great swimmer. Hasn’t quite figured out the bike yet though.
Hardest part of being a triathlete/dog owner is managing him when traveling. We try to travel with him when possible looking for pet friend hotels/VRBOs. Otherwise my mom is a dog lover and will usually watch him.
If you have the situation I"m describing, and find it’s been really difficult, I need to hear that, too!
At the risk of pet lovers shredding me to pieces, I’m going to be the other voice in here (as someone who does not currently own a dog).
I had a dog (for a year). It was a total pain. Giving her away was one of the best decisions of my life (she went to a good family). This was 8 years ago and I still feel this way.
It already sounds like you and your wife are busy people, so why add more stress and more responsibility into your lives? I can think of a few positives of dog ownership for 2 busy, busy people, but way more negatives. Now, if you live on a ranch and the dog can roam and play outside all day, that’s one thing. But if the dog has to stay in the house all day and also lives inside, that’s a lot of stress for you and the dog.
My 20 y/o daughter recently adopted a lab/retriever mix from a rescue shelter. As she was going through the adoption process she was working with several shelters and it became apparent how many people get a dog not knowing a thing about it… Unfortunately they get rid of the dog and the outcomes aren’t always pretty…
I’m not saying people should never buy from a breeder, just that the frequency in which people who go the pure bred route without knowing much if anything about their breed is too high…
Adopting from a shelter makes a little dent in it I suppose…
To the OP, the other point I wanted to make was make sure you understand the fitness level of your dog before bringing it into your workout program. You sound like you know what you’re doing however many people think their dog can run all day when in fact they have to develop fitness too. We had a local Thanksgiving day race recently and they are dog friendly. I saw a very fast runner come by with his quite overweight lab struggling to keep up… You could see the tension in the leash as the guy was practically dragging it…
2 dogs is the way to go. They keep each other company when the hoomans are not are around. We have a ‘dog room’ that they hang out in during the day. The dog room is the breezeway between the house and garage, closed off to the house, and partially heated. Before we had an official dog room, we bought an insert for our sliding glass door (sorta like this) which became our doggie door. We still use it in our current dog room
We have his and her dogs. My dog is a retriever and a great runner. We typically get a nice run in the morning, which satisfies some of his exercise needs. When we get home, it’s toss the ball time.
I’m sure you’re aware of this, but I’ll say it anyway. A dog is a commitment not to be taken lightly. I like that you are asking the question because if you are going to do it, don’t half-ass it. Make sure you use your whole ass. Their well-being should be priority over triathlon.
This is actually good advise. My husband and I both work from home. If we both worked full time in an office, plus commute time, plus training, then dogs would be a no-go. It isn’t fair to have a dog that is alone at home or in a kennel for 8+ hours a day and is another reason why a lot of dogs get dumped at shelters. It is really smart to think if you truly have the time, energy, and money to dedicate to the dog for it’s full life… Not until it becomes inconvenient.
I second the 2 dogs, but dont’ get two puppies at the same time, nearly impossible to train them because you have to train them individually.
Also second the getting an older dog who is trained (at least somewhat) and less active. I have a 9 year old golden mix and by about 3 she was really calm and settled. She still likes to run, but doesn’t need the run, a nice walk everyday can be enough for her.
Right now I am focusing on two main training aspects with my BC, the first is Frisbee and the second is scent discrimination.
The Frisbee is more than just retrieve as I have numerous patterns and tricks that he performs (or sometime doesn’t) on command, this is great for physical and mental exercise, with the more complex stuff he wears out a lot quicker and when time is limited I can wear him out completely in about 30min.
The scent discrimination is a TON of fun for the both of us! First I am a type 1 diabetic and he will alert me if my blood glucose drops below a certain range. It takes a lot of work and patience but any dog breed can be an excellent scent dog! I am also training him for SAR as we volunteer in the Colorado front range during the winter for avalanche rescue and retrieval. My BC is 4 now and we are now at the point I can drop a scented item in the woods and he can locate the item after several months. I have a few items I placed early fall and we will attempt to find them late spring after snowmelt! This will be the first attempt at finding something over that duration and with that much change in weather.
The scent training is very taxing mentally and like us there is the possibility to over train, so you will have to look for signs and sometimes cut a training session short and or take time off. Just do a google search on scent discrimination and you will get a ton of info on how to train and the possibilities.
