Of course, running with a dog takes patience and training, just like anything else! It wasn't always a great experience and sometimes we still have "rough days". Maverick, since day 1 has been a puller on the leash. I have tried many times to break this bad habit and it was a battle I just wasn't going to win. I invested in a Gentle Leader, which is a head collar that prevents pulling. He HATED it and would roll around on the ground and paw at his face trying to get it off, but after some time and getting use to it he learned to tolerate it and my arm was saved! No more pulling! Best invention ever!
My next investment was a hands free leash. I don't like to hold onto anything while I'm running, it throws off my whole rhythm. I looked in pet stores and was only able to find anything online, until randomly while getting my oil changed at the car dealership, they had some dog accessories and actually had a hands free leash! I bought it and tried it out and loved it! The only time is doesn't work is when he runs next to me, then I have to hold up the leash to keep from tripping on it. So I am now trying to find/create a retractable, hands free leash.
After about 8 months of running with Maverick, I decided to give the Gentle Leader a rest and see if he would pull without it, and surprisingly, he is about 80% better! So now I have a harness for him so that when he does pull, it's not hurting his neck. I prefer him to take the lead and even pull a little when going up hills, it really helps get me to the top!
There are still some times when he pulls when he gets a little excited, like when he sees another dog, or if we are going to his favorite spot to run, like Tickle Creek Trail where I usually let him off leash, so if he knows we're going there, he's in a hurry! If we are running in a different city, or in a dog friendly run, I'll use the Gentle Leader just so I can have some more control over him.
Now there's the commands. It's important to work with your dog to learn some commands that you will use while running. Our main commands are:
"waaaaait" which means slow down and pay attention to me. I usually use this when we are coming up to a crosswalk and will be coming to a stop, it's a soft, low command.
"WAIT" with a yank on the leash. This is a more abrupt command that lets him know to stop immediately, usually when a car doesn't see us at a crosswalk or coming out of a driveway.
"Easy" I use this when he's pulling a little more than I'd like. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but we'll keep working on it!
"LEAVE IT" This is a good one when he sees anything that catches his attention, a cat, bird, dog, food on the ground ETC. It usually doesn't work when he sees other dogs because he loves to make friends, but we'll keep working on that one too :))
"Ready?" I use this when we are waiting at a crosswalk, and the signal is about to turn. He usually uses time to sniff around and isn't paying attention. So this gets his attention back on me and he gets next to me ready to run again.
"Let's Go!" This is the next command after "Ready?" that means, time to go!
"LETS GO, LETS GO, LETS GO!!" This is accompanied with clapping and it's an excited command to get him pumped up! I like to use it coming up to hills, if he's slowing down either because he's distracted by a smell or wants to pee for the 100th time! (I usually give him 3-5 pee stops before I ask him to keep going) It's a good one to get him excited and amped up to get going.
"Let's Cross" This just means, let's cross the street.
"This Way" I'll use this if we are going a different way that he's use to. He knows our routes and will usually just go the way we normally go, but if I want to use a different street or something, I'll say this and get him to go the right direction.
"NO" Obviously this is used when he's doing something I don't want him to do, like try to cross the street before I'm ready ETC...
"Go poo-poo" I'm sure you can figure out what that one means. I can usually tell when he has do go #2, and will encourage him to go before our runs, but sometimes he is just to excited and won't. So if I know he's gonna go on our run (you know how running gets things moving) I'll try to get him to go at a place that is close to a garbage can so I don't have to carry a poop bag around. Sometimes we have to stop multiple times before he finds the perfect spot to go... usually it's the most well-manicured yard.
"GOOD BOY!" This is my favorite of them all!! It's to let him know he is doing exactly what I want from him. The more I get to use that on our run the better run we have! This is usually when he looks up at me and makes eye contact. Like he's checking in with me :))
You can have as many or few commands as you'd like, but it's good to have some basics and it will make running with your dog a more enjoyable experience. Communication is important!!
I'm no dog trainer, or running expert and am just sharing my own experiences. Different methods work for different people and their dogs. It's just finding what works best for the two of you (or more if you have more than 1 dog you run with)
Having a running partner is an important tool for being a successful runner. Even if it's someone you can't run with, it's good to have someone to check in with, compare runs and experiences with and someone to hold you accountable! Dani is another one of my running partners, even though we don't run together often, we are always supporting each other and encouraging each other! Having my group runs Saturday has also opened up a whole new batch of "partners" It's nice to change it up and running with a group really passes the time and helps on those long runs! So while Maverick is my main guy, I'm thankful for all my running partners!!
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