Today I went jogging with a new partner, Velo. Velo is our dog, and to be honest, he has been getting a little tubby since we moved to New York. I figured a little exercise would be good for his waistline, but I was also a little worried that he might keel over and have a heart attack if I just made him run for thirty minutes. But I decided to give the jog a try and see how it worked. We could always stop if we needed to.
So is Velo fun to run with? Well, he was definitely an enthusiastic jogger, but he just was not the best running buddy. He kept trying to stop at every tree and post to pee, and I kept trying to reign him in while still jogging, screeching "Heel, heel." I'm sure we disrupted a lot of people's daydreams and peaceful Sunday-paper reading in the park. To be charitable, I think he may have been confused by our pace. To me, we were on a heart-pumping run. To him, we were going for a brisk walk. Why not stop now and then, he thought? Obviously we were in no hurry. He also kept jogging right in front of me, crossing from side to side, so I would almost trip or accidentally kick him every few minutes. Darn dog!
I think I will try to keep taking him out, since he needs the exercise. And he looks like a small wolf, so it is like running with a security detail. Hopefully if we keep trying, he will learn to be a better jogging buddy!
-Kristin
3 comments:
You could add as a "new thing to do" an obedience class where they will train you to keep your dog at your side while you run. Or... look it up on-line how to do it. Jake was a lover of tennis balls so I could hold a tennis ball and he would watch that and stay put when we were learning. Dude will trot at my side for a treat. You can add dog training to your list!
That is a good idea. There must be something about it online! It would be a very fun thing for me and Velo to do together. We need a shared activity I think!
Ben used to ride his bike with him. Maybe he has some helpful hints. I have the Buddy system I walk Max with. You can be hands free. It is really just a belt you can then slip the leash through. This one clips the leash on.
Maybe a short leash so he can have so much room to roan.
he is such a good boy. It is true. He does look sort of wolfish. He will be in heaven if he can get out and run again.
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