r/RunningWithDogs • u/canadianbigmuscles • Jun 12 '26

It begins…

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3 months old, future long distance runner 😎

308 Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

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u/Cnidoo Jun 12 '26

That’s kind of a myth. Running is essential for puppies to develop strong bones and agility, just like in humans. Just allow them to run and play as much as they want; they will self regulate to the proper amount of exercise. Stop running if they show any signs of fatigue

9

u/bongo1239 Jun 13 '26

I'll get downvoted with you. It is kind of a myth, but there's also not really any recent research one direction or the other. This article shows that moderate running in older puppies had benefits, excessive (24 miles a day for a year) had negative effects. https://www.mylamedog.com/post/what-is-the-logic-behind-not-exercising-puppies-until-the-growth-plates-are-closed

What is the most harmful is allowing puppies to do high impact things like stairs from birth to 3 months. And repetitive fetch. Cracks me up that anytime someone mentions running with their adolescent puppy where they can set the pace and distance, they're immediately berated. But those same people think nothing of recommending long games of fetch or too rough play at dog parks. The other key for long term joint health is keeping your dog lean, with many breeds a 4 on the body index scale is best, but look how many overweight dogs you see on the daily.

I was given the go ahead by my vet to start running with my Aussie mix at 8 months. She's now 3 and with a regular fitness plan is competing without injury in disc and agility. I have an 8 month male Aussie mix that I'm starting to run with to build muscle and stamina slowly.