Happy Trails: Running With Your Dog

Getting your dog up to speed takes some practice and patience. photo: AdobeStock

I’m a runner. So when I first rescued my now 13-month old Shepherd/Husky mix, Balto, I very much wanted to be able to run with him. Here’s what I’ve learned about training a dog to be a good running companion. 

First, get your pup checked by a vet to make sure they can endure the physical demands of long distance running. Most dogs need to wait until 18 months of age for their bones, joints, and muscles to have developed enough to begin running, but Huskies like Balto can start around 12 months. Even so, we were careful to start slow and short. 

What I hadn’t anticipated was how morning magnified Balto’s prey drive, something enhanced by his canine crepuscular nature. We were going out at dawn, just when the other woodland creatures were waking up, and Balto was all too aware of them. Needless to say, this was a challenge. I tried a few different times to see what would work best so I could get the run I wanted and the connection I longed for with my running pup. Here’s a glimpse of my trial-and-error log.

4 a.m.: This early start time was tough for Balto because it was still totally dark. He was not used to it, and I could tell he was a little on edge. He could smell and hear things, but he couldn’t really see them. And while this meant he was not dashing around everywhere pulling my shoulder socket out, he was definitely not himself. Actually, I wasn’t myself either. It’s darn creepy running in nature at 4 a.m. So we bumped up the alarm to 5 a.m. 

5 a.m.: The sun was rising and the sky was lightening up by about 5:30 a.m. This felt safe for both of us. But now Balto could see all the scampering creatures and, given that this is when dogs actually see best, it turned out to be the hardest time to run with him. He is generally a well-trained, loose leash walker, but he was zig-zagging, pulling, and halting all over the place. We also saw coyotes on a regular basis at this time, which was unnerving. And Balto got very environmentally distracted and often ignored any other kind of reinforcement. More on that later. 

6 a.m.: This turned out to be the easiest time for both of us because the sky was fully lit and Balto was no longer pulled away by literally everything around us. Also, there were cars, humans, and other things outside with us so it seemed more like regular daily life rather than the all-you-can-chase prey-drive buffet that 5 a.m. offered.

Training Your Dog To Run With You

I used two basic training exercises to train Balto to run in sync with me, rather than skittering all over the place. Actually, these are the same two methods I use as foundations for almost everything dog-related: Leslie McDevitt’s Look at That (LAT) and Simone Mueller’s Predation Substitute Training (PST). 

With Look at That, Balto learned to see a distraction - let’s say a squirrel - and then to look at me for reinforcement rather than going after the distraction. It’s a classic exposure therapy in which you start at a safe distance from the “problem” and then give a treat as reinforcement while the dog is looking at the problem. Eventually, your dog will see the problem and then look at you in anticipation of the reinforcement treat. Once he’s reliably looking at you, you can get closer to the problem with less reactivity and/or excitement. 

I also like to add advance/retreat to this game so that the dog can get closer to the distraction and then move away without feeling overwhelmed or overly excited at any point. Doing this builds your dog’s confidence as they get closer without incident, while also keeping the space and distance they want or need to feel safe or not too excited. Eventually, your dog will be able to approach the distraction with little to no unwanted behaviors. 

With Balto, when we saw a distraction, I would help him learn a “serpentine” advance/retreat by holding a small plastic jar stuffed with liverwurst and moving in a weaving pattern. He would lick the liverwurst and stay close to get more, making a positive association with the distraction while also staying close to me when seeing the distraction. Because we were serpentining, he was not overwhelmed by the distraction by getting too close, too soon. Also moving away in a serpentine pattern allowed me to reinforce with food more often, keeping him in the game. I was not taking food away from him or taking him away from it, but I was an active part of the game - and I was making it better. While he couldn’t chase the distraction, our game was highly reinforcing so it was good enough to keep his attention. Also, he hadn’t eaten before our run so he was hungry and highly motivated. 

When done in the face of potential prey, these strategies also mirror the work of Simone Mueller and her Predation Substitute Training. Her work is more advanced than the minimal version described above, in that it helps you identify which steps of the predation sequence your dog exercises and provides ways to meet those needs in safe and appropriate ways. I highly recommend a deeper dive into her methods for anyone whose dogs regularly encounter potential prey on their outings.

After all this, I’m happy to report that Balto and I can now safely run 4.5 miles in nature together. Even better, we’re almost ready for a very civilized 7 a.m. wake-up call. See you on the trail!