Husky & running

Question
I have a 6 month old husky mix.  I wanted to ask you a question about running.  I enjoy running and would like my dog to run w/ me.  I usually run anywhere from 30min to an hour.  Is this too long for a dog to run?  And do I have to build up her endurance?  -- I was told that distance running is not good for dogs.

Answer
Depending on what your husky is mixed with it may or may not be good.  Like an athlete, building up is essential and you should be looking for signs of fatigue or injury at all times.  But generally, a 30-60 minute run should be well within any medium sized dog's capabilities (small dogs and large/great dogs - like a Great Dane - you have to be more careful with).  I would suggest trying a ten minute run and see how your dog does, maybe running with the dog, drop it off at your house and continue on your run.  After a week or so, if the dog seems to still be ready to go, try 15 or 20 minutes - and slowly build up the mileage.  One thing you should be looking for is that you are stopping the dog's running before it stops.  In other words, you shouldn't be pushing the dog, but rather should leave the dog wanting more.  If you maintain that, you should be fine and can slowly build up the time.

To give you an idea however, distance running for a Siberian is not only good for them - it's what they were bred for.  Siberians run in the Iditarod, a race of 1100+ miles that is run in just over 9 days.  Do the math and the team of 16 dogs is running about 120 miles a day.  The dogs don't switch out and while dogs are often dropped on the course, no replacements are brought in.  Obviously these are amazingly conditioned athletes, but I don't think a 10 mile run is going to be any real problem for these canines.  As for age, 6 months is a good age to begin running, just keep in mind the "stop before the dog stops" thing, and that should be fine.

One other word of warning because of the mixed breed status.  Hip problems and other genetic ailments that would keep a dog from running effectively have been kept out of the Siberian Husky line pretty well - better than some other breeds that have lost their working line heritage.  However, it still is a problem and when you mix breeds, you can't be too sure of what you end up with.  So, keep an eye on your dog and look for signs of problems that really would be the same one's that you might experience - i.e., limping, soreness shown in getting up or laying down very slowly, reluctance to run, etc.  If you see any of these signs, a trip to the vet is never a bad idea.

Good luck and happy running!

P.S.  I have run two marathons now, a half-marathon, several 10 mile races and too many 5 and 10k races to count.  Mika and Shadow have been my training partners for all of them and they LOVE running in the 5k races when we can sneak them in.  :)