Running Dogs

German Short-Haired Pointer

GSPs have "issues"

To the OP, what is your dog resume?

Rhodesian Ridgebacks have crazy endurance

We only have a Golden Retriever, ever since the kids were born, good, family-friendly dog but not a runner.

Pit Bulls. This also makes them "normal" to the rest of society (releases energy)

I have one and run with him regularly. He loves it, gets to socialize with other dogs, and makes one happy pitty.

Shephards are also good dogs.

But, pretty much any dog with a good physique can run that long. Just depends on what other things you want the dog for.

available in HD wrote:

GSPs have "issues"

To the OP, what is your dog resume?

Only poorly bread GSPs have issues. Find a reputable breeder and you'll be fine if you take the time to train them.

Most pointing bird dogs can run all day. GSPs, Brittanys, Vizlas, etc. can go like crazy once they are in shape.

But watch out for heat-stroke. You never want to see a dog die that way.

Yes, they can go like crazy when they are in shape, which is often too much for most people.GSPs and hunting dogs in general are likely too much dog for the vast majority of people. I work with a hunting dog rescue, and there are a lot of hunters in the rescues because they are too much.ATA - do your research, then research again, maybe visit some dog parks or people with the breed of dog that you are interested in.

................. wrote:

available in HD wrote:

GSPs have "issues"

To the OP, what is your dog resume?

Only poorly bread GSPs have issues. Find a reputable breeder and you'll be fine if you take the time to train them.

Most pointing bird dogs can run all day. GSPs, Brittanys, Vizlas, etc. can go like crazy once they are in shape.

But watch out for heat-stroke. You never want to see a dog die that way.

Get a skinny mutt from the pound. Works every time: hybrid vigor and they love you for rescuing them. Any lean dog can and will run forever if you start them young.

I have a german short hair and you are absolutely correct in implying they have behavior issues. However, breeding is a large part of that. Also, I trained my GSP using a shock collar. I know many people have reservations in using one, but for a high strung hunting dog on a large parcel of land, it was/is the best choice for my pet. She is incredibly smart, and takes the "heel" command seriously, so she is perfect as a running companion. I've gone 18 miles(on trails, I never take her on roads as part of her training involves her not going near roads) with her off leash with no problem.

All that said, if I were to look for a dog specifically for running I'd go straight to my local shelter and find a youngish pup that will be a happy mix of pointer/shepard/lab and train it from day one to use a leash and to be used to being beside you. One breeder I talked to initially suggested tying a leash to my belt when I'm home when my dog was a pup to get it used to being at my side, and prevent it from using the house as a toilet. It worked.

Good luck.

Yeah, go for a pound puppy

There are about 50 threads on this, use the search.

Mammoth wrote:

There are about 50 threads on this, use the search.

There are lots of posts recommending someone use the search function. Why not just cite one of them and save some bandwidth?

pit snatch wrote:

But, pretty much any dog with a good physique can run that long. Just depends on what other things you want the dog for.

I second that, any fit athletic looking dog will do with some work. I run with my beagle up to 10 miles at 7 min. pace. I started him out slowly when he was young and built up his endurance over the years. The only draw back is his darn nose. It can be difficult to keep him focused on running and not trying to drag me into the woods when he finds a scent he likes.

Catahoula Leopard Dog

or rangy pound mutt

Australian Cattle Dog AKA red/blue heeler

My pit has never been good for more than a couple of miles. I started him young, tried to build slowly, but he's just never been a runner. He'll wrestle you all day and play tug of war all day and chase his tire (it's a dog toy that looks like a little tire) all day assuming you can get it away from him, and he's always loved hiking (we've been on numerous multi-day hikes; he even has his own backpack), but he just hates to run or is too heavy for it. He's a big ole boy at 80+ solid pounds.

Anyway, to the OP, many many dogs will do. And the guy above who mentions hunting dogs is right. They will go ALL day and way faster than you if you don't know how to have good behavioral control over them. Unless you are a damn good runner, a regular pound mutt will do just fine. I've told this before on here, but a friend of mine when I was in grad school came up to me at the track one night and asked if I wanted this little dog that was with him. It was ~30 pounds maybe, scruffy wiry tan fur, kinda looked like a schnauzer (sp?) type of face mixed with god knows what else. An alumnus from UF who was still serioiusly training was out on a run one day and this dog started following him. It followed him for 12 miles at about 6 min pace. He tried to find the owners but couldnt. Anyway, he gave it to my friend who let it run with him. The dog would just go and go and go at human paces with no problems at all, as long as it wasn't too hot outside. Just a mutt, that's all you need.