Suggestions for dog to jog with; (No poodles or lap dogs need apply)

1 2 3 green wrote: Border collies are excellent runners and are very intelligent, easy to train.

Border collies, whether mixed with lab or poodle, or straight-up, are the best running dogs I have encountered in more than 60 years of running. They want to follow you and readily get over their impulse to herd you.

Be careful when you get a dog as a running partner. I have a 9 y/o chesapeake bay retriever, and I love him to death. When he was young, he could bang out 8+ mi @ a 7:30 pace and hope to go for a swim afterwards. Now that he's had knee surgery and some shoulder issues, he can only handle 1-2 mi @ a 9:00 pace. He's moved from a running buddy to a cool down partner. But he still needs his exercise, so I'm still walking him 30-40 minutes per day. Also, he wants to go out regardless of the weather, while I'd prefer the treadmill on crappy days.

I'd suggest you go to a local canine rescue facility and see if they have any dogs that they need exercised. As a potential first time owner that will let you explore the size and temperament of the dog that may work for you.

Good luck.

Get a Yorkshire Terrier and a dog stroller.

As a long time dog owner... 6 dogs plus several more as a foster owner... I'd suggest you focus on a dog that's a great companion rather than a running partner. I'd also recommend that you go to PetFinder.com, enter NH for location, and see what dogs are available nearby. Getting a dog from a rescue organization means that the dog is house trained and the foster owner can tell you something about the dog's personality, energy level, and ability to run on leash. I found several rescue organizations in your area: Mary's Dogs, One Tail at a Time Rescue, Alpha Dog Rescue, and a few more.

Also, some breeds that are great runners can be hard to train: Border Collies and Siberian Huskies have been mentioned, so let's look at them. Huskies can be stubborn as a post and constantly test your leadership boundaries. Border Collies (I have one) can be almost neurotic in their need to exercise. Given a choice between the two, I'd go with the 30 lb border collie over the 70 lb huskie... but then every dog has its own personality.

If you go with a rescue dog that's a year or two old, you'll have a much better idea of whether the dog is going to be a good running companion or not. That said, even good running dogs can have a short running career. My border collie, now age 10, can't hang with me at more than a 10 minute pace for a couple miles. When he was younger, he could easily handle 10 miles if it wasn't hot.

Oh, I forgot to mention this. When you go to PetFinder, the dog's rescue organization will be named as well. You can call the rescue organization and describe the type of dog you want and they'll let you know if one is in the pipeline. Some dogs have minor health issues that have to be cleared up before they can be listed for adoption. Others have to be socialized and house trained. The experienced foster parent will be better at that than you would be, most likely. The coversation might go like this.

You: I want a dog that....

Rescue org: We're getting several dogs from a puppy mill next week that might be right up your alley. We need to get them checked out before we put them up for adoption. Why don't you check with us next week and I'll let you know the status of these dogs and whether one or more looks like a great fit for you.

Like this one from Alpha Dog Rescue. She's even running in her profile picture.

https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/34754512

Mellow aussies are the exception. I don't know what you're saying. This is a working breed. Working breeds (especially herders) are energetic.

My family has an Aussie so nothing against them, but both my parents (in their 50s and very active) take him out for walks and runs totaling 1-2 hours a day every day and he still always has an abundance of energy.

An Aussie would not be the right breed for a 60 year old man. This is just biased advice.

definitely a husky. they're designed for endurance running

Thank you all for the recommendations... also enjoyed the pointed humor.

I'm printing these out.. Reason I haven't had a dog before is that I lived in cities

(Boston and NYC), and either dogs were banned for renters or I would be gone from home from 7=to-7 and I didn't think it was fair to the pup to be cooped up all that time. Seeing people in mid-Manhattan walking huge dogs late in the evening after they had been gone all day, just didn't seem right.

A lab mix puppy is sure to be chick magnet down at the senior center, as someone pointed out. Maybe I can rent one to try it out before settling on one.

I agree with those who say look for a rescue, mixed breed, medium size. Almost any dog, with a few exceptions, will make a great running partner, but almost all dogs will stop suddenly, chase squirrels, and trip you up. In time, they'll learn to run with you, but mostly they'll want to be outside with you.

Had a friend who used to run with his dachshund, even a 10mile run up Mt. Monadnock and back. No problem. Dogs can run. Most do not manage heat as well as people, however.

I agree with those who say look for a rescue, mixed breed, medium size. Almost any dog, with a few exceptions, will make a great running partner, but almost all dogs will stop suddenly, chase squirrels, and trip you up. In time, they'll learn to run with you, but mostly they'll want to be outside with you.

Had a friend who used to run with his dachshund, even a 10mile run up Mt. Monadnock and back. No problem. Dogs can run. Most do not manage heat as well as people, however. Start very slow with young dogs--do not do too much. I've run for six years with my shepherd mix in the woods of NH. Lost her a couple of times, encountered bears, bobcat, (no mt. lions yet), great running partner. Once, when I fell down an old well, she retrieved a rope and held onto it with her mouth as I climbed out.

I have two rescue dogs (total mutts though seem to have more lab than anything in them) and both are great running partners although the older one is slowing down. I use a waist leash and can actually run with both at the same time if the trail is not too crowded.

Francis wrote:

I'd suggest you go to a local canine rescue facility and see if they have any dogs that they need exercised. As a potential first time owner that will let you explore the size and temperament of the dog that may work for you.

Good luck.

Volunteer for three months, frequently, at a rescue/shelter.

If you are still enthused, then you'll have some experience.

I have had a mini labradoodle for 8 years. She's about 33 lbs. She goes 5-6 miles with me 2-3 times weekly at 7:45-8:00 pace. No shedding. Steady pacer. Ignores squirrels. Her coat can handle snow. She's great.

I have a vizsla and feel the same way. Well said! ...I have taken my dog up to 7 miles. I am sure we could do more, but Miami heat is pretty brutal.

One time 5 miles into a run, my dog took off (on leash) and we ended up running 4:50 pace for 0.7 miles before I stopped him.

We've got a regular Australian Shepherd and a mini. They aren't great on steady runs. As herding dogs they have endurance but prefer to sprint and stop, sprint and stop. The regular one runs 2-5 miles comfortably. Our mini, 4-7 miles comfortably.

Trimming the fur helps keep em cool.

Doggerel wrote:

I'm looking for a trainable canine running companion (please no jokes about my ex-wife) .

Just over age 60 so no greyhounds for me. Friends say any Lab will do, all women say Labradoodle ( a Lab made in a lab) Willing to be patient and work with same to train. I live in NH so it has to put up with some harsh winters.

I like the intelligence and personality of some Terriers (Welsh is supposed to be quite good), but some folks say they can be feisty and have a mind of their own and so are hard to train.

I don't want to get tangled up in a leash and falling or have a dog that jerks to a sudden stop to smell old urine, etc. I see others jog with dogs without problems.

Suggestions, please?

Australian shephard mixed with a Australian 'heeler' (or cattle dog) was the best running companion ever. Had excellent energy, would stay by my side and not run off, and also was very protective. Had other dogs - my lab ended up getting too lazy to run; an English/German pointer mix would run off at the slightest hint of a bird on the other side of the road and was difficult to run with.

The Australian Shepherd/cattle dog mix can be found commonly around the Missouri/Iowa border area. Plenty of rescue dogs around there needing a home.

Speaking from personal experience, Weimaraners are INCREDIBLE running dogs.

For a small breed, look at Border Terriers, which are very popular in England:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqHxkjIL48U

I have owned two dalmatian dogs over the years as running companions. They were initially bred to run alongside carriages (and later associated with horse-pulled fire engines) so have great natural endurance and are easy to train.