Jogging with your pug?

[coriforia]

So I've had Teddy for about 8 months now (adopted him last May, he's 4), and he has gone down from 23 pounds to 18 pounds! The vet said he is at a perfect weight, yay! I make sure to walk him twice a day, every day and he LOVES the activity. Well, I want to take up jogging, and I'm curious about having him jog with me. The weather here is perfect right now, in the 60's. Does anyone jog with their pug?

[rachzilla]

My pug wants to jog, every time he sees someone out he tries to go with them and trips them up! If I tried, he would go for my laces as usual and probably break one of my bones. I think it depends how lightly you would want to jog, how active and how much stamina yours has as every pug is going to be different. Not convinced a pug would be able to keep up the pace though!

[pug love]

I would be to worried about it over heating. But I am VERY paranoid like if i walk oscar and he is panting hard i have to force myself to not pick him up and carry him. i have not had the best luck with dogs health wise so i have a lot of fear that i know is irrational lol. i see my neighbor run with her little dog quite often. maybe you should call your vet and just ask if its ok? heck i feel paranoid with my lab after we run that he will get bloat lol.

[tall grass pugs]

Please do not consider jogging with your pug. He loves you, and will die to keep up you. In the literal sense. Their nose and trachea and heart/lungs are just not up to the job.

[CountryPug]

I have to agree with the above, be very cautious when it comes to pugs and exercise. Some are more athletic, but many have breathing issues and will over heat in a hurry.

[Hellas]

I say it depends on the pug, the weather and how fast you jog. I could easily take mine for a 30 minute jog in cool weather provided I stopped once to give them water. But this is certainly not true of every pug.

[Snifter]

If you try it, take water. Take plenty of water because if the pug does overheat you may need to drench his belly with it. Also, be prepared to carry the pug if he is showing signs of tiredness or breathing problems.

[Hellas]

I second what Snifter said. I'd also like to elaborate what I meant by 'cool weather'. It is important to know that the sun makes a big difference. On a cloudy and cool day (say 10-15 degrees centigrade), my pugs can pretty much run full speed for an hour. But as soon as the sun is out, they become warm and tired more quickly. So I would never take a pug jogging if the sun is blazing from a clear blue skye, even if the air feels cool.

So, if you try,I suggest this. Start by trying a short jog (10-15 mins or so), on a cool and cloudy day (or early in the morning). Stop every 5 minutes to see how tired your pug is. If he wants to lie down, he is getting tired and warm and you should on no account push him to go on. Let him rest and cool down. Consider buying a cooling vest, which will help to prevent over heating. Bring plenty of water, and offer small amounts often. Drinking large amounts before and after heavy excersise can cause bloat, which is a life threatening condition, so be careful.

Healthy pugs need cardio vascular excercise, just like any dog, so it's not bad for them to get their heart rate and breathing up. But it is a big responsibility for the humans to make sure he doesn't get over heated. If your pug has breathing problems, you may need to be a lot more careful.

[ayleash]

and watch pavement heat...

My pugs love hiking - and cover about 4x the terrain that I do, at a way faster pace for most of 3 hours... but then they sleep... and I make sure they have rests and water etc.

(The most I do is "jog" (or skip) about 30 yards at a time myself... which makes me a "runner" in some worlds... certainly more of one than I ever imagined being!)

[maggier]

I'm a runner, but Ming never runs with me. He is my official cool-down companion. I'll run for 40 minutes, then circle back home to pick up the pug for a nice 30 minute walk. Makes us both happy.