Running vs Walking...

Which is better????
I prefer running because I believe it's a better cardiovascular workout.
And after adopting Rocky who shortly after got pneumonia, I think this is a good thing for him..Having it so young, I think It done some permanent damage to his lungs..He will wheeze sometimes...

 

Honestly if he is still wheezing, I would talk to the vet about getting him checked and also ask about exercising the dog

 

If I could run you'd best believe both of my boys would be running with me. For now it is walking and only if I'm not too painful to take two seperate walks (since I can't walk them both at once). Once I move into a big enough place I'll be getting a tread mill so the boys can build some muscle even when I'm going through my bad periods where I can't walk.

 

I missed the wheezing part at the first read through. How long has it been since he had this bout of pnemonia? I'd definitely check with the vet if he's still wheezing . . .

 

A combination of both. Walk for a warm up, speed walk then run to get the old heart a pumping, slow down to a speed walk for a period of recovery, speed up into a run, sprint like, speed walk, sprint, speed walk....you get the idea.

 

there is a paticular trot I like to have the dogs in, it builds the chest and leg nice, kind of a gait, not a full run, and faster then a walk. I can't keep up, I have to use the car.

 

Sprinting requires different muscles than distance running or jogging. Running causes a LOT of injuries in humans, and certainly can cause some in animals too. I learned this the hard way! I'm doomed to RICE for the week! But no one can deny that running, ESPECIALLY sprinting is the best cardio out there for anything. Results don't take long at all.

It's something that needs to be progressed into, watched, and then slowly moved-up. A warm-up of walking is ESSENTIAL, so isn't the cool-down of walking. Otherwise injuries are very possible, and never pretty. Nothing like swelling, tendon, muscle or nerve pain to compromise physical activity.

It also depends on what you are trying to achieve on what kind of cardio you want. They each have different benefits, but are similar too.

 

We walk daily with our 3 and they chase goats and round up cattle on a regular basis. They all are solid rocks with nice muscle definition, so I would say a combo of the two is the best. There is no way we could run with them though, as they don't even tire on a 45 minute fast paced bike run along. They get a drink of water and want to go some more. But if you have a wheezing dog, you definitely want to get that checked by a vet.

 

When I think of running, i always picture going at full speed lol, I prefer jogging, I take my pitbull Achilles jogging every other day , for about 45min to 1hr along the mountain trails, there are plenty of uphills and he loves it. It really depends what your aiming for with your dog, if he is overweight, i would start out walking him and gradually go up.

 

It's been about 3 months since he recovered..The vet said he may do it for a while but didn't specify how long, I think I'll e-mail them...
Keep in mind he only wheezes after a 3 mile walk/run, (sometimes not always).

 

We have a lil' pup here now that has pnemonia. He can't even go outside at this point. (lucky for us we are replacing our carpeting right after he leaves)

He hacks something vicious, and the snot is ridiculous!

As far as running goes....I don't run unless someone is chasing me, and even then, they better be pretty scary.

We walk our dogs. All the running occurs when they are playing with eachother. If we had a fenced yard, they might get more, but at this point, walks and play time is enough.

Good luck with your dog, pnemonia (or just weezing) sucks.

Jaime

 

Yeah, Deja Vu...That green snot got to be absolutely ridiculous...

 

back when i could run i used to do it all the time with them.now a days i use just plain ol hand walking.and it does pretty good by me.

 

This is why I brought this up. I have heard a few people say that walking is more beneficial...

 

coming from a medical p.o.v and as someone who has had asthma all my life,two colapsed lungs,and pneumonia what ever activitie you are doing is good the absolute worse thing to do when recovering from respiratory disease is to be inactive.If the vet said his wheezing is normal keep him moving as much as possible even if he just wants to lay around just know that having pneumonia is very hard on the entire body not just the lungs and he will most likely be tired for months after ,even if he is breathing better.So just keep him moving evenif its just slow walking.Also if the dog is on corticosteroids they are also very hard on the body and can cuase alot of joint pain and lower energy.

 

What is sufficient walking/running for a younger pup? I run 4-5 miles a day. Is this ok for the joints of a younger pup (4-6 months)?

 

i personally cant answer that question as i have no concept of distance if i cant compare it to something.LOL.AS far as the joints i am mostly talking about when on steroids because those things while great for swelling and inflamation ,can really do a number on your body.

 

Your guess is as good as mine, and as far as the age goes I have heard this question come up about weight pulling and I've heard some people say that 6 months is too early and some say otherwise,,,
I started running Rocky at about 5 1/2 months.
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nice made thing you got there! So you run 2 dogs together??