# Thoughts on jogging with dogs under a year old **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751 "2022-12-18T22:17:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/1 "2022-12-18T22:17:45Z")
I find many on line sources that advise against taking dogs out on runs until that are over a certain age, usually twelve months, sometimes fifteen, rarely nine. The stated rationale is open growth plates and therefore risk of damage. But never is there any evidence offered of the risk that modest distances may present. My 8 1/2 month old Border Aussie mix definitively has energy that needs expending. Advice given here regarding his being in a destructive chewing phase (including rugs, floors, and dining room chair) has been to exercise him more (both body and mind). Rotating jogging back into my exercise routine seems reasonable… but for those on line injunction. So anyone with any input on the actual evidence underlying that caution? Humans with open growth plates do cross country just fine. I have gone ahead and started half hour jogging with the dogs. They are barely at a trot, really just fast walking for them. After the “run” the pup is still up for a period of active play in the yard (learning to “drop it” after fetch) with older dog content to chill. Personally I’m thinking the injunction might make sense for longer distance runs, say getting to seven mile plus, and maybe I’ll get back to that by Spring, but he’ll be over a year by then. The absolute contraindication though seems like something someone just made up and gets repeated. Am I harming my dog? ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/2 "2022-12-18T22:38:59Z")
I’d check with a vet on that one. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/3 "2022-12-18T22:47:48Z")
I agree with Seanette. A quick phone call should answer your question. In the meantime, I think it would be safe to walk your dog two or three times as day to help burn off excess energy. I started doing that with my 8-month-old Russell Terrier and it made a huge difference in his rowdiness. He started sleeping 12 hours a day which made our lives a lot easier. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/4 "2022-12-18T23:15:55Z")
Maybe a dog park? The dog will run and wrestle with other dogs until he falls asleep in the car on the way home, but he’ll take breaks when he needs to. The concern may have more to do with the fact that you don’t stop, and the dog goes as long as you go, even if he feels like stopping. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/5 "2022-12-18T23:48:27Z")
Meh. Do we ask our doctor to advise every aspect of _our_ fitness programming? Or expect them to be expert on it? Medicine is full of fitness myths that got passed down sans evidentiary basis. Growth plate logic had some exercise verboten for kids not long ago. Strength training using weights was once off limits for prepubertal children out of concern of growth plates. Now it is considered as [fine](https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=weight-room-no-longer-off-limits-to-kids-1-1187) to do, so long as they are supervised, keeping emphasis on perfect form and not do heavy weight low rep work. Same concern had distance running as something kids shouldn’t do. Now [guidelines](https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-articles/tips-for-new-runners-how-much-is-too-much) allow 1.5 miles at a time even under nine and up to 12.8 miles a week divided into three times a week for middle schoolers. Absolute injunctions are easy but can be devoid of any base in evidence yet repeated by well intended health professionals. My … heh … WAG … is that half an hour or so, three to four times a week, preferably mixing up the pace, preferably having the dogs on the grass next to sidewalks than on the cement, or even doing a trail run if possible, is a good 8 month pup parallel to the middle schooler human guideline. But I’m open to being convinced I’m wrong by evidence or strong argument. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/6 "2022-12-18T23:52:29Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Maybe a dog park? The dog will run and wrestle with other dogs until he falls asleep in the car on the way home, but he’ll take breaks when he needs to. > > The concern may have more to do with the fact that you don’t stop, and the dog goes as long as you go, even if he feels like stopping. For other reasons I am not crazy about dog park. Older dog gets resource guarding there. So far the dogs are always a bit ahead of me. I do not have their energy, endurance, or speed. If they were to let me know they had enough I would stop to a walk. I may just pretend they are telling me that sometimes as I first get used to running again! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/7 "2022-12-19T00:12:40Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Meh. Do we ask our doctor to advise every aspect of _our_ fitness programming? Or expect them to be expert on it? No, but if I read that something I want to do is unsafe for medical reasons, and I couldn’t find a definitive elsewhere, I’d probably call my doc. Even if they weren’t an expert on that particular part of medicine, they’d likely know someone who was. Personally, I’ve never had any problems with letting a dog who want to run go running. But I would be wary of forcing them to go longer than they want. If I did take them for a jog/run, I’d start by staying close to home so I can stop at any time if it starts to seem like the dog is at all reluctant. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/8 "2022-12-19T00:32:56Z")
Okay, sorry to be the annoying poster who asks a question and then answers it but, inspired by my dog when bored in the yard, I’ve dug some … > **[What is the Logic Behind Not Exercising Puppies Until the Growth Plates are...](https://www.mylamedog.com/post/what-is-the-logic-behind-not-exercising-puppies-until-the-growth-plates-are-closed)** > > Over the years, many breeders, trainers, and owners have said that puppies should not be exercised until the growth plates are closed. I have been asked to radiograph 12-month-old dogs to make sure their growth plates are closed. Recently, a... TL;DNR? Running after balls and sticks is a significant risk factor for joint damage, as is being overweight. Jogging with a skeletally immature dog at moderate pace and distances is _protective_. > [@](#): > > … Ad libitum feeding, although in relatively few dogs, was highly associated with these joint conditions. Running after balls and sticks thrown by the owner were also identified as risk factors. Slater et al (_Am J Vet Res_ [_._](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1466510)1992, 53:2119-24) also suggested that prolonged or jarring activity, such as running after a ball or a stick in a high speed, might lead to the development of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) … > > … Young beagle dogs jogging 4 km/d (2.5 miles), at a speed of 4 km/h (2.5 mph) at a 15-degree incline on a treadmill for 15 weeks had no damage to cartilage and a 6% increase in cartilage stiffness and an 11% increase in cartilage thickness, all positive changes. Jogging 20 km/d (12 miles) on a treadmill for 15 weeks did not result in further changes. Skeletally immature dogs subjected to 15 weeks of jogging at a rate of 40 km/d (_24 miles per day!!!)_ had no change in cartilage content. However, running 20 km/d for _nearly 1 year_ resulted in a 6% reduction in cartilage thickness of the medial femoral condyle, with an 11% reduction in proteoglycan content (the part of the cartilage that gives it stiffness and wear resistance). In similar studies of running 40 km/d, the effects of training for 1 year on young canine articular cartilage found that there was no visible cartilage damage, but there was some softening of the cartilage. But these are all **huge** distances. … > > … There is no evidence that normal exercise causes damage to growth plates of puppies. In fact, jogging exercise (such as on a treadmill) appears to be beneficial to normal joints. It takes a _ **lot** _ of exercise to cause damage to joint cartilage. Jogging an hour per day seems to be beneficial to joint cartilage. … The author: [https://www.mylamedog.com/about](https://www.mylamedog.com/about) ---
**Author:** ![TXRebel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@TXRebel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXRebel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/9 "2022-12-19T01:40:19Z")
Gosh. I never thought about it. I have two high energy mini-schnauzers and they were both walking 6 miles with me every Saturday from the time they were 7 mos. old. They both love it. They are happy, healthy 2 yr olds now and I don’t see any damage. Now we were walking and not running but 6 miles is 6 miles. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/10 "2022-12-19T02:19:22Z")
And they’re mini-schnauzers! Which brings up a point that makes this even harder for vets to come up with hard rules for: huge differences between breeds. I am now very comfortable that I am putting my almost nine month 52 pound Border Aussie pup at _no_ risk, but I wouldn’t generalize that to our neighbor’s brachycephalic mini French Bulldog! Breed and size matters. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/11 "2022-12-19T15:05:21Z")
Glad you found your answer. And what you found/decided on is consistent with my experience/opinion. In the past, I injured a golden (larger breed, tending to hip probs) by throwing a ball too much when he was too young. Throughout his life after, he ran using both back legs together. That was entirely my fault. But that was the high speed activity the article decries. With an active, medium sized breed such as yours, I doubt a slow 30 min jog will damage them any/much more than an equivalent brisk walk. Especially if you can do it on non-concrete. And so much of dog (child?) rearing is a matter of weighing. Is the slight risk of joint damage worth the frustration you experience over his destruction. And would the dog (and you) derive other benefits from the exercise. I agree with you - I am not a fan of dog parks for various reasons. Tho I acknowledge may folk love them. And I agree, it is far too easy to just say, “Ask a vet/doctor” about any question. And then, if you don’t agree with that vet/doctor - ask another! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-jogging-with-dogs-under-a-year-old/976751/12 "2022-12-19T17:10:28Z")
We’ve had several pointers (both GSP and wire-haired) and not allowing them to run until they are a year old is pretty much impossible and not something we’ve done. We have been criticized for taking them out and letting them do their pointer thing which involves running far and wide in their search for birds and other things, but we’ve not had hip issues with them until they are 13+ (_knock on wood_). These are dogs that will do 30 miles in a day and not be tired. And, according to their GPS collars can hit 43 MPH during points of those 30 mile days. Jogging with them will not suffice. I have gone mountain biking and let them run with me and that is a little more effective.