5 benefits of running with a dog

If you have a dog, you probably take him or her running from time to time, and although you might not think about it too much, your furry little friend can be a pretty big help when it comes to training. Dogs are always there for you, they keep you active and they might even stop you from going too hard on easy days. The pros of running with a dog certainly outweigh the cons, so here are five benefits of bringing your four-legged training partner along for runs.

You always have a running buddy

Regardless of the time of day, the weather or any other factors that might prevent your human training partner from joining you for a run, your dog will always be ready for an outing. Dogs are never not happy to go outside and be active, and because of that, you always have a running buddy if you have a dog.

You can blame them for the bad runs

As one Twitter user pointed out, you can blame your dog if you have a bad run. Before you get upset thinking about runners pointing the finger at anyone other than themselves after bad days, think about it: a dog wouldn’t care even if he knew that’s what his owner was doing. We don’t recommend making excuses on Strava, but if you’re set on coming up with one, saying that your dog was lollygagging and slowing you down is pretty believable.

They keep you accountable

Human training partners are great for keeping you accountable, because if you make plans to meet up for a run, you will be letting other people down when you don’t show up. If you think about it, dogs can keep you accountable, too. They grow accustomed to their daily schedule, and if you slack and skip a few runs, it’ll get to them. They’ll be energetic and restless, and the only way to solve that problem is by taking them for a run.

You can’t overdo it

You probably aren’t going to take your dog out on your hard sessions, so they’re reserved for easier runs. While some dogs can hammer out a quick 10K, many of them are more comfortable running at a slower pace. If you run alone, you might push too hard on easy days, but with a pup by your side, you’ll be more conscious of your pace.

The silent training partner

It’s great having running buddies, but sometimes you just want to run in silence. That’s why dogs are ideal training partners, as they keep you company without talking your ear off.

posted Saturday March 6th
by Running Magazine