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It's week two of our Tail Wag to 5K prep week! By now you should be thinking about all the different things you need to put in place before we hit the ground running.
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We cannot wait to watch you all get active and go out there and feel really good about you and your dog. But before you start, there's several bits of equipment you're going to need. So today I'm popping in with a mini-shopping list to help you out.
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Running Shoes
First up, you're going to need a good pair of trail running shoes. You going to be running predominantly in fields and woodlands and muddy tracks. Stay away from the roads, it's not good for the dogs or yourself. So it's important to invest in trail running shoes, they don't have to cost a lot of money but they do need to have a good grip.
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Harness For Your Dog
Do not run with the lead attached to your dog’s collar. An abrupt stop can be painful for them.
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We recommend a harness that is suitable for running. This will protect their spine and windpipe. When it comes to finding a good fitting harness, one size, doesn't fit all. Just like humans dogs are all different shapes and sizes. So it's important that you try on different harnesses.
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The harness will need to fit comfortably around their neck. Here you're looking for a nice snug fit, not too tight. Rule of thumb, if you can pop two fingers between the harness and your dogs neck then you know it fits comfortably.
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The front of the harness needs to fit on the sternum, so when they're pulling into it, it's pulling into hard bone and not soft tissue.
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It's important that they have lots of free movement. Shoulders need to be nice and free. If you imagine yourself running and things are rubbing or if there's any friction it can be really sore. So these shoulders need to be nice and free so they can stride out when going at speed.
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Finally the rear strap needs to sit on the on the last rib to protect them. If it goes further and sits on the softness again it can cause issues and injury.
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So just to recap, the harness needs to:
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- Fit comfortably on your dogs sterma so it doesn’t effect their breathing
- Sit away from the shoulder blades so it doesn’t restrict movement
- Sit on the last rib, if it sits behind the last rib, it will dig in.
- Fit comfortably underneath your dogs legs. If the straps are rubbing or to tight, this can be sore for your pooch!
Human Running Harness
Running harnesses come in lots of different sizes and different styles, so this is all about what suits you and your body shape. Ultimately, you'll want to make sure it's nice and secure, so when you're running, it's not rubbing or jumping up and down.
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Your running harness should sit on the hips and your bottom so when the dog pulls they're pulling you from your hip rather than your back and your spine. Some running harnesses will come with a pocket at the back for treats or your phone which is really handy.
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Running belts may suit you over a harness, but sometimes they're not as secure and are not good at protecting you from injury. They can also put a lot of high-impact pressure on your back and spine.
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Bungee Leads
Finally a bungee cord, you can get them in 1.5m or 2m length. So you attach it to you and then to your dog. Great thing about bungee cords, nice and strong it's got an elasticated strip in it that absorbs any shock. When you're running on different terrain, if you or your dog stop suddenly it take the impact to reduce injury. If you have a dog who LOVES to pull, lots of energy running a 2m lead is probably best. If you got a dog who is just getting it getting used to it, in the early stages, not motivated, maybe a bit of a dawdler then a 1.5 bungee lead it will be perfect.
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You may start with a 1.5m, then build up to a 2m. It's all about working together getting to know your dog connecting little bit closer so it's building up confidence between you and your dog.
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Active Wear
I would recommend you invest in some comfy running trousers and active-wear. Start running with a couple of layers on top, and as you get warmer when you start going faster and further you can start taking some of those layers off and cooling down.
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Need some help?
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If you are ever unsure about something please do drop us an email at [email protected] and we will be happy to help. Good luck and go show everyone how pawsome you are!!
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Remind me what I signed up for?
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Studies have shown, that exercise is easier to stick to when you have a friend to do it with. Well, there is no better friend than your dog! We've teamed up with Burns Pet Nutrition to create a FREE exercise programme to gradually help you and your dog to run a 5K with your pooch in just 10-12 weeks. In conjunction with human running experts RunWales and canicross experts PawRunner, our tail-wagging programme has been carefully created for beginners; considering the health of both human and hound throughout.
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