Tonight we left the house with 74 degree temps and if any, a low level of humidity to embark on the first run of the week.
Maddie went the first mile and a half without issue. She and Dave stopped after this first loop and I went on with Mira for another mile and a quarter. It's the first night I've taken Mira out with the temperature above 70 degrees for more than a mile and a half. We jumped a boundary tonight by a stride I wouldn't normally take, but the climate was very mild. She did great, tongue out and breathing reasonably hard, but no signs of laboring through the run.
We're home, they've been stretched, the human half of the team has eaten dinner and the girls are lazily hanging out on the cool tile floor chilling out. Mira has normal respiration and has already begun to doze off and on. Maddie is hanging out on her pillow happily chilling.
I feel good about being able to take Mira out for this distance in temperatures that I wouldn't have considered acceptable for a Siberian only two years ago. My philosophy then was that we didn't run in temps above 70 degrees and we only went for the mile. It worked then. Maybe it only worked because I was a heavy smoker at the time, or because the dogs I had at the time got enough exercise chasing each other and training/competing in agility that they didn't require more. I don't know why that was reasonable to me then, but it truly made sense to me at that time and it worked for our lifestyle with five dogs and a full schedule of training and competition to keep them otherwise conditioned.
I don't know how far I can go with Mira and how high we can take the temps. But her conditioning continues to improve and she continues to blow my mind with what she's able to do. I'm hoping to get to 3 miles with the "spring" weather before I have to back down with Mira for summer. Just hanging onto every run I can for as long as possible this season with her. She'll be 8 years old by the time we get into great cool running conditions this fall, time just flies!!!!!!!!!!
And then there's Madison, wow, what a dog! 12 years old and still pulling us around the neighborhood. I think she taught me as much about tenacity through my observation of her over the years than any of my own personal experiences could have begun to teach me (even being carjacked).
If you follow my blog and you run with your dog, or you want to start running with your dog, PLEASE understand that I have worked my dogs to the level of condition they are gradually over years. Don't take a young dog under 18 months out for a long run, they are not structurally developed and you could do some really long term, or irreversible damage. And whatever you do, don't take a dog that has sat on a sofa and become overweight out for a 2 mile run, no matter how inviting the climate may be. They are your partner, but they are unable to "partner" with you in the decision making process. You are fully in charge of making all decisions and setting boundaries. You alone must make the decisions that keep them safe and healthy.
Happy Trails and Wagging Tails :)
Maddie went the first mile and a half without issue. She and Dave stopped after this first loop and I went on with Mira for another mile and a quarter. It's the first night I've taken Mira out with the temperature above 70 degrees for more than a mile and a half. We jumped a boundary tonight by a stride I wouldn't normally take, but the climate was very mild. She did great, tongue out and breathing reasonably hard, but no signs of laboring through the run.
We're home, they've been stretched, the human half of the team has eaten dinner and the girls are lazily hanging out on the cool tile floor chilling out. Mira has normal respiration and has already begun to doze off and on. Maddie is hanging out on her pillow happily chilling.
I feel good about being able to take Mira out for this distance in temperatures that I wouldn't have considered acceptable for a Siberian only two years ago. My philosophy then was that we didn't run in temps above 70 degrees and we only went for the mile. It worked then. Maybe it only worked because I was a heavy smoker at the time, or because the dogs I had at the time got enough exercise chasing each other and training/competing in agility that they didn't require more. I don't know why that was reasonable to me then, but it truly made sense to me at that time and it worked for our lifestyle with five dogs and a full schedule of training and competition to keep them otherwise conditioned.
I don't know how far I can go with Mira and how high we can take the temps. But her conditioning continues to improve and she continues to blow my mind with what she's able to do. I'm hoping to get to 3 miles with the "spring" weather before I have to back down with Mira for summer. Just hanging onto every run I can for as long as possible this season with her. She'll be 8 years old by the time we get into great cool running conditions this fall, time just flies!!!!!!!!!!
And then there's Madison, wow, what a dog! 12 years old and still pulling us around the neighborhood. I think she taught me as much about tenacity through my observation of her over the years than any of my own personal experiences could have begun to teach me (even being carjacked).
If you follow my blog and you run with your dog, or you want to start running with your dog, PLEASE understand that I have worked my dogs to the level of condition they are gradually over years. Don't take a young dog under 18 months out for a long run, they are not structurally developed and you could do some really long term, or irreversible damage. And whatever you do, don't take a dog that has sat on a sofa and become overweight out for a 2 mile run, no matter how inviting the climate may be. They are your partner, but they are unable to "partner" with you in the decision making process. You are fully in charge of making all decisions and setting boundaries. You alone must make the decisions that keep them safe and healthy.
Happy Trails and Wagging Tails :)
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