Running with Huskies

My favorite running partner, of all time, is my 3-year old Siberian Husky named Cowboy.  I appreciate the fact that, even though he can easily run 3-4 times faster than the pace I keep, he steadily plods along at an 11-12 minute mile.

It's always been my dream to run with a dog, but Cowboy's the first who has kindly and enthusiastically agreed to run with me.  He's such a pleaser, that it wasn't too difficult to train him to run.  I use a harness that I picked up on sale at Petco for $3.99, and a Ruffgear Roamer leash ($34.95).  I clip the leash around my waist, and the bungee-like lead cushions us both against sudden changes in pace.

I'd love to run off leash with him, but huskies are notorious for taking off.  My single experiment with letting him off leash on a run ended in near disaster, and I'm just not willing to take that chance again.  Maybe as he gets older, and settles down a bit, we can take long hikes with him off leash.  But for now, he seems really happy every time we go out for a run, and I try to make sure that he gets enough time to explore new trails.

My PRs are always set when leashed to Cowboy.  He just looks so happy to be out and running, that I naturally pick up my pace.  And, if he spots a squirrel or other varmint on a trail run, that simply means that it's time for wind sprints.

So far, our outings are 3-4 miles.  I'd like to increase his runs to 5-6 miles, or longer.  Last October, when I ran the Columbia Gorge Half Marathon, there were about 2 dozen folks who ran the race with their dog.  I'm not sure that Cowboy would be able to run that long, but if he seems to enjoy the longer runs, we just may work up towards that goal.  Still, I'm not sure how he'd get water along the race route, as I didn't notice dog bowls set out at the aid stations . . . but maybe I missed them.

If you run with your dog, and have any tips on how to safely increase mileage, please let me know!  Or, if you have any good resources you'd recommend for running with dogs, please share.