KEEPING BEST FRIENDS TOGETHER SINCE 2009

Training Marathon Dogs: Does your Pooch Have what it Takes?

Training Marathon Dogs

Do you have a wild child pooch on your hand who can play ball for hours, run alongside your bike for miles on end and wrestle with the other woofers until the sun goes down? Here in Asheville, NC, we’ve seen dogs hoof it up with their owners, keeping pace every step of the away while running, hiking, and biking outdoors.

Training Marathon Dogs

Do you have a wild child pooch on your hand who can play ball for hours, run alongside your bike for miles on end and wrestle with the other woofers until the sun goes down? Here in Asheville, NC, we’ve seen dogs hoof it up with their owners, keeping pace every step of the away while running, hiking, and biking outdoors. We were curious about how many owners train their furry friends in these amazing feats of endurance. So after putting our sniffers to the ground, we’ve found out that there are pets around the globe that were simply born to fly like the wind. And if your tireless pooch seems to have endless energy to put those paws to the pavement, you may have a "Marathon Dog" on your hands as well.

Meet Dozer the Golden Doodle: a True Four-Legged Marathon Woofer

On May 15, 2011, the Maryland Half Marathon had an unusual and unexpected competitor - a four-legged canine named Dozer. And he wasn’t specifically trained or put in the race by his owner, this excited pooch simply broke free of his electrical fence and joined forces with the humans at mile 5, finished the race and found his way home the very next day! Holy fur balls! His worried mom was overjoyed when he returned of course and since his daring dash in last year’s race, she’s begun training him so that they both can run the full 13 miles this year together! ESPN shares Dozer’s inspiring journey to the finish line HERE!

Things to be Mindful of when Exercising your High-Energy Pooch

Hospital Therapy Dogs

While Dozer’s journey is certainly inspiring and you may very well have an athletic fluff-star on your hands, there are certainly a lot of precautions one needs to take when exercising their dogs in the spring and summer months. Because dogs don't have sweat glands and aren’t able to rid their little bodies of excess heat as efficiently as humans, they are much less able to control their body temperature and prevent themselves from overheating than us two-legged creatures.  But we must adjust our exercise plans to suit the weather, and monitor our dogs closely. If you plan on getting out for a long distance run, hike or bike trek during a hot day, here are a few tips to help keep your pet keep the pace with a smile on their face while you’re out and about:

1.    Carry Plenty of Water for you and your Pet
2.    Be Mindful of High Humidity
3.    Look for Shady Areas & Stop to Relax
4.    Know When Your Dog is Over-Heated
5.    Consider Exercising Early in the Morning or Late at Night

Show off your Little High Hoofers Skills with a Unique Custom Dog Tag

Every parent is proud of their over-achieving athletic little one, including their adopted friends and furries from another mother (hehe)! If you’re beaming with pride at the amazing feats your pet has accomplished, give them added gold medal they deserve with a tag that shows off their unique abilities like this "Love the Run" tag or hop on our site at dogtagart.com and create your very own reward by uploading your own photos, the logo for an upcoming race or charity or simply a short and simple, "Super Dog" tag for your dog to proudly prance around in.

Training Marathon Dogs

 


A mountain-loving mama, miss Tiffany Narron calls our beautiful city of Asheville home along with her furry little sidekick Bella Blue (getting ready for her first 5k in the photo above). Together these two are never bored as they run the forest trails and hike the wondrous mountain-tops in and around Western North Carolina. The two make quite a pair, pushing each other onward and upward to the next wild adventure and journaling their stories and secrets along the way to share some of their silly secrets and discoveries here with you!