07/14/2026
Clearly, it’s not for them.
You’re just multi-tasking for your benefit.
I get it, life’s busy, but is your dog becoming a “tag along”.
You’ve got 30 minutes after work before it gets dark and you have got to keep that pace you’re tracking on your fitness watch.
Time to move!
Your dog stops for a second.
To sniff.
To investigate or even urinate.
They’re tugged away immediately.
Did you even bother to turn to see why?
We also have a bad habit of expecting the same energy levels from our dogs year after year.
They get older.
Arthritis develops.
Gait changes appear.
Recovery takes longer.
Yet many are still expected to keep up with the same routine they did years earlier.
Your dog can't tell you they're uncomfortable with words.
They tell you by slowing down.
By hesitating, by stopping or by changing their gait.
The problem is, when you're focused on keeping your pace, your eyes are looking ahead.
What you often feel is simply resistance on the lead which can’t happen now because you set that pace and you will finish as you started.
What your dog may actually be saying is,
"I need you to stop".
Some people have heard that running is great exercise for dogs.
Sometimes it is, but that depends on the individual dog, their age, their fitness, their breed, the surface, the distance and the pace.
One size just doesn't fit all.
And this isn't just about runners.
Walkers and cyclists can do exactly the same thing.
If your exercise starts interfering with what your dog truly needs, it's well and truly time to separate the two.
It’s not your dogs fault you only have a 30 minute window and a pace you won’t quit.
Even for them.
