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| Mr. T and Bennie at a park in Yakima — apparently there was a race here recently. I was jealous. |
If you’ve read this blog very long, you probably remember we have three boxers. One of them, our youngest, is a total nut.
Bennie is our only show dog right now. He’s 15 months old and 65 pounds of muscle and energy…and lovey-want-to-hug-and-kiss-you boxer-ness. But he never stops moving…sort of like a certain three-year-old.
Bennie’s mostly manageable at home. At a dog show, he’s embarrassing. At the Yakima show this weekend, a dog-show friend suggested I take him running before the show to tire him out a bit. I didn’t bring my running gear, so that was out of the question, but it did give me an idea.
I had been avoiding running much with Bennie since he was still growing. But his growth plates are closed now, and as long as we start slow, he can run with me. He really needs it. It’ll help him build muscle and burn off some energy.
And he’s actually good on a walk at home — not as many exciting people and noises and furry, fluffy little dogs outside our door as there are at a show.
Bennie and I will be starting a new routine tomorrow. We will jog-walk for 15 minutes in the morning for a week. Next week, we’ll add five minutes. Technically, I will be “running” twice on some days and going on consecutive days. But we are going to go so slow and for not that much time.
I’m excited to start our new adventure together and hope that maybe, just maybe, the nut will make a great running buddy.
9 comments
He is super cute! I hope he turns out to be a great running partner for you. 🙂
Have fun! My older dog Jenga started running with me and was an amazing running partner…she's a coon hound but too old now for anything but walking.Brian is a 2 year old JackRat terrier and although I love him….I HATE running with him because he's such a moron…small man complex. I'm hoping he improves with age.Can't wait to hear how it goes!
How fun!! i can't wait to be able to run with our new black lab but he is only 12 weeks so I've got a long time to wait!!
I absolutely love boxers. I think they are some of the sweetest dogs in the world! I hope to have one someday.
Love it! I hope it goes well. What a great idea!!!
Hi! I just started reading your blog – hopped over from Annette's (“Running in the Right Direction”). I tried your 5min run/ 1 min walk combo last week and it has been working wonders for me!!! I used to run regularly, but took a couple years off due to plantar fasciitis and then being pregnant. I just started up again and the “rulk” has been awesome! Thanks for sharing that tip!Bennie is adorable! We have a 12-yr old, 65 pound pitt bull mutt who is half beefcake, half cupcake. :)I also just wanted to say 20 miles…… holy cannolis! Great job!!!!
He sounds like a natural! Have fun with this. I bet boxers are great partners. I tried running with my greyhound when I was just out of college, but she's try to run 50 mph and then totally run out of gas–no endurance. Boxers don't have that problem.
Awww, he is so cute!!! 🙂 Sounds like a good, gradual plan so crossing fingers it all works out!!
I have yet to try running with the boxers–I found that the bigger one gets super-excited just with jogging, then tries to body-check me and knock me down. The other one is skittish with loud noises, and I don't know if she'd do ok with the feet-to-pavement sound…however, there is a program called “Pooch to 5k” that's a gradual, like couch25k, to build up endurance with the running….just an idea! Good luck with him!