[nagdu] Exercising with Your Dog

[Abigail Lanier]

Hello everyone,

I should probably start by introducing myself, as I am fairly new to this
list. My name is Abigail and I have been working with my black lab, Alexa,
for a year and a few months. I received Alexa from Guiding Eyes for the
Blind.

My topic of interest for writing this e-mail is that I'm interested in what
types of exercise other guide dog users do with their guides. Alexa and I do
a lot of walking as it is, that just being my main mode of getting around.
She also tags along when I attend a yoga or pilates class at the gym on the
campus of my university. The school I am enrolled at is in the mountains of
North Carolina and there are lots of hiking trails near by that we like to
go on. Some of my friends have even claimed that Alexa is better at
navigating the trails than people.

Does anyone like to run or jog with their guide dog, and if so, how does
this work for you? I've attempted to run with friends before, while working
Alexa, but she seems very concerned at this prospect. I suppose it's because
when we are moving at a drastically faster clip than we would be walking she
doesn't have time to alert me to obstacles. Additionally, I've become very
interested in swimming, and not just as a means to cool off. The few times
I've been to the pool at our student rec. center I've left Alexa at home.
Being a lab, she really loves the water, and I'm afraid that if I was to
leave her in a down stay, tethered to a chair or other object, that she
might try to pull said chair or object into the pool because of her
excitement. That or that other patrons would begin petting her with out my
knowing.

I'm curious what other people's thoughts and suggestions would be.

Abigail