[nagdu] Exercising with Your Dog

[Julie J.]

Abigail,

Once upon a time I did go jogging with my guide dog.  It worked out 
fine, but there are some definite things to avoid to make it work.  When 
I went jogging with my guide I used a specific path meant for 
hiking/biking.  It was a long smooth cement path that was well 
maintained.  there are only gentle curves, no steps, overhead branches 
or obstacles of any other variety.  The only thing to be mindful of is 
other people using the paths.   I think a track would work just as 
well.  I knew for me, moving at the faster pace there was going to be 
less reaction time for me to stop or turn when my dog stopped or turned. 
Jogging on a path that was meant for the purpose allowed me to just 
follow without worry of being able to react in time or her missing 
something at the faster pace.

Welcome to the list!
Julie



On 7/22/2011 1:18 PM, Abigail Lanier wrote:
> 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
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