20 Benefits of Running with Your Dog: Reasons to Keep Up Your Running Routine With Your Pup!

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Benefits of Running with Dog
Caption: A girl is running with her dog

Running with your dog can be a great way to get exercise and spend time together, plus running can provide plenty of physical and mental health benefits. Also, it’s always great to have a furry companion when jogging or running through the neighborhood!

If you’re looking for a new workout routine or just want to have some fun with your furry best friend, here are the 20 reasons why running with your pup is a perfect choice.

1. Running Helps You and Your Dog Sleep Better at Night

Let’s start with the obvious. Running with your dog is a great way to get exercise. You’ll burn calories, strengthen muscles, and improve health while spending time with your four-legged friend. Running will also help you sleep better at night. In fact, just 30 minutes of running can help you relax enough to fall asleep faster than if you hadn’t gone for a run at all.

Your dog will have the same benefits too! Running is a great way to get them the exercise they need. Most dogs need about 30 minutes of daily exercise, and jogging or running with them is one of the easiest ways to achieve that.

2. It Can Improve Your Mood

One of the most overlooked benefits of running with your dog is that it can improve your mood. If you’re feeling grouchy, frustrated, or just downright sad, a short jog can do wonders for giving you a little more pep in your step. You may not be able to totally avoid emotional highs and lows for the rest of your life, but a run can help put a damper on those less-than-ideal feelings when they arise.

3. Running With Your Dog Reduces Overall Stress Levels

Stressful Lady
Caption: A stressful lady

Exercise can help you feel better emotionally and mentally, which will, in turn, help you be more productive and better at handling stress if you take up jogging or running as a daily routine.

Running can also help alleviate the symptoms of depression, boost self-esteem, and reduce anxiety disorders like PTSD. Not only that but exercise has also proven to increase overall happiness by releasing endorphins that can give your brain and body a chemical lift.

Your furry running partner can also benefit. Dogs, like humans, have endorphins in their system. Endorphins can help them feel relaxed. So not only will you be healthier when you run with your pooch, but it’ll make both of you calmer and feel a little happier too!

4. Consistent Running Routine Can Help Keep Both You and Your Dog’s Weight Down

If you or your canine need to lose weight, one of the best things you can do is add running with them into your daily routine. A lot of people try jogging as a way to burn calories faster and lose weight. It’s not an easy road. In fact, most people find that they’re sore for several days after starting, but the payoff when you reach your goal is well worth it. Just make sure your pup is up to the challenge before setting out with them.

5. Running Can Reduce the Risk of Diabetes

Try running with your pooch regularly. The benefits can be tremendous. It’s been shown that running has a positive effect on insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. As they improve, your risk for getting diabetes will decrease as well! And that, of course, applies to your four-legged family member too!

6. It Can Strengthen the Bond Between You and Your Dog

There’s no denying that spending time with your dog can help strengthen the bond. There’s something so special about running together, exploring the beauty of nature, and feeling complete satisfaction when you cross the finish line hand in hand (or paw in hand). It’s moments like these that make all the hard work worthwhile.

7. Running With Your Dog Can Reduce Stress in Dogs Caused by Separation Anxiety or Loneliness

The love of a dog is one thing, but the love of that dog for its master is something else entirely. If you’re giving your fido the gift of running with you every day, they’ll be very grateful for your decision to get out there and make them feel included! You’ll also see nearly instantly how running can help reduce their stress levels. This will help take away the destructive behavior associated with separation anxiety or loneliness, which is, in fact, what every dog owner wants!

8. Your Dog Can Be Your Bodyguard

Dogs are known for their loyalty, and running with your pup is a great way to show that. But it’s not just a demonstration of love. It can also be an act of self-defense. Having them by your side when you go for a jog in the early hours of the morning or at night on a lonely trail can make you feel safer. Your dog may not be able to protect you from everything, but they’ll certainly help keep away some unwanted intruders!

Read More: 10 Best Guard Dog Breeds

9. Your Dog Can Keep You Motivated

While running can help reduce the risk of certain diseases, boosts your immune system, and burns calories faster than other forms of exercise, it can be hard keeping it up! There’s only so much motivation you can have in the morning before work! But with a furry running buddy by your side, the feeling of guilt will be far more potent than the urge to hit the snooze button!

Also, it can be easy to get carried away when working out alone. Often, runners will start strong only to slow down or stop before they’ve had their fill of exercise because they’re feeling exhausted on their own. Having your pooch by your side can help you keep going when you might otherwise quit. They’ll serve as your motivation to do more, run longer, and go after those hills that every jogger knows the most challenging part!

We can all agree that it’s not easy to start a new exercise routine and stick to it for long periods. However, it won’t be too hard to make this a regular part of your exercise routine with your pup encouraging you!

10. Your Dog Will Provide Unwavering Companionship

You’ll never have to feel lonely or alone again when you’ve got a furry friend by your side in every step of your jog. Dogs are altruistic animals who will always be ready to offer companionship and support when it’s needed most.

11. Both You and Your Dog Will Get in Shape Quicker

Great in Shape Quicker with Your Dog
Caption: Get in shape quicker with your dog

Running regularly with your dog can really save time when you’re working toward getting in shape. The reason is that exercising with your canine by your side will give you that extra boost of motivation and energy that you need to keep going when you feel like giving up or slowing down.

12. It Provides You With Something to Look Forward to

At the end of a long day, there’s nothing better than coming home to your waiting running buddy. As you pull out your running shoes and set them by the door, you’ll know that regardless of how crazy things get at work, you’ll have the chance to let off some steam when you return home.

13. It Can Help Improve Bone Density

Dogs are no strangers to joint pain, and many of them have arthritis throughout their lives. While it’s impossible to prevent the discomfort associated with age completely, your dog can reap some benefits by running with you!

Just by taking daily runs with your dog, they’ll be able to improve their bone density and strengthen muscles that will help keep them as limber and flexible as possible.

14. It Gives You a Sense of Accomplishment When You Hit Your Running Goals

There’s nothing like hitting a goal when it comes to exercise. Whether you want to run for a little bit longer, further, or faster than before, this personal sense of accomplishment is one of the things that makes jogging such an amazing pastime.

15. Running Can Improve Your Relationship With Other People

If you’re socially awkward or just tend to keep to yourself a lot, running can change all that. A study has found that physical activity levels correlate with social interaction. So basically, running makes people less anti-social!

16. Running With Your Dog Can Help You Make New Friends

One of the difficulties many people have in social interaction is not feeling comfortable interacting with new people. That’s where your dog comes in! It’s always easy to start a conversation about how amazing your pup is, and the next thing you know, you’ll find yourself exchanging contact info with someone new while talking about favorite breeds and showing off pictures on your phone!

17. Running Will Make You Smarter

No joke! Running with your dog can actually increase blood flow to your brain, leading to improved cognitive function. Not only that, but running can also keep your mind sharp and help you stay more mentally alert as you age.

18. Doggos are Humans’ Perfect Running Partner

Great Running Partner
Caption: Dogs are great running partners

The best part? Dogs will always be there for their human friends and will never complain! They’ll never tell you to stop, or that you’re going too fast, or ask if they can take a break after five minutes. Doggos are always ready and willing to go for a run!

19. Runners Live Longer

A consistent running routine is one of the best ways to improve your health and well-being. While it’s up for debate how much you should be running, one thing that doesn’t change is the fact that runners have a longer life expectancy. Active dogs are no different. An active lifestyle leads to a healthier dog, and a healthier dog is more likely to live longer!

20. Running With Your Dog is Fun!

Running can be boring sometimes. You will feel like it takes a long time to finish any given run, and you’re barely getting anywhere at all. But running with your dog can actually be fun! It can be easy to feel like you’re in the moment, enjoying each other’s company and being one with nature.

Conclusion

Running with your dog is so much more than simply getting from point A to point B or taking out your work frustrations.

It’s an opportunity for quality time that allows you and your canine to bond even more deeply with one another. Also, there are plenty of mental and physical benefits that come along with it! Plus, going on runs with your adventurous pup is one of the most affordable ways to ensure that they stay healthy! In fact, you only need a hands-free leash and a dog running harness to get them started!

One thing, though, before I wrap up, make sure you take into account your dog’s comfort level first before setting out for a run. The reason is that not all dogs are cut out for running. Some dogs get very tired while they jog and can’t keep up with the pace of their human family member, so be careful because a jog could end up being more like an all-out sprint for them!