How Many Calories Are Burned Running With Dogs?

Running with your dog is a great way to provide it with some much needed exercise. But the practice is just as effective if you want to shed some extra pounds yourself.

It’s because running enables you to increase your stamina, flex your muscles, and get some cardio. Apart from improving your overall health, all of these factors also contribute to weight loss. When you do this exercise with your dog, you can speed past any stress that stems from the thought of running alone. 

That is why, many dog owners invest in a retractable dog leash and hours of training to get their dogs to run with them. But that’s where an important question raises its head: How many calories can you burn while running with your dog?

To help you find an effective answer, here’s a lowdown on how running with your dog affects your workout plan.

How Many Calories You Burn Depends Upon Your Weight and Age

Much like other exercises, how many calories you burn running with your dog depends upon various factors. This includes aspects such as your body weight and your age.

For instance, a person weighing 130 pounds may burn less calories in a 10- minute run than someone who weighs 180 pounds. Similarly, younger people are likely to burn more calories than their older counterparts.

As a general estimate, you can burn about 100 calories per mile while running. But the accuracy of this number depends upon your personal fitness. On the other hand, many dog breeds can run 20-40 miles per week. However, the specific number depends upon your dog and its comfort with a run. 

This means that if you take a fully-trained dog on a 4-mile run a day, you can burn approximately 400 calories per session.

As mentioned above, this is only an estimate and the actual results may vary. In order to see personalized projections, you can wear a fitness tracker on your next run. This allows you to get estimates that are specifically modeled for you.

Follow a Proper Running Plan With Your Dog

Before you pull out your retractable dog leash and get some miles out of your dog, it’s essential to keep a few critical factors in mind.

Even if you are athletically gifted or have your stamina built to an impressive point, that might not be the case with your dog. That is why, it’s essential that you introduce it to running slowly.

As a general rule, you can integrate running into your daily walks in 2-minute sessions. As such, you can run for 2 minutes, then walk for the following couple of minutes, and then run for 2 minutes more. You can increase these durations on a bi-weekly basis according to the comfort of your dog.

You should also be mindful of the following aspects.

● Running can be dangerous for puppies who are still forming their bone structure. Make sure that you consult with your vet before taking your pup on the road with you.

● Older dogs with weaker bones or affected stamina may also need more rest than physical stimulation. It’s important that you take your vet’s advice about your dog to avoid any problems.

● If you have a healthy adult dog, make sure to introduce it to running at a gradual pace. Start with simple walks, level up to jogs, and then go all the way to actual runs.

This ensures that you are keeping your dog’s health in mind while also getting your desired exercise with your workout buddy.