Did you know that running for at least 10 minutes per day will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease dramatically? Jogging is one of the best activities for the human body. But what if you have a German Shepherd? Can your dog run with you?
Running is also one of the most popular sports, and at the same time, the oldest Olympic sport. Maybe jogging doesn’t sound like a very interesting sport, but it’s interesting how much can be beneficial for our body if we consistently run a short distance during the day.
But what about German Shepherds? Do German Shepherds like running?
German Shepherds love running, if fact, this is maybe the best activity that you can do with your German Shepherd dog. To start running with your dog, you don't need any fancy or expensive equipment. Just go outside, take your loyal friend with you, and try it!
If you're running with your German Shepherd for the first time, maybe you want to try this in some quiet place, where is not much distraction.
Also, if you have a retractable or long line leash, it would be a good idea to hold your German Shepherd on one of these leashes, for the first time.
Can German Shepherds go running?
With you, or without you, your German Shepherd will start running as soon as he can. This is something that they really love, especially if they have excess energy.
If your German Shepherd isn't tired, or sick, and if you have some control over your dog, then he can go run with you. It's important to have control over your German Shepherd, otherwise, he can cause serious trouble, to you and other people, if you don't correct him when he made a mistake.
Make sure that your German Shepherd knows basic commands, such as stay, go, no, come, and wait, before you go with your dog running.
Can German Shepherds run long distance?
It's really important to understand your German Shepherd dog. If you have a German Shepherd puppy, your puppy can't run long as fully grown a German Shepherd. Also, you want to run less if your German Shepherd is too old.
So, what is then the perfect running distance for a fully grown German Shepherd?
Thanks to their long legs and powerful body structure, fit and healthy German Shepherds can run the whole marathon, 27 miles (42 kilometers), before they need a pause for rest. They are herding dogs, and this is something that they love doing.
To achieve such results as this, you need to spend a lot of time and energy on training your German Shepherd dog. But if you're not interested in achieving results like these, you can run with your German Shepherd as much as you can, because humans will always get tired first.
If your German Shepherd isn't fully grown dogs (German Shepherd are fully adults dog between 2-3 years), don't force your dog to run too much. Running for a long period of time, without pause can later cause some serious health problems for your German Shepherds, such as hip and elbow dysplasia.
Don't forget to bring with you some water, and make pauses as soon as you get tired, or notice that your German Shepherd can't run anymore.
Is running bad for German Shepherds?
Running have so many benefits for the human body such as:
- Lower blood pressure
- Resting heart rate
- Improve blood sugar control
- Lower triglycerides
- Lower cholesterol
- Reduce waist circumference and body fat
- Build stronger muscles
Running is also very beneficial for German Shepherds, and some of these benefits are:
- Reduce anxiety
- Improve physical and mental health
- Build stronger muscles
- Make him happy (they love to exercise)
- Longer life
Running isn’t bad for German Shepherds. If your German Shepherd is a healthy dog, running isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, many dog trainers recommend doing this activity with your dog. Before you start running with your GSD, make sure that everything is fine with your dog, and bring with you always fresh water!
How long can a German Shepherd run without stopping?
When you’re running with your German Shepherd, you want to take a pause every 2-3 miles (3-4 kilometers). If it's a hot day, though, you must stop frequently to give your German Shepherd dog water and make sure it's not overheated.
Some German Shepherds can run more than 3 miles without pause, some can’t even run 3 miles.
This depends on your dog.
If you walk your German Shepherd frequently and train with him, he will run this 3 miles far away faster than a German Shepherd who is out of shape.
Start with the small distances. Later when you notice that you and your German Shepherd are making progress, you can start increasing the speed and distance.
How fast can German Shepherds run?
German Shepherd can run up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour! This is roughly double the typical human speed, which is between 12 and 15 mph.
The fastest ever German Shepherd is a female named Caradoc's The Wicked Truth. She ran the 100-yard sprint with a top speed of 32.89 miles per hour, according to the records from AKC.
According to Dogopedia, the German Shepherd is the 14th fastest dog in the world.
List of 20 fastest dog breeds in the world:
| Place | Breed | Top Speed (km/h) | Top Speed (mph) |
| 1 | Greyhound | 72 km/h | 45 mph |
| 2 | Saluki | 68 km/h | 42.8 mph |
| 3 | Afghan Hound | 64.4 km/h | 40 mph |
| 4 | Vizsla | 64.4 km/h | 40 mph |
| 5 | Ibizan Hound | 64.4 km/h | 40 mph |
| 6 | Jack Russell Terrier | 61.2 km/h | 38 mph |
| 7 | Dalmatian | 60 km/h | 37 mph |
| 8 | Borzoi | 58 km/h | 36 mph |
| 9 | Whippet | 56 km/h | 35 mph |
| 10 | Pharaoh Hound | 56 km/h | 35 mph |
| 11 | Weimaraner | 56 km/h | 35 mph |
| 12 | Dobermann | 51.5 km/h | 32 mph |
| 13 | Great Dane | 48 km/h | 30 mph |
| 14 | German Shepherd | 48 km/h | 30 mph |
| 15 | Border Collie | 48 km/h | 30 mph |
| 16 | Standard Poodle | 48 km/h | 30 mph |
| 17 | Scottish Deerhound | 45 km/h | 28 mph |
| 18 | Giant Schnauzer | 45 km/h | 28 mph |
| 19 | Rhodesian Ridgeback | 40 km/h | 25 mph |
| 20 | Italian Greyhound | 40 km/h | 25 mph |
When can I run with my German Shepherd puppy?
Getting a wonderful puppy, such as a German Shepherd can be really is really excited! From that moment, our lives become completely different, and suddenly we have a million plans with our puppy.
Explore new places, travel, train, shop, and more other exciting things. But if we love running, can we run with our German Shepherd puppy, or should we wait for our German Shepherd to become a completely adult dog?
Many German Shepherd breeders do not recommend running with your German Shepherd puppy before six months of age. Forcing your German Shepherd to run before that can later cause serious health issues, such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia.
This doesn’t mean that your German Shepherd puppy shouldn't run at all. You can still play with him running, but don’t force too much your puppy to run.
Make sure that you're giving your puppy all essential vitamins for proper development.
Can German Shepherds do agility?
In order to compete in agility training, your dog must be smart, fast, and loyal to the owner, in order to successfully obey commands. Luckily, German Shepherds are everything that.
German Shepherd can absolutely do agility training. Agility training requires a lot of dedication, hard work, and little more financial funds, and if you’re not ready for this, you may want to skip this activity.
In this sport, your German Shepherd can’t compete without you. You must work as a team, as a one. You need to have almost the same energy level as your dog, and if you don’t have patience, this activity isn’t for you.
If you want to try agility training with your German Shepherd, find the dog training center where you can try this sport, and you will see in the first few trainings whether this sport is for you or not.
Why does my German Shepherd run sideways?
When you see your German Shepherd run sideways (crabbing), this means that he moves with his body at an angle to the line of travel. This is also called sidewinding.
Crabbing, in other terms, is when a German Shepherd dog moves forward with its body tilted at an angle. It's sometimes referred to as "sidestepping."
This is normal behavior for all dogs (if your dogs walk like this for a long period of time, contact your veterinarian), and there are a couple of different reasons for crabbing, such as:
- The body is still growing
- They’re dogs (normal behavior)
- Their stronger leg is gaining control
- Neurological disorders
- Orthopedic problems
- Anal gland issues
How far can German Shepherds walk?
Most German Shepherds dogs will be happy with one walk per day that is at least 1 to 3 miles (1.5 to 5 kilometers). If you want, you can always walk with your German Shepherd more than that, but this is a minimum recommended distance that a German shepherd should cross in one day.
When you are walking with your German Shepherd puppy, you should be more careful. Starting at eight weeks, a puppy may walk for five minutes for every month of age that they have. For example, a recommended distance for a three-month-old puppy is 15 minutes.
Puppies, especially large-breed puppies, should not be over-exercised, since this can lead to joint and bone issues.
Can a German Shepherd run a Marathon?
German Shepherd which is fit, in perfect health, and fully grown can run a full marathon without any problems. German Shepherds are herding dogs, and running is one of their favorite activities, but you shouldn’t force your GSD to run until they are fully grown dogs (have at least 18 months).
Once your German Shepherd has become a fully grown dog, you can start practicing long runs.
We had prepared something special for you, and that's a weekly running planner! We know how running is beneficial for our bodies, and the body of our furry friends, and that's why we had prepared this planner for you.
If you’re serious about running a marathon with your German Shepherd, you can learn more about the 4 Paws Marathon.
Here are the results of the top three candidates:
Results for male
Final words.
We believe that running is the best activity. You can run, no matter where you live, and doesn't require any fancy and expensive equipment.
German Shepherd is a high-energy dog, and each day, they need to release all that energy. Running is a perfect way to do that, but be careful.
As we mention, we need first to let our German Shepherd become a full adult dog (18 months old or more), so that we can together enjoy long running.
Don't encourage running before 6 months (of course, your puppy can run, but limit his running time), give your German Shepherd high-quality food and all supplements, and once he becomes an adult dog, run with him until you collapse!
Be patient, and your patience will pay off.
