When I see people running with their dogs, the dogs are often straining against their leads ahead of their owners. This looks very uncomfortable to me, but some of the runners I see are actually looking quite happy and not inconvenienced by the pulling at all. I’ve always recommended that people teach their dog to run beside them on a loose lead for safety and comfort reasons, but is this really the best way to go? If someone’s happy running with their dog pulling ahead, what’s wrong with that?

Personally, I could not handle Keeda pulling me along during our runs. Not only is it just plain uncomfortable, but it also displays a lack of control over my dog. When she sees another dog, or cat, or whatever else grabs her interest she will bolt straight at it because when she’s pulling me along she isn’t doing a job – she’s just going nuts on a leash. When she runs along beside be on a loose leash, Keeda is doing a job. Her job is staying next to me, watching and responding to my movements. When she sees something interesting she will look toward it, maybe even start moving toward it because we’re not perfectly trained yet , but she knows that she is not to go for it.

These are some reasons why I would always suggest teaching a dog to heel before running with it. But for people who are happy with their dog pulling ahead during their runs, I say keep doing what works for you. It’s better to run with a puller than to not run at all (assuming you can keep control of the dog and make sure everyone is safe).

What do you think? Is teaching a dog to run on a loose lead as important to you as it is to me?