A strong desire to run is dog pack behavior or fun not a problem

A strong desire to run was reported by some respondents in a survey as a major issue they had with their dogs.

There are many ways that I can handle this comment or thought, but I will try not to digress to outright abuse.

Dogs are pack animals and they used to be wolves that would hunt whenever they wernet having down time. They would run and run and run and catch their prey. Do you have any wonder why dogs still want to run?

Puppies and running

This only becomes a main issue when their safety is at stake. If you are in a dog park and the dog jumps on someone they may also get upset, but running is what drains energy and that is mostly what most dog owners want.

The issue for puppy dogs running is that they have good recall. Run as far as tehy want safely. Just make sure you have trained them well to respond to your voice or hand signals to return.

Hunting dogs and running – sort of pack behavior

Some hunting dogs were bred to run and cooperate in packs when they hunt for their owner. It is kind of obvious when these breeds run together how much they are enjoying it, as long as it is a game still and the dogs are social to other dogs, this is not a problem. if they are not social, get your dog trained.

Working dog breeds and running

Dog pack behaviour is very obvious in working dogs such as kelpies and border collies. These great herding dogs are trained on properties to herd to their owners commands and in conjunction with other dogs.

When they are kept in urban areas and don’t have a working task to do, these very intelligent dogs quickly get bored and often try to herd dogs down the dog park. They find it very hard to just run with other dogs once they are not puppies without nipping, herding or dominating – that is what they were bred to do. Discouraging this behavior very early on and regularly will be the only solution to keeping working dogs social.

CONCLUSION

A strong desire to run is a very healthy thing for a dog to do, its just a matter of the owner understanding the breed and the specific dogs personality to ensure that it is running for something innocuous or more hunting or herding orientated.

Running in a pack is great fun for dogs and owners alike. Just make sure that your dog runs as much as it wants and comes back as much as you want.