We’re Famous!

washingtonian magazine

the best of

“I’ve used DC Dog Hikes (@dcdoghikes) for my pittie, Arnold, for about six months,” Meashaw says “Not only has Arnold lost six pounds but he’s beyond happy hiking all over the DMV. I get amazing pictures everyday and Bryan Barrera, the owner, makes awesome reels recapping hikes.”

real simple magazine

Get Moving

Just like us, dogs need to build up their mileage. “I always start with a five-minute walking warm-up to sniff and mark trees and get all the interesting stuff out of the way,” says Bryan Barrera, author of The Ultimate Guide to Running with Your Dog and owner of D.C. Dog Runner, a pup running and hiking service in Washington, D.C. From there, Barrera says to alternate two minutes of walking with two minutes of running for about 15 minutes. After a week, increase the running interval (and decrease the walking interval) by about a minute, and continue to do so each week after that. Soon the two of you will be jogging for a full half hour! End with some walking to bring both of your heart rates down.

washingtonian magazine

beat the heat

Bryan Barrera, founder of DC Dog Hikes and DC Dog Runner, has been taking dogs on outdoor adventures for a decade, including in the summer. Here, the author of The Ultimate Guide to Running With Your Dog shares what he looks for before, during, and after an outing to keep dogs from overheating.

Before: Mind the Nose
Not every kind of dog is suited to every kind of excursion, especially on hot, humid days. To get a sense of whether yours can handle the heat, start by looking at its snout, says Barrera: “The longer the better because that’s basically their cooling mechanism.” A long-snouted whippet might be able to handle a lengthier jaunt, while a French bulldog is predisposed to heating up quickly, thanks to the breed’s smooshed muzzle.

During: Look at the Tongue
Once you’ve leashed up and headed out, keep an eye on your dog’s tongue for signs that it might be time to stop. If the animal appears to have control over its tongue–darting it around in a normal way–that’s a sign you can keep going. “When it gets to the point where it looks like they’re just trying to clear it out of the way so they can get more air in, that’s when we need to think about sitting down and offering water,” says Barrera.

After: Watch for Prolonged Panting
It’s natural that dogs will breathe more heavily following a hot outing that gets their heart rate up. But if rapid panting continues ten to 15 minutes later, once they’re in a cooler setting? Barrera says that’s a signal to monitor them closely for additional changes in behavior and call the vet if the frenzied breathing persists.