The short answer is yes! The long answer is more complicated.
I am a stickler for proper research and citing sources so will refer to a study conducted in 2012 at the University of Arizona where they attempted to answer exactly this question. Blood samples were taken from humans, canines, and ferrets (as a less active comparison), to test the level of endocannabinoids (or let’s call endorphins for short) after rigorous exercise, or in the ferrets’ case – just physical movement. Not surprisingly, humans and dogs had high levels of endorphins, and ferrets evidently had none.
Those wonderful, highly sought after, feel-good chemicals which make that long painful run totally worth doing. And no wonder a creature who doesn’t feel endorphins wouldn’t exactly feel compelled to run. Go figure. It is endorphins which cause a runner’s high, and having experienced this as a runner, I find it absolutely believable that dogs feel the same thing during and after a run. If you’re reading this I bet you’ve seen the overwhelming happiness in your dog’s face at he runs as fast as his paws can carry him, feeling the wind rush down his back in pure exhilaration and a primitive release of energy.
The study didn’t get into specific dog breeds, however I think it’s good to mention. We humans, in all the generations of selective dog breeding, have produced some pretty fantastical descendants of…. wolves…
Wait…what?
We have encouraged hemivertebrae, brachycephalic syndrome, miniaturization, excessive hyaluronan, and deformities galore. Of course these are ‘breed standards’ today. I strongly suspect that other traits from the waaaay far back wolf ancestry were also bred out, such as the ability to produce and/or feel high levels of endorphins, or at least those produced from rigorous exercise. I won’t shame breeds, but we all know the types who would rather sleep and eat all day then go for a run. Much like the spectrum of humans, we have our exercise addicts and then those who think working out is a form of masochism.
Since this blog is about huskies I will sing the praises of their unparalleled love of running. Seriously, their endorphin switch must be instant. Lucky husky dogs! They may not have to charge down large game in a pack, but huskies are still very wolf-like in their stamina and drive. And this makes them, in my very biased opinion, the most wonderful running companions.
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