Doggie Treadmills
In this week of product reviews, it’s worthwhile to note the newest addition to the Affordable Agility product family. I’m really excited to be able to introduce the Doggie Treadmill!
A Pooped Out Dog Is A Happy Dog!
This is the time of year when our dogs don’t seem to get enough exercise. Just like us, if our dogs jump right into an agility training routine and aren’t in shape and their muscles aren’t strong, they can hurt themselves. (stretching can lessen this, but nothing beats exercise!) Not only that, but our dogs have endless energy! They love to play hard, and sleep comfortably after they’re done. There’s nothing better than watching a worn-out dog sleep. They’re so cute, and look so happy!
Training Your Dog To A Treadmill
Treadmills are easy to train with lots of positive reinforcement, if you go slow and steady, and can be safer than outdoor walks if your sidewalks are caked with salt. They’re also wonderful for strengthening the hamstring/gluteal section of your dogs body (hind end, for those who are wondering:D) if you use the incline properly. I like to use them to build endurance (something I personally have problems with at a faster-than-a-walk pace, since I have cold/humidity + exercise = asthma- and I live in New York which is by turns cold, and humid. I digress….) I can’t keep up with my dog in an endurance walk, but with a treadmill I can keep him company and encourage him to keep going and tell him how wonderful he’s doing! For an active agility dog, endurance exercises can be a godsend since it builds muscle tone and encourages deep-chested breathing.
Remember all the rules for you on a treadmill apply to your dog, too! warm-up, cool down, and cardio! Our treadmills come with instruction manuals, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us here at the blog, or at AffordableAgility.com. We’ll be happy to help!
We Need Your Feedback! Watch the Video!
It’s not everyday you see these Dog Treadmills. We are curious as to your opinions and thoughts. Is it something your dog would enjoy? How much time would you run him or her on it? Please share after watching this cool video!)
Go here to check out the video of how it works!
These are an investment in your pets health and well being. Think how much you could spend if your pet had heart disease or a stroke. Well there is no guarantee this will make your pet live longer or prevent any cardiac or circulatory problems its still reassuring to know your taking a step towards improving your pets health by investing in this product.
I think the dog treadmill is a great idea! I like that its quiet because I have tried to use my own treadmill for my dogs and the noise is hard to train them to not to be scared of it. The price is pretty high though, and I would be much more likely to buy it if it were cheaper.
For agility, I need to keep in shape as much as my dog does, so unless I got two and we ran side by side, a doggie treadmill wouldn’t very practical. I’m sure there are reasons to have one (injuries, many dogs, ?), but I haven’t run into one yet for me.
“I have taught my golden to walk/run on my treadmill. Will need to introduce my rescue golden to it in near future. Of course, I stand there while he’s on it. Keep up the good work. D”
“If I had a huge indoor space (which I don’t), I might consider it. But as someone who just has a normal size house, I wouldn’t buy one. Also,I live in California where the worst weather is rain so we can get out 365 days a year pretty much.”
“This is an idea I LOVE! I have a friend who bought a human treadmill second hand so she could exercise her dog in the Winter and she has trained her two dogs to run on it. I’ve been looking for something similar but they are either too big or too expensive. If I found something that was the right size and affordable, I likely would purchase it.”
Oh, forgot to mention, I can’t wait to get mine! Yeah!!
To those who think the price is too high, I think its worth it if it means a happier more fit dog that will be less prone to injuries. My dog is worth a lot to me! And my cats, haha. But anyway, the PRICES ARE GOOD! The ones on Affordable Agility, that is. I’ve seen them much higher when I was shopping around! Some upwards to $3000 each! So $500-$800 is a good value to me. I mean, these aren’t people machines, mind you, so I understand some special premiums to have to pay for a customized dog one.
I live in Michigan and have 2 Smooth Collies and an Aussie.I think tread mills would be good for people who may not be able to get out and execise but as for me and my 4 legged crew we are outside in all kinds of weather. I am a runner and in the summer rain or shine we run- I do carry towels to dry them off or run when it is cooler in hot weather. Winter I run or snowshoe and my dogs happily follow I put Mushers Secret on their paws and away we go. Running in the snow strenghtens their legs and they seem to love it. I do take into account weather conditions when I plan how long we will be outside.
This is such an awesome idea! I would really LOVE to buy one for my Australian Shepherd. My almost 5 year old Aussie, Skye has been having joint problems and often limps and becomes lame when she overworks herself. She cannot even run very much because of this. This has caused her to gain much weight as she has been restricted in her activity level, and she loves food, that doesn’t help! Especially with all the trick training we’ve been doing. Anyways, I have two border collies who do agility and when I am working with them, Skye is often full of energy and wants to play too. I think a treadmill would help as it wouldn’t be too hard on her joints and we could build up her endurance slowly, even when the weather is bad. I just wish I could afford one! Being only 17 with a part time job, it’s difficult. I’m having a hard enough time raising money to get Skye to a specialist. Hopefully one day I will be able to try one of these bad boys out, I think it’s an awesome idea!!
In reply to those referring to bad weather – the treadmill is not an alternative. Good waterproofs, dog coats (if like my dog he has metal pins in his back and I don’t want him getting cold), walk fast, take a throw toy and dogs love all weather execise. We’ve just had lots of snow here and the dogs have been having a party in it every day. Fresh air is good for both dogs and humans so dress up and get out there – it’s much more fun once your out there.
I bought a large treadmill BEFORE I had a knee operation. I realised my husband has limited time for dog walking and I wouldn’t be able to exercise my GSD for a while after the operation. I slowly got him used to it while I was still reasonably fit. He then was able to use up some energy while I was recovering. It wasn’t long before I could drive again and then I used a Kong on a rope to throw so he had more exercise than me. I have now sold my treadmill as I am back to full walking strength.
They are a good idea in certain circumstances but can’t replace fresh air, sniffs and socialising.
I think it’s a great idea, though rather expensive. I live in So. California, so we really don’t have many days where we can’t work outside. But in a climate where it rains a lot or there’s snow, I could definately see the value.
I personally would not need one of these. We excercise and walk outside whenever possible (I have three goldens and a lab and we love walking all together, I am sure that we are quite a sight). When the weather doesn’t allow us to go outside, we go play in the basement. However, I am sure that there is a market for these. My wife and I are puppy raisers for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI.org). I am sure a significant percentage of CCI graduates that cannot excercise their service dogs as easily as many of us can could certainly use these if it is financially feasible.
Randy Roberts
My dogs use the treadmill at home a couple times a week during the winter and that really helps with their cabin fever.
I know someone who has two treadmills side by side – one for her and one for her dogs. So she gets exercise, too!
I would seriously consider buying one for use at my training facility. I think my students’ dogs would greatly benefit from it. Now I’d just have to figure out how to afford it. 🙂
If I had unlimited funds, this would be nice. Since I don’t I will have to get off my own tail end and take the dogs for exercise which also benefits me. You could also find human treadmills to use for this for far less especially used. I’d rather spend the money on better foods and activities I can spend outdoors with my pups. But if I ever win the lottery, I might buy one.
I really enjoy the treadmill for my dogs. I do not put them on a regular treadmill until they understand walking on a loose leash. After they are, I put them on it and stand next to it and we go for a walk. My lab was such a hoot, I could just stand along her side and she would walk on the treadmill for as long as I wanted her to. She would be walking on it with the biggest smile on her face, just spending time with her Mom. Now my Border Collie was a different story. She loved the treadmill but I was not lucky enough to just stand next to her on the floor like I did with Krinda, my lab. Starr would make me work as she did (LOL). So I would jog along side her and she would go until I stopped.
I did each of them daily for about the same time frame as I did with out walks outside which was anywhere between 2 – 4 miles depending on the time of day and weather. Now with my Border Collie, I would poop out before the average of 3 miles on the treadmill so she probably got about 2 miles and could go longer, I could not.
They are great for not only releasing that excess energy, but to build up their muscles and endurance. You add sprints in the treadmill work along with hills, etc.
With our training club, several of our members use their treadmills for their conformation dogs, again to develop those muscles.
I agree it is a nice idea for those who can’t get out, but the price of the treadmill would be too high for me and would probably end up being a clothes rack most of the time. I’m able to take my dog out biking and walking regularly, but if the weather was really bad I would rather use that money to rent practice time at our indoor agility facility for the mental and physical exercise it would provide for both of us, and for the price of the treadmill that would be a lot of practice sessions!
Dogs get so much more out of a walk than just exercise. My labs really exercise their noses as well as their muscles, and I think that’s part of what keeps them happy. With a preponderance of overweight humans, the only justification I see for a dog treadmill is human health issues. Time-wise, it’s the same. You can’t leave your dog on the treadmill unattended… best both of you get some exercise and fresh air!
i also live in upstate ny where we get 4-5 feet of snow in a weekend and more days below freezing than above. i would definitely use a treadmill for my dog in the winter. our walks are much shorter because of the foot and the cold and frisbee/running sessions are even shorter.
i’m sure it would collect dust in the good weather, but if i could get my dog to use it, i’d be all over it in the winter. if only you had a store/showroom so we could try one out.
A nice idea especially if you are a city person I guess but I don’t think I could justify that expense for just the winter months. My dogs go out either in an enclosed run or invisible fence and walks when I have time and seem to stay in pretty good shape along with class each week.
And boy, I really would have to go to the second price level for my Corgis as they just waiver on weights between 25-30…….
I think I’ll continue my above exercise for now.
Dog treadmills are really brilliant business opportunity. But for me, I prefer walking the dog outside, as I believe the dog are nature to run outside. Anyway dog are not same as human/
My golden retriever loves her treadmill, and I love it because she can run off all her excess energy. Comes in handy when it’s 0 degrees and a foot of snow on the ground. Now when I say, “Go walk?” she automatically heads for the treadmill. She would walk on it forever if I didn’t stop her after half an hour or so.