Treadmill length for dog to use??

shakybabe

Not sure where to stick this, but was wondering if anyone on here has a treadmill and if they've ever used it also for their medium sized dog?

He's a Border Collie. I live quite rurally so when it snows I'm snowed in for a week at least and as I have mobility problems can't walk him as Mobility Scooter won't run in snow and freezing temps. Family have difficulty reaching me and they also have to try and get to work themselves during the week.

I could possibly manage it (the treadmill) myself on a slow walking program for rehab purposes but I'm not 100% on that I wouldn't know until it arrived and I tried it with someone here, but mainly I want it for my dog to be able to do roughly 5 mile a day on it (as he normally does when we can go out daily). He'll also be able to play in back garden in the snow but I won't be able to get out of driveway to walk him anywhere

I was looking to the folding ones but they seem to have much shorter ..erm running platforms? (not sure what they call them?) the ones specifically for dogs seem much longer but I relaise they are also trying to cater for larger dogs too as dogs have longer running stride than humans.

The folding one's I've been looking at for under £200 are about 43" x 15" (110cm x 40cm) this kind of model ..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GYM-MASTER-Motorised-TREADMILL-Folding-1-5HP-Running-Machine-in-Pink-GYM-BALL-/360537560741?hash=item53f1b696a5

OR

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/XM-PRO-III-TREADMILL-Manual-Incline-Electric-Motorised-Folding-Running-Machine-/121575603640?hash=item1c4e787db8


whereas the smallest running area on the dog ones (Dog Tread) is 47" x 17" for the medium sized dog - but they are nearly £600!!!

wondering if the 4" shorter length and 2" shorter width will make that much of a difference?


Thanks

BrianaDuBois

I'm a vet tech and I wouldn't do it, to be honest.
I get that your boy is a border collie used to a lot of exercise, but I wouldn't do it, personally. The reason that your guy likes his 5 mile walk is because it's so mentally stimulating. A treadmill won't give him the same effect. It might make you feel better about the lack of exercise, but the benefit for him would be negligible. He needs to use his brain since he's a smart breed.
I would let him play in the yard as much as he wants. If you're able, you can pick up snowballs and throw them for him to chase like balls. To stimulate his brain, I would get him some toys that require him to think. I have the Kong wobbler, tug a jug, IQ ball, and a few Kong chews for my lady because she's destructive when bored. They're all great toys that really require them to think and work for a reward. Between the toys and him playing in the yard, he'll be fine until you're able to resume your normal schedule.

shakybabe

BrianaDuBois wrote: »

I'm a vet tech and I wouldn't do it, to be honest.
I get that your boy is a border collie used to a lot of exercise, but I wouldn't do it, personally. The reason that your guy likes his 5 mile walk is because it's so mentally stimulating. A treadmill won't give him the same effect. It might make you feel better about the lack of exercise, but the benefit for him would be negligible. He needs to use his brain since he's a smart breed.
I would let him play in the yard as much as he wants. If you're able, you can pick up snowballs and throw them for him to chase like balls. To stimulate his brain, I would get him some toys that require him to think. I have the Kong wobbler, tug a jug, IQ ball, and a few Kong chews for my lady because she's destructive when bored. They're all great toys that really require them to think and work for a reward. Between the toys and him playing in the yard, he'll be fine until you're able to resume your normal schedule.

Hi

Yeah we've got loads of puzzles as have an older dog too (14 years old) who loves the interactive puzzles and got one every xmas and birthday.. so had quite a collection of them before my collie arrived! My old girl is not as mobile now and it will be enough for her to exercise around the garden, but he's 3years old and used to long runs and fitter than both of us old women..lol!

I relaise its not the same as a walk outdoors but thought it would be better than nothing. If I'm snowed in a full week my brother usually tries to get to me on the weekend with food and to take them to the nearest field. I just thought maybe an half hour on there a day for the days I couldn't get him PLUS play in the garden would be better than nothing.

He also works as my assistance dog so gets plenty of mental stimulation just helping me throughout the day and they have most of the UK dog puzzle toys between them..lol! He's so smart he can do infant sorting toys and stacking rings too and I do things like teaching them to read flashcards when we're snowed in. I was just worried he wouldn't be getting the physical exercise he needed only having access to the garden for a week (or more).

BTW ..which toy is the 'IQ ball' ?

Thanks

timeforwork

if you set it for the dog to trot not run then it will need to be a minimum of the length of their tip of nose to tip of tail lengh , have used a standard home human one for my large dogs before (dobberman ) . better option may be to hire a dog walker to take him out for mental stimulation as well as the physical run of can you get him to hydrotherapy or an indoor training class?

_Waffle_

Treadmill? That's a terrible thing to do to a dog or a human.

beth0277

I have a high energy boxer and have put her on my treadmill when it is too cold outside to get a walk in. Or too much snow. Boxers aren't very tolerant of cold weather so it's our best alternative. It's a regular treadmill, I have no clue what the length is. We have to stand beside her holding on to a leash or she will just jump off. We could probably attach the leash to the treadmill but I wouldn't want to risk her slipping and choking herself, so we stand right beside her with it in our hand. It seems to help with her pent up energy when she can't get outside.

CurlyCockney

I don't know if you're aware of this, but there are charities that will provide dog walkers free of charge for disabled people. I'm thinking of Cinnamon Trust and Light of the World, but I'm sure there are others.

CurlyCockney

Also, if you get Direct Payments for care you can ask your local authority for an increase in money to fund a private dog walker or to allow you to spend some of your allowance on this.

Liftng4Lis

Try a neighborhood child, who would enjoy the $ to walk your dog.

kshama2001

When we're snowed in, mom's neighbor puts her 100 pound golden retriever on a normal human length treadmill.

SuggaD

that sounds like an awful idea. I'd never do that to my pup.

PaulaWallaDingDong

It's not torture, you guys. I taught the sheltie I had as a kid to get on the treadmill on his own and walk/trot, and he could jump off whenever he felt like it. It became a game to him. I do agree that walks outdoors are better (neighbor kids sound great), but if you can teach him to treadmill on his own, there's nothing wrong with that.

jemhh

I'm scratching my head at all the claims that this is a bad idea.

Measure your dog from nose to butt. As long as he fits length-wise on the treadmill with a few extra inches for clearance, I'd get a regular human treadmill. My dad used to use his normal human treadmill for his springer/cocker spaniel mix with no problem.

jessimacd

Hey! I use a treadmill for my australian shepherd/lab mix (roughly the same size as a border collie), and I think you're right that the fold-up ones would be too short. I'm 5'9", and I purchased one (from Canadian Tire) that I can walk and run comfortably on, and it works beautifully for my dog as well. I can try to measure the running surface later on if I get the chance.

I totally get why you would want to have this as a back-up exercise tool for your dog - our winters here in NB, Canada are so brutal that our backyard freezes over in this hard crust of ice, and the roads get so slippery at some points during the winter that there's NO way I'm risking a walk.

I am also scratching my head at those who claim this is a bad idea. A few tips though:
- Introduce him to the concept slowly. We started with just having her in the room when we turned it on, so she got used to the start up "beeps" and the sound of the the motor running. Praise him, then move on to the next step (if he's ready), which is just having him "load up" (that's the command we use) from the entry point of the treadmill - never the sides. No sense in starting bad habits.
- Then once he's comfortable with this, turn it on to a very slow walk, and have treats ready at the FRONT of the treadmill (it's best to have a second person helping), and praise him verbally and with the treats. We use our "let's go!" command that we use for walks. If he steps on the front plasticky part by accident, try a "uh unh!" or similar feedback to let him know that's not what you want (nothing too harsh like a "NO" or anything, though).
- Continue like this, upping the speed until he's comfortable with varying speeds and lengths of time. Do this all over the course of several practice sessions of course, not all at once.
- Some may find this controversial (I don't care what anyone thinks), but we actually attach her to the treadmill using a harness and a leash. We put her on the treadmill at a spot where her legs wouldn't fall off the back when she's doing her full stride, and measured the length of leash so that it would clip on to the harness (on her back), and secured the leash to the hand-grip area of the console. This way, she isn't in danger of falling off the back of the treadmill, and since we are there for every second that she's doing her workout, she's not in danger because we can pull the emergency stop cord in the event that she gets spooked or whatever.
- The highest we go in terms of speed is maybe 3.3-3.5 mph... She's basically doing a brisk walk at this speed. We also use the incline feature sometimes to change the intensity.

Good luck! Feel free to message me if you need any more info. We went through a whole training session with her obedience trainer for this.

ncfitbit

I taught my English Pointer to walk on my regular, human treadmill. The reason I decided to teach her was because when it's bad weather and she hasn't been outside she'll sit right next to me while I'm on the treadmill and look so forelorn so I decided to let her have a turn. Initially it took some coaxing and treat training and I also stand next to her with the leash and walk in place to make sure she keeps walking and doesn't stop, but I wouldn't say she enjoys it so I only do it when it seems like she really wants to. I agree that playing in a yard full of snow is still preferrable. In any case, I certainly wouldn't buy something just for this purpose.

lmsaa

I have a high drive working dog and think it's a great idea when the weather doesn't permit outdoor exercise. My dog is small enough (you need to make sure the treadmill can accommodate the dog's reach and drive) that I can use my own treadmill. To make sure he doesn't fall off, I hold on to his harness, straddle him with my feet on the sides, and operate the controls with my free hand. Dog treadmills have side safety rails. A safety shut off would be nice, but my treadmill lacks that, so I am always holding the harness or collar and blocking the sides. Like jessimacd, I started slowly, just treating him for being near the treadmill, then on the treadmill, then working at a very low speed. In an ideal world, I would own a Fit Fur Life, but this is what my budget allows. My dog loves it. I just let him walk or do a little trotting. I use it in when there is too much ice and salt on the ground or it's too cold in the winter and also when it's too hot for him outdoors in the summer.

Don't overdo - I've read that walking on the treadmill is equivalent to three times as much time as walking outdoors, because there are no pauses on the treadmill for sniffing, eliminating, etc. Watch for foot dragging or toenail scraping, which would indicate that the dog is tired. Don't forget to do a warm up and cool down.

You can also work on core strength indoors with Fit Paws equipment or the equivalent (or even sofa cushions) for more physical exercise and conditioning. I do lots of things with my dog to keep him occupied (nosework, for example, which can be done indoors), but I don't find that nosework or trick training is a substitute for exercise for those really high energy dogs.

If you don't want to work with a vet, rehab doctor, or trainer in person, look for online courses, which you can audit fairly inexpensively and will cover core and treadmill work. I have taken some of Dr. Deborah Gross's courses (Debbie is an animal rehab expert) at DeniseFenzi.com, and the courses have been wonderful. I'd highly recommend them.

kshama2001

Ya, my mother and I both had high drive working dogs and chaos ensued if they did not get enough exercise.

shakybabe

Hi

Thanks for all the replies.

I don't think its a bad idea either as I know it's not his only exercise. He can still go and play in garden, its nice when snow is fresh but once it ices over the back garden turns to slush and mud and if the road still isnt' clear and my drive then I still can't get out.

I have got a covered car port area but our houses are open plan and we're not allowed to put up gates (as back garden is fully enclosed for dogs they don't see why I need gates on front too). I have had him under there attached to a long line tied to back fence so he can't get right up to edge of road but can run up and down with a ball. I still don't think this is enough for a dog used to two good runs a day in normal weather.

He wouldn't be on it all day but when he was nagging for a walk or getting the zoomies I can put him on it for a short time to get rid of some excess energy! To him it would just be a new game to play when we can't get out.

I was just wondering what length are the running area's for those of you that have human treadmill's whose dogs fit on them?