treadmill or not?

[cptduke]

I'm thinking about training the pup on our new treadmill. We go on 2-3 walks per day plus a lot of running around the back yard several times per day and it still just isn't enough, I need to add more to his daily activity level. Plus, winter here = very cold!

To those of you who have treadmill trained: Does it do damage to the belt thing to have your pup (and his claws) on the treadmill?

To everyone: Why or why not do treadmill training?

[Lucy Dog]

I run Lucy on the treadmill when there's a lot of snow/ice on the ground or it's raining really hard and she's driving me nuts. I always prefer getting her out, but I use it when I don't have any other options.

The belt doesn't really get damaged, but don't expect it to stay clean. Lots of dog drool dripping from her tongue as she runs combined with her fur flying around. You're going to have to constantly clean it unless you really don't care about the thing. Do you keep his nails short? The shorter the nails... the less it's going to come in contact with the belt.

And you mentioned he's a puppy... how old is he exactly? I don't think I started mine on the treadmill until she was about a year and a half. Takes a little time to get used to so start slow and don't expect him to like it right off the bat.

[Liesje]

I would love to do it but most human treadmills aren't long enough for the stride of a GSD and I don't want my dog's stride "cramped" by the equipment since he is also a performance/working dog and I do show him as well. If I could get a real dog treadmill, I'd definitely use it!

[cptduke]

Originally Posted by Lucy Dog

I run Lucy on the treadmill when there's a lot of snow/ice on the ground or it's raining really hard and she's driving me nuts. I always prefer getting her out, but I use it when I don't have any other options.

The belt doesn't really get damaged, but don't expect it to stay clean. Lots of dog drool dripping from her tongue as she runs combined with her fur flying around. You're going to have to constantly clean it unless you really don't care about the thing. Do you keep his nails short? The shorter the nails... the less it's going to come in contact with the belt.

And you mentioned he's a puppy... how old is he exactly? I don't think I started mine on the treadmill until she was about a year and a half. Takes a little time to get used to so start slow and don't expect him to like it right off the bat.

He's just over 7 months old and he weighs 90 pounds, because of that I know running is not an option right now. I was thinking maybe 1/4 or 1/2 mile every other day.. once he gets used it of course. I would still take him outside like I normally do, I just feel like he isn't getting as much exercise as he needs.

If I need to wait until he is older I definitely will. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything to keep him happy/healthy.

Good to know about the belt not getting ruined. I don't mind cleaning it frequently.

[onyx'girl]

Is there anyplace you can swim him? That would be better than running, especially w/ his size.

[Lucy Dog]

That's a pretty big boy being that big at that age. Is he overweight?

Just do some light jogging or fast walking at this age. Definitely don't push him and see how he takes to it.

My dogs is about 24" and 75 pounds and I have no problem with her having enough room for a fast jog stride. I don't run her full speed on the thing though. It's probably not long enough for that.

[Liesje]

Nikon's 24.5" and 75 lbs and I doubt he'd fit on any human treadmill I can afford (key phrase there being "I can afford" lol), but like I said I show him so I might have a different idea of what it looks like running him at a comfortable gait. He's not extremely angulated but does have decent reach.

[cptduke]

Originally Posted by Lucy Dog

That's a pretty big boy being that big at that age. Is he overweight?

Just do some light jogging or fast walking at this age. Definitely don't push him and see how he takes to it.

My dogs is about 24" and 75 pounds and I have no problem with her having enough room for a fast jog stride. I don't run her full speed on the thing though. It's probably not long enough for that.

Vet says he has perfect health and not overweight at all. We're pretty surprised about it too! He's our gigantic baby. And thank you for your input. I really appreciate it.

Where on the dog do you measure how tall they are? Shoulder height?

[TaraM1285]

Tara's stride is too long to trot or run on the only human treadmill I have access to. I think it is an inexpensive one with ~4' belt. I can only walk her on it. She is 23.5" at the withers (yes, shoulders) and 64 lbs. She does not have a long reach at all, either.

Training him to walk on the treadmill can take a little time and can be a little extra mental stimulation in addition to the physical benefits. It wore Tara out pretty well till she got used to it even if we only worked on it for 5 minutes at a time.

[cptduke]

Ok, assuming I measured correctly, right at the tip of his shoulder blade, he is just under 26". I have a big dog. Lol. Our treadmill has a 5' belt so that should help give him a little more room. I didn't even think about the mental stimulation. Bonus!

Next question: How did you train them to walk on the treadmill?