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You have a high energy dog. and are not able to take the “edge off” so you can tolerate him. or get his attention for training. My solution – run him on a treadmill. No, you don’t have to go out and spend $1,500 on that special “doggie treadmill.” You can use one you have, or purchase one from your local sports store for around $400. Running your dog on the treadmill will not put the same stress on the machine as when you using it. His four feet vs. your two is less relative force on the machine belt. This means that you do not need to purchase the extra heavy duty treadmill. What you do want to look at is the length of the belt and the width in relation to the size of your dog. I have Dobermans and a German Shepherd. The belt on my treadmill is 16” x 50”. The other important thing is to NOT get one with a center post. The dog does not like running with his nose against a wall, which is what you are asking with the center post. My dogs also do not like that cute plastic cover over the front of the treadmill. They cannot tell where the belt really is, and if they hit the plastic instead of the treadmill belt they may stumble. It is easy to remove. All you will need as far as special features is the miles-per-hour and a timer so you know how long you, or your dog has been working, and how fast. If you need to change the incline plane, a brick or paint can, placed in the front or back, will give you all the angle adjustment you need to work specific muscles. The other bells and whistles just add to the cost. There are a few cautions: 1. Don’t let your dog drink immediately before or after his workout. 2. Wait to feed till after a heavy workout, or one hour before. 3. Never tie the dog to the equipment if you are not there. It only takes seconds for him to get hurt or strangle and die. Letting him relieve himself before he goes on is strongly suggested. You have the machine home, put together, the belt greased and adjusted. Are you ready? · The treadmill will need to be placed with enough area for you to walk around it. Your dog MUST know and be able to obey the “heel” and “stay” command. In the beginning I just turn the machine on to let him hear, and get use to the noise. You can always use it at this point while he is on a “stay”.. It may be your last chance on the machine. · With the machine turned off, I take the dog at heel and have him walk up onto the belt with me (heel position). Give the “heel” command and the “stay”. Reinforce with touch and your voice. Let him stand with you for a minute and then walk him at heel next to you off the front. Do not let him bail out the side – ever. You can always put chairs or some barrier next to the machine on the left side if he fights and tries to slip off. Repeat him walking on and standing several times until he is relaxed and you no longer have to get on the belt with him. Take as much time as you need. You want your dog comfortable on the treadmill. · Now comes the part where you have to know your individual dog. Do you start him with he treadmill moving, or turn it on while he is standing on the belt? I have three dogs, one gets startled when the machine starts – he hop’s on when it is moving. You decide, or work out, the best starting position for your dog. Try with the machine off first. If this does not work, you can always “hup” him onto the slowly moving belt the next time. · Stand next to your dog, give him the “heel” command and walk him onto the treadmill. (Your feet on the floor next to the machine) Tell him “stay”. Ask if he is “ready” Turn the machine on slow. You can increase the speed till he is at a comfortable walk. Don’t push the first time. Get it to a speed your dog is comfortable with. STAY AT HIS SIDE. I use a leather or cloth collar. It is not the time for hard corrections. Tell him “easy, easy” or another reassuring, calming command. Reinforce him with your voice, and touch. Let him know you are there, and he is doing fine. You can increase the speed to keep his attention. You may also need to guide him on placement; keep him straight and centered. Tell him how good he is doing. · Turn the belt off, before taking your dog off, to prevent possible injuries. I use the “whoa” command, and gently slow the belt down to a stop. This can also be a cool down period if done at a slow walk. Once the machine is stopped, I give her a small treat and walk her off the front at heel. I break and give a short play session and another treat. Once I have my dog trained to treadmill use, they whine at me and stand on it ready to go. Cautions: Do not let the dog walk for more than 1-2 minutes the first sessions. The time can be increased about one minute a week. There is a danger of muscle strain. It doesn’t matter what shape you think “mister muscle” is in – treadmill work is different. Your dog can get hurt if you push too fast, or go for too long. I have found that it takes about a week for the dog to get comfortable walking on the treadmill. With my new puppy, I sit in front of her, lead loose, using an occasional tug if she is distracted. The first couple of times I had to stand over her back with my feet on the side-bars She could touch me and I could keep her focused, centered on the belt and her feet not hitting the side edge of the belt. Do not push the speed. A comfortable fast walking/ slow trotting gate is enough. The same gate you would use in a show ring for the judge when you go down and back, or slower. Once you have found the proper speed (gate) for your dog, note it on your MPH gage. This is where most of your time will be. Remember that you are conditioning. For a human athlete, there is warm-up stretching and a cool down period. Walk your dog a couple of minutes before they get on the treadmill, and massage their legs, let them stretch (a warm-up). Finish with a slower MPH for the last minutes, or walk her for a couple of minutes when she gets off. Don’t just stop and let your dog go lie down, the blood will pool in the extremities. At present, my Doberman does 25-30 minutes at 3 mph. This seems to be a good maintenance point for her. I no longer have to stay at her side. She stays on while I do housework, or get dressed in the morning. I know some dogs this is their primary exercise. They stay on for 1-2 hours. But always with warm-ups and cool downs. Aside from taking the edge off of the high drive animal, working on the treadmill can also increase general endurance, and give a good cardiovascular workout. Congestive heart failure is common in dogs. I have been told my dog’s life span can be increased by up to three years with proper treadmill exercise.
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Cross Roads Search and Rescue of
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