Doggy treadmill

If you are thinking about investing in a treadmill for your dog consider the following…

A treadmill, though very handy to make up walking hours in poor weather, does not replace a walk in the wide world with all of its sights, smells and other stimulus.  Perhaps you are someone who just needs to top up your dogs exercise?

Treadmills designed for human use may be suitable for some dogs to use however you likely need to apply changes to prevent your pets paws or otherwise from being damaged and it is advisable to consult an expert. One example is that canine treadmills have belts and rails to prevent paws from being caught at the edges of the belt.

The size of a suitable dog treadmill is dependent on your pets’ size (length) and weight.  Treadmills for humans may suffer if enough pet hair makes its way in the motor.

It does time and patience for your dog to tolerate the machine let alone use it so be prepared for a big learning curve.  Also, you will have to take care in monitoring your dog’s fitness as he needs practice if having to increase fitness and treadmills are definitely ‘not’ for puppies.

Dogs need to be supervised whilst using a treadmill at all times.  So there’s no ‘set & forget’.

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane