[OrsonDogge]

Put it together in an hour and had him running on it already!!
\/
He wasnt scared of it, I just had to lower the incline cause he was
sliding back and loosing his footing.
So all i did was put his squeeky ball in front of him and he kept
"running" after it. Its like a carrot in front of a donkey! :lol:

The only thing I am unsure of is how to get him to just walk...all he wanted to do was run, the faster he ran the closer he "thought" he
was getting to his ball.
Do you think he will ever just want to get on it and walk or will
i always have to tease him with a toy? :?

Anyways, he is outta breath and laying down after only getting on it 4 times, running for a minute each time!!!
Quick and painless!!! YIPPEE!

 

[attitude]

i LOVE my treadmill
try holding the ball a little further away from him, altho i use food, i find this works to slow izzy down

 

[OrsonDogge]

Oh yeah, also....how do you leash him to it? Do you need a special harness?
I just held him by his collar, for now. But that makes my back
hurt cause i'm bent over.

 

[deuce's mommy]

Thats cool. How much did it cost? I am trying to get Deuce in shape and walking on his leg but he wears me out. I am going to start looking into the treadmills.

 

[OrsonDogge]

it was about $400 with shipping...cheapest one out there (grand carpet
mill).
Is there any way to get Deuce to a swimming pool?
That would be the best therapy for his leg.
Orson still seems to want to run the treadmill instead of a nice
walk pace. Which is fine cause it wears him out quickly..
but for Deuce it might not be good if he walks.
Not sure what the vet said about him and exercise...i know with
knee injuries the dog is supposed to take it easy that is why
I suggested swimming (low impact).

 

[Chrisnjen]

You leash him to it with a normal walking harness that you can get a Wal Mart or Petco or whatever. Use a caribeaner to attach the harness to the chain that hangs down, like this:

As for just walking on it - I personally wouldn't use the treadmill to replace the daily walk. The treadmill is a great way to burn off energy, yes, but there is a lot more to the walk than just the walking if you know what I mean. For this reason, I always encourage them to just run until they are about to fall over.

Also something to keep in mind - I read somewhere that 10-15 minutes running on the treadmill is equivilent to like 2 hour walk. It burns a ton of energy. Chance is in great shape and wil go flat out on the d*mn thing for like 45 minutes if I let him. But he was the same way as Orson at first - a few minutes at a time was enough . I guess my point is just don't over do it at first.

Also, you should go to your local auto parts store and get a can of silicone spray lubricant. Not WD-40 or anything petrolium based, just straight silicone lubricant. Once a week or so you will want to lift up the belt and spray a very light coat on the white surface underneath. Otherwise it starts to make too much friction and the dog has a hard time running on it.

 

[OrsonDogge]

Chance is a treadmill pro!!!
I still take Orson for walks but that is never enough, he demands so
much more exercise. I took him for a walk just now then finished him
up on treadmill...he's been sleeping for an hour now! \/
I'd rather run him on the thing anyways...it's great cause i cant
run that fast or for as long as he can.

How long do you run Chance on it at a time??
Also do you just put him on there and let him run, or do you have him
"warm-up" before?

So just spray the lube on the wood underneath the carpet??
Will do!

About the harness...i looked at petco last nite but it doesnt look like
they would fit. He has a 20" neck and all the harnesses that size looked too small for his chest? :?

 

[Chrisnjen]

How long do you run Chance on it at a time??
Also do you just put him on there and let him run, or do you have him
"warm-up" before?

He usually gets to go for 10-15 minutes at a whack during the day, 3 or 4 times a day, just to keep him managable. He is so high energy it is insane. When I want him asleep (like when we go to bed for the night) about an hour ahead of time I'll just put him on it until he wears himself out. Depending on how much he's been on it (or not been on it) during the day, that can take 15 minutes or 45 minutes. It also depends on how many times he sees Maddi or the cat, which makes him run like a bat out of hell (especially the cat).

He's to the point now where when he's feeling pent up and frustrated, he jumps on it and tries to run himself or yells at me to hook him in. He loves the thing. Sleeps on it even .

It is recommended to warm them up with a short walk and cool them down afterward the same way, but honestly, I've never done that and never had a problem. It is the right way to do it though, so that is something to take into consideration.

So just spray the lube on the wood underneath the carpet??
Will do!

Yeah, there should be white melamine veneer underneath the carpet on the top side of the wooden platform, assuming you put it together correctly . Just a really light coat. I emailed the people who made it and they said that it needs to be done, but that too much can be bad.

About the harness...i looked at petco last nite but it doesnt look like
they would fit. He has a 20" neck and all the harnesses that size looked too small for his chest? :?

Best thing to do, if this is feasible, is to just take him into Petco and find one that fits him.

 

[deuce's mommy]

Yeah, the vet said to start working him up to long walks. He said in a few weeks he can be up to a 3 mile walk. He said since he is so young it will heal up quick. There are pools all over, but none that allow dogs. We don't run him, but we take him for about 30-45 minute walks every day. But, 30 minutes after his walk he is ready to go crazy again. He is a little ball of energy. He loves water, I wish there was a place I could take him.

 

[OrsonDogge]

He loves water, I wish there was a place I could take him.

You need to make friends with someone who has a pool :wink:
Wow, Deuce's recovery is going great then! Soooo glad to hear that!
Im sure he does have tons of energy now that he is feeling lots better.

It is recommended to warm them up with a short walk and cool them down afterward the same way, but honestly, I've never done that and never had a problem. It is the right way to do it though, so that is something to take into consideration.

Yeah, i feel the same way. Ive never warmed up/cooled down with him before any of his exercises...and he's been fine. If I can, i will tho.


Yeah, i'll just have to take him to Petco like the last 10 minutes they are
open so hopefully no other dogs will be there :?

THANK YOU SOOOO much for you help/input.
Gonna post pics/video of him on it...he love it so far. Just ran him for 10 minutes.