Can dogs use treadmills? I know that most people are now asking themselves these questions. Well, the answer is a simple “yes.” Dogs can use treadmills too.
Like humans, dogs require to keep fit. The use of a treadmill is one way that your dog can do that. By doing that, it prevents your dog from falling to the problems caused by obesity, such as the following.
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Arthritis
- Breathing problems
- Diabetes
- Orthopedic disorders
- Specific types of cancer
These problems can be quite fatal and would cause your dog to lose their life in case they want to the extreme. That’s why knowing how to build a dog treadmill would be the best thing for your dog.
Types of Dog Treadmill
In case you are looking for the perfect treadmill for your furry pal, there are two types of treadmills that you can go with. They include.
- Mechanical
- Dog-powered
And what’s the difference between these two types of dog treadmills? The dog’s mechanical treadmills will work using a motor. They are specifically designed to be used by the dogs; as such won’t present any issues that we discussed before.
The dog-powered treadmills, on the other hand, come in two other types. We’ve got the treadwheels and the dog carpet mills.
The treadwheels are designed with the giant hamster wheels, while the dog carpet mills are generally built from wood, nails, and a track carpet. Take a look at what type of treadmill is best for your dog.
What Treadmill is Best for Your Dog?
Before you choose the best treadmill for your dog, you’ll have to make specific considerations. Let us take a look at the best considerations in case you want to choose the perfect treadmill for your dog.
Motor Position
The first thing that you’ll have to think of is the position of the treadmill’s motor. This is very important. Unlike the dog treadmill, a human treadmill isn’t ideal since your dog’s fur could easily get caught around the door’s vent and motor.
Vibration/ Noise
Another thing that you’ll have to keep in mind is the level of noise and vibrations that the treadmill gives. While they won’t bother you as a person, they’ll surely scare your dog from the treadmill. The more anxious they are, the lesser chances that they’ll train.
So the trick when making a dog’s treadmill is to design a treadmill that’s quieter and much more stable than the model that humans use.
Presence of Side Rails
The presence of the side rails is also very important. These rails will act as the main visual guide and, in so doing, provide you with the safest precaution. Nonetheless, on a dog treadmill, the side rails are designed longer and placed much lower.
Track Size
The next important factor is the track length and track width. This is very important since dogs tend to float much more than humans when they run. What this means is that they’ll be here and there at the same time (backward, forward, and possibly side to side).
As such, dogs require wider and again longer tracks, which provides them with maximum safety as they run on the treadmill.
Treadmill’s Speed
Finally, we’ve got speed. While a human treadmill may work for the larger dog breed, smaller dog breeds may have trouble when finding the right speed for their sizes. This is especially true for manual treadmills.
How to Build a Dog Treadmill: Simple Guide for the Newbie
If you want to build a treadmill for your dog, here is a simple guide that you can follow. Even so, you must be aware that it’ll take longer than assembling a dog treadmill that you bought online for your dog. Follow this step by step guide.
Step I: Find the Track Length
Measure the dog’s longest stride. To do this, lay your dog on the side and extend her rear legs and front legs out. Make sure that they are as far as possible. Do not hurt the dog. Once you get the distance, you can then add 20% to what you’ve found. This is what gives you the length of the track.
Step II: Find the Width
Now determine the width of the track by moving your dog to a standing position and then measuring the width of the dog’s chest. You should then multiply the result that you’ve found by 1.5.
Step III: Find the Height of Frame
Finally, find the perfect height of the treadmill’s frame by measuring your dog’s height in a standing position (floor to the top) and adding at least five more inches to the result that you end up with.
Step IV: Build the Frame
To build the frame, first, start with getting a piece of plywood that’s1 / 4-inch-thick and measure out the exact size of length and width that you found from the measurements that you carried out above.
Next, use 2 x 4 plywood to build a frame that supports the track. Make sure to extend the 2 x 4 plywood out by about 5 inches. They should go past the front side and the back of the intended track.
Doing this provides enough room for rollers and enough length for the carpet to lie on. In case the dog is overweight, you can add several other 2 x 4s around and across the main frame’s width.
Now drive some screws through the frame set up to provide the frame with the perfect hold. Then fix the track on the top of the resulting frame.
Follow this by marking a spot around 3 / 4 way back. Do that on both sides of your frame, and then take two 2 x 4s which measure the same length as the track and secure them to the treadmill’s outer frame.
Keep them in an upright position using the screws. Once this is done, you can then mark another spot that’s set about a foot ahead of these upright 2 x 4s. The mark should be made on both sides of the treadmill’s track.
Then, position two wooden planks the size of the 2 x 4s on these marked places. Make sure that they are in an upright position. You can then angle them backward, which allow them to connect with the other “inside” part of the previously longer 2 x 4s.
Once this is done, you can secure these shorter 2 x 4s to the mainframe and the longer 2 x 4s together so that they act as the main braces.
Finalize the design by placing and securing a dowel rod in-between the two longer 2 x 4s. It should create a place that you can use to tie your dog using the leash.
Step IV: Set up the Rollers
Now measure and then cut out two pieces of a PVC pipe. Please keep them in the same size and make sure that they fit the width of your track on both ends.
Next, find a 4 x 4 post and insert it inside both these PCVC pipe pieces that you just cut. Take a marker and mark the central point on every end of the wood that’s inside the two PVC pipes.
Using a drill, now drill a guide hole on both marked points. Then place these PVC pipes on either end of the mainframe to the section on which the top is slightly on top of the running board.
This prevents the carpet from getting held as the dog runs. You can now align the pipe to the sides of the frame and then carefully drill new holes through your frame.
Follow this by inserting short lengths of the copper tubing, which will act as the main bearings. Next, insert longer nails through your pilot holes and into the posts that are set inside the PVC pipes.
Doing this will secure them and, at the same time, allow the PVC pipes to achieve a smooth spin quickly.
Step V: Put the Carpet
Next, measure the carpet piece that matches the exact length of the track that you had. Make sure that it’s long enough and can go around the main track and the set rollers.
Then cut this carpet but leaving some extra length for an overlapping area. This area should allow you to adjust the carpet when you need to. On the ends of this carpet, saw with a heavy-duty line.
Step VI: Fix the Legs
Finally, place 2 x 4s or use the cinder blocks. Set them under the treadmill’s frame. They will provide enough support. Now make to elevate the front side higher for a smoother rolling experience.
Conclusion
Now you know how to build a dog treadmill. Your work here is done, and your dog is poised to get the best workout. It is simple, and you can easily follow the user manual to get the best dog training treadmill for your use.
Take your time to fit the right size of the treadmill so that your dog doesn’t have to pull so much weight from the start.