Winter Is Coming! Are doggie treadmills recommended for C.D.'s?

[aleja]

Hi again! Thanks for all the upvotes on our very first pic posted here yesterday.

Anyway, we're in Canada. As winter is on its way, we were wondering if Sherlock the Blue Heeler would benefit from a good doggy treadmill (like the ones seen on Amazon) for those wintry days where walking far isn't an option?

Fails or success stories would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
~T.W.T.D.

 

[harpazo777]

@aleja If you already own a (human) treadmill, or have a good friend or family member who does, it's best if at all possible to try out a few training sessions with that first, because while some dogs quite enjoy treadmills once they've got the hang of it, others simply won't agree to stay on, and there's no safe way to force them to. Since we're both serious runners and live in the Upper Midwest, we own a (human) treadmill that's long enough to be safe for a dog; our previous dog was happy to use it, but our current heeler mix's attitude is basically "if you're not going to share this activity with me then I'm not interested." So unless it's substantially below zero (F), I just put her in a coat, with Musher's Secret for her paws, and run with her outside as usual, spiked shoes for me if it's icy. We also keep a space cleared in our backyard for flirt pole play, arrange as many playdates as we can with neighborhood dog pals, and do lots of indoor fetch-for-tugs with her ball-on-rope toy, throwing it up the stairs to increase the workout, in addition to mental stimulation like trick-training and nosework.

 

[aleja]

@harpazo777 Thank you very much for taking the time to offer your thoughts. We're not as sporty as you guys seem to be but I'll have to make do with some of the suggestions you provided and I do think you are right in that he will not sit still or walk well on treadmill if we're not on it too. That could be a little crowded! Haha!