Treadmill Training

Many of you have noticed the slat mill when you’ve come to my house for the behavioral analysis. It ended up barely getting used, because it’s not only intimidating for a lot of dogs, but, if a dog isn’t motivated to move…well neither will the slats.

This is a purchase I’ve been wanting to make for awhile and after having Rainier in for boarding in January (if you follow my social media, he’s the sweetest boy Golden who chews at himself. If that doesn’t ring a bell, you may remember the pajamas! haha) I finally decided it was time.

Treadmills are not only great for dogs who are reactive or to get exercise in during inclimate weather, but they are also really great for dogs that just need more.

Walks are often just not enough for some dogs (take this with a grain of salt, because I will also tell you that a lot of owners do too much with their dogs and they need LESS. A lot less in some cases. This is where the classic ‘it depends on the dog’ response fits in!)

All this is to say, a treadmill is inherently not a very enticing piece of equipment for dogs. It makes weird noises. It’s a moving piece of floor. It’s confined. And often times there will be a lot of frustration shown by the owner in trying to get the dog on it. That frustration doesn’t go unnoticed by the dog.

The process to get a dog to like any new tool or piece of equipment is called ‘conditioning’ and conditioning is of utmost importance to do correctly the first time to make your life easier in the long run. This unfortunately means, you can’t just throw your dog on or tie them down and hope after awhile they will learn to at least tolerate it. It should be a painfully slow and boring process that ends with them giving absolutely no hesitation and even showing excitement!

Point is: any dog that comes in for boarding or training, will now have the opportunity to try this out based on our goals and I’m so excited to work through and observe the conditioning process with a variety of temperaments and skill levels!