TREADMILLS

[sky 8]

Just like to ask the question as to whether treadmills are any good for training lurchers to get them fit for when the season starts.

[towzer 3]

if youve got time to supervise em on a treadmill youve got time to get em out for a walk IMHO

[ferret15 0]

i don't think they are as good as a run in a field for one they are going in a straight line so the mussels and tendons don't get stretched in the same way they have there place in rehabilitation (as you can control he pace with no distractions) but don't think there is any substitute for the real thing if your looking for a good way to get them fit swim them if there are not any lakes or canals near you look for your nearest horse pool or ring your local lurcher rescue as a lot of them are building pools to help with exercise and rehab and the fresh air is good for them

[towzer 3]

i agree with the swimming ferret15 but f**k its expensive i had to take 1 of mine when he had a cruciate ligament op,and it was £16 quid for 15 mins and that was at a local greyhound trainers place

[ferret15 0]

i agree with the swimming ferret15 but f**k its expensive i had to take 1 of mine when he had a cruciate ligament op,and it was £16 quid for 15 mins and that was at a local greyhound trainers place

 

i know some places are expensive but look around rescue centers are normally happy to let the dogs swim for a donation or find your self a canal thats where i swim mine

[Blaze 49]

Too much treadmilling can make a dog muscle bound....and can affect the dogs turning ability!

Edited July 26, 2007 by blaze1

[sky 8]

Thanks for your opinions, much apreciated, got a treadmill for me and OH, so was thinking while I was walking away that it might be good for dogs, but not too much. Where we are, almost everywhere is waterlogged so might be able to do the swimming thing as well!!

[Guest MOLLY]

Tradmills are just a tool......useful to get a job done but you will always need more than one tool.

Completely agree. Mine are exercised well, but i'd also like a treadmill to take them that bit further. Hook it up in the sitting room so when im ironing etc, i can keep an eye on them getting even fitter

MOLL.

[ferret15 0]

this place is down south (Southampton) and expensive i have never been but i liked there write up on the benefits of swimming

so i thought i would post this so it can be shared I'm not saying for one minute that you should give these people your hard earned money

but it shows how good swimming is for them

[Guest MOLLY]

I used a hydro pool twice weekly when Jazz had her 1st op, the amount of time she was in there each session it was hardly worth it, i know they exercise different muscles with less stress but i did not see any benefit. Tried Khan when i was there (they put a life jacket type thing on them) and he just floated with his back legs stretched out behind him biggest waste of £20 ive ever spent

If i had to use one again, i'd try to find one where the owner can go in with them, i think i would have been able to get more out of them than a person walking round the outside holding onto the jacket?

MOLL.

[ferret15 0]

mine swim on an almost daily basis of there own accord as im lucky enougth to have a canal behind my house so they swim for free i think it has to be done on a regular basis over a period of time before you notice any diffrence if it wasnt for the fact they love it so much i probably wouldnt bother as i get sick of wet towels in the winter but i cant keep them out

[Guest ceredigion bull cross]

i bought a human size tredmill on ebay , a very good quality one at that , got the thing home set it up in the shed the dogs took one look at it and scarped in the opisite direction . i tried everthing i could think of to get them onto the tred mill and failed , never mind i sold it .......so the moral of this be GET OUT AND WALK coz nothing is better than road miles

[harddigging 42]

i agree that it is hard to get a dog to run a mill and i also agree it is not as good as road miles but treadmills do have there benefits instead of looking at treadmills that are made for humans which are normally carpet mill have a look into slatmills which are made for dogs they are much better though a bit noiseier

[jigsaw 11,810]

I've kept bull terriers for near on 30 yrs and a treadmill is a great tool on getting a dog to peak fitness,all this bullshit on lazy barstewards only using mills is horse shite.I walk as much as anyone but still find a mill invaluable.I get one of the kids to stay with the dogs while I walk the others in the yard.When you have a full kennel the mill makes a difference.In the last week I sold a mill to a mate.Without it I would have struggled to maintain the fitness of the dogs I kept.I reckon a lot of the comments come from people with little or no experience of mill work.

[roystoncrankted 1]

treadmills are an invaluable tool to have for a working dog more so if ya work a lot. its ok for the dole boys to post lazy barstewards they dont have to get up and graft for a living so in my opinion they are a great tool to have although its a art getting the dog to run on them with out strangling the selves