When asked how often a dog receives exercise, many owners respond by listing the number of walks their dog receives on a daily/weekly basis. While walks promote relationship building, training opportunity, and tremendous mental stimulation, it is important to keep in mind that dogs are capable of twice the cardiac output of an Olympic athlete and going for a walk around the neighborhood is as physically stimulating to many dogs as Michael Phelps enjoying a nice Jacuzzi.
Exercise refers to heart pumping and physically intensive activity. Ideally, playing games with our dogs will afford them the outlet they need for their energy requirements, however depending on your dog’s individual needs, treadmills can offer a rain-free solution to stimulate your dog’s mental and physical needs for exercise.
While many celebrities and TV stars frequently list exercise as a preventative or cure for the development of abnormal behavior, research has shown that the idea is unfortunately too good to be true.1 However, this is not to say that there are still not important benefits to heart pumping exercise for our dogs. Just a few of the important benefits for proper exercise include:
- Controlling and reducing stress
- Improving mood with the release of endorphins
- Preventing cognitive decline (especially in seniors)
- Improving overall brain performance and neurogenesis
- Improving heart health and promote proper body weight
Our treadmill training is perfect for any dog looking to build some more confidence and made for dogs who suffer from high anxiety and reactive behaviors in public.
We do not use any leashes during treadmill training with our clients due to the immense potential for life-threatening injury. We recommend that you contact your veterinarian if you are unsure if your dog is suited for high-intensity exercise. For overweight or obese dogs, we will coordinate with your vet to impliment a safe and effective exercise and nutrition program to prevent injury from overexercise or malnutrition from insufficient dietary needs.
1 Clark, J. D., Rager, D. R., Crowell-Davis, S., & Evans, D. L. (1997). Housing and Exercise of Dogs: Effects on Behavior, Immune Function, and Cortisol Concentration. Comparative Medicine, 47(5), 500–510.
