How to Train Your Dog to Use a Treadmill

Hello Jill, First, I highly suggest crate training the puppy. Almost all puppies will cry the first two weeks of crate training - it is new to them and they have to be given the opportunity to learn to self-sooth and self-entertain to prepare them for environments they will have to be in later and prevent dangerous destructive chewing habits that happen without confinement. Use the Surprise method from the article linked below to gradually help pup learn to be calm in the crate and to relax by using rewards for being Quiet if pup isn't already used to the crate. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Crate pup at night and when you leave, and you can use an exercise pen with some toys in it also. When you cannot directly supervise the dogs together, puppy should be crated or in the pen or tethered to you with a hands free leash. When you are supervising, teach both dogs the Out command (which means leave the area) and make whoever is causing issues leave the area as needed (which will be mostly puppy at this age). After pup has learned what Out means, pay attention to the section on How to Use Out to Deal with Pushiness in that article, to enforce pup not being pushy with your older dog. Out command: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ I also recommend teaching Leave It. Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Kathleen, If she is willing to eat her meals in the same room as the treadmill, I recommend simply feeing her in the same room. As she becomes relaxed while in the same room as the treadmill with it off, slowly move her food closer to it, one foot at a time over the next couple of weeks, until the food is being placed on the treadmill. When she can handle the food being placed on the treadmill, turn the treadmill on the slowest setting, and heel her in and out of the room with excited happy energy and treat rewards - you want her focusing on you and not the treadmill. Practice this regularly until you can tell by her body language she is happy about this game and not minding the treadmill. As she improves make your route very gradually closer and closer to the slow moving treadmill, until you can pass right by it. Keep your energy happy like this is a fun party! Your confidence and excitement can help her feel more confident too. Watch for her being relaxed before you decrease distance again. Finally, when she can walk right past the treadmill without worrying, walk her over it if you one that's open at the front. After that, walk her onto the treadmill on leash and help him walk like the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5voP4htw6O8 Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Brittany, I recommend arranging the treadmill with one side against a wall, and the other side blocked off with something harmless, like a kid's tunnel shoot - mimicking the sides of a dog treadmill like the one below. https://www.amazon.com/dogPACER-3-1-Dog-Pacer-Treadmill/dp/B007Z59K6I Second, start practicing with pup on a leash if you aren't already, so that you can help guide them. Use treats to reward staying on - choosing something that's very easy to eat, like small freeze dried liver or even a lick of peanut butter or liver paste. Increase time gradually, add just one more minute at a time over the course of the month - rewarding pup every thirty seconds at first - then every minute, then every five minutes, ect... To slowly stretch it out, until the walk itself becomes the reward when you have worked up to 30 minutes in a couple months. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Olivia, I would treat the treadmill like you would a walk outside, as far as her endurance goes. Start with just a few minutes on the treadmill to get to comfortable with walking on it first, keeping the elevation low. Just like any exercise, increase the time gradually as she improves and gains muscle slowly. Pay attention to pup's body language, like panting and whether she seems sore at the end of the day, to gauge her tiredness and stop before she seems too over-exerted. When in doubt, consult your vet since they will know her limits and history. I am not a vet. Many three legged dogs do keep up well physically as long as they can maintain balance okay with what they are doing and are not over-working the leg they put more weight on- keep an eye on that and consult your vet about that. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello, If the feel of the treadmill seems to be the issue, I suggest getting her used to wearing doggie hiking boots. Check out Ruffwear.com and their selection of boots - there are less expensive brands but that quality and design is an example of what you are looking for something along the lines of. Get her used to wearing the boots using treats to reward her for letting you touch her feet, then put on the boots, then to reward her periodically while she is walking around in them - expect her to walk funny and bite at them some at first. That's normal. Let her wear them long enough to adjust to the feel of them - distracting her with treats and toys when she starts to bother the boots. When she is completely used to the boots, then work on walking on the treadmill with the boots on. Second, I would work on getting her used to walking onto a non-moving treadmill with some barriers on the sides. Create some barriers on either side of the treadmill, even if that looks like propping up a couple of pieces of cardboard on both sides. At first, just get her used to walking onto a treadmill with the sides enclosed. You can even leave the treadmill where she can access it when you are not right there - and encourage her to get onto it on her own by leaving treats sprinkled on it for her to find. Replace the treats often - until she is regularly walking onto the treadmill on her own to look for treats. Next, work on teaching her to simply stand-stay on the treadmill without rushing off and rewarding her for staying on it. So work on her walking onto it with the sides enclosed, then standing on it without rushing off. Once she can stay on the treadmill, check out the video linked below on adding movement. Pay attention to how he has it set up with the sides, chair, and harness and bungee. Notice he starts it off on the absolute slowest setting and rewards pup with treats for walking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd-9mfdSmdk Expect a little freaking out for the first minute she is walking. Keep things as calm as possible and see if you can work her through it by letting her continue walking on it and having a chance to adjust to it, instead of instantly getting off - how to respond her will depend a lot on her response. If she is isn't adjusting quickly, give her just a couple of minutes to work through the treadmill and calm down a bit, then end that session if it was hard for her. Practice this at that low level for as many days in a row as it takes for her to gain confidence on the treadmill. Pay attention to whether she will eat food while on it - if she will, that's a good sign that she isn't too stressed. Once pup is feeling confident on the lowest setting, very slowly increase the speed setting, waiting until she relaxes at the current setting before increasing it again. Eventually you are looking to work up to the setting that she seems to be able to walk at a normal looking gait - like what she would do while on a walk. That gait will ultimately be the most comfortable speed to walk at - instead of too fast or awkwardly slow - like you will need to do at first. If she seems to be regressing, I would pause the training and hire a trainer who is experienced teaching this to help you. Be sure to ask the trainer about their experience in this area - not all trainers have done this before. Finding a trainer who specializes in behavior issues and offers private training is more likely to have done this before. Here is another example of a more stressed dog being worked through the treadmill - there are multiple ways to teach this depending on the dog you are working with. The method I have suggest above first, is a gentler, slower method that I suggest trying first with your pup. The below method is still pretty gentle but puts the dog under a little more temporary stress (not that much though), but helps the dog adjust quicker for a dog who can't be coaxed on with treats - the most important part of this is to keep doing this really often with the dog. Because the dog might not leave the treadmill loving it after the first session, you need to persevere and practice this daily to get the dog over the initial hump of being worried about the treadmill - once the dog gets used to the treadmill, then the actual act of walking while on the treadmill becomes rewarding due to chemicals released in the brain while exercising - this takes some perseverance with the training to get to that point though and requires a bit more firmness. Notice the side rails on this treadmill too - the dog could still jump over them, but they create a visual barrier to discourage hopping on and off as frequently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqtqEbOilfs Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden