Pre- Tread Overview:
Pre Treadmill Overview and Assessment for Canine
What you should know before you start treadmill training for you dog. There are many benefits to train and utilize a treadmill for your dogs. These include: muscular and skeletal conditions, cardio conditioning, weight reduction and maintenance, toning and conditions of muscles. All which can be implemented on a daily regiment regardless of whether conditions. Tread mill training can promote health for dogs of all ages from puppies to seniors.
Health Assessment: Before beginning; have a goal in mind for your dogs program: general exercise, weight eduction, toning, conditioning, or endurance building. It is recommended that before beginning any program that you consult with your veterinarian to discuss health risk and/or conditions that may restrict your dogs activity.
Begin with assessing and determine your dogs condition, use the chart on the side to compare. Create a daily log to keep track of your goal. If weight reduction is your goal, consider diet and calorie intake. Learn more about diet, visit www.dog4life.com Start slowly, and keep in mind if your dog is out of condition, build time and speed. Sample Log for documenting progress for your program.
Time and Speed guidelines: Puppies 3 months and under 1 year of age, (particularly large breeds) should not workout with intensity. It is important to understand that young dogs are still in a growth cycle and their bones and joints are not yet set and therefore intense workouts could cause damage. For a healthy normal Adult and Seniors, use caution and common sense, time and speed depends upon condition and ability of your dog.
Suggested guidelines for normal health dogs:
1. 3-5 months between 5 and 10 minutes; walk
2. 5-6 months between 10-15 minutes; walk to fast walk
3. 6-8 months 20 minutes; walk, fast walk, supported trot
4. 8-12 months 20 minutes; walk, fast walk, canter or supported trot.
5. Adult dogs, can work up to 30-40 minutes a day at various speeds.
6. Seniors use combinations of puppy time and pace depending upon conditions
Add time for warm up’s and cool down’s. Watch for signs of fatigue and discomfort.
| Day | Food intake | Time | Speed |
| Oct-1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | 1/C am 1/C pm |
15 minutes | 5 min warm- walk 5 min- fast walk 5 min cool down -walk |
| Oct-8,9,10,11,12, | ¾ C am ¾ C pm |
22 minutes | 6 min warm up- walk 10 min -fast walk 6 min cool down -walk |
| Oct-13,14, 15, 16 | 1/c am ¾ C pm |
25 minutes | 5 min warm up -walk, 5 min -fast walk, min -trot, 5 min fast -walk, 5 min cool down -walk |
The trot and gallop are the most commonly recognized, but the amble, pace, and canter are also normal and are use to transition between speeds.
WALK is the least tiring and the slowest of all gaits: Three legs support the body at all times, each foot lifting from the ground one at a time in a given sequence: right hind, right front, left hind, left front. Recommended for warming ups, cool downs, puppy, obese dogs, and seniors with muscular conditions or post surgical rehabilitation.
Fast Walk can be used for cardio conditioning, endurance and muscle toning. For seniors, overweight, obese, puppies 6 months +, and warm ups for healthy adults.
Pace is a lateral gait in which the legs on one side move back and forth together: the right forelimb and right hind limb. This is a good for building endurance but is a uncommon gait. Note: Dogs generally pace rather than trot
because of fatigue or physical weakness and includes dogs that are obese or out of condition.The Amble is common in some breeds and is a gait in which the front and hind legs on the same side move together much like the Pace although at a slower speed. Foot patterns are slightly different than the pace, where as both feet on the same side hit the ground simultaneously. The amble the rear foot raises off the ground just a fraction sooner than the front foot, and then is also brought to ground a fraction earlier than the front foot. The amble is used briefly as a transition gait between the walk and faster gaits.
Canter is a gait that includes a period of suspension (when three feet are off the ground) at fast speeds. The canter is an asymmetrical gait, where the limbs differ on the right and left sides. The canter is a preferred gait for cruising because it is not tiring and it provides good support. It is slower than a trot but can be easily shifted into a faster movement. Good for endurance, cardio conditioning, toning, and weight loss but do not use for obese dogs as it can add stress to the joints, instead use a supported movement such as the fast walk.
Trot is diagonal gait in which the feet at diagonal ends of the body hit the ground at the same time. Only two feet are touching the ground at a time the right forelimb and left hind limb move in together as do left forelimb and right hind limb. Used for Endurance, toning and cardo conditioning and weigh loss. Supported Trot is recommended for the treadmill, where at least two feet are on the ground at all times.
Suspended Trot (were there is a brief period that no paws or one paw is touching the ground.) Not recommended for training on a treadmill. When using a treadmill stabilization and safety are important. Therefore I do not recommend suspended trot, Running, Rotary Gallup, and Double Suspension Gallup. These are movement which the dog is airborne once during each motion sequence.
Dogs 4 Life Pre Treadmill Training Movement and Gait
Christine Johnson SAA, AM www.dogs4life.com 630 901-4597.
Source:Linda Shaw MD, Weight Chart Iams Website