Yeah, I work out!

I’m a big fan of some treadmill work for high drive dogs on the miserable weather days that are just too stormy to walk outdoors.

Treadmill work is a great mental workout for the dog because they need to focus and concentrate on where there paws are going while the handler ‘steers’ with the leash to keep the dog centred in the belt.

I also love treadmill work as a leadership building exercise because once the dog masters the initial awkward feeling of the moving floor beneath their paws, they gain confidence in themselves and start enjoying and looking forward to their time treadmilling and also building a deeper trust and connection with their handler.

As with everything we do, safety is always a top priority so always stay very present beside the dog and treadmill giving him guidance as needed to make sure he stays well centred on the belt and keeping pace.

I stand at the dog’s head and use the leash to help ‘steer’ her and keep her centred on the belt and also using her remote collar to encourage her to speed up or slow down as needed.

Check out our 'Structured Play playlist on Youtube for lots of videos of us doing treadmilling!