Its true our mills are the most affordable mills in the world for their quality. However, $800-$1500 is still a big investment in your dog. Especially if your dog decides he doesn’t want to run it.
So how do you know your dog will even run a mill? Well, teaching a dog to run on a mill is just like teaching them any other skill set. It’s like teaching them to wear a collar and leash or potty train for the first time. Some dogs take to it within the first 1 hour of being introduced to the mill, others might take 1 month to get used to running on their mill . It all depends on your dog’s self confidence and how well YOU introduce them to the mill. That being said, here is how to properly introduce your dog to the mill to make sure your dog gets off to a fast start.
How to properly introduce your dog to the treadmill:
The first step – Present your dog to the treadmill, allow them to get accustomed to the mill in their environment. Even if you possess a confident pet dog, take this procedure slowly. Set your treadmill up allow your dog to approach the treadmill.
Observe the way they react. Don’t make an issue out of it, let them take their time to sniff and investigate the new object that’s in their environment. In the event your dog acts frightened don’t worry, simply take them away from the treadmill without making a huge deal out of it. Go have fun with a ball or something like that. Do this over and over till the mill will become yet another object within their area. Just like an arm chair or perhaps a sofa or another piece of furniture. Most people who end up with a frightened dog who refuses to run a mill, owe this to rushing step one. So have patience and let your dog decide when they are ready. Every dog is an individual.
Second step – When they are comfortable. Hook them up to it. Don’t work them. Merely hook them up to it and praise them. Take them out of the mill and go do anything enjoyable. Like play or start a couple of behaviour training sessions, without making an issue out of it. Repeat this daily right up until they’re completely comfortable standing on the treadmill. Again, at this point you still havn’t worked them on the mill yet, the second step is all about helping them associate a positive to standing on the mill.
Third step – Fit a harness to them and fasten them to the mill. Never expect them to realise how to use it yet. So you have to be patient. Take a position in front of them and give them a call to you personally. Really encourage them to shift their paws. When they don’t, don’t get worried. Halt, compliment them, and take them away from the treadmill. A couple of things to bear in mind:
- Using harness to connect them up to the treadmill is better than a collar.
- Do not lure them. If you have to lure them to get them to run, then okay, however it is much easier for yourself once they figure it out on their own and wish to run on it.
Continue doing this procedure until they learn to walk on it. See we mentioned, walk rather than run. The theory behind this is to get them completely at ease with the mill, staying on the treadmill, and when they are accustomed to it, your dog will begin to walk unaided.
When they start walking on it, you can encourage them to run by standing in front of them and praising or calling them to you. Important: – Not all dogs will enjoy using the treadmill. In reality, some dogs which are introduced to them incorrectly get terrified of them. So perform the process with patience and read your dog accordingly. Your dog loving the treadmill and desiring to use it will be the objective.
