Let's be clear. The best pet treadmill for dogs is not some cheap knock off. It costs real money – the kind you sit and stare at the checkout line with your latte, agonizing whether you really want to spend that much money. At the high end, your costs are over a grand. At the low end, they're a few hundred dollars. So the real question is – does it return value for money?
Short answer: sometimes. Longer answer below.
What the extra cash actually buys
A cheap treadmill is a rental car, and a good treadmill is the clapped-out truck your uncle's never let go of. They both go. Only the expensive one can take a Labrador crashing on to the front seats at thirty clicks per hour without missing a beat.
The big jumps are under the hood where you might not see. A 50-pound dog might not flinch with a more powerful motor, but it will run smoothly with it when your dog pulls on the leash, stops or changes mind mid-stride to go after a sock in the middle of the floor. Cheaper motors skip and jump.
And finally there is the frame. Just the lightness or heaviness of the steel adds to the wobble, rattling and odd noises at the most inconvenient times. Believe me, a dog feels everything through his paws.
The belt: where cheap models go south
The failing you can easily ignore on a product page: belt length – because that's the only thing that really counts. Dogs don't walk the way we do. They reach, they bounce, they come up to a trot that roars down the highway. If the belt's too short, they're taking shorter, tighter strides, which is uncomfortable for them – and bad for their joints in the long run.
More expensive treadmills tend to have bigger, broader belts that are a little springy when you walk. Some feature a textured top surface that catches claws without dulling them too quickly. A friend of mine bought a cheap model for her beagle, and the little guy kept slipping all over the place like a toddler on ice. She sent it back after four days.
Compare the belt size to your dog from body to nose to tail base then allow plenty of room. Then add a little more.
Safety features that earn their keep
Here's where I'd gladly part with a little more money. A good quality semi-enclosed or fully-enclosed premium attachment keeps the dog from jumping off in the middle of a run. It provides a tether or emergency stop that works, and a belt that's slow enough to lure the reluctant canine.
These are frequently omitted on the low-cost treadmill. There are a few with stop buttons the size of a pinto bean. They begin at a pace that will delight a jogger and send a corgi into panic.
To be honest, one scare is enough to put any dog off doing whatever again. That scare costs you a whole lot more than the difference in price did because you now have an expensive piece of furniture to balance your washing on.
Noise, because your dog has opinions
Loud treadmills terrify frightened dogs. End of story. When a motor sounds like a low-grade vacuum cleaner, it has a tough time convincing a rescue who cringes at the chime of a doorbell.
Premium models tend to be quieter, primarily because of improved bearings and more even belts. If you're in a flat with thin walls, that alone might be worth the outlay. Your neighbours will thank you, quietly – albeit probably with a sigh of relief, not a card.
Is this really needed?
Own it. A treadmill is not a wand. It will not substitute for the nose-heavy, meandering, lamp-post-visiting walk your dog is designed for. The way dogs read the world around them is very newspaper-like. Remove that entirely and what you have is a reasonably fit but bizarrely unknackered dog.
Things treadmill excels at:
Cold, snow and ice. Afternoons that are so hot you want to cry. Wet and miserable days when it's so cold and miserable, the forecast is grim and so you switch to slippers. Dogs coming back to full fitness after an injury while under a vet's care.
Where it doesn't:
For puppies with developing joints, because they don't need pounding, they need gentle different movement. Older dogs with mobility issues, unless you get vet clearance. Any dog who's afraid of machines, and yes, some never get over it, no matter how many treats you offer.
Upkeep nobody warns you about
Your belts require a cleaning. Dogs drool, shed and sometimes have an "accident" on the floor while running and a dirty belt will begin to resist during the exercise session. Clean weekly, lubricate according to the manual, and vacuum the motor cover before the dust turns into a hairy felt blanket. Higher-end models will have a warranty and replacement parts available, budget models? Good luck locating a belt in two years.
Training takes patience – budget for it too
No one ever brings this up. Even the perfect machine in the shop is useless if your dog refuses to get on board. Here's how to go slow and easy: treats on the belt; praise for sniffing it; praise for one paw; then two; then just one foot at the slowest speed, with you standing there sounding like a proud parent.
It's boring. It's also sort of adorable. Owners also say that the experience is almost bonding with their dog more than a daily walk ever was, and I can see it because there's really nothing quite like getting into a dog's face over a three-second shuffle as if he just won a gold medal.
Never leave a dog alone on the machine. Ever. Not to go get the mail. Not to answer the door. Not for the kettle. Stay with your pup, keep sessions brief, and encourage the dog to end the session whenever he or she pleases.
Crunching the data
We'll do the maths, leaving out the marketing blurb. A high-end treadmill might just cost as much as a year of the services of a professional dog-walker, perhaps even less. If you'd otherwise stump up a regular dog-walker three times a week, it pays for itself in less than a year and keeps going for years afterwards. Throw in the saved vet bills for a healthy, trim dog and the financial argument tips even further.
But if your dog gets more than enough outside exercise, and you just can't help but want to play with one of those shiny toys, don't bother. Use the money for a long line and a decent pair of walking shoes. No really.
A decision from someone who's seen countless returns
Premium is excellent if you want a safe, quiet and reliable unit that you intend to use every day for a long time to come. Mid-range should be perfect for a small, quiet dog who is used to the indoors. The house never wins cheap.
One last example, for the sake of fun. Imagine a rainy Tuesday night in January. Your canine companion is bouncing around the furniture, you're knackered and the park has become a squelch track. You hit the button. Twenty minutes later a sleepy, contented creature is snoozing at your feet. That's the point at which the sticker price becomes irrelevant. If you can envisage that scenario more than a couple of times per year, it's probably worth it.
