Premium Small Dog Treadmill

The media could not be loaded. Review of Doggie TreadmillWhen shopping for a doggie treadmill, the most important criteria for me was to make sure I could handle the whole thing by myself. This meant being able to unpack it, set it up and move it around as needed. I’m not big and strong, but I’m also not frail: female, mid-60’s, 115 lbs. The Dog Tread weighs just under 50 pounds (although the shipping weight with all the packaging is 71 pounds), and very importantly, it can fold up and be moved out of the way using the built-in wheels. I took a chance and ordered it. It was delivered to my garage door. I was able to manhandle it into the house by grabbing the strapping tape and sliding it across the garage floor, then maneuvering it onto a throw rug, which I then slid to the rec room where I unpacked it and set it up.Unpacking: Oh boy, that was a JOB. First you will need wire cutters or something similar to cut off the heavy duty strapping tape. I don’t think ordinary scissors will work. The treadmill was packed in a succession of boxes not unlike Russian Matryoshka dolls, with each outer box secured by a boat load of large staples. You’ll need a large flat head screw driver and strong hands to pry them off. I’ve attached a picture of the pile of staples I removed. After removing each outer box, I had to flip the remaining package over to expose the top of the next box to reveal the next series of staples to be removed. I was able to do this on my own. There were a total of 3 box lids to remove before I hit pay dirt. Then it got a little tricky. The treadmill was bolted to a wood frame. The instructions say it takes two people to gently roll the contraption on its side. Gulp. But I managed to do it on my own by carefully sliding the entire bundle out of the box. Then I could operate on it using a large Phillips screw driver to remove the bolts, discard the packing boards, and finally liberate the treadmill. Yes, I did all this myself, but admittedly it would be easier with someone else to help.Set up: The set up itself was not difficult. All the parts were included, easily identifiable, and also easy to install. The only confusing part about the set up was the first step of applying the silicon oil. The picture and description were not very clear and I had to look up online to find an example of how to do this task. Luckily, it’s a standard task for treadmills, so once I viewed a video, I understood what was required. However, I would not perform this step first as stated in the instructions, since subsequent steps require the treadmill to be turned on its side, and there is a risk that some oil would spill out in the process.Operation: OK, I fumbled on this one, but really. The steps for using the treadmill basically say, plug it in, turn on the master switch, and it’s ready to go. You will have to read the instruction manual more carefully than I did at first to find out that you also must place the red safety key on the matching magnet on the side of the console before the belt will actually start running. After I found that little nugget of information in the manual...SUCCESS! I had a working treadmill at last. Start to finish, it was less than an hour.But will my dog use it? A training manual is included with the treadmill. My best advice is “have patience and DON’T RUSH IT”. I let my dog get used to it from a distance, then I put him on it and fed him dinner without turning it on. I continued to let him interact with it while not turned on for several days. Then I let him watch the belt move without him on it so he could get used to the sound (which is, as advertised, whisper quiet). Only after I felt that he was comfortable around the treadmill and not stressed did I give it a try. I put on his harness and held onto it to keep him steady, then turned on the treadmill. The console counts down 3...2...1, then starts at .3 mph, extremely slow. My dog was only mildly curious, not startled, and he began to walk right away while I gently pulled him forward. I started feeding him one food bit at a time, almost continuously, so he was more focused on the food and less on the walking. The walking just became automatic. The .3 mph starting point is really slow, so I began increasing the speed. On the first session, I got it up to .7 with no issues. Now I routinely take it to .9 and may eventually try a little faster. You can use the remote control to manage all the console activities, but I find it easier to just use the buttons on the control panel. I never leave my dog unattended on the treadmill, so I’m already sitting in front of the controls anyway.My dog doesn’t love it or hate it. He just knows when he gets on, there’s food involved and that’s all he cares about. This is a good way for him to get some exercise on these unbearably hot days when he hates being outside, and it will also be good in the winter when the weather is too treacherous for walks.My dog is a 12 pound terrier mix. I purchased the smallest size DogTread treadmill, and it fits him just fine. This treadmill would work for a smaller dog, and also for a larger dog up to about 30 pounds.I discovered after I finished setting it up, that the DogTread company no longer exists, and there is no website, no way to register the product, and therefore no warranty. For anyone concerned about this, it may be a good idea to purchase Amazon’s warranty. For me, I’m hoping the treadmill is well made and will last a long time. Overall, at least for now, the treadmill and my dog both perform exactly as I hoped they would. Two thumbs up.

I gave this treadmill a five star rating because I'm glad I bought it. I did, however, have some issues:1. I thought the assembly instructions were awful, but it might have just been me. It took me forever to understand the first step. I ended up putting it together the way I thought it should have been put together, which wasn't exactly according to the directions.2. I had to go to an external site to find what kind of dogs should use a small treadmill, or what it was rated for. The maximum weight for this unit is 30 pounds, but that's not the only criteria to use. According to the site I found, this unit is rated for Shelties (as well as for smaller breeds), but I think a Sheltie should actually be on the medium unit.3. The packaging. Lord love a duck. There was a box, then a box within a box, within a box. You know those Russian nesting dolls? I think I ended up with four boxes. I still haven't broken all of them down.I would recommend that anyone considering buying a treadmill for their dog check out some Youtube videos. The way I got my Sheltie familiar with it was to put food on the belt, encourage him to jump on, and then feed him once he was there. Once he was familiar with the treadmill (one day), I started it slowly. He picked up the walking right away, although I still give him a piece of kibble every minute and constantly encourage him. He's up to 15 minutes, twice a day.Even with all its annoyances, I'm really glad I got this treadmill. It seems sturdy and powerful enough to last, my dog loves it, and he's walking every day.UPDATE: My Sheltie is up to 30 minutes a day, twice a day. For once, he's getting the exercise he needs. Can't wait until he gets weighed at the vet.UPDATE #2 - 8/15/11 I regret to say that my darling dog needed a bigger treadmill. This treadmill is rated for dogs under 30 pounds. I honestly thought Flash was under 30 when I bought it. Oops, he was 38 pounds. I gave this one to the owners of a little terrier, and he's having a wonderful time. My dog has gone on to a human treadmill, and is up to three sessions of 35 minutes each per day. He's lost 5 pounds, too! But I'm so glad we had this one to start with.