Most people are not going to look at a person who is working out in a gym and say “why not just walk around the block?” This is because nearly everyone in the world understands that if you want to build stronger muscles and bones, you need to add resistance to the workout, carrying more than your own body weight. If you only concentrate on moving your own body weight like walking or running, you will only build your muscles and bone density to a certain point and no further. This is because you will build bone density and muscle mass by lifting or carrying weight, and once you have reached the maximum that your own body weight will produce, you go no further. Of course aerobic exercise is good for you, and will keep your heart and lungs functioning properly, but if you want to become STRONGER you need to add resistance. So why is it that we do not feel the same way when it comes to our dogs? Why is it that we believe that a walk around the block, or a casual run around the dog park is enough to keep them strong? In a nutshell, it isn’t.
Weight resistance is the only way top increase your bone and muscle density. Taking supplements alone will not do it. Carrying your own body weight will only build to a certain point. We must increase the amount of weight we carry in order to build our bodies stronger. Most specialists will instruct people that as they age they should increase their weight lifting so as to keep bone density high and muscles strong. Aerobic exercise will not do this, and while it helps to keep your heart and lungs strong, it will not improve your muscles and bones. For dogs, the same is true only that dogs cannot lift weights, as they have no thumbs to grip the bar. If only there was a way to allow the dogs to also do the same types of resistance exercise that humans do in the gym. We could increase their life span, make them happier and healthier, and help them to age with less difficulty. Now there is.
Slatmill training for dogs is an aerobic exercise. The mills themselves are designed to spin as freely as possible, adding the least amount of resistance. RUN DAWG has created specialized slatmills that actually add resistance to the workout, also allowing for that weight and resistance to be increased and decreased depending on the strength of the dog. Through our specialized and structured workouts, we combine aerobic and resistance training to build heart and lung function, as well as bone density and muscle mass. Our goal is to create the healthiest and strongest dogs possible, so that we can share with them the beauty of a happy and long life. We go to the gym to be healthy, and now our dogs can too.
