It Only Takes 30 Minutes
One of the most common questions that we get asked is “why run dogs on treadmills when you can just walk them?” The answer is pretty simple if you think about it the same way we would ask, “why do you go to the gym when you can just walk around in your house?” Dogs not only need exercise, they actually need far more exercise than we do. Dog’s bodies are build to run and move around, and the majority of the health issues that end up shortening their lives or costing us thousands of dollars in vet bills are due to our belief that they do not need to be exercised or eat good food. People think that simply walking them around the block every day is enough, and possibly for a very elderly dog or a very young puppy that would be satisfactory, but it is not nearly enough for a dog that is growing or who has a lot of energy. Their muscles need to be worked so as to stay in good shape and ward off illness and disease, and only through running (which is the only real exercise a dog can do) are they able to burn the calories that we feed them. Typically, we feed our dogs cheap kibble or store-bought dog food which is fatty and unhealthy. We then cannot understand why they are getting fat, so we literally starve them by cutting their food down. In reality, we need to think of our dogs as athletes, who need to eat good foods to fuel their muscles. Dogs who eat good food and exercise regularly do not need to have their food cut down to lose weight, because they are burning the calories expending energy. In the wild, dogs spend 90% of their awake time seeking food, running and walking up and down hills. Our dogs simple sit on the floor and rest until the next time we feed them. This is why they gain weight and become unhealthy.
So if you just walk your dog, isn’t that enough? The answer is no. You should still walk your dog every day. This is how you bond with your dog and socialize them. However they need to physically tax their muscles as well in order to remain healthy and happy, and walking at our pace is simply not enough for them. Thinking about the athlete reference again, do you think that an Olympic runner would stay in shape if the exercise we allowed them was to walk next to us at our pace? Of course not. Our workouts are designed to improve your dog’s health and stamina by working your dog out the same way that a coach would work us out on a treadmill. Our workouts take 30 minutes, and are divided into 3 10 minute sections. After each 10 minutes, we evaluate how the dog is doing and check their physical signs, as well as giving them water if they need it. After cooling down for about a minute, we start the next 10 minute workout. By allowing our system to rest a little bit before pushing our muscles again, we can work to further distances and times. Our 30 minute dog workouts can see the dog running upwards of 10-20 miles, depending on how fast they run. Even a steady pace will allow them to walk several miles, which is generally much farther than we are willing to walk with our dogs every day.
“It’s really hot in Las Vegas”
-Everyone In Las Vegas
Lets face it, Las Vegas gets really hot. In 77 degree sunny weather, the blacktop pavement heats up to 125 degrees, which is hot enough to burn skin. That is too hot for your dog to walk without burning their paws. If you cannot hold your hand against the ground, then it is too hot to walk your dog. This limits the times when we can safely walk our dogs without hurting them. In the summer, this might mean we can only walk after 10 at night or 6 in the morning. We solve this problem.
Small Changes Yield Big Results
By exercising a little bit, your body becomes healthier and you can exercise more. Dog bodies work the same way that human bodies do, and even if you aren’t in great shape and tire out easily, your doctor will still tell you to exercise as much as you can. This is because the only way to get stronger is to exercise to the point of being tired, then go farther the next time as you gain strength and stamina. Our dogs are the same way, and have probably become lazy and out of shape because of us. Because they are not forced to do any physical work and are simply fed every day, their bodies break down and become less strong. Through regular exercise we can increase strength and stamina, which makes our dogs feel good.
Our workouts are on treadmills that are not motorized, and work through the dog running in place. We provide a slight incline that forces them to use their back legs as much as their front, which builds up the back legs equally. This is important because most dogs who have issues later in life with their back end are as a result of not enough exercise to those muscles over their course of their entire lives. Through this small change of “walking uphill” we allow the dogs to work out muscles that they rarely work out when under our care, or even going on daily walks with us.
