Many people will see a dog walking or running on a slatmill (non-motorized treadmill) and think it is the same thing as walking. This is incorrect, because the slatmill is creating far more resistance than simply carrying your own weight. The slatmill itself is a belt that is mounted between two large wheels. The individual “slats” that make up the solid running surface eight weigh a small amount, and when combined along with the belts themselves and all the hardware that holds it all together, they weigh about 50 to 100 pounds. While most slatmills are made to be as free-spinning as possible in order to allow the dog to run as fast as they can in a straight line, RUN DAWG modifies our slatmills to add resistance on purpose. This simulates weight training in humans, where muscle is effectively built by adding extra weight to the movement in addition to your own body weight. This causes the muscle, tendon and bone fibers to break down and be rebuilt stronger than before. Through resistance training, we are able to build our bodies up stronger than they are if we only carry our own weight. The same is true for dogs.
Dogs cannot lift weights, and can only achieve weight resistance through the use of specialized equipment. By adding drag to the weight they are pulling or pushing, we are doing the same action as lifting weights in human beings. We are causing their muscle fibers to break down and be rebuilt by their natural system, bigger and better than before. Your body will adapt to the amount of work it is being required to do, building strength and endurance a necessary. When your muscles and bones are conditioned to push or pull extra weight in addition to your own body weight, then you are able to move far easier when carrying only your own weight. This is the true nature of strength training. Our goal is to build our bodies to a point that is greater than the natural state that we exist within, so as to be able to lift more, run faster, move more powerfully or live longer. Doctors and scientists alike advocate weight training and resistance work as we age, so as to strengthen our bodies and systems as they encounter the natural depletion of the building blocks of life. The “aging process” is one of loss of bone density and muscle mass, but can be kept m=normal through the addition of weight to the amounts we are moving. The same is true with dogs, and by building up their systems they will not only be stronger when they are young, but they will avoid the breakdown that comes as they age. By adding resistance training, you can keep your dog not only feeling younger, but actually being younger.
RUN DAWG uses specially created series’ of exercise for dogs, combining both resistance and weight-added training, but sprinting and high-intensity interval training in order to strengthen the heart and lungs. Our goal is the total fitness of the dog, both within the cardiovascular and muscular/skeletal systems. Through continual structured exercise adding weight to the normal walking or running pace of your dog, we can help to reverse the adverse effects of aging. We can also build healthier and stringer dogs in their youth, who can overcome injury and disease more efficiently. Our main goals are longer lives and more optimal wellness, but the short-term effects of a tired and happy dog are great too! Walking your dog around the block is great for socialization and spending time with your, but only through structured exercise that raises their heart rate are you going to achieve your dog’s full potential.
