I am due to have surgery on my back soon and am likely to be out of action for a while. I am wondering if it would be worth buying a treadmill to help exercise the dogs as I won't be up to doing the normal walks. I have 4 large dogs.  has anyone used the fit fur life treadmill? do dogs manage it ok. Is it sturdy enough  to stand up to regular use? will  I be able to give them enough exercise on a treadmill  untill I am fit enough to resume normal walks?

Sorry to hear you are due surgery, hope all goes well with it. :-)

Re: The treadmill no advice at all as it is not something I would ever think of doing, I would ask a friend, family member or dog walker to walk my dogs, have your checked your area for dog walkers?

Decided to google and have a look at dog treadmills having never had them cross my mind before, found this for you: http://www.prlog.org/10041432-totally-fitness-to-sell-the-bbc-dragons-den-doggy-treadmill.html  But they really are for building up and for dogs after their walk not to replace a dog walk.

To be honest when you look at the price and the fact that you will have to train the dogs to use them in the first place which may or may not work, personally I would hire a dog walker, probably work out much cheaper and the dogs would much rather have a nice walk than use a treadmill, exercise isn't just about trotting or running it's about getting out of the house, I can understand why you are thinking of using one but personally a dog walker for me would be a much better option for the dogs.

I have thought about a dog walker but one of my dogs does not like other dogs so i usually walk him early in the morning   before  other dogs are about. how would a dog walker manage  a  difficult dog? I wouldn't want them all walked together. My family are very good but i wouldn't trust them to look after a gold fish. They are not doggy people.

Treadmills are aimed at walking on top of exhisiting walks & not instead of walks.
I had a Fit Fur Life treadmill bought primarily for one dog, although I used for 2 trained & 1 partially trained also. Both myself & my dogs do not want to go out in the rain which was another reason for buying the treadmill.
When the dog I bought it for went back to the breeder, I stopped using it & sold it(loosing alot of money!)

My suggestion would be find a good/recommended dog walker

RU able to drive?  I've been unable to walk my dogs for 6 months.  Luckily have a water park nearby so would park up near the water and let them out for a swim then drive up to the field and let them go for a run.  Wasn't ideal but worked for me.  Only now am I able to do more things.

got no advice im afraid regarding the treadmills, but good luck for your surgery, i had spine surgery in may, so i know what you're going through.
best of luck xx

I am only able to drive short distances now and am  not sure whether I will be able to drive at all after the surgery. I did  consider driving to a field and letting them out for a run, but when I tried  it they just waited for me to get out of the car and come with them. They  seemed to have no idea that they could go for a run if I wasn't with them! Actually I don't  really feel comfortable letting them run off on their own.

i was told my insurance would not cover me for 6 weeks after surgery, although i wasnt capable anyway

We looked into buying a treadmill for our Alaskan Malamutes - not as a subsitute for walks - they all have a minimum of 1 hour a day and off lead running when possible.However they do need plenty of exercise and we are unable to work them in the summer and when its monsoon season in Cornwall.It is fairly common in our breed to use treadmills as asupplement to walks.We looked at Fit Fur Life and for a professional model for a large breed the price was very expensive.After talking to a few friends with Mals they use a good quality 'human' treadmill.Important that the running surface is fairly wide and long.The models we looked at at various sports chains for around £800 didn't seem robust enough - so we researched the second hand market.We were lucky to find a nearly new(poor lady had snapped her Achilles tendon so couldn't use it)professional model.It cost her about £1500 but we paid £140 bargan!!(mind you the shed we bought for all the dogs stuff cost £600 LOL)We have programmed a personal programme for each dog - including our younger dogs to include some incline and moving at various speeds and time.We also spoke to people with vast experience -both showing and working that use treadmills as we obviously didn't want to do more harm than good.We were initially concerned about the dogs jumping off or injuring themselves as fit fur life have barriers to the sides of the machine.However we have had no issues.The dogs took to it like water of a ducks back,even the youngsters(who only have a couple of minutes)except for Dems who hates it so we don't use it on him.However they must be used under suppervision and not all dogs will take to it.

Thanks Tanya, I guess that answers the driving question. i was assuming i wouldn't be able to.

Hi cornishmals. I have GSDs so probably need  a similar sized treadmill to a Malamute. do you find the running surface is big enough on a hum an tread mill? I thought that one designed for dogs was needed as they have a longer running surface?

You are absolutely right Southerngirl. The length of the running surface is very important. Human ones are often too short for dogs and if you are not very careful the dog can develop a stilted gait. Not all dogs take to them by any means, its a shame you can't try before you buy :)

We struck lucky with ours,we had the fit fur life literature,tried them at Crufts last year,so knew a standard treadmill was not suitable.We were disapointed with the treadmills we saw at our local sports superstores.Not only were they flimsy,the length and width were much smaller than the fit for life treadmills.(yes O.H took a tape measure to JJB sports!).We viewed a few second hand ones but found the one we eventually purchased.It has a length and width surface running area comparable to the large dog professional FFL model.The only difference being the 2 guards/cages each side of the running platform.This is a professional human treadmill and seems bigger than the treadmills you by at JJB sports etc.We are very pleased with it,but its not the sort you can plug in and use in your lounge!
You can try before you by with FFL.They have various roadshows and often visit Champ dog shows,they e mailed me a list of dates and venues last year and were at LKA .Jude :)

I have an ongoing back problem that means I often go for long periods unable to walk very far. Like Perrodeagua I take my girl to a country park with huge reservoirs where she swims and greets/plays with passing people and dogs. With regard to free running, I have a couple of benches that I can park near to. Jade tends to sit near me a lot and only really runs if I throw something or a pal comes along. It's actually quite nice how social these outings are.

With regard to your lad who isn't too social, I am sure you would be able to find a dog walker that could take him on and give him individual attention. Maybe if you let us know where you are someone will be able to recommend someone.

Good luck with your surgery.

I agree with everybody else, all dogs need to get out for their walks/runs every day, which also gives them mental stimulation, it's not just physical.  I did get a treadmill for a very hyper stressy dog, as I heard running on treadmill is a good stressbuster - and it was, he loved it so much, he would sit on it whenever, waiting to go!  But he was still having his daily runs out - the way to think of it is, that the treadmill is to be considered as a dog going to a swimming pool - it's just 'extra' exercise, and shouldn't be the sole form of exercise at any time. 

thanks for the replies, I have now discovered that someone at my training club does dog walking and  is coming to meet the dogs at the weekend.

That's good, hope you can work something out with them!