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What does a walk in the canine treadmill involve.......contd.

Once the water has reached the required level the pumps are switched off and the dog gently positioned in the correct alignment for the treadmill to start. Here we can see Louise holding Ben steady by using the handle on the life jacket. Ben is looking at Tom through the front of the treadmill and purely having the owner standing or crouching here encouraging the dog makes it far easier to keep the dog walking forwards.

The dog treadmill starts off very slowly and with no jerkiness or major noise. In fact due to the water it is significantly quieter than treadmills people may use in gyms. The speed is gently increased until the dog is walking at a steady progressive rate to our satisfaction. This rate may depend upon the condition we are looking at. In Ben's case hip pain and stiffness from a degree of hip dysplasia necessitates a long stride with increased movement of the joints so the speed of the treadmill is set to allow this.

Here we can see Ben walking slightly off to the left of the treadmill but Louise is controlling him gently and in fact after 2 sessions in the treadmill Ben no longer needs any assistance in  keeping in the correct position.