Delete the word mill in front of the http:// and then you will have a link that works. Sorry I didn't see the problem until after I posted.

Glenn

A normal sized malinois (60 - 75 lbs) will need at least a 5 1/2 foot length tread. A normal sized GSD, (70 - 85 lbs) will need a 6 or 6 1/2 foot tread...it doesn't matter what kind of treadmill. If you buy one...don't buy the model of the mill acording to the "supposed" appropriate dog weight on the brochures or website. The length of tread is more a breed specific issue than a weight issue.

So my male GSD that is 65 cm tall (with long legs) and 43 kgs (95 lbs), should probably get the largest tread length, right?

Obviously, a smaller dog (say, a female) can also run on the larger mill, right?

yes

Why are so many people against treadmills?
It seems they think that people that have treadmills are lazy.

I see the treadmill as just another way to work my dog.It is not that i skip daily walks if i had a treadmill.

My view of treadmills is like Andres stated: Unless you are riding a bike with the dog for miles and miles and miles per day, you (as a human) simply cannot give your dog the amount of excercise he needs or deserves.

Any working GSD in good condition should be able to run you into the ground. I don't care if you run a marathon every day with the dog. You physically CANNOT run it at a pace that will challenge the dog. Period.

I mountain bike a TON with the dogs in the summer. But if I want to get any benefit from the workout, I have to ride the bike at a pace that is too fast for the dog. If I ride at AD pace (7-12 mph) I don't get any benefit from it.

I also run a TON with the dogs in the summer. Anywhere from 3 to 10 miles a day. If I run at a fast pace, it is STILL generally not enough for the dog to benefit significantly. The treadmill is simply another tool to supplement the dogs workout/conditioning regiment.

Granted, we are NOT talking about simple daily excercise for the average pet dog. We're talking about serious physical conditioning for a working dog. To allow the dog to reach his full physical potential (as far as conditioning is concerned) it is almost impossible for a human to do it without assistance. The GSD was designed to run all day long. You (unfortunately) were not.

if you want to save some money on the mill check out some of the apbt message boards, they are always for sale on them and I actually bought my Red River Curley from a guy in Tenn. that used it 5 times, a paid 500 and had over 20000 miles on it when I sold it

The key word is SUPPLEMENT. I believe that a treadmill should be a part of your exercise to complement your regimen with your dog. Scott is right, you can never to head to head with your GSD in terms of acheiving his VO2 MAX. A treadmill will help you do that.

For those of you who are interested, here's a link to a Philippine dog treadmill manufacturer who exports to tons of foreign clients (to the US, UAE and Europe etc.). Great quality and a guaranteed reputable business entity. See for yourself:

http://millmaker.proboards50.com/index.cgi