Understanding the Carpet Mill by Hunterman

(UNDERSTANDING THE CARPET MILL ) ---by hunterman ------

Let me tell you what i love about a carpet mill. It can develop a very tough dog. It's kind of hard to explain but let me use anology to try ...it's the legs that go first in the ring for a boxer and it's even more pronounced for a kick boxer. Not his wind but his legs. Anyone who has ever been in the ring definitely knows what I'm talking about. They know that your legs weaken when you dance around the ring for the duration. The legs go when you get in close, doing some serious battle - serious banging- be it human or canine.

You need serious anaerobic conditioning to go the distance and finish on strong legs. A carpet mill is a lot harder for dog to run because in order to make the rollers turn, he must pull against his own body weight, he must use his front legs more in order to make it turn. A dog is not running aerobically on a carpet mill he is in an anaerobic state. The dog will very quickly be breathing ( an over working) very hard. The dog that can run a slatmill at a very fast pace for forty minutes can be near the over train state in fifteen minutes on a carpet mill. (note ) - for this reason many people prefer a slat mill, another reason most dogmen prefer the slat mill is that the carpet mill can be dangerous for a dog if not used carefully. Many dogmen and that includes experienced dogmen, have left their dog on the carpet mill too long. Calling him on to run its too hard and the results can be a hernia and in some cases burn up kidneys. For this, almost every dogman that i know these days is of the opinion that the carpet mill is inferior to the slat mill.

A carpet mill is similar in appearance to a slat mill, except is generally all wooden in construction, there are no metal parts. The bed of the mill ( track the dog runs on ) is simply a board between two wheels with a carpet going around it for the dog to run on. This mill is not free wheeling as a slat mill because of the friction between the board and the carpet. Most people who use the carpet mill wax the board to minimize the friction. The carpet mill was very popular in the seventies, now it has taken a back seat to the far more popular slat mill.

The primary advantages of the carpet mill is now see in the fact that its quieter than a slat mill and is alot less expensive. I have always worked hard to be a good in conditioning it helps me understand what i can expect from my dog to be in good condition. Sometimes you have to have Been there yourself then you can smile inwardly when you read all about dogmen arguing what is best for conditioning. Should you use a slat or carpet mill?

Engage in weight pulling or what ever. The answer is there are different methods of conditioning and it depends on the dog and many variables. The debates are being rallied between experienced dogmen, but sometimes it helps if you have experience the area yourself, even then opinions differ any way - here is and another way of looking at it. Try conditioning yourself on one of those electric mills they have at the health clubs for six weeks. Now condition your self by hard running that includes a lot of hill running until you feel like puking,walk to recovery then run that hill until you feel like puking again. Then do it again. You will be tough. That's what a carpet mill does. I think that walking the dog long distance and lots of short time on a carpet mill should be given to establish bottom! But that should not be an ending thing. That's the only way you can build the ability to wrestle hard and recover before you receive too much damage where you can't continue.

Remember, for those who never told you, here is a break down how to use a carpet mill ----5 min on carpet mill = to 20 min on slat mill and 2-miles of road work. So ten min on carpet mill = 40 min on slat. A carpet mill should never be used no more then 15 to 20 min most. So be very careful. OK, I recommend 15 min after road work the most !!!! Very hard on legs and kidneys so when done slowly you will see great results when done carefully.

So to all my fellow dog men hope this gives you a better understanding on carpet mill and help you become a great conditioner...........enjoy from hunterman Winchester Kennels

 

Enjoyed the read, with the exception of the kidney part. That is simply not true. If a dog has normally functioning kidneys the carpet mill is a s safe as any other piece of equipment. If the dog has poorly functioning kidneys then any piece of equipment is dangerous. If the dog is dehydrated, or 'over-proteined' and the kidneys are in poor health because of this, then yes, a carpet mill can do damage, just like a slat mill, or a flirt pole, or a swim tank or anything else.

If the carpet mill is a hard turner with a lot of running area surface tension (friction) and it is coupled with a dog in poor health, then yes, the carpet mill will do damage as quick or maybe quicker than any other piece of equipment.

1. Ensure the dog is properly hydrated.
2. Stay on top of the dumps. Keep the dog empty when doing any strenuous work.
3. Use only quality proteins, meats and chickens, etc.
4. get a blood work up to check for proper functioning kidneys before a hard strenuous regimen begins and all should be fine.

Great post. Not many people use the carpet mill these days. In the 70's it was popular. Pretty much what happened is the inexperienced guys did not heed the four rules posted above, hurt the dogs themselves with the carpet mill, and then placed blame on the mill. Sort of like "Guns do not kill people, people kill people". If that makes sense.

 

The younger the better. The younger the shorter the time spent. But there is nothing wrong with acclimating a puppy to the tools of his trade early on. As a puppy the word is acclimate him, not work him. S

 

He mentioned the mills of the 70's. The majority were hard turners back then. The mills today are so much more free turning/smoother operating than the mills of the 70's. In the 60's and 70's there were fewer carpets to choose from, mostly the shag types with the jute backing. Heavy carpets were the norm. Today's mills are could be better termed belt mills than carpet mills. So many more materials available to free things up. Back then most were sliding on sanded plywood. Today there are tons of sliding surfaces available to smooth out the operation of the mill.

With that said, I am a big fan of the carpet mill. The one I use takes continued effort to make it go, but will open up and allow the dog to get to a full sprint, not a lugging type sprint, but an all out go. I like that.

Carpet mills took a beating over the years because they were harder to turn, had more friction and put a load on a dog rather quickly. That is a good thing but when that good thing was coupled with a dog not emptied out, poorly hydrated/dehydrated, over fed or fat...that good thing turned into a bad thing in a quick minute. First response was to blame the mill. So in time 'carpet mills ruin a dog's kidneys' sort of snow balled.

We had one long ago that was on a steep angle, sanded plywood, shag carpet with two stationery PVC pipes on the ends. The carpet just slid over them, no roller action at all. The dog was in a steady uphill climb. Each step had to be a powerful pull and push. Never hurt a dogs kidneys with that one. S

 

Thanks for getting to the answers slim, much appreciated.

 

That article contains much myth and random hearsay spread around by people who don't know that it matters not what type mill one uses, it matters how each one is made and how well and efficient it cycles.

Let's face it. Dog people tend to generalize, and we can see that in them judging entire lineages of dogs, most of which are in a million different hands, being done and bred a million different ways. These generalizations more often than not, stem form spewed hearsay, eventually turning into myths.

This article merely promulgates such myth and misinformation.

As far as the 70's are concerned, one of the most free turning mills I've ever had and used was a precision-made carpet mill. It merely required me to often slick the juke back as is required. This was in the late 70's, and I have seen many of the same quality and precision since then. I have also seen slat mills it took a lumberjack to turn.

Why are most carpet mills not free enough? Not precision enough to operate as such? Because most MILLS are not made precision enough, period. A mill is a matter of proper and precision craftsmanship for the purpose of either aerobic or anaerobic exercising. It isn't the TYPE of mill. It's the mill itself.......the way it is made.

I'm sorry, but I find the article to be very commonly generalized and myth riddled. Enough to confuse and mislead young people who haven't experienced the art of finding proper equipment for exercising and working a dog. While my post may be unpopular with some, I'm telling you the realism of proper mill performance, and where you may find it. I'm hoping an article as the one here does not close the minds and realizations of those who are without the experiences to really know.

 

I disagree. I know by my dogs' performance, muscle build and stamina that there is a difference between the two workouts. And of course it matters how well a mill is made and how well it cycles! A carpet mill isn't on rollers like the slat mill, it has more of a friction based effort, while the slat enables the dog to accelerate and keep the pace up for a much longer time.

Newton's first law for a slat mill, Newton's second law for a carpet mill.

I have a grand carpet mill and a very old Sorrell's slat mill that sings when the dogs are all out.

 

The mills are as individual as the dogs who run them. Even the two mills from the same maker may have some drag differences. There are carpet/belt mills out there now that are as free and smooth operating as the majority of the slat mills out there. I'm no brain surgeon myself, but the carpet mill I build and sell can make 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 revolutions with one hard hand pull. That is really free considering it is carpet sliding on a plastic surface. So I can get more time per dog based on the individual traits of this carpet mill.

All carpet mills are not created equal. All slat mills are not created equal as well. A person can't use one carpet mill, write down times and apply those numbers to the next mill. Same with a slat mill.

Both can be used effectively. Both have been. Both have some positive and negative myths attached to their history, most alleviated by a little knowledge and experience. S

 

OK, will do.

However, both mills are built very differently. I'm pretty open to learning, and to automatically think I think a certain way just because I put up an article is just a stupid as saying I wrote all the news articles I put up. That line of thinking doesn't give you much hope either.

To say no one cares about me, well fuck you. That's your ticket out of here. I don't care about you either asshole.

 

Here's my 11 month old dog that I've been working with.

 

Thanks, Sadie, she's a dream to work with, she'll do anything for me!