Underwater treadmill

Someone built this themselves. Thought it was pretty cool.

http://www.workingdogforum.com/vBulletin/f22/underwater-treadmill-construction-20474/

 

i seen this on youtube it is more for rehabbing an injury which working dogs do get alot but i also thought it was pretty cool the way he built it

 

Fuck them and their having to sign up just to see a post.

 

i will get the vid off youtube you cranky fucker LOL

http://youtu.be/zyjRq-Kqp0Y

 

Thanks AGame,guess I was a cranky fucker to. lol

 

LMFAO thanks!

 

Hmmmmmmmmmm of course I could be wrong, but I don't see any benefit from that. The whole idea of working in the water is to take the weight off the joints. That's just a dog standing in water to it's neck. No buoyancy at all. I mean it may make it slightly more difficult to move, but that's about it IMO.

I guess if it were bigger where the dog could actually stride and run it could be better. Looks like it needs to be longer, and deeper. I'm not impressed with it.

 

i thought it needed to be deeper as well but all of the vids i have watched are pretty much that depth around the neck area some even a little less

 

That vid has a fancier one then the one in the thread. I was just impressed that they built it themselves and at a pretty low cost.


here is the thread


Sharing some pics of my new project. I'm working with my injured pup, and in the long run, it will be cheaper to DIY an underwater treadmill than to take him to a rehab facility. Plus I can use it for my other dogs, it's a great low-impact workout. So there it is, the first stage of construction and testing it out.


The water container is a 6' poly livestock tank, framed for support, a splashguard rail added on top, and insulation around the bottom because I am going to try heating it and see how that works. The hose and cord going in goes to a pump to drain and fill the tank. I can water my garden as I drain it, so the water is not wasted.


Front view of the treadmill, the pump, and the filter pipes. The filter is connected to the bottom drain at one end, and flows back in at the other end on top, to circulate the entire tank. It does a decent job picking up the larger dirt and hair.


Inside view of the running surface. The treadmill is based loosely on the "grands carpet mill" design... So far the base is a total hack job out of parts I had sitting in the garage (i.e. free ) since I am working out the construction and dimensions. By the time it breaks down I will have a welded aluminum frame with two nice ballbearing rollers. So far it is not powered, but will be eventually. I am looking for a free/cheap treadmill to use for parts, the motor and the control panel...


The willing victim... errr, volunteer...


She already knows how to run a carpet mill, and this is not much different. Not so bad when she gets to have her toy.


Top view. Only one backtie. She knows she can stop whenever she wants to, but she seems to like it enough to keep going.


Another view of the whole thing. So far the construction holds up and everything works, I am happy with it. It's a great workout for the dogs, with the water. She did 15 minutes walking and was getting tired.

Cost:

Stock tank - $185
Joinre plates, screws, bolts, sealant - $20 or so
Wood, insulation, etc - free
treadmill assembly parts, plastic, aluminum, homemeade rollers - free
carpet belt - free
$60 for a brand new replacement for my carpet mill, the old used belt went in the tank
Pump - repurposed extra one from my koi pond (was maybe $40-$50 new)
Filter - free (used, 320gph, got from aquarium shop which upgraded)
Hoses, connectors, etc - $20 (already had a bunch of stuff)

Total spent so far, counting the pump and new belt - $335
Worth it, considering the local hi-tech rehab facility charges $50-$100 PER SESSION!<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

 

LMAO

You dont see the benefits boogie? what this guys is missing is a weight vest and some drag chains, he could make this hound work 4 different workouts simultaniously!! multitask buddy

 

Well I guess my point is when I see humans doing rehab in water it seems as though they are in deeper water keeping the weight off their joints. It just doesn't look to me like it is doing any supporting of weight at all. I mean am I correct in thinking they were using it for rehab and not workouts? If I were to use it for workouts I sure as heck would want it bigger then so the dog could stride at a good pace. That I could see some benefit too

 

yea man they are using those for rehab if im going to use it for a work out i would want it alot deeper and longer with jets for water flow as well LOL if you going to do something do not do it half assed i guess and to the OP that is a nice setup you have going on there i like the idea of heating it as well

 

When humans do it, it is at that point of the rehabilitation when that particular injury can withstand the body weight, it just can't move the weight or it may be a joint thats stiff. Even though the water in that dogs tank isn't deep, the water is helping lifting the limbs a sort of cushioning.

 

football players do water resistance all the time theyl go to a shallow end and practice running in the water back and forth high knees such its supposed to really work muscles you dont know you have lol i bet you slap some weight on the dog ul get a really good work out out of em

 

buoyancy is buoyancy. you don't have to be fully or mostly submerged for the affects to exist. partially submerged = partially buoyant

 

Good Point,