Self Propelled Treadmill vs 400$ carpet mill?

I think what gets loss in debating the methods of conditioning and what equipment works best is the importance of having a good dog. I would venture a guess that it is more important to pick the right dog than picking the right mill. But that is just a personal opinion.

There are tons of examples of where a really good dog made their dumbass owner look like a brain surgeon.

Tons of examples where a good dog performed well in spite of his keep and in spite of who kept him. If I am solely hand walking and feeding just corn flakes and cabbage then go out and win several anyone would be hard pressed to convince me that there is a better way. Being open minded I would listen, even do some research, more than likely talk to a respected conditioner but at the end of the day 'if it ain't broke I ain't fixing it'. It would be right back to a six foot lead with corn flakes and cabbage.

I'm a carpet mill guy. As said before I built 6-8-10 different versions to get to the mill I had pictured in my mind. I did not want the dog to look like he was trying to keep up with the mill and I did not want the dog to look like he was towing a boat. I watch dogs run on the ground and at whatever speed they choose I wanted the mill I use to mimic that gait.

If the mill is super free and the dog is spinning the shit out of it and he were to be lifted straight up the mill will continue to spin. On the belt mill if I lift that dog it will come to a stop. He is propelling his body weight with every step just like as if he were on the ground.

With that said, I don't rank any one piece of equipment any higher than the other. I actually believe all of them have their place when matched to the right dog. As said before a $3000 EVO PRO with all the bells and whistles is nothing more than a clothes rack if the dog will not work it or better said, if the conditioner does not know how to use it.

The same with any other piece of equipment, Use it incorrectly and there will some long drives home.

And if two people choose two different styles/means of conditioning and they use them perfectly you can refer to the first paragraph. The better dog will make one of them look really, really smart.

S