Walking the dog goes high tech

LOS ANGELES — Some 3 million dogs across the country were using treadmills in 2010, according to a survey of pet owners by the American Pet Products Association. The group asked about treadmills for the first time in its 2011-12 survey because the machines were selling so briskly, APPA president Bob Vetere said.

It may look like the dog is going nowhere. But pet owners with fat, old or misbehaving dogs say they measure the benefits of canine treadmills in pounds, years and sleep.

Heather Chau borrowed a DogPacer when her rescue dog Heidi arrived weighing 115 pounds. Heidi is now down to 80 pounds, and Chau, a Las Vegas bookkeeper, was so impressed, she returned the donated DogPacer and bought her own.

Now all four of her dogs use the treadmill. Chau explains that she can't walk four dogs at a time, and summer in Las Vegas heats up early and winds down late. "I want to make sure the rest of their lives are the healthiest we can make them. If the treadmill promotes a longer life, then it's easy to do it each day," Chau said.

Treadmills come in a range of sizes and prices.

At LA Dog Works in Los Angeles, owner Andrew Rosenthal has a DogPacer, one of the newest and least expensive on the market at $499, that his Alsatian German shepherd Josh likes to use.

Rosenthal's 24-hour dog care center, which includes boarding, grooming, training, day care, hydrotherapy, massage therapy and a retail store, also uses a $3,000 Jog A Dog and a $40,000 underwater treadmill.

The most visible difference between a human treadmill and a canine treadmill is the size, because a dog's stride is longer and his body shorter than a human's, said David Ezra, the owner of Las Vegas-based DogPacer. DogPacer plans to release a treadmill for toy dogs in September and the price will be smaller too, Ezra said.

For home use, Pennsylvania-based GoPet has canine treadmills and a treadwheel, which looks like a giant hamster wheel, for small to large breeds, ranging from $475 to $1,225.