The GoPet Treadwheel is essentially a sized up hamster wheel for dogs. The advantages to it over a more traditional treadmill type are numerous, including allowing your dog to exercise while you’re not home. There’re some definite problems with the design, though, mainly stemming from canine psychology as opposed to the wheel itself.
Treadmill Highlights
- Unique Design- The singular design of this wheel makes it quite unique among exercise equipment for dogs. It also doesn’t require power to function, which is a bonus for a lot of us.
- Indoors and Outdoors- The treadwheel can be placed outside for extended periods since it’s constructed of UV-resistant plastic which allows for a great deal of versatility on when you can make it available to your animal.
- Excellent Running Mat- The running mat will be quite comfortable on your canine’s paws, allowing them to run for longer.
- Very Stable- The wheel itself is on an extremely stable platform which will keep it upright against appropriately sized dogs.
- Easy to Clean- The wheel is easy to clean due to the nature of its construction. All you’ll need to do is hose it down.
Excellent… for the Right Dog
At first glance, the GoPet Treadwheel seems like the perfect solution for exercising a small dog. It’s unpowered and you’ll be able to just leave it open and let your dog run as it may please throughout the day. It’s stable, well designed, and comes at a great price for what you get as well.
The problems that arise aren’t due to the product itself, but rather to the fact that many dogs will refuse to use it. While you might be able to train them to use it for themselves there’s no real guarantee that your dog will run in it even for a treat. It’s a rather unnatural motion, after all, and an overall strange sensation for the dog within.
The purchase might pay itself off almost immediately… or it might never pay itself off and you’ll be left with a large doorstop. It’s something of a risk, and if your dog is anxious as opposed to curious it’s probably safe to assume that you’re not going to be able to get them to use it.
For the right dog, however, it represents an almost perfect solution to their exercise needs. A dog which enjoys it will happily relieve themselves of boredom and burn off their excess energy on their own, you won’t even need to be present while they’re doing it.