Mechanical or Electric Dog Treadmill ?
It seems like a lot of dog owners who want to keep their dogs in shape or rehabilitate are wondering whether to buy a mechanical or electrical dog treadmill
Obviously,Firepaw is a manufacturer exclusively of mechanical dog treadmills, but although few of you are familiar, we solid experience with both types of dog treadmills. This makes us think that we can express an reasonable opinion on this topic.
Few years ago, the Firepaw project was chosen in a global competition for an electric treadmill to be used with the most advanced AI robot dog ever developed – a project by Artificial Intelligence Faculty in University of Illinois .
It was one year project and we built an amazing electric treadmill with a running surface of 3×1.5 meters with multiple programs of work. The AI dog in now using it and learns how to move. Unfortunately until it is officially announce to public we can’t have any photo or video materials.
Mechanical dog treadmills (Slatmills):
The biggest advantage of mechanical dog treadmills is the ability of the dog to control the movement itself. This is very important in two main aspects:
- Safety and comfort – the dog can stop whenever he experiences pain or discomfort. Very important if there is a trauma or pain for some other reason.
2.Effective conditioning – The dog can run as fast as it wants for as long as it wants. This allows our pets to reach their maximum in speed and endurance and improve them accordingly.
- Durability – Mechanical treadmills are known to be much more durable in time and easier to repair if needed. This is due to their manual workmanship and high personal attention to every detail – specifically in Firepaw production. The lack of electronics and highest quality materials allows them to be more resilient to different weather conditions and intensive usage by multiple dogs.
*Unfortunately, almost 90% of electrical dog treadmills on the market, regardless of brand, are made in China, which justifies their low price and corresponding quality. Keeping in mind that expensive shipping from China to Europe or North America is also included in their price.
- Individual Approach – Most manufacturers of mechanical paths allow customers to choose the design (free of charge for us) and the configuration of the equipment. physicality needs.
Electric Dog Treadmills
1. Easier to use:
Perhaps the only major benefit of electrical dog treadmills is the lesser commitment to owners in certain cases. More often, these are the cases when there is a lack of good contact between the owner and the dog and when a dogs does not feel confident enough with the treadmill. In cases when the owner does not wish to be involved in establishing this contact, the electrical appliance is the easier option – we agree. However, we would like to remind you that this does not take much effort, and by using the step by step guide on our website, getting used to the mechanical dog treadmill can be easily overcomed.
- Lower price – in the long run it is not so profitable but it still seems attractive at first glance.
In conclusion, although the electric treadmill project for a dog with artificial intelligence was successful and enabled us to enter the depths of electric treadmills field, we at Firepaw do not consider electric dog treadmills to be effective or safe enough for our four-legged friends. If one day we have Skynet AI dogs in our homes we might consider priducing 🙂 🙂 🙂