Product Review: Dog Runner Tracks Treadmill

NOTICE: The Dog Runner Tracks has unfortunately been discontinued. In it's place, we recommend the new Dog Pacer SE Treadmill.

Dog Runner has been making heavy-duty commercial quality electric dog treadmills for many years. Their newest addition, the Dog Runner Tracks was designed to target the customer looking for commercial quality in a smaller, more compact footprint and a less expensive price tag. For the last two months I’ve had the opportunity to put the Dog Runner Tracks to the test and I’ve been extremely satisfied with its performance.

Unboxing and setting up this dog treadmill was very simple. It comes with easy-to-follow assembly instructions, which took me about 15 minutes to complete. You basically just need to attach the side walls and control panel using the included hex wrench and bolts. Once this is complete, just plug it in and you are ready to run.

The build quality is top notch and feels premium. It has a 198 lb weight limit and I found it to be always sturdy. I was very impressed by the belt quality and the fact that it runs true without any side-to-side motion. I’ve used other electric dog treadmills that need to be adjusted quite often to keep the belt running true. I’ve never had to adjust the belt on the Dog Runner Tracks during two months of heavy use. It has run straight and true right out of the box. Whether my dog is walking at a brisk pace or hammering out a sprint interval, the treadmill has always been safe and stable.

Unlike other dog specific electric treadmills on the market, the Dog Runner Tracks is designed to handle tethering your dog to the machine via a harness or collar. The hooker rack is strong and secure. Other electric dog treadmills I've used come with a rather flimsy bar that’s sole purpose is merely to hold the side panels on. I actually spoke to the manufacturer about this and they told me it was intentionally designed this way, as they believe in teaching the dogs to run on the treadmill free and unattached. While I understand their position, I’ve also been around high drive working dogs long enough to know that this is often times easier said than done. I guess the difference is Dog Runners target customer are working/sport dog people while the other brand targets more of a pet audience.

With speeds up to 8.7 mph this model can satisfy most dogs of any fitness level. I found the LCD control panel easy to read and use. It comes pre-loaded with three different pre-set workout programs that vary in difficulty. You can also create your own custom program if you'd like. The control panel displays all the necessary information you need to ensure your dog gets a quality workout. It displays the speed, distance, time, and calories. It also comes equipped with a manual incline adjustment to give you more variability options.

The new Dog Runner Tracks is equipped with pretty much all the necessary features that you’ll ever need in a dog treadmill. During two months of intense use, I’ve never found it to be lacking in any area. The noise level was not bad. The 2.5 HP engine emits a very reasonable level of noise that is neither silent nor distractingly loud. The Dog Runner Tracks is an excellent electric dog treadmill that should work well for the vast majority of users. This is a major step up from some of the other electric dog treadmills on the market that focus more on pet quality machines. While the cost is a little more, I believe the quality as well as the two year warranty justify the price. If you have any specific questions regarding this machine, feel free to send me an email at info@wearecanineathletes.com and I’ll do my best to help!

Here is a great instructional video showing you how to introduce your dog to the Dog Runner Electric Treadmill.