Sheltie on treadmill finds hilarious way to “cheat” during his workout
No good can come of cheating on your workout, and yet…we’ve totally been there. In fact, we’re thinking of sending our Fitbit to this dog!
While we don’t know precisely when it was recorded, the adorable footage of a doggie workout that showed a Shetland Sheepdog skirting the rules has been viewed millions of times since it was uploaded to YouTube by America’s Funniest Home Videos in 2014.
Some commenters immediately complained about putting a dog on a treadmill, but anyone who has owned a Sheltie knows that they are high energy and sometimes need more exercise than owners can give them on a daily basis.
Treadmills are pretty common these days in the dog world, both for physical rehab (for example, after an injury) or as simple exercise when owners don’t have time to tire their pups out every day (or the weather makes it impossible).
“Tbh a lot of people use treadmills to exercise their dogs if they can’t give them the proper amount of it without it. For example for high energy dogs who’d need hours of walking every day just to be properly stimulated. It’s nothing new and nothing dangerous to the dogs,” confirmed one commenter.
You can even buy your dog their own special treadmill!
“This Sheltie owner is not being lazy,” remarked another commenter in response to suggestions that the owner should be outside with her pup. “This dog is doing roadwork on the treadmill, probably to get him in shape for competition. We do roadwork with our show dogs trotting alongside our golf cart. It does not replace walks, it keeps them at a steady pace that you cannot do by just walking them.”
Of course, if you want your pup to stay on track (literally or figuratively), you’ll need to keep an eye out.
While we certainly don’t advocate forcing your dog to get more exercise than is necessary, some dogs are just like people in that they’ll find a way to take an unsanctioned break, even when it’s better to keep moving.
This Sheltie certainly did. In fact, the minute he slowed down and got his back legs to the strip on the back of the treadmill, it was cheat time.
His little front paws are still on the move, but his backside is at rest.
Of course, the pup knows he’s being watched (and you should always supervise your dog on a treadmill!). So, when his owner asks “Are you cheating?” the pup kicks it back into gear and happily starts galloping again, making sure mom can see it’s all on the up-and-up.
And while some people were upset that the dog might have been exhausted and in need of a break, there’s no indication that that’s the case. His panting is not out of control and the dog is perfectly capable of jumping off altogether at any time.
Of course, there are no real repercussions for a little cheat, so the Sheltie tries yet again by slowing down and two-pawing it for a few seconds yet again.
Then mom says “You’re cheating! Go for a walk.” Caught again!
That’s all it takes to put the pup in motion once more.
He looks over with a “nothing to see here” grin as soon as he’s back in motion.
Be sure to scroll down below to get some tips on how to cheat on your next treadmill run (though you really do need 4 paws for it to work).
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Source: America’s Funniest Home Videos via YouTube, American Kennel Club