It’s still January and so it’s not too late to declare your New Year’s Resolutions.  I need to lose weight.  I wish I were my dogs – I wish I had a personal trainer that exercised me every day; and I wish I had a personal chef that made sure I got all my vitamins and ate the right foods and had my meal properly portioned.  Hmm, no wonder my dogs are nice and fit.  Are yours?

Did you know that an estimated 44% of dogs in the US are overweight or obese?

I found this little cutie on the Internet. She needs to lose some weight.

Has anyone told you your Poochie has a pooch?  Perhaps your vet has said your dog needs to loose five pounds; or you’ve noticed your dog is having difficulty walking or gets winded easily.  No one is exempt – young dogs can become overweight just as easy as old dogs.  It is more rare to see an overweight intact puppy – but I have seen those, too.  There’s really no excuse for it either.  You could be contributing to future debilitating arthritis, cardiac or diabetic health problems.  So start today – here are some tips to help Poochie loose a few pounds:

1. Exercise – just like us, increase exercise.  If your pet isn’t used to it – go easy.  But slowly increase the duration.  There’s nothing wrong with a good old walk.  Fresh air is good for the senses – dogs love to smell things and investigate – any time walking outdoors is stimulating for both your body and your dog’s body.  Spend more time with your Poochie and go for a walk.  You’ll both feel better.
2. Feeding – cut down on the volume of food.  No different from us, the less you eat, the more you lose.  So, start cutting back on treats and the food bowl.  You can use clever substitutions like lettuce and other vegetables.  After giving some grief to a friend of mine for her “square” beagle, she substituted half her dog’s food with lettuce (which her dog happen to love).  She lost a bunch of weight and her girlish figure came back.  That was at 12 years of age, and she lived to be 18.
3. Work for Food – use feeding devices so your dog is exercising while eating.  My favorites are the Tricky Treat Ball, the Kong and the Twist-n-Treat.  Kongs are best if you feed raw or home cooked; the Twist and Treat and Tricky Treat Ball work with kibble. 
4. Hire a Dog Walker.  If you are at work during the day and your dog stays home, how about treating Poochie to an extra walk several times per week.  Dog Walking is big business these days and there are all types of services depending on needs.  Just make sure you hire a dog walker and not a dog stander.  A Poochie that is already overweight needs a little encouragement to move, so someone who is walking for a full hour with a pack may help keep them walking along.
5. Play with Toys.  If your dog likes toys, play a little fetch or tug every evening.  My other favorite is “hide and seek”.  Hide the toy and let your Poochie try to find it.  (Or if your dog is food obsessed, hide the Kong or Twist-n-Treat.)  I played this game the other day when it was raining.  I took Jester’s prized ball, showed it to him, then put him in a sit stay just outside the room and hid the ball under a pillow on the chair he’s allowed on.  It took him 15 minutes of running from chair to chair and corner to corner of the livingroom trying to find his favorite ball.  
   

   Here's what that cutie above could look like if she got fit. This is my Harleigh at 10 years old.

For more information visit:

 Pet Obesity Prevention

 Fat Dog Slim by Victoria Stillwell 

Tammy Mehmed
 The Puppy Nanny