A Dog's Weight..

[BMAK]

i would love to get a few Kg's off my two dogs... they are not over weight but not an ideal weight atm due to az long winter lol where i have been busy.

what are your tip's tricks routines, feeding diets and exercise ideas.. please share.

[bjazld]

with my dogs, if i notice one is looking a bit heavier than i like i only feed raw lean meat (roo or turkey) bone (frames /brisket) with veges (i cut out all buscuits) and reduce daily food by 20% for a few weeks.

if i increase the exercise they tend to be hungrier! i do try and do more high intensity exercise tho like taking them out on the bike (well i ride, they run) or try and swim them regularly. general walking does bugger all for my dogs unless you go for an hour +, they get a much better work out running alongside the bike for 20 mins. we play ball/frisbee also. we have 3 so they run about in the garden together and play.

mine are always hungry tho..

i often give them bits of fruit or cook up pumpkin to make them feel fuller

[persephone]

Just cut food intake by about a third..and exercise more

[cazxxz]

Just cut food intake by about a third..and exercise more

This.

I know it's simple, but it's the most effective.

Humans who need to lose weight should adopt this approach too - smaller meal portions, more exercise. There is no healthy quick-fix. Our dogs are fortunate in that we control what they eat, so they can't give in to any cupboard, cafe or supermarket temptations.

When my dog needed to lose weight, I kept reducing the amount of dry food he was fed, until he was only getting 1/3 of a cup and a bone each day. Then I changed him to completely raw (starting on the diet meal sizes) and he slowly (and healthily) reached his ideal weight, while eating more food (in terms of mass/volume). If you're worried that your dogs will be too hungry on reduced meal sizes, you can add bulk by giving them grated carrot.

Edited to add:

If you give your dogs treats (ANY treats - a bit of your meal, training treats etc), remember to reduce the size of their next meal. I know too many dogs who are overweight, and might be normal sized if their owners realised how fattening dog treats can be. Another thing is to make sure all members of the household are aware of your goals. When I lived with my parents, there was a lot of sabotage :D

Edited October 21, 2011 by cazxxz

[Kiara&Heidi]

If you give your dogs treats (ANY treats - a bit of your meal, training treats etc), remember to reduce the size of their next meal. I know too many dogs who are overweight, and might be normal sized if their owners realised how fattening dog treats can be. Another thing is to make sure all members of the household are aware of your goals. When I lived with my parents, there was a lot of sabotage :D

My family knows that if anyone feeds Kiara they will die

[espinay2]

Agree - feed less, exercise more. It really is that simple ;)

Some other tips that may help if you are really struggling with simply reducing the ration:

- cut out treats (if you do feed treats, reduce the rest of the meal accordingly and only feed low fat treats like lean meat or dried liver or even carrot sticks - not commerical ones or biscuits etc (which are generally high in fat and often sugar/salt).

-If your dog is acting ravenous after eating, add low fat/salt broth to the meal - it will make the dog feel fuller without adding many extra calories.

- and/or replace some of the meal with an equal amount of white tripe. It is low fat. Only do this short term though.

- or replace some of the meal with pureed vegetables. Green leafy ones are better than things like carrots etc which have a higher sugar content.

Edited October 23, 2011 by espinay2

[Lab_Rat]

I feed kibble as well as fresh meat and veges. I have discovered that if I switch to the high energy from of the kibble i use in the winter, my ridgie keeps her weight on, then i switch back to the regular energy form for summer. I dont have to feed any more or less, and it regulates her weight evenly :D

But if you dont feed kibble, then yeh, whats been said - cut back food & increase exercise

[W Sibs]

Just cut food intake by about a third..and exercise more

This

[BMAK]

thank you, i have a feeling the treats for training would be my problem then hahaha whoops cabanossi, cheese and chicken..bugger might start to use more tug toys! as they do not get any extra treats ever or fed high fat content foods and only 2 cups quality premium dry with either some raw meat or bones for some meals plus added fish and vitamins or veggies.

can say now it is warming up a good swim will be great, i use to do bike riding with them but the roads would cut up their paws.

thanks common sense comes to the rescue