Winter has set in and with it comes laziness, cold weather and long nights.
For both people and pets, that usually means excess weight and less activity.
Vow to take control and make a difference to your pets health and lifestyle
1) Chat to a vet first. make sure that your dog is in good health before you start a new exercise or diet program
2) Measure your pets food. Don’t eye ball it. We tend to grossly over estimate the amount of food our pups need
3) If your pet is on a prescription diet or you cannot change your pet to a “low fat” food, just reduce the amount you are feeding. A full grown dog should lose no more than 2% of its total weight per week so take it slowly. No crash diets please.
4) Weigh your pet every week and celebrate those victories
5) Keep an exercise log. Just like with people, keeping track of what exercise has been done motivates you to keep on the right track. Slow and easy.
Activity log for the week
6) Try something new. Swimming, Agility, Off leash hours instead of just walks.
7) Mental exercise. Combine mental and physical exercise and keep your pup tired
Kong “boredom buster” toys
8) Get the family involved. Get everyone in the house on board and make getting your pet fit a family resolution.
9) Change how you deliver love. Instead of showing your affection with treats, try praise
10) Make life easy. Swap high calorie treats for carrot and apple slices so that you and your pet won’t slip. Have them ready in the fridge so you are not tempted to open the “bad stuff”
Cucumber and apple treats
Remember why you are doing this. Pet obesity is a serious problem nowadays and keeping your pet fit and health prolongs their life expectancy. Who doesn’t want their dog to live forever?
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