Terri Ramsey Beavers Everyone who has a dog loves that dog and wants it to be happy and healthy. There’s nothing surprising or controversial about that. However, you need to be careful about how you treat you dog because that extra food might make them happy right now, but it won’t help their happiness or healthiness going forward. If your dog has got overweight over the years, here’s how to help them to get back in shape.
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Make it a Family Effort and Coordinate Things
First of all, this needs to be a family effort. If you have some members of the family feeding the dog treats and food from the table while everyone else is helping them to be healthier, it’s not going to work out. So, as a family, get together and coordinate your plan of action and make sure that everyone is dedicated to sticking to it for the good of your dog’s health.
Increase Play and Walk Times
Increasing the play and walk time with your dog is important. Of course, their diet matters too and we’ll get on to that. But they need to be playing, walking, running and generally being active. That’s what matters most when it comes to shifting the excess weight. Start out by going for longer walks in spaces that encourage them to run around off the leash.
Switch the Food You Give Them
Changing up the food you give your dog will matter a lot too. Consider these Freshpet Reviews and see if this healthy dog food might work for your dog. That change could make all the difference. This is the main thing they’re going to be eating each day, so you want it to be as healthy as it possibly can be if you want to help them shift some weight.
Make Treats a Genuine Treat
When giving your dog a treat, it should be a genuine treat. If you’re giving them treats all the time, they won’t really feel like anything special and they’ll just become part of their daily diet. And an unhealthy part of it at that. There’s nothing wrong with giving dogs treats, but try to find treats that are a little healthier and don’t go overboard with them.
Reduce Their Portion Sizes
Portion sizes are another thing that owners so often get wrong. You won’t be doing your dog any favors in the long-term if you give them more food than they really need at each and every meal. Start by reducing the portion sizes gradually. You might find that your dog doesn’t notice and you can help to reduce their calorie intake very effectively each day this way.
When your dog is overweight, it means he or she is unhealthy and future health problems will be more likely. You no doubt love your family dog and that’s not what you’ll want. Making changes can be tough but by giving your dog too much food and too many treats, you won’t really be making them happy, so focus on getting them healthy.
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