When you get a new dog, it’s easy to spoil them and try to give them the most amount of love and care that you can muster. This often includes food - for many, it’s their complete love language and can be a great way to get your dogs in a good mood and eager for more. However, one thing that can happen is your dog could end up overweight. It’s essential to watch this, as you don’t want your dog to experience a lack of health from eating unhealthy foods. That’s why in this article, we’re going to be going over how to help your dog lose weight so that you and your vet can be happy.
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The Key to Helping Your Dog Lose Weight
A few things go into helping your dog lose weight, and among them can include things like getting them on a good diet, as well as getting them ample exercise. These are universally known as the best tools for getting anyone of any species onto a weighted path that works well for them, and this can work well to get your dog into the territory you want them to be in.
Feed Them the Right Food
One of the things that pet owners often do when they view their dogs and their food intake is seeing their pets as a means of being a sort of garbage disposal. They give their canine friends a bunch of foods that aren’t generally healthy and let them eat whatever they come across. This isn’t a good strategy - when you’re feeding your canines, you want them to eat things that are healthier than you’d traditionally find a dog eating.
Instead of feeding them treats, give them things like vegetables or healthy kibble. Items guaranteed to provide them with the right amount of nutrients are always good picks, and you can’t go wrong with them.
Count Their Calories
Beyond limiting what specific foods your dogs eat, being sure to count their calories is an excellent step to get them on the correct weight path. If you set daily calorie intake plans and limit the exact amount they eat by what their needs are, this can help them to be on a good dietary plan and can do wonders with determining how much they eat and how much weight they gain.
Skip the Carb-Based Fillers
One of the lesser-known things about dog food is that much of what you find at stores are highly processed and can often contain main things like carbohydrate-filled fillers to make your dog complete while not giving them the nutrients they need. Checking to ensure that you give your dog food that’s fresh and lacking these fillers is a good step for limiting the weight your pet accumulates and can help them experience an overall healthier diet.
Pay Attention to Treats
As mentioned before, treats are an easy way to get your dog to gain weight fast. To get your dog a relatively balanced diet, make sure to have treats that comprise no more than 10% of its total food intake. Consider why you’re giving your dogs treats - you don’t want to provide them with treats on every single occasion. You want them to have them for specific and special events. If you give your dogs any treats, give them things on the healthier ends - cucumbers, baby carrots, celery, broccoli, or something along those lines are a good bet.
Also, be sure to avoid peanut butter, as it’s high in calories and can only be used on extraordinary occasions.
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Increase Their Exercise
In addition to a good diet, you want your dog to get ample exercise. Getting your dog something along the lines of an hour a day of exercise will be sure to get them on a regimen that works well for them and keeps them in the best shape possible.
The greatest way to help your dog exercise is to go on many walks with them - to the park, around town, or even hiking. Of course, if you’re going on walks with your dogs, you’ll want them to have good gear, so make sure you invest well in RIFRUF sneakers!
Related: 10 Best Dog Parks in New York
Visit Your Vet
While it may seem common sense, getting your dog the medical care they need is critical, and going to the vet is an excellent way to check if there are any health conditions or other issues behind how your dog is performing. They can also help advise you on your dog's health plans and determine the best diet and exercise regimens for them to go on.
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Train Them to Run
Something that a lot of pet owners unwittingly neglect is getting their dog in enough shape to go sprinting on the regular. Think about it for a second - dogs are wild animals, and they go at high speeds in the wild to chase after their prey and play with other dogs. It’s natural for them to have an acclimation to running. This, however, has to be built up over time. Start training them from a young to run on surfaces like grass. Wait until they’re between 12 and 18 months to start getting them on a path of running on hard surfaces like asphalt, as that can harm the development of younger dogs.
Helping Your Dog Lose Weight Is a Long-Term Game
It'll take a while to get your dog on a path of losing weight, so make sure that you stay patient when you’re handling them. If you want a good strategy for helping your dog lose weight, investing in something like RIFRUF sneakers can be a good path. Whether it’s hot or cold, or if conditions are uncomfortable, you can get your dog in tip-top shape quickly using these sneakers. You’ve got nothing to wait for - if you want to get your dog active and quick, check out these sneakers!