Overweight Dogs
- wabniaq
- Aug 29, 2024
- 2 min read
Obesity is a leading factor among many of the pet dogs that are brought to me with behavioral problems. And with almost equal regularity their humans express surprise and disbelief -- "My dog is overweight?"
If you touch your dog's ribcage gently with your fingertips and you cannot easily feel ribs, there's a pretty good chance your dog is overweight. If your dog does not have a visible waist viewed from above or a clear abdominal tuck viewed from the side, there's a pretty good chance your dog is overweight.
Is your dog not motivated by food? Read on, please.
If your dog is overweight, what can you do about it? First of all, educate yourself, and talk with your veterinarian. Pay very careful attention to quality of nutrition. Do not simply cut back drastically on the amount you are feeding your dog because sudden weight loss can be dangerous. Here are some resources for healthy weight loss:
Dogs are evolved as opportunistic omnivores, as such, it is far better for them (and you) if they are a little bit hungry all the time rather than satiated all the time. While none of the websites linked above specifically address the behavioral component, in my experience if there is a problem with obesity that is not the result of an underlying illness or pathology, then there is also, more often than not, room for improvement in the relationship.
Food is often (not always) useful as a primary reward in training, and providing the best possible quality of food makes a difference. A way to show love for your dog is to not allow him or her to become obese.
If he or she is overweight you can start doing something about that today.
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