My current "project" - ideas?

DiamondPuppy0809 · September 2012

Well, Molly (my dog and best friend of 12.5 years) had to be euthanized on Tuesday and I've been completely devastated. However, today all I could think of was focusing on something positive to help me get over my grief. My idea was Max, my other dog of almost 7 years. He is obviously overweight. He doesn't get the right amount of exercise he needs and I want to change that. We have a treadmill to use if I can't get out of the house to jog him so that will be to my advantage (he doesn't like it but he tolerates it). I'm going to try and convince my mom to buy him his own diet dog food (she almost refuses to accept he's overweight). And he's not going to receive any treats unless it's a fruit or vegetable. Anyone else have any helpful ideas to make this successful? I want him back to his weight from 2009, there's an obvious difference. He'll always be a "stockier" dog but there's no need for him to be as big as he is. 2009: <img src="http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/5412_130430020198_2560328_n.jpg"; alt="http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/5412_130430020198_2560328_n.jpg"; class="bb-image" /> Now: <img src="http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/Molly-Doll/fatmax-sept13.png"; alt="http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/Molly-Doll/fatmax-sept13.png"; class="bb-image" />

PaperWings · September 2012

You don't need to buy a "diet" dog food, just feed little and often throughout the day so he doesn't just devour it all at once then lay about not using said food to fuel himself. But normally on dog food packets they recommend how much you should feed them. At the vets we would say feed the amount for the desired weight - so if they are currently 30kg when they should be 20kg - feed them the amount the 20kg dog should have. Is helpful to actually measure out the amount he needs for the whole day then just split that into meals as you go, and if it is food he likes you can grab a handful to use as rewards if you are training him at any point. That way he is not eating more =D But not all dogs are happy to eat their kibble like that XD Mine gives me a "wtf" face if I offer it to him outside of meal times lmao idiot dog he is. Fruit and veg are good - people think dogs are purely meat eaters but they aren't they are scavengers and will eat what they find tasty lol. Carrots, apples, peas are a good start. Just NOT grapes, onions, raw potato - unless you want to make dog fatally ill

You could try set yourself a goal to learn particular commands, like tricks, as mental stimulation is just as important as running about doing physical stuff. So get him to weave between your legs on command, or play dead by saying "bang" etc fun things! Or build yourself a mini assault course with some jumps etc if you have any branches/wooden planks to build them with. Obviously start out small if you do jumps or anything, just so you don't throw his joints out of whack. He'll probably be a bit rusty XD Or could hide food about a room and get him to search for it - time him to see how well he does or get him to give a tell that he has found something - like a sniffer dog xD Lots of fun things to do to help occupy both your's and the dog's mind a couple of hours a day

Alabama · September 2012

Agree with Paper. Diet dog food isn't necessary, just cut down on the amount he normally gets and spread it out more so he can burn it off between feedings. Alex loves getting dog food as a treat, Buddy would give you the "wtf" face if you tried. If you're looking just for weight loss, don't forget an hour of play time would be as beneficial as an hour jogging. Could teach him to fetch and throw balls/toys for him. Take him swimming, if that's doable. Alex loves playing "keep away" with Micky, gives them both a good work out. Maybe get into agility classes with him.

DiamondPuppy0809 · September 2012

Thanks, guys. The only problem with splitting up his food into multiple small meals per day is that no one is home for 6 hours a day. I don't have a car, otherwise I could drive home at lunch and give him one of his feedings (as well as morning and evening) but it's not possible right now. ): The best I could do is morning and evening feedings and I know for a fact that he goes to bed all day while we're gone and sleeps until we're home. Swimming could be possible but with the cold weather already starting, I doubt I'll be able to get him into it until spring. Agility classes are a no, we don't have anything like that around here. However, I do have the remains of an old homemade course that I could set up again. He hates it though. As a younger dog he enjoyed it but now he runs away from me when I try to get him doing it! xD Maybe I'll set up one thing instead of all of them and see which is the one he dislikes (I think it's the jumping he doesn't like). Play time or a jog for an hour is doable everyday (I love jogging) and he loves both. But last time I took him on an hour and a half long jog (uphill, downhill, flat, everywhere!), he came home with a limp. So maybe I'll start on 45-60 minute jogs with him. As for mental stimulation, I'll have to look up new tricks to teach him. xD He's a smart boy that already knows sit, down, "bang bang" (play dead), roll over, high five, hug, bow, "find it" (whether it be treats, a person, or the missing hamster... He'll find it/them), and more. (:

DiamondPuppy0809 · September 2012

Added his "now" photo.

Kazuko · September 2012

Making it morning/evening feeding isn't a bad option though, I'd do that at least. It keeps the metabolism stimulated. You could also get him a puzzle toy of some sort (or one of those rolly balls that'll deposit a bit of kibble every time it rolls over) for him to eat throughout the day. Another option is to take a small bowl and fill it with a combination of his lunch share of kibble and fat free plain yogurt, and then freeze it overnight. Then give it to him when the last person leaves for the day. Fat free yogurt is also good for digestion. Because he's so much larger than before, start slow with exercise. You don't want to strain his joints. If you're going to do any running, start with jogging. If you're going to do any jogging, start with quickly walking. You know, just to warm him up.

EmmeZoec · September 2012

You could get on of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st?bbn=2619534011&keywords=Automatic+Pet+Feeder&qid=1347572362&rh=n:2619533011,k:Automatic+Pet+Feeder,n:!2619534011,n:2975312011&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank" class="bb-url">these</a> if you didn't mind spending $30+ and it'll break up your dogs food up into smaller meals. Even if you just got one that had two compartments you could feed him in the morning and at night and it could feed him twice in the middle of the day.

DiamondPuppy0809 · September 2012

Thanks for the ideas, guys! I'll look into getting a puzzle toy and an automatic pet feeder, those sound like very beneficial things. I started making Max walk fast on the treadmill today to get him used to it again, as well as prepare him for further exercise. He did okay and I praised him constantly but he still didn't look very happy about the idea. xD He loves outdoor walks though so I'll just do more of that. I tried to give him a carrot afterwards but he just looked at me like, "Seriously?" He took it anyway but immediately spit it out at my feet. -_- I know he likes peas so I'll pick some of those up when we go grocery shopping. xD I can't remember what else he likes (Molly was always the easy one, she'd eat any vegetable or fruit) so I'll have to test things out!

Kazuko · September 2012

I'd actually advise against an automatic feeder if your dog is any sort of determined. I've known people who spent $50 on an auto-feeder just to come home and find that their dog put two and two together and destroyed it.

DiamondPuppy0809 · September 2012

Kazuko wrote:

I'd actually advise against an automatic feeder if your dog is any sort of determined. I've known people who spent $50 on an auto-feeder just to come home and find that their dog put two and two together and destroyed it.

He's not very destructive. I know he doesn't even eat during the day while we're gone (he sleeps the whole time -_-) and actually has his own routine of eating in the morning and in the evening everyday even though the bowls are full all the time. An automatic feeder might aggravate him though once he learns he's only going to get small portions at certain times... it's hard to say. But thanks for the warning, I'll try him on the simple morning/evening portions first and see how that goes before I invest in a feeder.

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My current "project" - ideas?

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