Quarantine 15: How to Keep a Healthy Weight for your Dog

Oct 19

Who doesn’t love extra snacks?

Maybe you’ve noticed the scale increasing during the quarantine (thanks homemade food and snacks all around us). While feelings of guilt may overcome you, there is no need to feel ashamed! Many people are experiencing this side effect of our stay-at-home orders - it’s been referenced as the ‘quarantine 15,’ harkening back to the old adage of the ‘freshman 15’ from college days.

While you have been home, many people are noticing their dogs seem happier or more playful. But have you noticed that they, too, may have put on a few extra pounds during these stressful times? This could be a result of over feeding, over treating, less exercise, or some combination of the three.

While pet weight, and concerns of obesity, are a serious concern, we don’t want you to stress too much! Obesity affects 25-30% of canine population, but this is a preventable disease. In short, obesity generally affects a dog’s overall longevity. It can be a leading to cause to various diseases including osteoarthritis, some cancers, or diabetes.

With a dog that is diagnosed as obese, it isn’t enough to simply reduce the amount of food they receive as that could lead to malnourishment. It’s recommended to contact your vet and set up a new feeding regimen. However, if you’ve recently noticed your dog has started putting on some extra pounds due to new lifestyle changes from quarantine, here are a few tips to help your dog lose some weight, and remain healthy and happy:

Keep your dog moving

Dogs should get a minimum of 30 minutes aerobic exercise a day. Depending on your dog’s breed, they may require more.

Take your dog on a walk, and let them enjoy the nature around them. You might find that getting out of the house is good for your mental capacity as well.

If you are anxious or uncomfortable about leaving your home, you could take laps through your house. This is also a great time to work on good leash walking with minimal distractions. You could even tire your dog out by taking a few rounds up and down the stairs.

Know your dog’s language

You’re sitting at your table, working away on your laptop when you look over and see your dog longingly staring at you. You give them a snack cracker from your plate and continue working away.

Those stares your dog gives are usually asking for affection, not food. Humans often equate love and food synonymously. But dogs simply just want your attention. This could be a good time to take a break from your screen and walk a loop through your house with Fido in tow. Or, you could play some games like in the tip below.

Mental Stimulation/tricks

There are two ways to make your dog tired: physically and mentally. Physiologically speaking, brains are expensive. When a brain is actively engaged, it requires the use of a lot of calories. This is why even when physical activity may be limited, you can still keep your dog active with mental stimulation. You can practice basic obedience, but it will be more fun for you and your dog to try new tricks. Teach your dog how to roll over, play dead, or bark on command.

The better your dog gets at this, the quicker and more entertaining you can make the training and tricks.

You could also try playing some brain games. Hide some treats around your house, and let your dog go on a hunt for them. Or try loading up a puzzle feeder with some interesting treats or even kibble.

If you want to interact with your dog during these games, you could teach them how to catch a treat. Or you could play hide and seek with your dog, this will help reinforce the “come” or “here” command, and up your dog’s drive for wanting to keep their eyes on you even when you’re out on the trails.

Don’t give seconds

This one can be difficult. When she’s pawing at your knee after her bowl is empty, this isn’t a sign for giving extra food. We promise! If you’ve found that you lost your feeding routine during quarantine, now is the opportune time to re-establish it - such as giving breakfast at 7 AM, and dinner at 6 PM. Your dog thrives on routines since they give them a sense of stability. Establishing and maintaining your feeding routine could help make the transition back to work a bit smoother as well.

Add Fish to the dish

If you feed your dog commercial dog food, that’s great since it’s convenient and they get base nutrition. But to increase their nutritional intake, plan to supplement their food with some extra goodies. The conventional foods are high in omega-6 from the corn base, but dogs also need omega-3s. you can add some fish oil, mackerel, or sardines to their food.

Meatless Monday

People love to share their table scraps with their pup, but pizza crust and bits of that burger don’t help their waistline. Dogs can and will eat vegetables - dare we even say they can love them. Here at Dog Tired Adventures, we have a client who put her dog on “The Broccoli Diet.” Which is to say that he gained some weight, and to help him slim down they gave him some more fibers from vegetables and fruits. Needless to say, the pup shed those extra pounds in no time!

Some easy veggies to start with are sweet potatoes and pumpkin puree since most dogs will gobble that right up. Use a bit of a lighter dose on fruits and veggies high in sugar like pineapple or corn. And if you’re not sure what dogs are allowed to eat, check out this article HERE.

Slow down

If your pet eats too quickly, it’s not just dangerous to their waistline. There can be some serious medical risks such as, choking, gastric torsion, or twisted stomach. Not to mention they could be more gassy, and suffer from bloating.

You can slow down your “Gulp and Go” eater with a slow feeder. There are plenty of shapes and sizes out there to accommodate any breed. Some can even be used for water, if your dog gulps the water quickly too!

Plenty of rest

As we mentioned above, exercise is important for your dog’s health. But you can exercise them too much. If you are excited about your extra time at home and go on 4 or 5 long walks a day, maybe you should consider leaving your dog home for one or two of those outings. Dogs love to run and play, but they also love to sleep.

Make sure they have a quiet corner at home where they can settle down, and get a good nap in. While some people say “A tired dog is a good dog.” I’m more of a believer of “A happy pet is a good pet.”

You know your dog best. If they are irritable, or reluctant to move from their bed, let them rest. If they are bouncing off the walls, get their brain working, or their body moving.

Final Thoughts

In all, it is important to keep your dog in a healthy weight range. Using these tips above, you can help your dog be healthier and happier, and maybe you’ll keep some of these changes after quarantine is over. Many people have found that their dogs have helped them feel happier and less stressed through quarantine. Instead of just over treating your dog to show them affection, give them some quality attention. After all, our dogs have been our true life line through all of the madness of 2020 - just take a moment to thank them for keeping you sane, happy, laughing at their wild antics, and moving!