A Healthy Dog is a Happy Dog: Effective Weight Management Strategies

It can be difficult to resist your puppy’s pleading eyes when it comes to mealtime. But the truth is that for many dogs, particularly retrievers, labs, and many hunting breeds, there will never be a satisfactory amount of food. Limiting your puppy’s food intake is essential for maintaining a healthy weight. In this article, we will explore strategies for implementing effective weight management techniques from the start of your puppy’s life.

There are multiple angles to weight management:

  • Picking the right food
  • Having a weight and calorie target
  • Setting clear boundaries

Calories counting is the most effective puppy weight management strategy

Take away the choice of food, the inclusion of human food, the addition of treats; and a dog’s weight can be maintained with calorie counting. As simple as it sounds, “calories in/calories out” goes a long way. While appropriate exercise is critical for dog health, here we’ll detail a strategy to keep your puppy healthy from the start by maintaining a healthy and happy weight.

Know your puppy’s calorie target

You have to know what you are aiming towards. You can’t keep your puppy at a healthy weight without a calorie target. If you only have a weight target, you won’t know there is a problem until your dog is overweight and you need to dramatically correct it. Knowing a calorie target makes it easy to know you are on track day after day.

The easiest way to know your puppy’s calorie target is to talk to your vet. Knowing your puppy’s breed, medical history and particulars will give you the most accurate target. Your vet can consult grow charts and compare where your puppy is today versus where they’d like your puppy to be. If your vet doesn’t provide a calorie target after asking, you can find breed-specific growth charts online or even on your puppy food bag. But this is a great use of a text-a-vet service for a quick question you want an accurate and expert answer to.

Be sure to note the units your vet gives. It will most likely be kcal (or kilocalories) which, confusingly, is the same as the standard cal (or calories) listed on human food. See How to Convert Calories (kcal) to Grams (g) to make full use of the calorie target.

Update your puppy’s calorie target regularly

Once you have your source for your puppy’s calorie target, update it regularly. This can be as easy as every time you are at the vet, which is more often for a puppy while they are growing, asking for an updated calorie target. By updating at every exam, you can keep your dog on track and quickly correct if you get off track.

It can also be as you notice changes in your puppy’s size or behavior. This is a great use for a quick text-a-vet service so you can have an updated caloric number when you want it. In Our Feeding Routine for Behavior and Health we walk through a recent conversation.

Build routines to make it easy

Habits are more likely to stick if they are easy to implement. Make your puppy’s weight easy to maintain by building simple habits to support your goal. For example, measure your puppy’s food for the day at once, and space it out throughout the day.

In our home, we weigh Tuna’s food out every morning after the early walk and fill chew toys (Kongs) with his day’s allocation of moistened kibble. After freezing those filled chew toys, the only thing we need to worry about is that we give them throughout the day. Spending a few minutes at the beginning of the day ensures our puppy is on track for a healthy weight.

See our detailed routine in Our Feeding Routine for Behavior and Health.

An even simpler routine would be to measure out the right amount of kibble at a set time every day, and place it in a separate container (like a tupperware or old and cleaned sealable take-out food container). Then the task of calorie counting only happens once a day. This can be especially helpful if the responsibility for feeding is split between family members; the dog will always claim he is underfed so having a source of truth (the remaining amount of kibble in today’s container) can bring clarity to the feeding ritual.

Set clear boundaries between human food

One of the best boundaries we set with our dog Tuna was to never give him human food at our table. In fact, when we are eating at the table, he has to be on his bed or can choose to leave the room. This is a boundary that is infinitely easier to set than to correct later in life. Since it was a rule from the start, he never begs at the table or waits at our feet. In addition, this should also lead him to not be territorial about the table space when we have guests with dogs.

Similarly, when we are cooking, Tuna never gets food from us. If we have some food scraps we want to give him while cooking or eating, we go through his normal meal routine and feed him in his food bowl.

What those boundaries have given us is a dog that doesn’t seem to know that human food exists in the kitchen or the on the table!

The importance of maintaining a healthy puppy weight

One of the most important things you can do for your puppy is to ensure they maintain a healthy weight. Not only does a healthy weight promote overall well-being and longevity, but it also prevents the development of serious health conditions such as obesity, joint problems, and diabetes.

When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, proper portion control is key. Many puppies are inclined to eat as much as they can, whenever they can, and it’s up to the owner to set boundaries and establish a routine meal schedule as described above. It’s important to measure out the recommended serving sizes for your puppy based on their breed, age, and activity level. Avoid using food as the only reward or constantly leaving food out for them to graze on throughout the day.

In addition to portion control, regular exercise is also crucial for maintaining a healthy weight. Puppies have a lot of energy and need to burn it off through physical activity. This can include walks, runs, and playtime. As your puppy grows, it’s important to adjust the intensity and duration of their exercise routine to match their changing needs.

If your puppy is overweight, it can lead to a number of health problems that can affect their quality of life and lifespan. Some of the potential consequences of puppy obesity include:

  • Joint problems: Excess weight puts extra strain on a puppy’s developing joints, which can lead to conditions such as hip dysplasia and arthritis. This can cause pain and mobility issues that can make it difficult for them to walk, run, and play.
  • Respiratory problems: Overweight puppies may have a more challenging time breathing, making them more prone to respiratory infections and other respiratory issues.
  • Increased risk of diabetes: Puppies that are overweight are at a higher risk of developing diabetes, a condition in which the body can’t effectively regulate blood sugar levels.
  • Skin problems: Overweight puppies may be more prone to skin irritations, infections, and other skin problems due to excess skin folds.
  • Increased risk of certain cancers: Studies have shown that overweight pets have a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as mammary cancer, lymphoma, and osteosarcoma
  • Shortened lifespan: Obesity can shorten a dog’s lifespan by years.

Overall, maintaining a healthy weight for your puppy is crucial for their overall well-being and longevity, and should be a priority for all pet owners.

4 thoughts on “A Healthy Dog is a Happy Dog: Effective Weight Management Strategies”

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