Will walking my dog help it lose weight

How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight

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In the U.S., 56% of dogs are overweight or obese, and that excess weight is tied to an astonishing array of health problems. When it comes to preventing dog obesity, or even the slow creep of excess pounds, simple awarenessknowing what your dogs weight should be, and keeping on top of any fluctuationsis the first step. Just a few pounds can make a big difference.

You can seek your vets counsel on your dogs ideal weight, but a quick way to assess good canine condition at home is to ask:

• Does your dog have an hourglass shape when you stand behind them and look at them from above?
• Do they have a waist?
• Can you easily feel their ribs?

If youre answering no for all three, theres a good chance your dog needs to lose weight. Now what? Here are some vet-approved tips for helping your dog safely shed excess pounds and keeping them in good condition.

The Food Factor

For dogs, as for humans, losing weight really comes down to two things: food and exercise. And for a dog owner trying to manage or reduce their dogs weight, food is most important by far.

Weight loss begins and ends at the food bowl for dogs and cats, Ernie Ward, DVM, and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), tells us. Weight loss for humans and dogs is 60-70% diet and 30-40% exercise.

For dog owners who have active lifestyles, its easy to overestimate the impact of physical activity on weight maintenance. So even for active dogs, its important to establish clear guidelines for daily caloric intake.

Get Specific With How Much Youre Feeding

Heres where things can go sideways. Humans may or may not choose to count calories as a guide for what theyre eating, with some opting for other methods of keeping to a healthy regime (Do my pants fit? Great!). But when it comes to the long-term management of your dogs weight, its essential to establish a concrete benchmark for how much to feed. This means determining the number of calories your dog needs every day.

Its not a good idea to rely on the feeding guidelines on the average pet food package. There are many factors that will influence your dogs dietary needs, including breed, size, activity level, and whether theyre spayed or neutered. Standard kibble-bag feeding ranges are generally too broad for your dog, and many owners end up over-feeding based on too-generous and too-vague suggested portion sizes, typically measured in cups and scoops.

The feeding guidelines on pet food packages, says Ward, are based on active adult dogs for all life stages. Spaying or neutering, for example, reduces energy requirement by 20 to 30%, he says. So, if your pet is spayed or neutered, and not particularly active, you can already be overfeeding by 20 or 30% or more.

When it comes to determining the ideal caloric intake, its important to consider a number of factors. We take a couple of things into considerationwe look at body condition score, we look at muscle condition score, we look at lifestyle, and any concurrent medical conditions, Dr. Ward says. We start by determining, OK, how many calories should you be feeding?

As a starting place, there are also many tools online to provide rough feeding guidelines based on weight and breed. You might start by consulting the guide published by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

For at-home calculating, you can use the Resting Energy Requirement (RER) formula. Take your dogs weight in kilograms, multiply by 30, and add 70 (or, take their weight in pounds, divide by 2.2, multiply this figure by 30, and add 70). You can then factor in a metabolic energy requirement (MER), depending on things like health and whether theyre spayed or neutered.

Typical MER factors include:

• Weight loss1.0 x RER
• Neutered/ Spayed Adult1.6 x RER
• Intact Adult1.8. x RER

Ask your veterinarian about the MER and calculating and determining how your dog can lose weight safely. Tools like the MER multiplier table on the web provide estimates, but every dogs metabolism is different, so be sure to keep monitoring your pets weight.

You can also sign up for a fresh-food plan (like the ones offered to customers of The Farmers Dog). A plan like this makes it easy to determine the correct total caloric intake and food portions based on your dogs very specific requirements, and also makes it easy to adjust daily calories based on changing weight-management needs.

Food Quality Is Also Key

In addition to calorie counting, another important part of weight maintenance or weight loss is feeding lower-carb, whole, fresh food.

Many ultra-processed dog foods are full of carb-based fillersas Dr. Ward has noted, when you actually break down the ingredients on the label, many of them top out at over 60% or more carbohydrates. Fresh diets provide quality protein, but also the fiber and moisture that can keep your dog satisfied, without carb-y fillers.

Feeding nutrient-dense, bioavailable food will keep your dog healthy as they reduce their overall intake of food.

Treats Count, So Count Them

Another way to help your dog drop some extra weight is by controlling, and possibly reducing, their treat intake. Here, again, quality and quantity matter.

Nobody wants to deny their dog treats, as they are often helpful training aids, and its fun to see the excitement they generate. But its important to keep a close eye on how many treats your dog actually eats in a day and what their caloric impact is. Treats should be factored into, and comprise no more than, 10% of total daily calories.

Dog owners who feed their dogs healthy food, yet still feed them highly processed, high-carb, high-calorie treats, are potentially missing a big source of weight gain and health issues. And if you feed your dog too many treats (more than 10% of their daily intake of food), you can undo the benefits of the balanced diet youre feeding.

Many vets recommend using single-ingredient treats like fresh veggies and fruit. Baby carrots, celery, broccoli, green beans, cucumbers, blueberries, apples, and bananas all make healthy treats and, unlike mystery-meat treats, can contribute to your dogs health (use apple and banana in smaller amounts due to higher sugar content).

As for peanut butter, make sure its truly a special (rare) treat, and doled out in limited amounts; this dogand humanfavorite has a hefty 100 calories per tablespoon. Also, ensure that the peanut butter youre using doesnt contain Xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. For a lighter, and perhaps better, substitute, try plain canned pumpkin, which weighs in at just five calories per tablespoon.

Its also worth stepping back and considering why youre giving your dog treats. Our bond with our dogs is so special, and every dog owner wants to see the happy excitement a treat brings. But you can get that joyful response with healthy treats, or with smaller portions. I typically tell owners that dogs get the same enjoyment, and you can get the same reaction, from a small piece of a treat as you can from the whole thing or a handful, says Alex Schechter, DVM. There are many ways to show love and bond with your pet. It doesnt have to be all about food.

Safely Increase Exercise

Food is key, but no weight loss plan, or health maintenance plan, is complete without exercise. The most obvious, and important, activity for your dog is walking. Regular walks dont just exercise your dogs body; they provide crucial mental stimulation and that all-important opportunity to sniff. The amount of walking your dog needs, or wants, depends on their breed and general health. But while conventional wisdom says that some dogs need less exercise than others, all dogs need to move.

While the recommended minimum of daily exercise is 20 minutes, twice a day, many dogs will need much more. For many breeds, an hour of exercise a day is a good target. If your dog needs to lose weight, try to increase the amount of exercise they currently do. So, if thats none, or barely any, start with short intervals of walking. If youre already exercising, try lengthening your walk or other activity by 10-20%.

Ask your vet about the best types of activities based on your pets breed, age, gender, and current physical condition. Introduce new activities slowly to avoid injury. And, unless your dog has been trained for or slowly introduced to these kinds of activities, leave the extreme sports to your own weekend hourstoo-vigorous, or repetitive activity can put your dog at risk of joint problems. Also, keep weather conditionslike high sunin mind if your activities are outdoors. The sun creates the potential for heat stroke and burnt paw pads.

Rule Out a Medical Condition

If youve established and are staying within caloric boundaries and youre still not having any luck helping your dog lose weight, a visit to the vet could be in order to rule out a medical condition. Weight gain and lethargy can be symptoms of conditions like hypothyroidism and Cushings syndrome. The latter, also known as hyperadrenocorticism, usually occurs in older dogs, and can also cause frequent urination, hair loss, and weakness.

Weight Loss (and Maintenance) Is a Long Game

If you determine that youre overfeeding, work with your veterinarian to create a weight-loss schedule based on the appropriate calories so that your dog doesnt lose weight too fast, which is unhealthy.

Overall, the best weight management strategy is to develop good habits that are applied, consistently, long-term.

People (humans) want to rush weight loss, says Dr. Ward. Thirty days to bikini season! But this is a long process. Its years of making small decisions that help. When youre deciding on sharing your pizza crust with your Pomeranian, if you do it once, OK. But if you do it once a week for five years, thats a problem.

This article was vetted by a vet. Reviewed by Alex Schechter, DVM, founding veterinarian atBurrwood Veterinary.He was previously founding veterinarian atPure Paws Veterinary Care.

Does Walking Your Dog Help Lose Weight?

As you probably know, obesity is a serious problem both for dogs and humans. Whether its because you eat too much or you dont exercise enough, its never fun to be overweight. Furthermore, its not easy at all to replace bad habits. My Labrador and I had some pounds (or kg) to lose, and we worked hard to get in better shape. Now, Im not sure what helps us to lose weight, maybe walking my dog more or how we change our diet?

After some research and reflection, I think that everything we did helped. The most important to keep in mind is that if you do nothing, there will be no change. However, I would like to help you and your dog lose weight. Everyone knows that exercise is essential for losing weight. Therefore, I finally found more information for you about: Does walking your dog help lose weight?

Yes, canine owners can lose weight by walking their dogs. Daily walks at a brisk pace around 30 minutes can help you burn anywhere from 90 to 200 calories. That could be extremely efficient to lose weight (~15lbs/year) with your dog. Proper nutrition, healthy habits and walking your dog are good ways to keep you both at an ideal weight!

For some dogs or people, walking wont be enough exercise to lose weight. Fortunately, there are many fun ways to exercise your dog properly. At the end of your reading, you will understand if walking your dog can help you lose weight. Moreover, I will also share with you some weight loss tips and other activities to exercise with your dog!

3 Pillars To Help Your Dog To Lose Weight!

Before talking about walking with your dog, I want to share with you the basics of weight loss. Whatever reasons why you are (or your dog is) overweight, everything comes back to the same elements. Here are the 3 pillars you need to understand to lose weight!

• Nutrition.
• Exercise.
• Lifestyle.

As you know, we all have different conditions and limits. Thats why you will need to find the right diet, workout program, and routine for your (or your dogs) needs. Weight loss for humans or dogs is extremely similar. Nonetheless, your pooch doesnt have control of how much food he eats or physical activity he gets. Consequently, your dogs health and well-being is your responsibility!

4 Things To Know To Help Your Dog Lose Weight! (Or You)

To start losing weight, there are some questions to answer. The analysis phase is as important as the practical one. In other words, the more you take time to plan your weight loss, the better your chances are to succeed. However, you still need to take action to start getting results. Here are some things to know before you (or help your dog) lose weight!

Adapted Exercise Routine To Lose Weight!

Many people think that losing weight is all about how you exercise. Physical activity is indeed essential to get in better shape, but your nutrition is more important. Its the same thing for dogs. If you (or your dog) eat too much or poor quality food, its normal to gain weight. Therefore, make sure that you both have good nutrition before starting exercise!

Once you (and your dog) eat a good quantity of healthy food, its time to go working out. At the start, its always better to start slow and with short walks or training sessions. It will take time to be suitable for more intense physical activity both for dogs and humans. The first step is to understand your (or your dogs) physical activity requirements!

What Are Your Dogs Exercise Needs?

To know how much exercise your dog should have, there are many things to analyze. His breed, age, health, energy, and many other elements will influence his needs. In general, dogs need around 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise. Thats why by providing your furball with proper exercise you can lose weight with him!

High-energy breeds such as Labrador or Golden Retrievers, Belgian Malinois, Dalmatians, Australian Shepherds or Border Collies could need up to 2 hours of daily exercise. On the contrary, more lazy dogs like Bulldogs, Basset Hounds, Newfoundlands or Great Danes could need around 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity every day. As you can see, its crucial to know your dog exercise needs to lose weight with him without hurting or injuring him!

Does Walking Your Dog Help Lose Weight?

Lets dive into the real subject of this article. Walking your dog has many benefits such as good bonding, social improvement, etc. Above all, this activity is an awesome source of daily exercise to lose weight. According to this article [Link Open In a New Tab] from Pet Helpful, a study shows that walking your dog is more effective to lose weight than having a membership in a gym or joining a diet plan!

It might seem strange, but I think that it makes sense. Walking is a very good way to burn calories regularly. With this simple daily exercise, proper nutrition, and healthy habits, you could both lose weight. Furthermore, walking with your dog has many other advantages, and it can be fun!

How Much Weight Can You Lose Walking Your Dog?

Lets do some maths to understand how good exercise walking is. On average, a brisk walk of 25 minutes burns roughly 1 calorie for every pound of your body weight. For example, lets say George weighs around 180 lbs. He will burn around 180 calories by walking with his dog 25 minutes every day!

Just to give you an idea, you could lose around 1 pound of fat a week by burning 500 calories a day. For example, after one year of daily walks (25 min.) with his dog, George would lose around 18 pounds in theory. Therefore, walking is an excellent way to lose weight in the long term!

As a comparison, 15 minutes of running (around 2 miles or 3.2 km) burns around between 140 and 260 calories. In theory, you could lose around 20 pounds per year by running 15 minutes every day. Its more efficient, but not everybody (or all dogs) can or want to run. Thats impressive to see that daily walks of 25 to 30 minutes can almost be as effective as daily runs of 15 minutes. Lets see how long you should walk with your dog to lose weight!

How Long You Should Walk Your Dog To Lose Weight?

Anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes of walking (around 2 miles or 3.2 km) with your dog could be ideal for most canines. Logically, the longer you walk, the more weight you lose. Nonetheless, you always need to make sure that your pooch is suitable for the distance you want to walk with him. Otherwise, you could hurt him with too much exercise!

For that reason, you should start with short and slow walks. Once you build up some stamina, you could increase the distance and intensity of your walking. After some weeks or months of daily walks, you should see some results. However, you should be very careful to not walk too long distances with some specific dogs!

Dogs That Cant Walk Long Distances!

• Puppies.
• Old Dogs.
• Brachycephalic (Short-Nosed) Breeds: Bulldogs, Pugs, Shih Tzus, Mastiffs
• Dogs With Structural Issues. (Hip/Elbow Dysplasia, Arthritis)
• Etc.

Smart Tip: You could also do more than one walk if your dog cant keep up with you. For example, two walks of 15 minutes could be as interesting than one long walk of 30 minutes!

When Can You Start Lose Weight Walking Your Dog?

The best time to start losing weight is now. Walking with your dog is a simple habit that can help you lose weight. Nonetheless, its not always easy to build a healthy habit at the start. Dont forget that the sooner you start, the sooner you will get in better shape!

Do You Need Help From Professionals To Lose Weight?

Its not easy to lose weight on your own, but its 100% possible. For people in poor shape, it could be an excellent idea to visit your doctor or a physician. They will help you with personalize advice to have better weight loss results. Honestly, you shouldnt have any problem to begin walking with your dog even if youre not in good shape!

For dogs that are overweight or have other restrictions, its always better to visit your vet. These furry animals can sometimes be difficult to understand. Thats why its highly recommended to see professionals before starting a weight loss program. However, walking with your dog is safe if you respect his conditions and boundaries!

Is Walking Also Good For Overweight Dogs?

Walking with your dog isnt only good for you. Your companion will also benefit and love that activity. Daily walks are ideal to provide proper exercise to your dog especially if hes overweight. His extra weight can restrict him to do many things like running, biking or hiking. However, walking your dog will always be a good mental stimulation and physical activity!

You should always provide your buddy with at least 15 to 20 minutes of walking every day. Its crucial for his health, well-being, and happiness. (Especially if hes overweight!) Furthermore, you should try many other activities like swimming or free playtime to help him spend his energy. Allowing your dog to sniff on walks can also be interesting as mental entertainment to avoid boredom!

Walking is excellent to help your dog lose weight. While writing this article, Ive found an extremely inspiring video that shows the story of Kai, a Golden Retriever that lost 100 pounds. Maybe, that could motivate you to improve your dogs lifestyle with better nutrition and proper exercise!

5 Weight Loss Tips For Dogs And Humans!

Now, I know that it isnt easy to lose weight for you or your dog. Nonetheless, thats not a good reason to give up before even getting started. With the right information, hard work and perseverance, Im sure that you both can lose weight. To help you succeed, Ive found some useful things to know before getting in better shape. Here are some weight loss tips for both you and your dog!

For You!

• Drink More Water!
• Try Intermittent Fasting!
• Avoid Too Much Sugar!
• Sleep Well!
• Eat More Whole Food!

For Your Dog!

• Visit Your Vet To Have Some Help!
• Feed Your Dog With High-Protein and Low-Carb Food!
• Reward Him The Right Way! (With Fun Instead of Treats!)
• Find Fun Canine Activities or Sports To Enjoy!
• Dont Give Too Much Food To Your Dog!

5 Activities or Sports To Lose Weight With Your Dog!

Walking with your dog isnt the only way that he could help you lose weight. Having a furry companion is ideal to exercise and have fun with him. There are plenty of canine activities that could get you both in better shape. However, its always safer and more effective to start with moderate physical activity. Here are some things to do to be more active with your dog!

Moderate Canine Activities!

• Swimming. (Good For Fragile Dogs: Overweight, Structural Issues, Old, etc.)
• Walking With Your Dog.
• Underwater Treadmill.
• Tag or Chase.
• Play In Water, Leaves or Snow.
• Etc.

Intense Dog Sports!

Last Thoughts About Losing Weight Walking Your Dog!

As you can see, walking can be interesting to lose weight. After some time, you could enjoy more intense sports like jogging or biking to get in better shape. Keep in mind to always respect your dogs limits and conditions. Not every companion can run or play frisbee safely! (Is running or frisbee can be bad for dogs?)

Owning a dog is an awesome opportunity to become more active. Remember that your companions health and happiness is in your hands. I hope this article helps you understand that walking with your dog is excellent to lose weight in the long term. Im looking forward to seeing you walking your buddy while I exercise with my Labrador!