How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight

It’s a new year, so many of us are focused on slimming our waistlines a bit. How about your dog? Is he carrying a few extra pounds? We all know diet is half the diet challenge; eating less is important, but it’s hard and it’s frustrating for your dog. While you’re focused on health, give these dog diet tips a try. You’ll soon see your dog’s waistline shrinking just like your own!

How Much Should Your Dog Really Eat?

Flip over your dog’s bag of dog food and look at the weight chart. This chart is a pretty accurate guide on your dog’s daily calorie intake. While 1-2 cups may not seem like a lot of food for a 30-pound dog, it just means your dog’s kibble is packed with calories. Personally, I think 1,500 calories for a grown woman is ridiculous too, but it’s how to lose weight.

Take a deep breath and portion out your dog’s recommended daily portion over several meals per day. Make sure your dog isn’t starving or blinking his pitiful eyes while you’re trying to enjoy a kale salad.

6 Dog Diet Tips

Watch Your Dog’s Waistline

You can tell a lot by watching your dog’s waistline (space behind the ribs and in front of your dog’s rear legs). After a bit of weight loss, a dog’s waist should tuck up a bit when viewed from the side. When standing over your dog, look straight down and you should notice a bit of an hourglass shape. Feeling your dog’s ribs can also be a great idea, but it’s so subjective. Here’s a great guide that’ll help explain it a bit more.

Now, watch your dog’s waistline over the next two weeks. If your dog isn’t losing weight, then you may need to lessen his kibble even further. If your dog is losing weight too fast, then slowly increase his kibble by ¼ cup per day.

More Fiber Please

Calorie control is key, but decreasing your dog’s calorie intake quickly usually results in an increase of begging behavior or food stealing habits. Look, I would too! When you’re gazing lovingly into the refrigerator, that’s how your dog pretty much feels when watching you eat dinner. Dieting is hard work.

Increasing your dog’s fiber while transitioning to lower calorie meals will most certainly help during those painful days. Add canned green beans (rinse to remove excessive sodium) or pumpkin to each meal. Extra fiber will leave your dog fuller while keeping calories low.

Feeding Amounts:

• Smaller dogs (less than 10 pounds), add a teaspoon per meal.
• Medium-sized dogs, add ½ cup per meal.
• Larger dogs (over 70 pounds), add 1 cup per meal.

Give Low Calorie Treats Sparingly

We love giving our dogs treats. I mean their little eyes just light up, right?! Well, instead of tossing calorie-rich store-bought dog treats, reward your dog with dried fruit (stay away from raisins, grapes and cherries). My dogs love dried pineapple and peaches!

Cheerios make great treats too! They’re low in fat and full of fiber. Keep plastic bags of Cheerios near your backdoor for quick rewards for coming when called. 🙂

Small Meals Throughout the Day

No one likes an empty and growling tummy–not even your dog. Feeding your dog small meals throughout the day will keep him fulfilled, yet keep his calorie intake to a minimum. I’m not saying to dump his daily food portion into a bowl in the morning and assume he will snack throughout the day; that won’t happen. Instead, dump your dog’s daily portion into a Tupperware bowl and divide your dog’s daily meal into four snacks and feed every 4-5 hours.

If multiple family members feed  your dog throughout the day, they should only feed what’s in the Tupperware dish, as it has already been pre-measured for your dog that day. If you’re not home during the day, check out the next tip, which will make your dog’s meals last much longer and make him burn calories.

Work for Your Food

Stuff your dog’s meals into a food dispensing toy and let him at it. He must paw, push and toss the toy to reach the treats inside. This makes meal times a 15-minute activity where your dog is moving around, burning calories, staying mentally engaged and eating food at a slower rate. Check out my favorite food dispensing toy here. My dogs eat out of these every day.

As with any diet, persistence is key. Soon, your dog will be ready for summer too!