Happy Walks for Happy Dogs
Back to walks in the New Year, and Brian was finally able to join us!! He’s made fantastic progress in the last two months, and now walks nicely on a harness with a connector. (Previously, he had been used to pulling strongly on a collar, not only risking a neck injury but also a rather stressful experience for both human and dog.)
He’s looking forward to making even more new friends next week.
Always Learning
Forget the exercise*, what dogs eat accounts for 95% of maintaining a healthy weight, which can give us an extra 2 years of time with our doggy best friends. This week’s learning was a course by Animal Love Pet First Aid on how to help our dogs achieve this simple, but vital goal. I’ve written a leaflet summarising some key points, which you can either get directly from me, or view it online.
*exercise is only 5%, but is fun and good for the human and dog souls and can also help with metabolism.
Thought for the week – snacks!!
We love our dogs, and we often like to show this by giving them lots of treats – their puppy dog eyes are so hard to refuse! Make a simple swap to “free” snacks that don’t count towards their calorie intake so that they can have lots (and the variety is good for their gut health too).
Look for foods that are plant leaves, stems or flowers, or high in water content. For example, broccoli stalks, cauliflower, watermelon, courgette or ice cubes.
Try to avoid foods that are plant seeds or roots, as this is where the plant stores it’s energy meaning that they’re often high in calories – yes, I’m talking about carrots and peanut butter! Penny personally recommends celery as a tasty alternative.
Previous posts:
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, getting into shape, and snack to your heart’s content.
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, muzzle training with a flowerpot, and a quiet space for the holidays.
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, why long nails are like high heels, and give your dog some scraps.
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, doggie emotions and the Cuddles cue.
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, resource guarding update, and cold smells.
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