Obesity in dogs is a common condition. It leads to a range of health problems including having an increased risk of developing diseases like as degenerative joint disease, diabetes, and neoplasia. Obese and overweight dogs live shorter lives and generally have a poorer quality of life than their normal weight counterparts.

Weight loss regimes typically recommend increasing physical activity in combination with diet changes as an effective way to regain optimal weight.

Is diet enough for my dog to lose weight?

While monitoring your dog’s diet is essential for successful weight loss, including physical activity in a dog’s weight loss programme has a number of benefits.

Preserve dog’s lean body mass

Diet only weight loss programmes typically result in loss of body fat and loss of lean body mass. While loss of body fat is desirable, losing lean body mass is not. Maintaining a dog’s lean body mass during weight loss serves two functions.

Firstly, lean body mass preserves the dog’s energy requirements. For weight loss, energy (calorie) intake needs to be equal or be less than energy requirements, thus preserving and increasing the dog’s energy requirements is desirable.

Secondly, maintaining the dog’s lean body mass is important to maintain physical strength which makes it easier to maintain the weight loss. It particularly important for older dogs on weight loss programme to avoid muscle wasting that occurs as dog’s age. (See http://www.fullstride.com.au/blog/muscle+atrophy+in+old+dogs)

Studies in animals and humans have found the preservation of lean body mass can be better achieved by combining physical activity with a high protein diet compared to a moderate protein diet with exercise.

A study comparing the effectiveness of diet only and exercise and diet for weight loss in dogs, found that the percentage weight loss did not differ between the diet and diet and exercise group. However, in the diet only group, over the 12 week study period, the dogs lost 15% of their lean body mass while the diet and exercise group preserved their lean body mass. The study concluded that aerobic and resistance exercise that the dogs in the exercise group performed was the reason for the preservation of the dog’s lean body mass.

Increase energy requirements

Increasing the dog’s activity levels aids weight loss by increasing the dog’s energy requirements. Increased energy expenditure combined with reduced calorie intake promotes fat loss.

Change focus of interaction with owner

Introducing physical activities to a dog as part of a weight loss regime provides a non-food related activity for you and your dog to enjoy together.

Maintain weight lost

Once the routine of regular physical activity has been established, exercise has a positive role in maintaining the dog at their optimal weight.

What are the best types of activities for weight loss?

Any type of physical activity is beneficial for all dogs but particularly for those that need to lose weight. A good objective is to exercise your dog at least once a day, for as long as possible. High intensity exercise is the most effective for weight loss however not all dogs (or owners) are able to exercise at that intensity.

For an obese dog, suitable types of high intensity exercise may include:

• brisk lead walking,

• swimming,

• hydrotherapy or

• treadmill walking.

How to get an overweight dog started on exercise?

Daily exercise becomes a habit for dogs and their owners. Here are some tips to overcome some common barriers to exercising.

Dog doesn’t want to walk

An online survey of dog owners in the UK showed that overweight dogs exercise less than normal weight dogs. The direction of the causality for this is unclear. It could be that overweight dogs were not in the habit of daily exercise which contributed to them gaining weight. Alternatively, because the dog is overweight dogs, physical activity may not be comfortable for them.

For dogs that are unaccustomed and unwilling to participate in physical activity, you could start their exercise regime by enriching your home environment. Instead of the dog eating their meals from a food bowl, you could:

• Make “bob bons” from paper towel or toilet paper rolls wrapped in paper and hide these around the house or yard. The dog needs to move about to find them. You can play along as well.

• Hide food inside household objects (think washing baskets, under rugs, under or on chairs, behind cushions) so the dog needs to move about and “sniff” out the food.

• Use the dog’s daily food intake as treats and teach them tricks. Use their meals as food rewards. You can also use their daily meals as rewards for walking on the treadmill or during a hydrotherapy session.

• Set up a “digging pit” for your dog in a children’s sandpit or in an out of the way place in the yard – bury the dog’s food in Kongs or “bon bons” and encourage your dog to dig them up. This activity will be particularly appealing to terrier type dogs that love to dig.

• Take your dog’s food out walking with you and scatter on the ground to encourage the dog to use their nose and “work” to find their food.

Once your dog is moving daily, you could start increasing the duration and intensity of the exercise. You may also like to introduce new activities so they dog becomes accustomed to a variety of activities.

Dog is too fat to walk

Many overweight dogs are unable to exercise due to secondary health conditions such as heart disease, lameness, diabetes or many more. For these dogs, consult with your vet to determine the intensity, duration, frequency, and type of activity that the dog can perform.

For dogs with musculoskeletal conditions, consider canine massage and remedial exercise to manage the dog’s pain, increase strength, relieve muscle tension and lubricate the fascia, and improve flexibility and proprioception. For dogs with joint problems, consider hydrotherapy or swimming.

Too busy to walk the dog

Another barrier to overweight dogs exercising is owner’s resistance to changing their routine to incorporate daily exercise. A study investigating dog owner’s motivations for walking their dogs found that dogs with owners who valued the benefits for dog walking (for themselves and their dogs) engaged in more dog walking each week. Additionally, owners of large breed dogs and those with higher energy walked more frequently than owners of small breed or lower energy dogs.

Like all exercise it is important to find something that both you and your dog enjoy doing. Here are some ideas for fun daily activities for you and your dog to enjoy together:

• If lead walking is not enjoyable for you or your dog, then good alternatives are swimming at the beach, dam or pond. Also consider, purchasing a well-fitting harness and long lead and find some bushland or scrub with nice smells each day.

• Home based enrichment games are a fun way to bond with your dog which gets you both moving on a daily basis. See above for ideas.

• Find a social dog training class so you meet likeminded dog people, you and your dog can learn new tricks and you are both getting out and about, at least once a week.

• Consider hiring a dog walker to assist you exercise your dog each day.

What you measure is what you get!

The Six Sigma business process methodology states that “what you measure, is what you get”. This concept also applies to your dog’s weight loss programme. Weighing your dog regularly and recording their weight encourages you to maintain the exercise and feeding regime until the dog reaches their ideal weight.

Keeping a brief exercise journal also helps you monitor your dog’s (and yours) increasing level of fitness. Aim to increase the exercise intensity and duration gradually (5 -10%) each week, always considering your vet’s recommendation for dogs with health conditions.

Continuing to monitor weight loss and exercise regime even when the dog has reached it’s target body condition, increases the likelihood of maintaining the weight loss in the long term.

I hope these tips are useful to help you get your dog starting on their new exercise routine. For dogs with musculoskeletal conditions, consider a remedial massage to loosen the fascia which can constrain joint movement and relieve muscle tension so your dog is willing to exercise each day.

Until next time, enjoy your dogs.

Sources

German, Alexander, J, 2006 “The growing problem of obesity in dogs and cats” The Journal of Nutrition, 136: 1940S-1946S

German, A. J., Blackwell, E., Evans, M., & Westgarth, C. 2017. “Overweight dogs exercise less frequently and for shorter periods: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK.” Journal of Nutritional Science, 6.

Laflamme, D. P. 2006. “Understanding and managing obesity in dogs and cats.” Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 36(6), 1283-1295.

Lim, C., & Rhodes, R. E. 2016. “Sizing up physical activity: The relationships between dog characteristics, dog owners’ motivations, and dog walking.” Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 24, 65-71.

Vitger, A. D., Stallknecht, B. M., Nielsen, D. H., & Bjornvad, C. R. 2016. “Integration of a physical training program in a weight loss plan for overweight pet dogs.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 248(2), 174-182.