Dog Weight Loss: How to Keep Your Pooch in Shape

One of the most important things to know when you think your pooch might be overweight is how to identify what a healthy weight is. Their ideal weight can be calculated through a body condition score, which you can always ask your vet to identify for your pup if you’re not sure.

The body condition score ranges from one to nine with four or five being optimal. A healthy body condition would be considered an hourglass shape with a healthy layer of fat covering the ribs and backbone. 

You won’t be able to see their bones just by looking at them, but you should be able to feel them. If you can’t feel your pup’s ribs or backbone when you stroke them, this means the layer of fat covering them is probably too thick and they will need to lose a little weight.

Some dogs are a little harder to body condition score, they might be bred either to look tall and skinny or round and stocky, which makes it more difficult to tell when they’re the right weight. Breeds like whippets are prone to looking underweight, while Pugs have chunky little bodies and lots of extra skin so can look overweight, even when they’re not.

When a dog is overweight, it often puts a lot more pressure on their joints and their organs. Just as with humans, excess body fat makes your pet more at risk of many health issues including:

That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye on their condition to ensure they don’t face health problems later down the line.

Luckily, for owners looking for dog weight loss tips, most of them can be done very easily with some minor management. Usually, we are the ones at fault for our pets looking a bit round. As owners, we already control what they eat, when and how long they exercise and so changing up their routine to support weight loss can be relatively easy - as long as you get everyone on board!

A longer walk is more effective than shorter walks as it keeps the heart rate up for a longer period of time, so is much more useful in aiding weight loss. This is a great opportunity to explore new areas and walks you might not have done before to introduce fun new environments for you and your furry friend. 

If your pup is used to multiple walks a day, you can still encourage them to move around during the times when you would usually take them for a short walk. A game of fetch in the garden can be a great way of getting them up and active for a period of time. Playing with toys like tuggy rope toys where they have to exert effort is going to burn off some energy too!

Older dogs are a little harder to get moving, especially if they have joint issues or any other health problems that come with old age. A game of fetch or a long walk can leave them feeling stiff when they get home, but a great exercise for older dogs is swimming.

Swimming is a low-impact activity which means there’s very little pressure on the joints. Finding a dog-friendly swimming pool, a clean lake or a specialised doggy hydrotherapy bath can be a great way for older dogs to work off their extra weight safely.

Diet is a key component to weight loss for your pets. Many owners will feed the correct diet, but then forget to account for treats and scraps from the table. If multiple people in a household are all giving their pup an extra few bits of food throughout the day, this can amount to the equivalent of another full meal.

Consistency is key, so it’s important to get everyone on board with a new diet plan. If you still want your pooch to have treats, you can portion them out to make sure they aren’t getting too many. Additionally, it’s best to opt for ones that aren’t too calorie dense, so it might be worth checking the nutrition labels before feeding them to your pup.

You can buy treats specifically for doggy diets, like the Harringtons Turkey Low Fat Treats, which you can incorporate into a weight loss plan. Many brands also make dog food for weight loss, which has the same low-calorie properties, but is high in lean proteins to keep your pet satisfied for longer.

Burns Weight Control is produced for dogs of all ages or if you have a pocket sized pup, Royal Canin Mini Light is specially made for smaller dogs looking to lose weight. As always, when you change your pooch’s diet, it should always be done gradually to help their stomach adjust.

An important part of weight loss is making sure you’re keeping tabs on how your pet is doing, so you know the plan you have in place is working. Whilst you might not have scales at home big enough to put your pup on, vets are always happy for you to pop in regularly to check their weight. You can monitor it at home by taking regular measurements around their ribs to see if that extra fat is shifting.

Just like with humans, doggy weight loss should be a slow and steady process to lose weight healthily. Your pooch should only be losing 1-2% of their body weight per week. So, if you have a 20kg dog, that would only be 0.2kg, so it might take a little while to notice their progress.

Weight loss for your dog is all about keeping them healthy and happy for as long as possible. Healthy dogs will live longer, and it might only cost you to restrict their treats or taking them on longer walks to get more time with them. Take a look at our extensive range of weight control food to help your pup slim down and lose weight while keeping them consistently full!