As each New Year comes around most of us
promise ourselves that we’re going to make changes in our lives. We will lose
weight or get more exercise, or eat more healthily for instance. Sadly, most
new years resolutions are broken within a few weeks, I believe.
So how about making a promise with your dog
and having a New Years Resolution Dogs Buddy? Here are some win-win ideas.
Weight
loss:
Many many dogs are overweight. Unless there
are health problems going on then being overweight is a result of too many
calories balanced with the amount of exercise taken. So if your dog is
overweight, how about setting up a new diet and exercise regime. You could for instance put 1 spoonful less
food in your dogs bowl and add 10 minutes onto their daily walks, or add in an
extra brisk walk. This regime obviously hasn’t been scientifically proven, but
it seems to make sense to me. You get the added benefit of the extra exercise
and you could always join them in eating smaller portions for your meals (if
this applies to you Ofcourse). Please always check with your vet before
embarking on any significant exercise regime change; it may not be healthy to
overly-exercise an overweight dog.
Be
happier:
If you’re stressed your dog may well be
too. They want you to be happy and content with life just as much as you do.
So, have a look at your dog and have a think about what would make them even
more happy: more walks, more time outside, more physical exercise; more play
time? All of these things can equally benefit us. If you play a new game with
your dog, then you’ll get some fun out of that too, and I’m sure you’ll have a
laugh in the process. Mental stimulation can also help to improve how your dog
feels. I wonder if there are any basic training exercises that could be
improved with your dog or perhaps you could look at some tricks, agility or
some doggy dancing steps. They’ll all be great fun for you both.
And of course if your dog has some
behaviour or training problems, then why not make a new years resolution to get
help and get them fixed. That will certainly lead to less stress in both your
lives.
Be
healthier:
A good diet is also important to give us
the best chance at being happy and healthy. So perhaps reviewing and changing
your dogs food would help too.
Please note that you should of course
always carefully consider whether any changes you make in your dog’s life is
appropriate for them. For instance, playing Frisbee with a young dog when they
jump up and potentially damage their limbs on landing isn’t going to be good
for them. Or, if you’re dog is aggressive with other dogs then taking them to
the park more often may not be the right course of action.
If you’d like any help with any behaviour
or training problems then please have a look at the Pawsability.co.uk web site
or email anna@pawsability.co.uk.
Or why not join us on
Facebook.com/Pawsability and share your New Years Dogs Buddy Resolutions.
Author: Anna Patfield, First Published in the Northern Times, Dec 2014