My dog is overweight but won't exersise?

Question

I have a saint bernard mix who is about 5 she is about 5 pounds overweight and nothing seems to work. I recently started feeding her Hills science Diet Light for large breeds and she goes for about a mile walk twice a day but it dosen't seem to be helping and I can't get her to play with me she isn't intrested in any toys I buy her

Answer 1

It's only been recently since you have been feeding her the lite. Just give it a little more time.

What about swimming with her or taking her to a dog park?

Answer 2

Make sure you are not over feeding her. You may want to measure out her servings with an actual measuring cup, instead of eyeballing it or using drinking cup.

Make sure you don't give her a lot of treats during the day, table scraps, or anything like that, which will hinder her ability to lose weight, and will actually pack on the pounds.

If you want to give her treats, give her pieces of raw baby carrot, which won't add to much in calories to her diet.

She'll need to be on the new food for a while to see any results. Just like with any diet, it takes time to drop the weight. If you want to try something that has no corn, by products, animal digest, or artificial preservatives (which cause cancer) then try the Senior or Senior Plus from http://www.frrco.com/121668 Both are lower in calories, do not contain the above ingredients, and are formulated for older dogs, less active dogs, and those that need to lose a few pounds. The "plus" formula also has glucosamine and chondrotin for joint health, which would really benefit your large breed dog in the long run.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Some dogs are lazy. The extra weight she is carrying may be making her lazier. Losing weight takes time.

I think the best dieting is #1 reducing amount and #2 finding a GOOD weight loss food. And committing to exercise. I went thru this a few years ago as I was entering a semi-retirement phase with my older agility dog.

Switched food to a combo of Premium Edge Weight loss (2 formulas, the 1st for the weight loss, then for weight managment) with EVO. Low carb. I found the brands at a Feed Supply..can also find at upscale pet shops. With the reduction of food, you can add canned pumpkin and frozed string beans so dog still feels "full".

May want to have vet checked to make sure something else isn't wrong...thyroid tests come to mind.

Answer 4

First have her examined by your vet to make sure there isn't a medical problem to her lethargy.

Then, exercise, easy on the treats and watch her calories.

And, this gal is middle-aged in dog years - so the weight won't come off as easily as it would in a younger dog.

The mile walks are great - for the both of you - but how about power-walking that mile instead of a leisurely stroll? Walking briskly so Fifi has to trot to keep up will help a lot more than moseying from point to point. And gradually increase the distance you walk.

Answer 5

1. Hills S.D. is one of the worst foods on the market. It's all corn and rice. Switch to Wellness Super5 Mix Weight Management formula. It's all natural, high protein, and has the lowest fat and calorie count of any commericial dog food. S.D. can actually make dogs very sick- I've seen it happen.

2. Saints are working dogs, what she wants is a job. Buy her a dog backpack and have her carry food and water while you go hiking, teach her how to 'rescue' swimmers from a lake, get her a cart and teach her to pull it, do something. Working breeds want to learn a specific job and do it to the best of their ability. That's what they were bred for. Saints were specifically bred for search and rescue in snowy mountains; if you happen to have access to snowy mountains, that would be a great place to start. See if you can find a local search and rescue team and see if they'll help you train her. Dogs with jobs are happier and healthier!

3. Lots of adult dogs aren't interested in toys. The breeds that are tend to be retrievers and terriers- they were bred to chase things and bring them back, so toys represent their 'jobs' to them, whereas a working breed was generally bred to pull or guard, so small things flying around don't do much for them.

Answer 6

You need to walk your dog daily, then slowly go jogging with her. Its a time process, when we put on weight we dont just lose it in 2weeks.

It will help the excercise and continue to feed her the Hills Science Diet Light. You need to perk up your dog as well and get her in the mood to play with you and the toys. It will be pointless if you just give her the toy and expect her to play with it. Really try and interact with her, it will be frustrating and exhausting but just keep up the routine and you will be happy with what you end up with.

Answer 7

if your dog wont exercise on his own then you have to give it some help . Take it for an extra long walk and change its diet . you could be feeding your dog the wrong food increasing its chances for heart attack and or stroke.being overweight is not a healthy dog if your not careful it will be a dead dog there also could also be something else wrong with your dog 5lbs is not that much overweight .if your dog is not responding to you then i would suggest you take it to your vet and tell them your concerns and they will help you find out if its a physical or emotional problem it could have attached itsself to someone else and is greaving

Answer 8

You just need to give her more time on the lite food, and you could consider cutting back on the food (not by much!) For example, when I needed my boxer mix to lose 5 lbs. (she is already on the lite food for other reasons) we cut back her food from 2 cups in the evening to a cup & a half. She got her 2 cups in the morning as per usual though, so she was only getting half a cup less of food per day.

Answer 9

Make the dog believe she is playing..play IS exercise.

Answer 10

whenever she seems lk she is hungrey giv her water then reduce the amount of food u giv her do tht for bout a month & i would take her 2 a vet if i were u, if nothin worked good luc ! ! ! bi bye