I have a question about my dog, and I was wondering if there were any dog lovers/experts/advisors out there...

Question

My dog, CocoaLatte is a fat chocolate lab. My family loves her so much, but she is fat because she begs (in her own way) for food. She barks at my mom - particulary when my mom is on a work phone call, she's most vulnerable then - so she is forced to give her a bone. Now, her being 6 in human years and 42 in doggy years, I am concerned about her health. Advise?

Answer 1

As always: diet and exercise.

For diet, switch to a weight management food. Or continue with your regular dog food, but cut back on her portion by about half to a third. Now, she's not going to be too happy with feeling hungry, so substitute the other third with something low in calories like canned pumpkin or spinach. Instead of treats like bones or dog biscuits, treat her with pieces of carrots instead. You'd be surprised at how much she goes down in just a couple of months.

And, of course, up the exercise regime. Give her as much as she can take.

Lastly, about the barking - when your mom gives her a bone for barking, she is literally rewarding CocoaLatte for the bad behaviour. So now your lab knows - "barking long enough means I get a bone". It would be better if your mom ignored her completely, or if she can't do that because of her call, put her call on hold for a second and send CocoaLatte into the next room, and shut the door. This will effectively be a 'time-out' kind of punishment and CocoaLatte will soon get the message.

Answer 2

Consider that your dog's behavior is not 'forcing' your mom to do a thing. If your Mom totally ignores your dog when she's on the phone, the behavior will stop. Saying "No", even "NO!" is not ignoring the behavior and will encourage her to bark. Turn your back on her.
Measure out the food that your dog gets per day. Cut down that amount of food by 1/3 and replace it with canned pumpkin or carrots and green beans. Stick to this - no extras, nothing. It's important to keep a dog's weight down - extra weight affects their joints badly, so you're wise to tske steps to stop this now. Good luck!

Answer 3

Switch to low fat treats. My dog is also very motivated by food, but she honestly can't tell the difference between her doggie treats and human treats. I've also baked my own doggie treats for my pup, she loves them when they're crunchy and they're cheap and easy to make. Easiest recipe is:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon soft butter or margarine
Enough milk to moisten the dough

Mix flour and peanut butter. Add butter. Slowly add some milk and knead on floured board for a few minutes.

Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees oven for 15 minutes. Put on cookie rack to cool. Keep in airtight containers.

Answer 4

Who owns who? You're the humans. You own the dog. You tell the dog what she can and cannot eat. Put her on diet food, eliminate all table food and treats/bones from her menu, give her 2 meals on a schedule every day, and when she begs, take her for a walk instead.

Answer 5

Just don't give into her. She doesn't know that eating to much is bad for her, she just knows that it tastes good, and she gets it by barking at you. You have to train her not to bark for things, mainly by not giving in when she does. She doesn't know that what she is doing is wrong. when she barks, firmly tell her NO. You don't need to scream, but make it understood that you are serious Then ignore her. after three more barks, say NO again. keep going until you have said NO three times, then shut her in a bathroom or something until you are done your meal, or your phone call or whatever. at least 10 min, but no more than 1/2 hour. Also, Only give her treats when she behaves, and no more than like three or four a day. also, don't give her any leftovers. I mean, you can give her some, but honestly, she doesn't need it. you need to train yourselves as much as you need to train her. I wouldn't give her more than like a measuring cup worth of human food a week. And of course, she needs a Lot of exercise. Good luck, and hang in there, it is best for her.

Answer 6

Get her on a weight management dog food. They have treats too that are low fat also. Walk her more and get her more exercises! No more people food at all.
You'll see the weight come off her gradually! Good luck!

Answer 7

Labradoodles aren't breeds in AKC/CKC therefore, are not fit for showing. If a breeder ever offers you anything with "doodle" at the end of it, run the other way, because this is a backyard breeder and are trying to get you to buy this cute, cuddly little doodle. If you want this pet for home use, first think about your lifestyles. I'm sure your local shelters have "Labradoodles" who's life(lives) you can save. Thanks for adopting.

Answer 8

put her on a diet. stop feeding her table scraps. if you must give her treats use baby carrots. put her on a high quality low fat food. you also might want to have her thyroid level checked just to make sure that is not affecting her weight as well since labs are prone to becoming hypothyroid.

Answer 9

as owner we tend to spoil our dogs unfortunatly it isnt always good Iams has a good weight control food for dogs all sizes can be found at petsmart stores also what I did is mine still gets her (cookies)treats but I only give her half of one now at a time she dont know the difference as long as she gets one and maybe add a couple of extra walks per week to burn it off I know its hard when you see thier eyes looking at you and you love them so much but if you want them around longer youll take the measures

Answer 10

reduce her food intake...switch to a weight management food and reduce the scraps and treats you give her... I would not say cut them entirely just cut back... and perhaps take her for a walk or 2 daily...