Toby has a little problem.
It's a pretty common problem for dogs of his breed and similar breeds. But it's a problem that needs to be addressed for him to live a long and healthy life.
Toby loves food! He's an unashamed binger and will eat almost anything. Broccoli, beans, mouldy bread - if he can find it he will eat it.
And it's starting to show. I've noticed a definite wiggle in his walk lately. Actually it's more like a waddle where his belly is swaying from side to side as he makes his way from couch to food bowl and back again. Oh, yes - he's a couch potato that has a nice turn of speed when he hears someone rummaging in the pantry. And he's my constant companion once I put my baking apron on.
I tried to convince myself that it was just his winter coat but not even I can ignore that waddle. So I'm going to have to harden up and start to ignore those pleading eyes.
We decided as a family that we were going to reduce his dog food and the number of leftovers that he's offered. And this has resulted in more leftovers going into the compost which in turn goes into the hen. I can live with a fat hen but not a fat dog.
But this has not gone unnoticed by our astute and cunning canine. Unbeknownst to me, he's been making forays into the chook run to help himself to what he thinks is rightfully his. And here I was thinking that his new diet wasn't working.
The other day I went outside to see why our hen was a little upset and there was Toby. He wasn't interested in her - only her food - and she was indignant that she had to share all those luscious morsels of dinners past.
So Iven has had to do a little work on the fence. This is the doggy version of a padlock on the fridge.
He can't get a toe-hold on the wire any more. Humans 1 - Toby 0
I'm pretty sure that his reduced food intake and his nightly walks will have him back to normal in no time.
And for those of you wondering why I don't just take him running with me (which was one of my plans when I bought him). He is just like his human brothers when they were younger. No amount of cajoling or bribery could get them to see running as a fun exercise. They'd come for a couple of times around cross-country and then they'd find some excuse why they couldn't. Toby likes the IDEA of a run but isn't in love with any distance over 500m. He slows down. He sits. He's even been known to lie down and refuse to move. It takes me back to having a two year old - without the full blown heel-stomping, red-faced tantrum.
Any ideas in how to make my boy into a lean, mean running machine?
Our previous dog wasn't an active dog and she gained a few pounds too. The vet suggested we put her on a "diet" and gave her cooked green beans sometimes with a little rice (both cold) for a while and it helped very much.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with ignoring those droopy sweet eyes. I know when Bella looks that way it's so hard to say no :)
Oh and although Bella is very active, she doesn't like running either. It's not fun to take her on a run. She wants to stop all the time. Walking is a better and more pleasant option for the both of us :)
ReplyDeleteYou know when you starve that puppy like that, every time he looks at that hen he sees a nice tasty chicken dinner. Poor little fella, he looks famished!
ReplyDeleteThat was my first thought too: just take him running. What a pity he doesn't like it. Maybe you should ask that dog whisperer, whatshisname!
ReplyDeleteOooh, we have more than one case like that at home. I'll actually follow this post for comments with ideas. I need to seriously do something before it is too late and difficult.
ReplyDeleteLOL this sounds like Jack EXACTLY! That dog has yet to discover a food he doesn't like. He would literally eat himself sick without any worries. We have to really watch him to make sure he doesn't get too fat...and he is maybe just a little pudgy. He does better when it's warm because we take him on 1 to 2 short walks a day. Good Luck :)
ReplyDelete'if he can find it he will eat it' - you have described my son exactly. He too would steal food from a hen if he could.
ReplyDeleteI'm no help on getting him to run (we don't have dogs) but I think it is hilarious that he realized his extra food was going to the hen and went for it!!! Glad Ivan fixed that problem. Good luck with the slim-down-Toby program!!!
ReplyDeleteAwww he's still super cute no matter what girth he is. We are guilty as charged giving our dogs too many scraps as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever dog to get around your giving the food to the hens. Will he figure out a different way to get into the pen? Jaxon doesn't like to run if he's on a leash and I don't dare to not put him on one.
ReplyDeleteOh poor Toby. We had a labrador once that we had to put on a diet because the kids kept feeding him treats. It felt so cruel. He would look at us accusingly when we were eating, and when he thought he should get extra food. He did lose weight though. We had another lab who hated running also, even walking. After a while she would sit down and refuse to budge. Try carrying a labrador home ... Good luck getting him to slim down and trim up!
ReplyDeleteHow can you resist those eyes?!
ReplyDeleteTake a few treats with you and reward him when he runs - Lucy runs up to 10km at a time with me and she's a Lab as you know. But the other one, Louie, would do the sit down trick all the time....
ReplyDeleteCould you try to increase the 500m. distance progressively? 600m. the second time, 700m. the third time, and so on.
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