[NAGDU] Ui is obesity!

Thu Sep 23 01:08:54 UTC 2021

Just a few tips as I dealt with a dog once who struggled with weight:

Monitor everything that goes in the dog's mouth. Is your dog a
scavenger? Do they get treats/food from family members? Does your dog
try to get at other animal's food or even their own food? Seriously,
if this means the dog is leashed at the dinner table, then that's what
it takes. If it means you keep the dog in another room while certain
family members or children are eating, then again, that's what it
takes.

Do not allow your dog outside off leash. Your dog can pick up anything
outside. This is bad for their weight, but it's also just in general
better to monitor what they're doing in a yard because they have to
work for you. It's always best to do what we can to reduce the chances
of our dogs throwing up in public or being sick when we need them to
work.

Limit food rewards. Ok ok, I don't like food rewards as a general
rule. Lol But I was directed once that if I wanted to use food
rewards, to take them out of my dog's meal portions.

Reduce food to a reasonable amount. Do remember that a dog may
scavenge more if their food is decreased too much or they are on a
food that doesn't fill them up.

Work with your dog on food refusal, avoiding food on the floor, and
just generally ignoring food. These dogs can be sneaky, so
encorporating food into your daily obedience routine will work
wonders. I used to play all kinds of obedience games with my first
dog, like setting up food obstacle courses in the house, sitting next
to her while I ate without looking at her, etc. Just make sure you're
not teasing the dog with food and instead making it very clear that
all food comes from your hand or their bowl.

Make sure your dog gets lots of exercise. This one might get hard or
annoying during the pandemic. But you can get a long leash to use in
the yard. You can play with your dog and their toys. You can walk
around your neighborhood. If you do have driving eyeballs around, you
can go to the mall or maybe even a park to walk. You can even take
Uber or Lyft somewhere to walk. I took my current dog grocery shopping
at the beginning of the pandemic to keep his skills sharp, give him
some exercise, and avoid the ridiculous delivery waits. This might not
be your thing and may not be safe depending on the dog, but I also
used to jog with my current dog. This was great exercise for us when I
was unemployed and not going anywhere every day.

There is really a lot we can do to make sure our dogs stay at the
right weight. It's harder when you live in a place where fiewer
walking options are available. I get that, and I know the pandemic
made things so much harder. But it's up to us to make sure our dogs
stay healthy and engaged. And I am a huge proponent of no human food
for our dogs. Obviously some foods like green beans and carrots are
safe and healthy, but it amazed me when I got my first dog how much
they can be obsessed with people food. The way I see it our dogs have
a job to do, and anything that detracts from their ability to keep us
safe needs to be cut out immediately.

Hope any of this helps,

Julie

On 9/22/21, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> This isn’t to be judgmental or anything, but why does your father have to
> take out your guide. Are you unable to walk the dog yourself?
> Cindy
> cindyray at gmail.com <mailto:cindyray at gmail.com>
>
>
>> On Sep 22, 2021, at 12:15 PM, Sharon S via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hi, my boy is currently about 4kgs over weight. I had him at the vets this
>> week and the vet suggested I drop his amount of food down. However at the
>> moment he only gets a cup of food twice a day, down from what he was
>> having
>> when I got him in February. At the moment because we are in lockdown we
>> aren't going anywhere so this might have something to do with it as well.
>> He
>> was down on the weight we got last time we visited the vet but because we
>> were there for my other dog Rolo, Sherlock's weight wasn't recorded on the
>> vets records. In the last few weeks my dad has started taking Sherlock out
>> with him on one of the two walks he does each day. We have now decided he
>> will take him every second day so he doesn't start expecting it every day.
>> However, this has upset Rolo because he normally goes out on every walk
>> dad
>> does but he isn't taking Rolo when he takes Sherlock because one dog on
>> lead
>> is all he can handle. He takes the family dog off lead but she isn't a
>> runner like my boys are. I have been told it is a thing with golden
>> retrievers that once they get away they don't listen and won't come back.
>> I
>> haven't really had this tested with Sherlock but Rolo has gotten out twice
>> and both times people were chasing him around the place. The good thing
>> about Rolo is he likes talking to people so when he ended up stopping to
>> talk to some kids we were able to get them to grab hold of him until we
>> could get there.
>>
>> Sorry gone on a bit more then I meant to, I'm off to bed for good this
>> time.
>> Rolo just came back inside so I don't need to worry anymore about what he
>> might be up to.
>>
>> Bye for now.
>> From Shaz.
>> Canberra, Australia.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tarzan via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, 21 September 2021 3:58 AM
>> To: NADDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Tarzan <dr.tarzan at rakuten.jp>
>> Subject: [NAGDU] Ui is obesity!
>>
>> Hi, I'm Tarzan. I'm liveing in Japan.
>> My second guide dog is called Ui. A boy, 4 years old, Labrador retriever,
>> yellow.
>>
>> He was 26 kirogram when he came to me 2 yers ago. But now his weigh is 34
>> kirogam. Oh my guds! So he has gone to a training center for lose weight.
>>
>> Actually, I'm a teacher of a school for the blind. I have to go to school
>> every day. But my guide dog is not beside me.
>>
>> Therefor I go to work by taxi.
>>
>>
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-- 
Julie A. McGinnity
MM Vocal Performance, 2015; American University Washington College of
Law, JD Candidate 2023