Runners with dogs know how great it is to run with a canine counterpart. When our dogs were younger, the vet told us that even though they’re not considered a “running breed”, Bichons could be trained to run up to five miles.
Well Carlo pretty much doesn’t run unless he’s chasing a squirrel…
…but Remy is my sporty guy. Back in the day Remy and I took to the trails and worked up to a whole….wait for it….2 miles!
Like I said, that was back in the day. “The boys” as we fondly refer to them, are 14 years old now and their exercise comes from a few leisurely walks each day, bopping around in the yard with the kids, oh and lots of jumping up on the couch to nap.
With pet obesity reaching epidemic levels, Purina® Dog Chow® Light & Healthy conducted a nationwide survey to learn more about dog owner perceptions of their pet’s weight, management, exercise and feeding habits. Here are a few interesting findings:
- Of dog owners surveyed who believe their dog is overweight, 24% don’t know how they should manage their dog’s weight.
- Of dog owners surveyed who believe their dog is overweight, 78% have taken action to manage their dog’s weight (22% have not taken action).
- According to 36% of dog owners surveyed, ‘fed my dog smaller portions of the same dog food’ is the first action they took to manage their dog’s weight.
- 71% of dog owners surveyed who believe their dog is a healthy weight reported maintaining a healthy weight themselves.
- Of dog owners surveyed who believe their dog is a healthy weight, 77% reported giving their dog exercise more than 3 times per week.
Here are a couple of keys to keeping your dogs active and at their ideal weight from Dr. Grace Long, DVM, MS, MBA, Director of Veterinary Technical Marketing at Nestlé Purina:
Because our dogs are on in years, controlling the portions they eat and giving them the “right” food, is crucial. Purina Light & Healthy Dog Chow has:
- 100% of the Essential Nutrients to help support a healthy, active life
- High Quality Protein for strong muscles
- 20% Fewer Calories
- Tender/crunchy blend contains real chicken and is easy to digest
Best of all Remy and Carlo love it and don’t seem to miss the extra calories one bit. Get a coupon for $2 off Purina Light & Healthy here. This post was part of a multi-week blog tour. Stay tuned next week for a post from Amelia at Tales of a Mountain Mama.
Feeling lucky? One lucky reader will win a coupon good for One 16.5 lb. bag of Purina Dog Chow Light & Healthy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I was provided with coupons and product from Nestle Purina. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
I keep my middle-aged Brittany Spaniel active and fit by letting her run off-leash at the park . . . . she loves it!
Not entering b/c mine have to be on very restricted Rx foods – but love this post. We tried many times to run with ours. One is blind now so that’s far more difficult and the other one? Well, she’s a maniac LOL.
My boyfriend and I take his dog to the park and chase him around or throw thing for him
I really do love dogs for the purpose of getting you active!!!! I mean, who can say no to those puppy-dog eyes! 😉
We had to put down our 13 year old last month. We have been going to a local animal rescue group once a week, until school gets out to walk their dogs and play with them. A win win
Tammy I’m so sorry for your loss. Bless your heart for helping out at the rescue group.
My dog Sushi loves a bath and gets one often. My other dog Toby loves to play chase, and after bathtime it`s like a racetrack over here.
that`s good,because Sushi is 15.
Sadly I have no running pooch friend right now, but I love the pics of your guys!
Funny–just wrote up a post about running with Tori for tomorrow. I don’t’ think I need to worry about her weight any time soon, that’s for sure!
Our next dogs (if we get more) will definitely be running dogs (and camping, and swimming, and…)
I try to walk my dogs as much as possible. I have a Australian Cattledog that is overweight and need to walk her more.
Toby and Bubbles get a daily walk in the school next door to us. They get to go off-leash for part of the walk and it’s the best part of the day to see them cut loose and tear after balls. Toby always wins.
We take daily walks and regular jogs.
We keep our dog active by walking her several times of day. We’re actually planning on starting running with her soon!
We go on plenty of walks!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/54887689183548444/
Jeffrey is over weight so we have to control his food. We have him on a schedule where he eats four times a day but it’s only 1 1/2 cans of food. We just space it out.
My vet says it will be hard for him to lose weight so as long as he’s not gaining any more he should be fine. He did initially lose about 1/2 a pound and we’ve just maintained his weight.
He thinks he’s starving to death though and vocalizes it constantly. 🙂
My dog is a ball dog, so he’s quite happy having a tennis ball thrown for him all day!
My dog is not food driven at all, in fact, I can’t get her to eat her food. I run with her every chance I get– she has run up to 13 miles with me. I love that she’s my running partner!
Our dog Otis is just now learning to walk on a leash, so he gets most of his exercise during play time. He loves running and jumping to catch toys!
I shared your post and giveaway on Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/85005511691263327/