Tools To Help Your Dog Lose Weight

exercise, obesity, weight, gadgets - By Staff Writer on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 14:18

If your dog has a weight problem exercise and cutting back on food are a must.  There are tools out there to make this a much more pleasant experience for you and your dog.  The following gadgets and products can help your dog increase calories burned and decrease the amount of food consumed.

Treadmills
If you just don't have time to get your dog to the park every night but want to make sure she gets a good long walk, try a treadmill.  Just like treadmills for people, dog treadmills work with a revolving belt that creates a walkway for your dog.  Dog treadmills are lower to the ground and tend to be much smaller, and come in varying sizes depending on your dogs size, making them easier to fit into a house.  With multiple speeds and grades you can slowly increase the difficulty and pace of your dogs walks.  Most treadmills range between $400-$1000.  For some options check out our article Treadmills For Dogs.

Backpacks
Adding a backpack to your dog is a great way to slowly increase the difficulty level on your dogs walks.  Start out by simply introducing your dog to the pack and as your dogs aerobic activity level increases you can begin to put small objects and weights in the pack.  The more weight your dog carries the harder the workout.  You could turn a short walk into a great workout for your pup.

Specialty Bowls
If your dog tends to inhale their dinner they could be at risk for bloatAlso known as gastric dialation-volvulus is the distension or enlargement of the stomach by expanding gas. If it is accompanies by torsion or twisting the stomach becomes blocked and the trauma to the system can be fatal. as well as weight gain.  Eating quickly does not allow the dogs brain to respond to the feeling of being full so a dog is likely to eat more calories.  Special bowls are now constructed to make eating a bit more difficult forcing your dog to cut down on the speed at which he chows down.  For tips on feeding check out our article Slowing Down Your Dogs Eating.

Ball Launchers
If you are not able to run with your dog but still want to get them running at the park try a ball launcher.  Ball launchers are tools that help you throw balls at a greater distance than just using your arm.  There are a variety of ball launchers on the market ranging from hand held to automatic.  This will get your dog chasing after the ball without putting too much strain on yourself.  We discuss a variety of launchers in our article Dog Ball Launchers- Going The Distance!

Laser Pointers
If you dog can see the laser and likes to chase after it, a laser is the perfect toy to get your dog moving.  Pointers range from cheap and hand held to high powerful and automatic.  You can keep your dog doing laps from the bench at the dog park with the push of a button. If you are looking for a laser pointer check out our article Laser Pointers - The Dog Toy Of The Future.