How can you get your dog to lose weight with games?

It is a known fact that all dogs adore food. They will eat food anytime you offer them, plus others’ food if they get their hands on it. Because of this, many dogs are gradually putting on weight and becoming chubby. Therefore, it is crucial to check on the calories your dog intakes daily and introduce some physical activity daily. 

It is not a big issue if you have a strict working schedule and cannot take your dog out for physical activities. You can always introduce some fun activities associated with food for your pet dogs. This is a brilliant idea to make your dogs work out for food and for people living in non-spacious homes or apartments with no extensive lawns for their dog’s activity. 

Read on for some great and fun food activities to help keep your pet dog active and in good shape by shedding those extra pounds.

Food Puzzle Activity

Most dogs become lazy as they have a monotonous routine with minimal physical activity. For example, the daily routine for most dogs is to wake up, eat from the already-filled food bowl, sleep, and repeat. This means that your dog has nothing to do over the day, thus becoming lazy and gaining weight. Therefore, you should consider adding some difference to your dog’s routine by introducing fun food activities like a food puzzle. Instead of offering your dog his meal in a bowl, all you need to do is stuff some of his food into a food-dispensing puzzle toy, where they would have to work out to get the food out. Doing this would keep your dog moving and entertained, eventually leading to weight loss. 

Go On A Lunch Date

This idea works best for the people who have their workplaces near their homes. You can go to your home during lunchtime, grab your pet, and walk to a nearby park for lunch. This idea would help get your dog out of the house and add some physical activity to his routine, eventually leading to his favorite part of the day, eating. Even just half an hour of your dog walking would be a great way to lose weight. Also, consider making some new friends at the park so you can leave your dog with them for some time if you are running late for work. 

Add An Indoor Obstacle Course

Setting up an obstacle course is a fantastic idea to get your dog to do some physical activity in the house while having fun at the same time. There is no need to buy obstacle courses when you can make your own at home. All that needs to be done is place a few boxes for jumping, some marker cones for weaving, and stairs for your dogs to climb. This activity can last as long as your dog wants to play. You can associate food in this obstacle course by rewarding your dog with healthy treats each time they pass through an obstacle. This way, your pet dog would become physically active and healthy within no time. 

Search And Find Food Game

Use the front or backyard of your house to add physical activities for your pet dog in his weight loss regime. The object of this game is pretty simple. You just have to throw a treat away and ask your dog to find it. This game makes most dogs excited as they get curious and start searching for their treat. This is how you play this game.

  • Call your dog over by saying its name aloud.
  • When it comes to you, reward it with a treat for listening.
  • Throw the treat at a short distance and ask your dog to look for it by saying the word “find.” However, your dog needs practice for this game before getting familiar.

Utilize Your Stairs...

If your house has stairs, then they can add significant value to your dog’s weight loss regime. If you are habitual in keeping your dog’s food downstairs, start putting the bowl upstairs. This would encourage your dog to climb the stairs whenever it feels hungry. Not only the stairs, but you can also keep changing the locations of your dog’s food bowl, so your dog has to walk around to get to its food. 

What Are The Benefits Of Playing Food Games With Your Dog?

Playing food-associated games with your dog can lead to many benefits, which are as follows:

  • Games associated with food can make your dog reduce the extra pounds it has gained because it involves physical activity, including jumping, running, climbing, etc. 
  • Besides contributing to physical health, food-related games can also stimulate your dog’s brain, using its energy in the right direction.
  • While playing games, your dog would remain active throughout the day and snap out of a monotonous routine that involves sleeping or eating only.
  • Your dog would also not get bored because he would have something to look forward to every day. This would also help in increasing your pet’s confidence.
  • The more you spend time with your dog, the greater your bond will become. Your dog would think that each time it listens to you, you would reward it with a yummy treat. 
  • Thus, they finally understand that they need to listen to you, and you are their only source of food!

Take Away

You become a more loving and responsible pet owner by adding more food-related exercises to your pet’s daily routine. These animals are born to be playful, energetic, and active. In early times, dogs mainly were working partners before we realized that they could be even greater pets. Then as we brought them home, this turned them from working animals to lazy couch potatoes. But now is the time for a change. Your overweight dogs need to shake and move around. By adding physical activities, your pets would enjoy all the attention they are getting from you. Hence they would be motivated towards exercising more and more! Especially when they know that they would get to eat in the end! 

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