It is unhealthy for a dog to be overweight. Overfeeding is NOT a sign of love.
Your German Shepherd is the right weight when you can tell there are ribs (without them being obvious) and there is a slight ‘waistline’ behind the ribs, before the rear legs.
- Stages:
– Puppies eat more and are highly active
– Adult dogs have normal routines and food intake
– Older dogs might require special diets & limited exercise - Feed a really good quality dog food. Quality foods have good protein sources and few fillers. Quality foods cost more but you will feed less because your dog will get more nutrition for the food. Good food will decrease your daily pickup chores.
- Set Regular Mealtimes. An irregular eating schedule can affect your dog’s digestive system and ultimately cause chronic digestive disorders.
- Keep the water and food bowls in the same place every day. If you have more than one dog, make sure each dog has its own food and water bowl. Wash them often. Stainless steel is a good choice.
- Don’t worry about your dog getting hunger pangs between meals. Unless instructed by your veterinarian, your dog should only need two meals daily.
- Set a 15 minute rule. If your dog has walked away from its bowl, it has probably had enough to eat. Take the bowl up, dispose of the uneaten food & wash the bowl.
- Resist giving your dog people food. A begging pooch can be hard to resist, but your dog doesn’t know how dangerous the mal you’re eating can be. Grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions are among some of the foods that can be toxic to your dog in large enough quantities. Sometimes excessive fat in meats or dairy products can cause digestive distress.
- Don’t over-treat or over-supplement your dog. Too many treats will lead to unhealthy excess pounds. Too many vitamins can also have unintended consequences. Ask your vet about whether your dog needs any extras before starting it on a regimen of supplements.
Leave a Reply