Thursday, December 29, 2011

Would You Like to Promote Your Golden Retriever's Health?

By Leonard Phillips


We certainly prefer our Golden Retrievers to not only stay alive, but to thrive. After all, it feels good to enjoy their loyal, and loving, friendship. Golden Retriever health requires our active dedication because we are really responsible for their joy and happiness. There are a few projects to focus on to make this happen. One of the most necessary is helping our dog maintain a proper, healthful weight. This can be accomplished through consistent daily habits such as finding time for daily exercise, providing meaningful activity, and discovering suitable feeding practices.

Day to Day Routines

Dog ownership is about partnerships. An affirmative day by day association with your Golden Retriever calls for routine activity that is joyful to both you and your dog. This calls for time organization and dedication. What piece of your day would work time wise to be active with your dog?

This may require some planning. Could you squeeze in a little time in right after work? Or would early mornings be better? Take some time to figure this out. Planning ahead usually results in those plans being carried out.

Worthwhile Activities

What activities would you both like to do? After all, it's hard to keep active in an activity that is not enjoyable. What about walking through the neighborhood, jogging around in your favorite area of the local park, or fetching a stick or a Frisbee? These types of activities provide physical exercise for your canine friend, elevate her metabolism, and help her maintain a healthful weight. These active times together might even help you regulate your own weight. Nothing better than a win-win situation!

Sometimes scheduling this type of activity is easy. Figure out what you both like to do, find some time to do it, and go after it. Other times it may be more difficult. Perhaps jot down a few things on a list as they come to mind. Keep adding and subtracting activities from the list until you come up with some great ideas. The happiest owners are the ones who know they are doing their best for their dog.

Keep in mind, dogs will not usually exercise any more than you or I will without some sort of external motivation. If we set up an aerobic session at the gym, we are more likely to actually do it than if we are just planning to exercise at home at some undetermined time. Dogs are similar. They may do a little running around without being pestered, but have a tendency to spend much of their time sitting or laying down. So it's up to you to get your dog exercising.

How Much--and When--to Feed Your Golden Retriever

Your dog's weight is closely related to one key habit: how often, and how much, you feed them. Obesity in dogs is all too prevalent, and the health effects are probably as regrettable as they are in humans. Overweight dogs put increased stress on their joints, hearts, and are susceptible to diabetes. They are also more predisposed to injury, which of course limits their capability to engage in routine exercise.

A major cause of obesity in dogs is simply overeating. Dogs enjoy eating and many loving owners enjoy seeing their dogs happy. I enjoy seeing my Golden Retriever enthusiastically devouring a bowl of food. He seems so happy. In the long run, however, overfeeding causes several issues including obesity and other related physical problems.

Think before giving your dog unrestricted access to his food. Many people wrongly assume that their dogs have self-control when it comes to eating. So they set food out for the day and allow easy access to it. Doing this leaves little doubt your dog might indeed get fat! Dogs will eat for several reasons, including boredom. Boredom plus unrestricted access to food generally leads to unwanted consequences.

Permitting your Golden day long access to food also makes your task of keeping track of bathroom breaks troublesome. An eating timetable with no apparent rhyme or reason only leads to an arbitrary and unpredictable potty routine. Scheduled, regular meals, by contrast encourage habitual elimination. This is particularly important if you are absent during the day and keep your dog indoors. Of course you don't want your dog needing to poop when you're not there.

But hold on! That isn't the only reason why unregulated access to food isn't a great idea. Take into account the times you go on vacation. Let's say you take your Golden along with you. He may not be able to eat whenever he wants like he's accustomed to. This may cause some anxiety issues.

One favored technique is simply to follow a feeding schedule. Scheduled feeding is simply providing a set portion of food on a set schedule. This gives you a lot of control over your dog's food consumption, and by extension, his weight. Follow the suggested portion directions on the food bag or perhaps ask your veterinarian what he or she would recommend for the daily ration.

The rate which you feed your Golden depends on several factors including age and activity level. Keep in mind there are really no wrong answers to the question. The correct response is to choose a schedule which works best for you and your dog. You could consider getting assistance from your veterinarian.

An essential aspect to the concept of scheduled feeding is consistent feeding times. Feeding times should be maintained daily and not changed radically. Meal time is an important part of your dog's day so regularity is a necessary component in his or her overall feeling of well being.

Planned out, scheduled feeding also aids overall dog obedience. It's correct. Like many Golden owners, you might use a doggie treat as a reward during a training. Treats aren't that impressive when she has continual access to her food. "Haw," she could think, "I can get food anytime. I'm not hungry."

Convinced Yet?

Dog ownership is a matter of relationships. One of the most important elements of the relationship is ensuring your Golden Retriever's health is maintained. This requires some planning and active commitment. The rewards are a happy, healthy, and lively Golden Retriever for years to come.




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