How can I keep my dog from becoming overweight?

Dogs do have different nutritional needs. So it's very hard just to put a label on a bag and tell everyone that this dog needs a quarter of a cup or half a cup. First of all, I would feed them twice a day, breakfast and dinner. I think that's a fair way to think that their nutrition would be absorbed and used.

They are going to get treats from time to time. They're delicious, and they needed to have treats, and it's part of being a part of your family. The treats, though, could be low calorie, and you can break treats into tiny little pieces so they don't get tons of calories, even though they may need lots of treats during that day. So those are some excellent ways to do it. You can also weigh them. We weigh them here, and we can give you some guidelines on that. And then you should also exercise them and have plenty of fun outside because that'll help keep their weight in good shape.

Good question. So the best thing pets have for them, unlike people is we can regulate their portions. So free feeding is the number one way pets gain weight, not from spayed even though people swear by it because my next question after people say my dog gained weight after she got fixed or spayed. I say, "Do you free feed? Or do you measure the food?" I'd say about 85% of people say they free feed and that's the number one way pets gain weight. Free feeding means you pour a bucket of food, you leave it there and let them eat. So the main way you got to get a cup, not a big coffee cup because my questions are what size or cup. Some people say this big. Some people say this big. Get a measuring cup, measure your dog's food according to their weight, feed them twice a day or three times a day or whatever your regimen is based on the food you are feeding, go by the directions on the back. If they're gaining weight, cut them back. If they're underweight, increase them a little bit, but you have to measure.

Go off of the feeding recommendations of the dog food that you're using. Pick up the bag you buy and turn it around. They're going to have a guide that says, "Oh, a 20-pound dog should get two cups a day. A 40-pound dog gets X amount of cups." If you follow that, you're going to be pretty close. There are a couple of exceptions. The first is that you want to feed them off their target weight, not what they currently weigh. And I'm only saying that because many dogs that we see are overweight, if I can put it politely. If you have a Labrador who weighs 100 pounds, but he's supposed to weigh 75 pounds, you want to feed him based on what a 75-pound dog should eat and not continue to maintain them at a hundred pounds.

The other consideration also depends on the activity level of the dog. I have friends that hunt with their dogs multiple days a week. Some of them almost every day of the week. They're running numerous miles a day in the field. That's an athletic dog. They're going to require more energy and likely more food.

Third, if you have a dog that spends a lot of time outdoors when it's colder, they require a higher calorie content in their food. Their metabolism is going to speed up. It takes energy to keep your body warm. And it's a proven fact that in the summertime dogs eating the same amount will tend to put on weight, whereas in the wintertime they will drop weight, so their food depends on all those factors—activity level, diet, and medical conditions.

Pay attention to their weight. If you notice that they're gaining weight, cut their food back and increase their exercise. If that doesn't work and you have a middle-aged to older pet, then we need to get them in for an exam and run some lab work. Various health issues like diabetes, low thyroid, or elevated cortisol levels can cause weight changes.