1 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, Welcome to The Houndation's podcast. I'm your host, 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson, and this episode is all about keeping your 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:17,799 Speaker 1: dog at a healthy weight no matter what. This is 4 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: a touchy subject, but it's one that I feel like, well, 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,080 Speaker 1: I kind of have to touch That's probably not how 6 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: I should have worded that anyway. How hefty our hounds 7 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: are is an important aspect of dog ownership, and it's 8 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: one that gets people, you know, kind of a little 9 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: bit fired up. It's also just one of those deals 10 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: where you gotta set aside your ego and your undying 11 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: love for your dogs and learn how to keep them 12 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,599 Speaker 1: at a healthy weight all year long. That's what I'm 13 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: going to talk about right now here on the old 14 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: Blue Marble we call home. We consider gravity to be 15 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: one G. That makes sense since we would use Earth's 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: gravity as a measure by which to understand gravity anywhere, 17 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: and not say I don't know Jupiter's gravity, which would 18 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: do us no good and get real confusing. In a hurry, 19 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: that Newton fellow, who supposedly got knocked in the head 20 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: by a granny Smith which led to his creation of 21 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: the universal law gravitation, figured out that every object in 22 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: the universe attracts every other object with a force that 23 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: is proportional to its mass. This is also inversely proportional 24 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: to the square of the distance between two objects. Now, 25 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: to muddy the water's further, that wild haired German named 26 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: Einstein hit us with his general theory of relativity way 27 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: back in nineteen oh five, which means he was way 28 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: way way ahead of his time and his thinking. That 29 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: theory described gravity as a distortion in the fabric of 30 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: space time, where anything with mass literally warps space and 31 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:00,559 Speaker 1: changes time. I'm too dumb to explain what that really means, 32 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: although I've tried to understand it so many times. A 33 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: good way to think about it, at least for me 34 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,079 Speaker 1: to get, you know, kind of through the mental sludge 35 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: that clouds even my kindergarten math skills, is to imagine 36 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: drawing a straight line a sheet of paper. Then you 37 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: simply twist the paper. That's well, kind of a terrible 38 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: explanation on how gravity bends space and forces objects to 39 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: fall or get pulled in a certain direction, but it 40 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: kind of works. All of those rockets you see getting 41 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: launched these days from NASA or SpaceX or companies like 42 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: rocket Lab, they all have to get going nearly seven 43 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: miles a second to escape Earth's gravity. Imagine the fuel 44 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: and thrust to carry a multi ton payload away from 45 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: Earth at that speed. That's why it costs like ten 46 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: grand to get something the weight of a normal bottle 47 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: of water into space. Fuel is expensive and it takes 48 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: a lot of fuel to move something that fast in 49 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: that direction. Gravity is no joke, and it's in the 50 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: deer hunting world where I used to hear a lot 51 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: of white tailed junkies talk about it in a way 52 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 1: that demonstrated they had no idea what they were talking about. 53 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: Back when full body safety harnesses were replacing the options 54 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: of either no harnesses or the waste belt style harnesses 55 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: that often kept people from hitting the ground but also 56 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,959 Speaker 1: forced them to hang upside down until they died. Those 57 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: kind of safety harnesses, people often just said they would 58 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 1: scramble like a crazy squirrel if they started to fall back. 59 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: Then as if go stand on a trap door and 60 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: do your best to hold yourself up once it drops away. 61 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: I once had a pair of screw in tree steps 62 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: pull out at the exact same time, and let me 63 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: tell you, my reflexes weren't even close to good enough 64 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: to help me, and the busted rib I got from 65 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: the whole deal was a good reminder of that. A 66 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: general non scientific rule that I just made up says 67 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: that the heavier things are, the more gravity wants to 68 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: give those things a great, big gravity hug. You can't 69 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: escape it, and neither can your dog. In fact, if 70 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: you want to find out how a lot of hunting 71 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: dogs and probably a fair amount of non hunting dogs 72 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: get injured, it's usually something stupid like jumping off of 73 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: truck tailgate and landing. Wrong. With puppies, it's often when 74 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 1: a young kid holds them and immediately drops them when 75 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: they start to squirm or get a little nippy. Even 76 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 1: a drop of a foot from a toddler can injure 77 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: a pup. What's worse is that the heavier a dog is, 78 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: the higher the likelihood they might hit the ground hard 79 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: and in a way that might injure them. Now waight 80 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: is a touchy subject with dog owners because no one 81 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: thinks they have an overweight or an underweight dog. As 82 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: someone who spent so much time at the game fair 83 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: in the suburbs of the Twin Cities for years, giving 84 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: seminars and looking at hundreds of labs in golden and 85 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: gsps and various other breeds of dogs, I can tell 86 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: you that a lot of people have their blinders on 87 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: when it comes to their dogs. Underweight dogs are a thing, 88 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: but that's an easy remedy typically if there are no 89 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: underlying health conditions, which is my way of saying that 90 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: if you have a chronically underweight adult dog, you better 91 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: get it to the vet before deciding it just needs 92 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: some more kibble. Underweight pups, you know, they're somewhat more 93 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: common because some puppies just don't seem like they can 94 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: eat enough to keep up with their growing and often 95 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: moving bodies. Again, though, underweight as a diagnosis is hard 96 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: to pin down, and you might want to ask your 97 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: vet where your pup is at before you go on 98 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 1: this journey alone and think you can solve it just 99 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: by yourself. Now, a good way to think about dog 100 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: weight is just to simply look at them. Underweight dogs 101 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: will show their ribs when they move. Now, with some pointers, 102 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: this is kind of just what they look like, but 103 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: you don't want to see the ribs protruding so much 104 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: that they are super obvious. If you can see the 105 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:11,239 Speaker 1: outline of a dog's vertebrae, it's back, or its hips 106 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: protrude sharply. Then you're generally looking at an underweight dog. 107 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,040 Speaker 1: Head to the vet and get ready to offer that 108 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 1: dog some more food. Now, overweight dogs, they're a different story. 109 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: They are everywhere, and this is not a good thing. 110 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: Let's say you have a dog that should be fifty pounds, 111 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: a nice little English lab female. But what if that 112 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: dog is fifty five pounds. It won't look super fat, 113 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,719 Speaker 1: but it's ten percent overweight. Now what if that dog 114 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 1: gets to sixty pounds. Again, you might be able to 115 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: look right past the body shape to believe that the 116 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: dog is good enough shape. But that's twenty percent overweight, 117 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: which is a lot. Obese and overweight dogs live shorter 118 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: lives than their healthy weight counterparts. One study that I 119 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: found showed that this is a good way to shave 120 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: off about two years of a dog's life, which is 121 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: fourteen years and dog years. I also don't know a 122 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: single dog owner who wouldn't give a hell of a 123 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: lot to have two more years with their four legged bestie. 124 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: If you've ever put a dog down, ask yourself what 125 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: you would have paid in that moment to have another 126 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: twenty four months with that dog. Now, how do you 127 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: know your dog is overweight? Well, if someone you haven't 128 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: seen in a while calls your dog big chungus or 129 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: a first, your dog is one heck of a chonkster. 130 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: You might want to take the hint. A less insulting 131 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: way to figure this out is by looking at your dog. 132 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: Is there a noticeable cut right in front of the 133 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: hip but behind the ribs? Healthy dogs have trim look 134 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: to them, But maybe you have a shaggy haired golden 135 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: or some other breed where it's just not as obvious. 136 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: Then you got to feel their sides. Can you feel 137 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: the ribs? That's good. You don't want to be able 138 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: to see them, but you should be able to run 139 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: your fingers along their side and feel the ribs under 140 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: their skin. If you can't, like there's just a little 141 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: too much patting there, your dog is probably carrying too 142 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: much weight. Now, this is where people get defensive. But 143 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: it's not about us. It's not about you. It's about 144 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: the health of your dog and the reality that like 145 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: thirty to forty percent of domestic dogs are at some 146 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: level of being too heavy. It's that common and it's 147 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: not good, and no, you shouldn't hunt them into shape. 148 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: That would be like you deciding, after having not run 149 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: a single mile since middle school, to go from the 150 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: couch to a half marathon this week. Now, if that 151 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: isn't a recipe for some type of injury, I don't 152 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: know what is. The same rule apply to dogs, too, 153 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: although they are naturally a hell of a lot more 154 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: athletic than most of us are. So when people begrudgingly 155 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: accept the fact that their dog could stend to lose 156 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:14,160 Speaker 1: a few lbs, they often question how their super active 157 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,079 Speaker 1: dog could get overweight in the first place. After all, 158 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,719 Speaker 1: they are feeding, you know, responsibly. So let's go back 159 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: to that imaginary fifty pound female lab I mentioned earlier 160 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,959 Speaker 1: that dog, depending on activity level, will probably require about 161 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 1: seven hundred and nine hundred calories a day, you know, 162 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: maybe seven hundred in January and nine hundred in August 163 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: when the preseason training is really humming along. Now, that's 164 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: a pretty easy target to hit with dog food, because 165 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: you should be able to measure daily feedings in cups. 166 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 1: Hit that mark and it's all good, right. Well, if 167 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,839 Speaker 1: you've ever done any kind of diet where you had 168 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 1: to track your own calories. You know, it's not so simple. 169 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: It's all of those pesky in between calories get you. 170 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: It's not the chicken and rice and broccoli you have 171 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: for lunch. It's the seven handfuls of m and ms 172 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: you have well binging Yellowstone at night, or the granola 173 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: bars you just kind of absent mindedly munch on between 174 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:19,200 Speaker 1: your meals. For dogs, it's the treats. It's the pizza 175 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: crust we give them because they are just so damn 176 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 1: cute when they beg Now here's where things get tougher 177 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 1: to decipher. I'm just going to use this as an example, 178 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 1: but there are treats out there that promise health benefits 179 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: like I don't know, cleaner dog teeth and oral health 180 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: is a big issue with dogs, so it only makes 181 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 1: sense to give them something that will keep their chompers 182 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: clean and working properly. That's healthy, right, Well, some of 183 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: those treats come in at about eighty calories. That's around 184 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: ten percent of what that little lab would need for 185 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 1: the day. If that's just bonus calories, then you're adding 186 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: an extra five hundred and sixty calories a week just 187 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: sneaking into your through the idea of keeping your dog healthier. 188 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: In a bag of those treats, you're looking at about 189 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 1: a month's worth of them. That's an extra twenty five 190 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty calories for the month, which is going 191 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: to translate to about two thirds of an extra pound 192 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:16,439 Speaker 1: of weight. Since the dogs need to eat about thirty 193 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: five hundred extra calories to gain a single pound, not 194 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: a huge deal, right, Well, what about that pizza crust. 195 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: It's pretty easy to get to forty or fifty calories 196 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: and just pizza crust, which is the matter of flipping 197 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: your dog a snack and him eating it in half 198 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: of a second. Now, on that day, between a healthy 199 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: treat and a little indulgence because that dog's begging for it, 200 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 1: you're at fifteen percent extra on the calorie intake. What 201 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: about a slice of wheat bread eighty calories again, about 202 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: ten percent of what that little lab would need. This 203 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:54,959 Speaker 1: is sort of a death by a thousand paper cuts 204 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,320 Speaker 1: kind of thing, where we don't really see any one 205 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: small event as a big deal to our dog's health. 206 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: But it's the habits. It's those small events that stack 207 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:08,319 Speaker 1: up on one another that equal real weight on a dog, 208 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: and when it does, that dog has a greater chance 209 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: of developing diabetes and heart disease, and arthritis and joint issues, 210 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer that you 211 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: really don't want to have to deal with. Now you 212 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: might think, well, I can get away with spoiling my 213 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:27,960 Speaker 1: sweet little pupster because she works hard in training and 214 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: she never stops moving. It's true that activity level matters 215 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: a lot in the whole body weight equation. But it's 216 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 1: also true that we often give our dogs calories they 217 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: don't need that are also chock full of a bunch 218 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 1: of stuff they don't need. And it's also true, as 219 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: I mentioned earlier, that we are terrible at judging the 220 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: physical fitness of our own dogs. We're too biased, just 221 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,439 Speaker 1: like with ourselves. But it's not about us, as I mentioned, 222 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 1: and this is a point I feel I really need 223 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: to drive home. Our pets are subject to our shortfalls 224 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: in a variety of ways. We see this with socialization 225 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,560 Speaker 1: and discipline, we see it with training, and certainly with 226 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: their physical wellbeing. They don't have a choice, really, other 227 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:18,720 Speaker 1: than to eat what we give them, and if we 228 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: don't give them the right food in the right amounts, 229 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 1: that's on us. For whatever reason for making them less healthy. 230 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: Now there's another aspect of maintaining proper dog weight, which 231 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: is hard to understand. We think, well, my dog is 232 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: training more, so it deserves more food or treats. Maybe 233 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: what you have to do is make this less academic. 234 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: Stop thinking about what your dog might need because of 235 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: what you might need on any given moment of the day, 236 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: and start reacting to their body condition. The body doesn't lie. 237 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 1: A dog's weight and its shape don't lie. Now, this 238 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: is where it gets even a little bit trickier. If 239 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 1: you have to put weight on. It's about gradually increasing 240 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: food availability to get the dog to a healthy condition. 241 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: With taking weight off, there are a lot of options 242 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: and a lot of companies looking to make some money 243 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: off of you, just like in the human health world 244 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: when it comes to diets, and this is not a 245 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:19,880 Speaker 1: fast process, and it's a bad idea to try to 246 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 1: make it one. To lose a pound of weight, your 247 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: dog generally needs to get to a thirty five hundred 248 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: calorie deficit. This won't happen in three days, or at 249 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: least it shouldn't. To take ten pounds off of a dog, 250 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: you're looking at a thirty five thousand calorie deficit. That's 251 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: a month's long process. Now, you might get there by 252 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: offering up less kibble, or switching to a lower calorie 253 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: formula a kibble, or increasing exercise, but most likely it'll 254 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: be a little of all of the above over a 255 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: long time. Now, for dogs that are just slightly pudgy, 256 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,120 Speaker 1: this isn't a huge ask. It's a tweak to a 257 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: few things in your day to day life, and then 258 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: something that might happen within a month or two, but 259 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: a real reduction in way you're looking at managing your 260 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 1: dog's diet and exercise not only for months, but really forever. 261 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: Healthy weight is a moving target, and even if you 262 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: manage to thread the needle and hit it perfectly this month, 263 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,280 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean you can just go back to the 264 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: old habits as soon as the scale reads the right 265 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: poundage in the right moment. This is a lifestyle issue, 266 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: and that means it never really goes away. Now it 267 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: is easier to commit to and stick to once you 268 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: start to figure out what amount of food and exercise 269 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: is necessary to keep your dog at a healthy weight. 270 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: On paper, that's simple enough, but then you think about 271 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 1: asking your kids to feed the dog. They might not 272 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 1: measure that cup of kibble quite as closely as you do, 273 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: or they might think it's funny to flip your beloved 274 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: hunting dog a few half eaten chicken nuggets at dinner time. 275 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: Owning a healthy dog takes a whole family committed to 276 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: this same goal, which isn't as easy as it sounds. 277 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: And the same goes for treats. If you're super disciplined 278 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: on what your dog gets, but your wife is a 279 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: sucker for those big, sad brown eyes and a thin 280 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: thread of drool leaking from your dog's jowels, it's time 281 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 1: for a tough conversation. We think food equals love with dogs, 282 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: but it doesn't. We aren't some old school Southern family 283 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: getting together on a Sunday to mow down on grits 284 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: and fried chicken and gallons of gravy. This is a 285 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:36,000 Speaker 1: creature you love more than anything that doesn't know anything 286 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: about diet on exercise. It's totally subject to your whims 287 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: and guidance to whatever you provide. Everyone in the family 288 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: or your dog's life has to be on the same page. 289 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 1: If it seems like I'm being too dramatic here, ask 290 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: your vet the next time you bring your dog in. 291 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: Just how many dogs here she sees on any given 292 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: week that are overweight. It's a huge ish, no pun intended. 293 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,680 Speaker 1: While we might feel like we are punishing our dogs 294 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: by carefully tweaking their diet to dial in their weight, 295 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 1: we aren't. We are helping them to live longer and 296 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: have a better quality of life. Overall. We are helping 297 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: them hunt through another pheasant season, or grouse season or 298 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: duck season without having to retire early due to serious 299 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: joint pain or something worse like cancer. It's our responsibility 300 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: to them, and in return, they'll usually forgive you for 301 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 1: cutting them off of the dog biscuits and the pup 302 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: cups full of ice cream and anything else that really 303 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,240 Speaker 1: really they want a little taste of. We have to 304 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 1: look at them. We have to feel their ribs. We 305 00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: have to observe their energy levels while they're training or 306 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: going for a walk. We have to take their vets 307 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: opinion on their health seriously, even though we might take 308 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,679 Speaker 1: it a little too personally. If the report isn't that 309 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: we are dealing with the canine equivalent of Olympic gold medalist, 310 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: think about that as we creep from late summer into 311 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,040 Speaker 1: early fall, where a lot of us will ask our 312 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:05,680 Speaker 1: dogs to hunt doves or woodcock or early season teealer geese. 313 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 1: Think about that whether you have a high drive pointer 314 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 1: or a couch potato mutt who is mostly good for 315 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 1: a snuggle on the floor in a short walk around 316 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: the block, think about it for them, not for us, 317 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: and think about coming back in two weeks because I'm 318 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,399 Speaker 1: going to talk about how dogs don't teach dogs a 319 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: freaking thing, yet we kind of think they do. That's it. 320 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,160 Speaker 1: I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the Houndation's podcast. As 321 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: I always, thank you so much for listening for all 322 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: your support. If you want some more dog training advice, 323 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 1: or maybe you want to read an article about upland 324 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,560 Speaker 1: hunting or white tail hunting. Maybe you want to find 325 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: an interesting podcast like Clay Newcomb's Bear Grease to just 326 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:48,679 Speaker 1: fill in your drive time on the way to work, 327 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: head on over to the meadeater dot com. There's so 328 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 1: much different content there to help you kill your days, 329 00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:59,360 Speaker 1: burn some time on that drive and learn a thing 330 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: or two. And again, as I always just thank you 331 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: so much for your support. We all here at Media League, 332 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 1: we truly appreciate it, so thank you.