New Year resolution: Spend less time on your dog beds

You might have a New Year resolution for yourself, getting in the gym, start eating your five a day etc, even maybe losing weight? We all know how difficult these resolutions can be to keep, mainly because it all comes down to ones’ own will power. But you might be surprised by the somewhat sad statistics about dogs’ fitness in UK. Have a look at those bodies lying on the dog beds in your house: are they fit and slim dogs? Apparently recent findings show that 30 – 60% of dogs in UK are overweight or obese. I have no doubt this is all down to love, but it’s love channeled the wrong way. Titbits and lots of yummy food is so nice to give to your dogs, but the truth is that they end up suffering from it, not only because of obesity, but also because of bad teeth. Sugar also rots dog teeth, but the worst is the build up of scale from all the “soft” treats.

So you just have to re-direct your love for your dogs and give them walks and runs instead of treats and food. The good news is that slimming a dog takes much less will power than slimming yourself and the results will come quick and consistent. Waterproof dog beds assures that you don’t have a problem coming home with soggy dogs making the beds soggy, you can run them  once, twice or three times a day in wet weather and their great dog beds will remain dry and insulating.

The PDSA’s annual well-being report has shown that pet obesity levels are continuing to increase and 80% of vets and vet nurses now predict that the majority of pets will be overweight in the next five years. In some ways a big fat cat looks cute, but it’s not good for the cat. A fat dog, sorry, but in my opinion, it looks awful. There is no cute, fat dog. You should be able to clearly see the waist behind the rib-cage and the tummy should go up when looking from the side. I have three lazy looking working dogs lying here in the office on their extremely comfortable dog beds, but they are by no means fat. They go out every day in a large garden, where they love running and playing and they go for long walks with me or they go out on hunting days where they really need their fitness. Nothing is nicer than to see your fit dogs run, enjoying how much and fast they can move. I put them back on their comfortable dog beds in the back of the truck and I know they love lying there, warm and happy after a good day’s running.

In terms of teeth, I always feed a lot of raw food, especially raw bones, which helps scraping off the scales that might build up on their teeth. I feed chunks of tripe, but also  whole deer heads when I can get hold of them from a game keeper. In the outdoor kennels, where they have waterproof dog beds with extra Luxury Fleece covers, they drag these heads in and chew them. Somehow it does not create a terrible stink, but I can wash the covers and hose down the beds if I want anyway.