Favorite things

Riley needs to lose another pound or two. So, okay, he needs to lose about 4-5 pounds. I was recently told that he has love-handles. How embarassing. I felt like someone was telling me I had cellulite. It's so hard not to feed your baby little tidbits of treats all the time. Especially since I am the type of person who grazes all day long, eating multiple times a day. So everytime he sees me put food in my mouth, why not him? When someone tells you your dog is over-weight though, you feel like a bad parent, like you've overindulged your child.

Part of the problem is that I continuously train with Riley. I keep him practicing his tricks, upping the anty, and in order to do this, I have to reward with edibles. Okay, he is actually quite responsive to just a clicker without any food, but I know how much he enjoys his treats, so the blame really just lies with me. Food is love. It's hard.

So tonight he is not getting his regular meal. Typically, he would eat a couple of turkey necks, or chicken backs and ground organs, pork and veggies, or his favorite - a buffalo tail. Tonight, I filled up a kong and let him go to town on it. 30 minutes later, he's still working on it. A kong is a hollow, rubber toy that can be filled with treats. Tonight, I filled it with some of his favorites (and some of his not-so favorite supplements).

Favorites: peanut butter, string cheese, dried liver treats
Supplements: Vit C, Kelp powder, fish oil, apple cider vinegar, crushed pumpkin seeds, and minced carrots

This way, he's getting some psychological stimulation and not feeling as if he's missed a meal. Calories are low (I use just enough peanut butter to hold things in) and palatability is high. Plus he gets all of the good stuff too!

Woofs and licks (as Toby and Lucy would say) to stuffed kongs!