Christina Shusterich owner NY Clever K9 Inc. in New York recommends the following tips to make sure your pet maintains a healthy weight and fitness level:
 

Team Up: Prepare for the beach season with the perfect workout buddy – your pet. You and your pet can get fit, stay healthy and bond by exercising together.
 

Stay Active:  Daily aerobic exercise at the start of the day will not only help your dog stay healthy, but it will also help keep them calm and reduce anxiety throughout the day.

Set a Limit: Don’t leave food out all day for your dog to continually graze. Many dogs will eat simply out of boredom. Upon feeding, have your pet earn their food by performing an obedience command like “sit.” It is best to leave your pet’s food out for 15 – 20 minutes and then take it away.

Social Butterfly:  One great way for pets to stay active is to play with other pets, whether it’s at doggy daycare, at the park, or at home. These are great ways to have fun, train and bond with your pet as well as socialize with other pet owners and pets. If you’re looking to add another pet to your family, a site like Kijiji, which fosters local connections, makes it easy to welcome the perfect pet into your home. In fact, there are currently over 2,400 listings in the pets category on NewYork.Kijiji.com. Kijiji also hosts a Pet Adoption category, where many local shelters advertise pets.

Treats Count:  Be aware that treats are food and therefore need to be calculated into your pet’s total daily food intake.

Appropriate Measure: Portion guidelines on pet food bags are just that – general guidelines. Check with your veterinarian to identify the appropriate amount of food for your pet.

Shower Your Pet with Love: Do not confuse feeding your pet with showing affection. Try using a scratch behind the ears or a game of catch as incentive instead of food.

Give Your Pet Some Space: If your dog is not trained to come off leash and you do not have access to a fenced in area, try using a 20′ or 30′ leash to give your dog plenty of room to run.

Introduce Slowly: If you decide to change your pet’s food, introduce the new food gradually, increasing proportions of the new food over several days to avoid stomach upset. For instance, on the first day provide your dog with 3/4 of the old food and 1/4 of the new food and gradually increase.

Double Duty: Chose treats that provide nourishment as well as target your pet’s specific health needs. For example, hypoallergenic treats are great for dogs with allergies and dental treats can clean teeth and freshen breath

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