Hmmm... this could be tricky... but if it were me... I'd go for the truth. His girlfriend is worried about him not getting enough to eat... I'd tell her about the dangers of having an overweight dog. Make her see that it's worse than not getting enough to eat... even though I think 2 cups a day plus marrow bones and kongs is more than plenty.

OR... that Blue needs to have more exercise... and they could probably stay with the same amount of food.

Just explain that it's bad for his joints.

I probably haven't helped... I'm sorry.

 

Actually, you're right - I think I should talk directly to his gf (we get along really well) instead of trusting my bro to do it right. He'd probably say something like "we need to feed blue less" and then not explain anything about WHY they need to feed Blue less.

I've pretty much given up hope that they'll start walking Blue more often. I think that's partly why he's gotten fatter - once I couldn't walk Ranger, I stopped taking Blue on our mid-day hour long walks. Even if they cut back to 3 cups a day, he'd probably lose weight. Poor porkie fellow.

 

2 60 to 90 minute walks a WEEK?

must be a TON of playtime, we do 2 x 45 minutes a day. occasionally getting in a 60 minute walk here nad htere depending on who is out and about.

 

I know it's not a lot...everyone in my family has talked to my bro over and over about how and why he needs to walk his dog more. He figures he doesn't need to because Blue is generally calm and never destructive in the house. I felt so bad for Blue that when I could, I walked him with Ranger on one of our daily walks.

 

I know how you feel. My parents GR is about 8-10 lbs overweight and while they keep telling me to feed my dog because he is so "skinny" (he's not too skinny, he is lean and ideal), I'm constantly telling them to cut back on his food. I watched him for a month last year when they were in Australia and I did the 10 calories of food per pound of ideal weight/day, took him for lots of walks, and he probably lost 2-3 lbs that month. The first thing they said was "Wow, Skoker looks great! What did you do?" when I told them I just fed him less and took him for lots of long daily walks, they quickly changed the topic. I've tried to mention it a number of times without hurting their feelings but they just get defensive and tell me that I'm not feeding Molson enough. :doh:

 

My son was a very skinny kid and as an adult has worked very hard to have a heavier body (yeah, I know, it's the opposite of what most people have to do. When he got Brooks, he projected this need to eat onto Brooks (who is technically his dog). He sounded much like your brother's girlfriend in that he wanted Brooks to be fed exactly on time and was always overfilled the measuring cup when he fed Brooks (despite my asking him to feed Brooks less).
Just wondering if there is a story behind your brother's girlfriend being obsessed with the dog getting enough food.

 

I was at my SIL's Wednesday and she has 2 very overweight Pugs. They both look like if you stuck them with a pin they'd pop. I did say something about them being fat but she just said "they don't eat very much". Well, obviously they eat more than they need or they wouldn't be fat. I don't think people realize that they are shortening their dogs lives by allowing them to over eat.

 

Well, my mom was in charge of dog-sitting Blue all weekend and took him out for two 45 min walks a day and I brought Ranger over so they could play all day. My brother and his gf sometimes complain about Blue following them around and staring at them at night (hint: he's bored!) and he'll typically wander around a lot during the night. After two 45 min walks a day, guess what? Blue was NOT wandering around bored. He was curled up in a little ball and slept soundly both nights.

My mom was trying to talk to bro's gf gently about walking him more - saying that she couldn't stand not walking Blue when he was looking at her so sadly and saying how much he got walked and how well he slept all weekend. I hope it worked. Not just for his weight but the poor guy is SO bored. Bro's gf was over one night and she was amazed at how Ranger just laid on the ground then eventually went to bed. Ranger gets enough exercise and mental stimulation during the day so he's tired by 7pm! Not like poor Blue who keeps wandering around looking for something to do.

I think part of the problem is neither my bro or gf are very active. Though gf has started going to the gym recently which blows my mind. I'd rather walk/run with my dog than drive to the gym - no question!

I'll mention the "leaner dogs live longer" again and talk to my bro about it...I really wish they'd walk their dog more but if they won't, they need to cut back on his food. One or the other (in a perfect world, it'd be both) to keep Blue healthier.

 

Dory's figure looks just the same as Blue's right now. When I took her to get her staples out Thursday I asked the vet if he thought she was getting a little overweight. He said she could lose a pound or two. Of course that's not surprising, considering she wasn't allowed to play for a while and still ate all her meals.

 

To tell you the truth I'm not sure you should soft pedal it as much as you are. If you feel you are able to be honest with your brother's g/f then why not just ask her if she understands that she is literally killing her dog.
Tell her that dogs' lives are too short as it is and to shorten Blue's life by even 5 minutes seemed unfair to everyone including HER!

I'm not suggesting you be cruel, it's just that making statements like leaner dogs live longer is just not pointed enough. You're just stating a known fact without making the connection.

Then why not ask her about the gymn? Perhaps she'll tell you she needs the rigour of the environment, etc. Perhaps you can suggest she add a mandatory brisk 2 mile walk every day after the gymn and before she showers with Blue to her routine. Who knows she may discover what you already know - that it's more fun to excercise with your dog that without.

Good luck to you and especially to Blue!

 

Success! I talked to my brother and explained very bluntly that he was shortening Blue's life and putting excess strain on his joints by having extra weight on him at a young age. Bro asked me how much he should be feeding Blue and I suggested he cut it back to 3 cups a day to start instead of 4 cups a day. I tossed him a 1/2 cup measuring cup and he's now using it to measure out Blue's food (he's the primary feeder, I guess).

Next step will be talking to him and his gf about walking Blue more. I like the idea of suggesting a two mile walk would be a perfect warm up for the gym! Hopefully he'll start to drop the pounds now that he's only getting 3 cups instead 4!

 

I dunno...I'd just e-mail him what you wrote above and give it to him straight out. Then again, I constantly shoot my mouth off about overweight dogs...

 

That's great that your brother is cutting back on his food. I think sometimes people don't understand that a growing puppy needs to eat a lot more than a full grown dog. It just seems so counter intuitive to give a larger dog less food than a puppy.

Rookie is an active, healthy 68 pounds and he only eats about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups a day of a high protein food.

 

You may also want to share this link with them:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-evaluate-your-dogs-weight.html

 

Well, good news everyone who helped me and replied to this thread! My brother and I talked about Blue's weight and especially how Blue isn't going to have Ranger to play with so my brother can't depend on that anymore.

We set up a plan to try to get Blue used to not coming over here. Itinvolves my brother walking Blue in the morning for at least 30 - 45 minutes and then a stuffed kong to keep him entertained around 11am since that's the time Blue's gotten used to coming over. I guess he starts to whine and fuss around then. So a big walk before that and a stuffed kong at 11am (I showed my brother how to stuff them and freeze them to last up to 2 hours) and then another walk in the afternoon.

I sat my brother down and told him that JUST relying on play is a bad way to exercise your dog since it doesn't do much. He asked me how much I play with Ranger and I said hardly at all - he walks and we do obedience sessions. I think that surprised my bro; pretty sure he thought playing was just as good as walking. Anyway, we're going to get a little backpack for Blue to make his walks more productive (it'll be empty for a few months since Blue is still young) and hopefully Blue is okay!

The best news?? My brother isn't even waiting for next week (move day) to start it! He's been walking Blue all this week, close to an hour in the mornings, and has cut Blue's food down to 3 cups a day. Blue's already looking leaner! AND I mentioned to my brother that Blue seemed less "wandering" and whiny...and that's when he 'fessed that he'd already started walking him! Bro and gf are already noticing a big reduction in Blue's attention-getting behaviour at home, like walking around, staring at them, and whining. I'm not sure why my brother all of a sudden decided to believe me when I'd been telling him this for MONTHS, but I'm glad he is!! Thanks again everyone! My family is so happy Blue's finally getting the RIGHT attention that he deserves!

 

Well done - you've already extended his life immeasurably.

 

It's great that they are already seeing good changes in Blue, that will motivate them to keep it up.

A better life for a good dog, very well done indeed!

 

Congrats on the huge improvements you made possible for your furry nephew!

 

That's such awesome news! And once they start to see the advantages for themselves as well, they will be hooked. One of my favourite parts of the day is walking Katie. I never stop smiling as she is always doing something cute...and I meet so many great people.
They will begin to want to show Blue off in the neighbourhood!!

Way to go!!

Kim