When dogs don’t get the regular workout that they need, they tend to put on weight. And when their owners feed them more than they should, the dogs become overweight.
Dogs don’t gain weight by their own fault. That’s what the Filmore family realized when their mini Shar-pei Niko became overweight.
Niko weighed 50 pounds. And because he was overweight, the wrinkles on the skin that Shar-peis typically have could no longer be seen. The only wrinkles he had were near his neck; those along his body were gone.
The Filmore family sought advice from a dog training expert, who visited them to see Niko and learn about his daily activities. He found out that the dog wasn’t getting enough exercise, if at all. The family reasoned that Niko was too lazy to exercise or even play.
But was Niko lazy? The dog often lay down on the floor or on the bed with his humans. However, he wasn’t lazy. His body was becoming heavy for him to move around. Plus, he didn’t get enough motivation for physical activity.
The dog trainer gave Niko a weight loss program that the Filmore family needed to participate in. He set a prescribed time and frequency for Niko’s daily walks. He also cut back Niko’s food intake.
To motivate the family to take part in the program, he gave them a board where they could record what they did and how often. However, when he came back after a few weeks, there was little activity on the board, and Niko still looked the same.
He explained to the family how important it was for them to work together to help their dog achieve a healthy weight. This time, the family members decided they would each do their part to help their dog become healthy.
When the dog trainer returned after a few weeks, he saw that Niko had lost significant weight. He also moved faster now. Upon weighing the dog, the dog trainer was pleased that Niko reached his target weight of 42 pounds.
By working together, Niko’s family helped him lose 8 pounds and motivated him to be more active. See their story in the video below.
Source: Animal Planet via YouTube
