The past two years of Willow's puppyhood has taught me several things; don't leave electronics within her reach, always have a tight grip on the leash in squirrel infested territory, and exercising her includes walking when it's pitch black out and below freezing.
Another fun lesson I've become well-versed in is weight management. My food obsessed lab packs on the pounds like a college kid being introduced to alcohol and the all-you-can-eat buffet that is a meal plan. At one year old Willow tipped the scales at 80 lb. Her frame was smaller than our 70 lb. lab and she had 10 lbs on him, so I started her on a special weight control kibble.
After months of balancing diet/exercise and treats we had her at a healthy 70 lb. Then came baby. A combination of shorter walks and a dramatic increase in treats caused Willow to weigh in at 84 lb. That was a 14 lb weight gain from her lowest weight! I tried to explain the situation to the vet, but clearly there was no excuse. "Get her under control before the baby starts feeding her treats," was her response. The "healthy" treats she recommended were already on Willow's yummy list, but I had to find a time-consuming way to incorporate them. We didn't give Willow treats just to make her happy, they were given to her to entertain her. The number one treat was the marrow bone stuffed with peanut butter. Knowing how peanut butter can make me chunky, if eaten in large amounts, I decided to cut back on them. Here are the treats that kept Willow entertained without the pound producing side effects.
1) Baby carrot sticks stuffed in a marrow bone. Lodging the carrots in the bone in a way she would have to work to get them out was tricky. The other downside was that carrots just weren't as enticing as peanut butter. Once I added the slightest dab of peanut butter on the carrots in the bone it turned into 30 minutes of carrot-licking fun.
2) Kong or bone stuffed with low fat yogurt (make sure there aren't chemicals in the yogurt I prefer Stonyfield) and frozen. Sure it's messy and time consuming to put together, but the reward of being able to sit on the couch while the dog entertains herself is worth it.
3) Ball with one single treat it. The treat was large enough that Willow couldn't get it out. She pushed it around the house for nearly an hour, trying to figure out how to get the scrumptious prize. When she called it quits, I felt bad for how hard she worked and moved the treat far enough out of the ball so that she could grab it herself. You have to make sure there is a reward for all the work or they won't put in the effort a second time around.
It works to my advantage that Willow likes carrots, yogurt and cucumbers. I can even slice up the carrot or cucumber and substitute some of her dinner with them. She's still eating enough to fill her up and the carrots take longer for her to chew. It's all about the rate of consumption when it comes to food and treats. If she doesn't have to work for it, or if it won't entertain her, she's not getting it.
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