Is your dogs weight affecting their behaviour?

Now this is something that should really be a bit of common sense, its the same with us humans.

If we are carrying a bit too much weight it affects our health and can affect our behaviour. While it wont affect a dogs mental health like it does with us humans it can definitley affect them in other ways.

a range of dogs

An overweight dog is at risk of multiple illnesses; heart problems, diabetes, just like us humans. Not only this but the same as us humans it puts extra pressure on their joints, and their organs. All of which can cause our dogs pain. What happens when we are in pain? We can be grumpy and less tolerant to those around us.

Not only this but when we have a bad diet and are overweight it can cause us to become sluggish, it means we have less energy and are less likely to get appropriate exercise.

So if your dog is playing up, being reactive, causing you issues. Not only should a vet check be our first port of call but we should be checking their weight. Is their food appropriate? Have we moved them over from puppy food at the correct time to make sure they arent getting too many calories.

A dog should always be a healthy weight. They should have a hip dip, we should be able to feel their bones but not see them, they should have muscle definition. If you cant see any of these on your dog, are they fluffy? If not then it may be time to consult a vet.