Need to Take Weight Off my Dachshund
 

My mini dachshund cross needs to lose about 2lbs.

Currently eating Go! Salmon and Oatmeal. I had her on Acana etc before but wanted somethign with lower fat and that wouldn't give her runny poo.

In the morning she gets 1/4 c food along with 1 T Wellness 95% just to make it a bit less dry.

If I am going on walk or training in the evening I don't feed her another 1/4 c food, since the treats i use for training are enough.

I'm trying to find a lower cal training treat that is still going to be motivational. Currently use mostly Natural Balance Lamb/Turkey rolls...i've cut down my portion sizes to teeny tiny. I had been giving her larger pieces because when walking i could just throw it on ground and she could find it, otherwise i have to bend way down to put it in her mouth and can't keep the walking as fluid.

She also likes the dried liver. I try to cut them in 4ths. Chicken fillets are tolerated but not as incentivizing as the bologna rolls.

I COULD use a laser pointer to reward her but she gets so crazy about the laser pointer (it is like heroin to her) and i'm trying to train her to be LESS crazy when walking that I think it would be too much stimulation for her.

Any ideas? How long does it take a dachshund to lose weight anyway?:shrug:

will she eat carrots as a treat? sometimes a good ole marrow bone will satisfy her need to "chew" and it would be great for her teeth as well, just cut back a bit on her food...add a few veggies in place of it and maybe increase her walking a bit or vamp it up to a slow jog.

I have a tweenie doxie and he is muscular and trim, lots of long walks are key, I don't really use any treats or anything on my walks, he gets the occasional chewy. We take long walks and if you can find a area which is safe to off leash they get more exercise from running about chasing critters which is of course the favorite doxie activity. try and stay away from processed treats, dehydrated liver and chicken are good low calorie high reward items.

I don't know anything about your breed, but you could try just using her kibble as treats, that's what I often do when training, unless it is something big, like working with my girl and her fears and then we use extra special treats.

I'm trying to do 3 days a week of 1 hour off leash walking. I have a big quarry behind my house so dogs can't escape and is nice and flat for tearing around. I bring a ball with me and the killdeer also help them exercise by luring the dogs around. After 30 minutes of top speed racing they are ready to head home.

I know the dogs are tired when i jog home and they don't run out in front of me.

Also I'm getting a fence for the yard this week so that should help too. I think with the food change and more exercise she should drop the lbs.

Now if I only had 2lbs to lose!

has she lost any yet?

rd the best i have found

Switching her to a grain-free diet should help her to trim up as grain-free diets are lower in carbohydrates. All dogs (and cats) should be fed grain-free diets as their systems can't process grains very well anyway. This includes things like canola oil and flax seed/oil as well.

I also like kibble for "treats". If they are luring enough, then cut the morning feeding in half so she's hungry when it's time to train. =]

Love my dachshunds!
 

Hey Violagirl,

I puppy-sat my best friend's two dachshunds for a couple of months. They were at a great weight, I rarely see dachshunds that aren't sporting a little extra ;)
The trick is to get a food with quality ingredients so the dogs don't need to eat as much food to meet their nutritional needs.

Of course, nothing beats a walk/run and with the their little bitty feet, it doesn't take much to give them a little exercise.

Good luck!