Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: 3 Ways To Control Springer Spaniel Weight

Springer Spaniels are active dogs, and provided
there are no health problems and they are
regularly wormed then spaniel weight should not
be an issue. A normal adult male English Springer
Spaniel weighs about 25 kg (50lbs), with the
bitch being a few pounds lighter. These weights
apply to the show dog bloodline - the working dog
bloodline is a bit more slender and fine boned.

These are smart animals, loyal and affectionate
and people love them - sometimes too much, and
therefore they often get more calories than they
need. You may not even know about it until you
see them getting overweight. Where does it all
come from?

Tip #1 - Cut Out Secret Feeding

If you have a family, then your children may be
feeding him extras without you knowing - secret
scraps from the table and secret treats. The
children need to understand that it is bad for
him. And, it's not only the children!

I once had a neighbour who threw scraps over the
fence (unknown to me) when our dog was in our
large garden. After a while I cottoned on when I
was cutting the grass and found odd pieces of
bone. He did love those lamb bones! I had a quick
word with our neighbor and Sam (our Welsh
Springer) lost out on his regular bones.

Tip #2 - Avoid Overfeeding

If you feed your dog yourself then you are able
to strictly monitor the quantities. If feeding
your dog is a shared responsibility (and it is
good for children to have chores likes this
involving animals) then you need to make sure
that the quantities your dog is getting are
strictly controlled.

Just a small increase in quantity of, say, cereal
for us (say a couple of spoonfuls) is not a lot
relative to our weight. However, the same
increase for a dog is a lot relative to their
body mass and the amount of energy they need on a
daily basis. It is easy to control when you have
to open one can of dog food for his meal, but the
addition of say, biscuit mix is more variable.
Our natural tendency is to see that he is fed
well and so a bit more gets put in his bowl. Ever
so slowly, his weight goes up and you wonder why!
So, portion control is essential if you want to
avoid spaniel weight gain.

Tip #3 - Balance Age and Diet

Older dogs - that is those moving from middle
into old age, say after about eight or nine years
of age - are less active and need adjustment to
their diet. This is done by cutting down on the
protein and the fat content relative to the
carbohydrate. This need to be done with care, so
that the balance of the diet is correctly
maintained. He will also need fewer calories as
activity levels fall. Discuss this with your
veterinarian who will know your dog and be able
to give you detailed advice. To lighten the load
on their digestion and make it more efficient,
you can divide their quantities of food in two
and serve as two meals, morning and evening.

Finally, do remember to weigh your spaniel
regularly, and record his weight. That way you
can see any trend to overweight developing.

----------------------------------------------------
There are several aspects to monitor in order to
control springer spaniel weight - find out more
at =>
http://www.springerspanieladvice.com/springer-span
iel-weight/ . Discover a lot more about their
care at => http://www.springerspanieladvice.com .
Written by a long term enthusiast and owner of
springer spaniels, rescue dogs and pups.

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=97071

>