Week 4 Day 1

Well done on completing the first fortnight of your WAGSTA activity plan. 

How is your dog doing? Regular activity may be a big change from your dog’s usual routine, in which case it can take a little time for both you and your dog to adjust. For this reason, WAGSTA’s activity increments are kept quite small. Should your dog be struggling to keep pace, please reach out through your coaching group.

Have you noticed effects of regular activity on your dog yet? Are there changes in your dog’s behavior? We’d love to hear about it in your coaching group!

For many dogs, daily outings can do wonders for solving boredom and anxiety type issues. These outings also strengthen your owner-dog bond. Use your walks as opportunity to practice obedience and to introduce some basic commands.

Off-leash Fun!

This week we introduce 5 minutes off-leash exercise into your dog’s walking schedule. This may be incorporated into all workouts from now.

Off-leash exercise provides your dog added opportunity to run, stretch their legs, investigate and have a good sniff around. It is excellent for mental stimulation and is a great time to practice your dog’s recall.

Off leash exercise should only be considered if you have access to a safe area such as an off-leash dog park or other suitable areas away from roads. Off-leash exercise should be restricted to dogs that heel when called. Even when off leash, your dog must remain under your control.

Off leash exercise is optional and is not suited to every dog. If keeping your dog on-leash please replace the off-leash session with active walking.

Please upload your Week 3 activity tally below. Then check out Week 4’s activity plan on your dashboard.

Game of the Week: Round Robin

This is a great game for the whole family to get involved in. Not only does it provide physical and mental exercise for your dog, it is excellent for honing your dog’s recall skills.

You will need a minimum of two people playing. The more the better.

• Call your dog to you and praise him when he arrives. Reward your dog with a quick pat or cuddle, with their favorite toy or a healthy treat.
• Then another person calls the dog over. Again, reward your dog with praise.
• Players take turns to call the dog over.
• Players then change their location to keep the dog guessing where he should run to next. The aim of the game is to keep your dog listening and mentally alert.
• The faster and more upbeat the game- the more fun and exercise for everyone. 5 minutes should be enough to get everybody’s heart pumping!
•  If your dog needs motivation, consider using some of your dog’s daily food portion or some healthy vegetable treats as an enticement to play.

The Emotions of Doggy Dieting

All weight loss journeys are filled with wide ranging emotions. When it comes to dieting a loved one for whom we are responsible, emotions are heightened.

Love, determination, guilt, and overwhelm….

Whatever you are experiencing, acknowledge this as a normal part of dog ownership and dieting! 

Recognize your emotions and pay attention to how they impact on your dog’s weight loss journey.

This week’s mindset video takes a look at the emotions of love and guilt and how these impact our feeding behavior.

Are you allowing your emotions to impact your dog’s weight?

(Jump to 00:17 to skip intro. Tap cc for captions.)

Woofs and wags,

Your WAGSTA team.