Week 9 Day 1
Congratulations on achieving your second milestone!
Is your anticipation building? Can’t wait to see how your efforts have paid off this past fortnight? Well neither can we! Get ready to weigh-in, measure-up and celebrate your 2nd milestone….
Remember, your dog’s fortnightly weigh-ins are the most important part of this program. Not only do they track your dog’s weight loss progress but regular weight checks help us remain objective.
As pet parents, our love for our dogs often makes it difficult to remain objective. So much so, that many of us struggle to recognize just how overweight our dogs have become!
In this week’s mindset video Dr Charlotte delves into this common affliction. She has have termed it, Familiarity Dysmorphia after having suffered a bout of it herself!
Is Familiarity Dysmorphia impairing your judgement? Find out below….
(Jump to 00:17 to skip intro. Tap cc for captions.)
Give yourself a pat on the back!
Let’s take 5 minutes to remind ourselves just how much we are helping our dogs. The positive affects we are having on our dog’s well-being are not to be sniffed at (excuse the pun!)
Your dedication towards your WAGSTA program is being rewarded by:
- Improvements to your dog’s mobility
- Improvements to your dog’s stamina and energy levels
- Improvements to your dog’s mental alertness
- Increasing your dog’s drive for play
- Improving your dog’s engagement with family
- Improving your dog’s quality of sleep
- Maximising your dog’s life expectancy (by up to 2 years!)
- Reducing stress on your dog’s heart
- Reducing stress on your dog’s respiratory system
- Alleviating stress on your dog’s back and joints
- Reducing your dog’s risk of diabetes
- Reducing your dog’s risk of arthritis and alleviating symptoms of arthritis
- Reducing the risk of traumatic joint injuries e.g. ruptured cruciate ligaments
- Reducing your dog’s risk of heat stroke
- Reducing your dog’s risk of cancer
- Reducing your dog’s anesthetic and surgery risks
- Reducing aches and pains
In summary, you are rewarding your dog’s love and companionship in the very best way possible. By enabling your dog to enjoy life to the full!
Well done on reaching your second milestone and keep up the great work. This is definitely a cause for celebration!! Let us know how you celebrate 🙂
Game of the Week – Buried Treasure Hunt!
Most dogs love digging, so let’s incorporate digging into your dog’s play schedule in the form of a treasure hunt! As well as providing a fantastic workout, this game stimulates doggy minds no end!
This game can be played in sand or snow, depending on season, locality and your dog’s preference. You could even consider setting up a small plastic sandpit at home.
- Select some treasure: your dog’s favorite toy or a tasty healthy treat e.g. carrot, kibble.
- Bury the treasure in front of your dog.
- Once you have buried the treasure, encourage your dog to dig it up. You may need to join in on the first few occasions, so your dog gets the idea of your “dig” command.
- Give plenty of praise once your dog retrieves their treasure. Repeat.
Once your dog gets the idea, it is time to bury the treasure without your dog watching. Then your dog can go on a proper treasure hunt, giving their nose and paws a real workout!
NB: This game is not advisable for dogs with shoulder, elbow or back soreness.
Woofs and wags,
Your WAGSTA team.