Hi,

Just thought I'd leave a quick post to say that those pics are fab, I wish I could convince my eldest to swim!!

I don't blame you for wanting to still give him treats, but I was just wondering if you'd thought of giving him low fat treats, especially for dogs who are prone to gaining weight?
- You probably already have, but I thought I'd suggest it anyway!

Well done to both of you!
Happy swimming!!!

A horse pool? Is that for exercising horses? Never heard of them. I would like to take him to Moira canal for a swim as there is a ramp down into the water at one end so he doesn't have to jump

I'm near Swadlincote, near Burton upon Trent, and no, Benji is not going in the river there

I am using up the treats we already have but after that I will look around for some low fat ones, he loves Winalot treats, they do a low fat sort so I'll probably be getting them.

Thanks for all the replies!
Happy walking, Emma.

well i call it a horse pool as they swim horses in it, from race horses, to lame horses, dogs etc. The pool is used to get the animals fit, excercise, injuirys etc

Thanks for explaining, do you have to pay to use it?

Like Inca I've heard good things about Burns High Oats, but exercise has got to be the key. A friend has a Spaniel and regularly gives him 2-3 hours a day. These are working dogs, so 1 hour a day probably isn't enough.
Ours needs a lot, and we're fortunate in having a country park nearby where she can chase rabbits and squirrels to her hearts content (fortunately never caught one!!

Hi, unfortunately I don't have the time to give Benji much more than 1-2 hours a day. At the moment I am taking him to the park in the morning for half an hour, where I throw his ball and generally try to get him moving in the tennis courts Then he has about an hours walk at night.

He gets lots of play in the garden in between walks, in the last week he has seemed quite content with this new regime and is looking a little slimmer around the tummy area

If only I could trust him enough to let him off the lead on the park, that's all he wants, to run with other dogs but his mind goes when I want him to come back

Thanks for the reply, Emma.

i pay £5 and swim lucy for half a mile which takes about half an hour!

Plucked up the courage yesterday and let Benji off the lead at the park, he was brilliant. I took a toy to throw for him and he really enjoyed it, in fact so did I

Saw something distressing this afternoon, a Bassett Hound was walking up to Benji of its lead, seemed placid, just wanted to say hello. They had a little sniff of each other then the owner grabbed its tail and pull it away I couldn't believe what I was seeing, I imagine they are weighty dogs, its tail could easily be broken by doing that surely?

It's a big thing, letting them loose, isn't it? Not unlike letting the kids have their freedom
It took a friend to do it with ours when she was babysitting her. Then having been assured that everything would be fine, we plucked up courage!
There's no doubt a dog runs miles further off a lead than you could ever walk them in 30 mins - and they look so much better for it!
I'm sure you'll start to see a difference soon - if he enjoys chasing a toy or ball, he'll want you to throw it again, and again etc!
He probably won't need so many treats - have you tried a bit of raw carrot (sweet and crunchy and usually work, I find)?

Yes, it is a big thing, there are so many exits to the park, that's the main concern but he only has eyes for his ball - and his "girlfriend" a rottweiller! All has gone well so far and I'm very proud of him, he doesn't even need encouraging with a treat. He is doing well with "stay" so I say that and he waits for me to get to him

Yes, he likes carrots but they have to be whole! I'm glad to say that cutting down on the gravy bones is working, I just give him one when we come back from our morning walk as a treat for being good, then he has his dinner at night, maybe a treat later and a dental stick at night. He is certainly looking a little thinner around the stomach area