Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Ask Toto #53

Dear Toto,

My dog is fat.  There's no two ways about it.  I love her no matter how she looks, but she's fat in a way that the vet has gently encouraged me to do something about it.  Do you have any thoughts in terms of an exercise routine that all dogs would jump at the chance to do (preferably a bunch of times)?

- Pooch has got some Pounds

Hi PP!

Boy, I totally hear you about the weight thing. A dog's life can be really cushy, you know. Eat, sleep, get up, wag tail, eat, sleep, get up, wag tail.

It's great that you love your dog so much that they don't have to do much in the way of physical activity. And you could always check to see if there's a lower calorie dog food that your vet recommends to feed your dog.  But, as with so much in life, a good life routine includes some kind of daily sustained physical movement.  

But it can be tough for a pleasantly plump poochie to start a routine when they've never had to do so.  So try these few steps:

1. a simple walk.  Start off slow, maybe just down the block.  Then increase the distance a little bit at a time when they've got it down.  You might be surprised, your dog probably would love the chance to explore new surroundings.



2. Chase your dog around the house.  Most dogs are instinctively programmed to love the game tag and chase.  Give it a shot.

3. Have the dog chase the cat around the house. Because the cat has probably done something bad and needs to have a good scare.

4. If your dog resists all attempts to play and walk, bring out the big guns.  BACON.  Lure your dog on a walk, or chasing around the house by using bacon as bait.  This will probably work for you and him. The question is, who gets to eat the bacon first.

Good luck and thanks for the question!

Do you have a question for Ask Toto? Send him your queries at thedogtoto@yahoo.com

Thursday, April 10, 2014

The Secret About Tummy Rubs

So I'm gonna do you all a favor and clue everyone in on a secret - The Secret About Tummy Rubs.

It is totally true that all dogs love a good tummy rub.  Every dog's Achilles' Heel is a tummy rub, have no doubt.  Cats don't dig it in the same way and that's because Evil hates feeling Good. Obviously.

But what's the flip side of a tummy rub?

A BACK SCRATCH.

So when you see your lovable pooch twisting and turning on their back, or a half moon stretch on the carpet and it looks like they're just DYING for a tummy rub?  They probably are, and by all means, please move over there and relieve that tummy rub ache ASAP.


But!  They're probably also scratching their back.

it's the best of both worlds.  You rub their tummy, and they scratch their back.

Do it for your poochie!  Do it because you love them!  TummyRubs and BackScratches 24/7!!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!

This has been a public service announcement from your dog.  If they could talk.  I'm speaking for us all. :)