Regardless of age, the best way to help your dog lose weight is to keep it active. But how will you know that your dog’s weight is above the healthy level? You should weigh it often. Weighing your dog at home may be easier than you think as dogs won’t mind stepping on the scale. However, you must first teach it how to stand on the scale.
Here is a simple guide on how to teach dogs to sit on the bathroom scale to be weighed. You can practice these tips every day, and your life with your pet will be easier, simpler, and so enjoyable.
Knowing How to Weigh Your Dog at Home Without Much Fuss
If you know how often you want to weigh your dog between the vet’s visits, you should determine how active would you like to keep your dog. If your dog is on a weight loss plan, you should take the weight always before you hit the road. This is very important and gives you a rough idea of what type of weight routine your dog needs.
Choose the Best Way to Weigh
With a routine in mind, you can start training your dog on how to step on the weight long enough for you to take its weight. The options for teaching your dog are numerous and will include these.
Use a Dog Trainer
Many dog trainers are usually available to help your dogs to learn their skills fast. From basic skills such as sitting, standing, fetching, jumping, and stopping, to attacking, a professional dog trainer will be able to teach your dog what to do while on a weighing scale. They can either teach them to stand or sit on the scale.
Make it a Routine
If your dog is still young and can be carried and held on a scale for a few minutes, you can always do that and take its weight. However, this should be done after specific activities such as a walk in the park or a bath so that your dog can learn to appreciate it as a great routine that suits them.
Be the Guider
This is a simpler and more result-oriented weighing option for your dog. It needs you to follow the following simple guideline.
Put your bathroom scale on a hard and level surface
- Step on the scale and then step out to ensure it is set to zero (accurately).
- Step back on the scale and take your weight.
- Record your weight preferably on a paper cut around.
- Carry your dog and step back on the weighing scale.
- Take the overall weight now that of your dog + yours.
- Write the weight down on a piece of paper too.
- Subtract your weight from that of the (dog + you).
- The result should give you the exact weight of your dog.
Use a Dog Scale
Dog sizes will differ. If you have a very large dog such as a German Shepard, you can always buy a dog scale and substitute it for your small digital bathroom scale. Dog scale has the freedom of space and will allow your dog to stand plainly and simply.
Start Them Early
Starting your dog on a scale early makes it easy for them to adjust and love the scale more. This is very important if you want to weigh your dog at home easily and more frequently. It should become a way of life for them, and you should instill it.
What Tips Should You Keep in Mind When Weighting Your Dog?
There are some tips that every dog owner should keep in mind if they have their dog on a weighing routine. They include the following ones.
- It is important to use the same scale always. Different scales have different ac-curacies and could easily give you different margins of errors. The result of this is a wrong weight reading/ tracking.
- Always weigh your dog before they eat. A dog’s exact weight can be easily messed up if you choose to weigh them on a full stomach. Crazy as it sounds food will add up a dog’s weight.
- You should also have a routine for weighing your dog. Just like you track your weight by weighing yourself after every half an hour, a dog needs the same space to be able to track realistic weight. Every two days before a bath would be ideal.
- Before you weigh your dog, it is very important that you confirm the accuracy of the scale. If your scale is not accurate, you can adjust it. Doing this prevents you from having the wrong reading.
- To prevent your dog from developing a phobia for scales, it is usually very important that you start weighing your dog when they are still a puppy so that it can love the experience.
When Should Your Dog Be Weighed?
Your dog can be weighed at any time that you choose. Keeping track of your dog’s weight is as healthy as taking them up for a routine checkup at the vet’s office. However, certain moments will stand out more.
If your dog is on a weight loss program, it is essential that you keep track of its weight. This will leave you with a clear picture of what you have achieved and how far you are from your goal.
Additionally, if your dog is old or has chronic illnesses, it is very important to help them maintain a healthy weight. This means taking their weight more frequently to determine if they are on the right path of medication.
Conclusion
Any dog owner, who wants to keep their dog healthy, must choose to make sure that they provide their dogs with very important service that the dog needs. The best options include taking their weight, feeding them well, and making sure that they visit the vet.