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Doggy diet tricks
• Never allow your dog 24-hour access to food. This is called free feeding and almost always results in overeating.
• Feed adult dogs twice daily (or follow your vet's instructions) and, to avoid doubled-up meals, make one person responsible.
• Always measure the food and reduce that portion if you've given the dog anything extra.
• Feed your dog at regular times and allow him 15 minutes to eat. If there's food left over, reduce the portion accordingly at the next meal.
• Always make fresh water available.
• Reduce begging by feeding your dog from his bowl, not by hand or from the table.
• Remove your dog from the kitchen or dining room when you're eating.
• Don't use food as a reward, except when you're training your dog. For training, measure out his daily ration of dry food. Treat him with bits of this ration (or chunks of raw carrot) and feed him what's left at mealtime.
• Offer low-calorie treats, such as carrots, celery sticks, apples or ice cubes (you can add carrot peels or beef broth for flavour).
• Don't let others give your dog treats.
• Remember that excessive feeding is cruel; you may even be killing your dog with kindness.
Fun & games
Shape up, socialize your dog and meet people. For most of these sports, your pet should be at least one year old.
Obedience: It's a sport and a necessity. Start obedience training when your dog is about eight months old.
Agility: Dogs race through a course of jumps, ramps and tunnels adjusted to suit their ages and builds. All dogs are welcome, but prior obedience training is recommended.
Carting/Sledding: Large-breed dogs in harnesses pull carts or sleds. It's super family fun.
Earthdog Trials: Dachshunds and small terriers "go to ground," responding to their instinct to hunt and dig.
Field Events: Field and hunting events suit sporting breeds, such as pointers, setters, spaniels and retrievers.
Flyball: It's perfect for ball-crazy canines! Teams of four dogs take turns racing over a set of four small jumps to grab a ball and run back to their handlers.
Lure Coursing: "Sight hound" breeds, which hunt with their eyes (not their noses), such as borzoi, greyhounds and whippets, chase a fake rabbit lure.
Musical Freestyle: Dog and handler dance through a choreographed obedience routine set to music.
Schutzhund: This three-tiered sport includes tracking, obedience and protection.
Scent Hurdling: Each dog must identify and retrieve a dumbbell that has his owner's scent.
Water Rescue: Designed for Newfoundland dogs, the rescue and retrieval exercises are fun for other breeds, too.
• For Musical Freestyle, visit www.bcfirst.com/paws.
• For Schutzhund, visit www.gsscc.ca.
• For all other activities, visit www.ckc.ca.
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