Just like humans, dogs can be overweight, and that is not a good thing. That is why Travis Brorsen, a dog trainer, is doing his best to help dog owners help their pets have a healthy weight. One of the dogs that he worked with is Niko, a mini Shar-Pei.
Niko had a lot of extra pounds. His family thought that the dog was like that because he is too lazy to do anything. He weighed 50 lbs when Travis met him.
Travis gave Niko’s family something to do. It was an activity chart that would help them know the amount of exercise Niko got each day. Niko lived with a huge family, so everybody had to take turns helping him.
Travis motivated the family. He would reward the person who could tick off the most activities that were on the chart. He also gave them a challenge – Niko had to weight 42 lbs. in just four months. But this was not done blindly as Travis gave them a plan on how to do that.
Niko would only get a cup of food for each day. He should also exercise 20 minutes and do this three times daily.
In two weeks, Travis went back to see how things were going. He was not happy seeing that not a lot of activities were done. So he decided to teach the family how to help Niko exercise. He also observed how the family gave the dog motivation and used that to create a better schedule and plan for Niko.
Travis went back after four months. He now saw a difference in the dog. He also saw the activity chart had a lot more marks on them.
By that time, Niko was already 42 lbs. Great job, Niko. Great job, family!
Source: Animal Planet