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Why is my dog overweight even with daily walks? How to help them lose weight?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 7 months old

Why do dogs gets overweight even if they are doing proper walk 40 minutes once a day ? How to decrease dogs weight ? And is it true that walks keep dogs heart young else dogs get poor heart ?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 29th, 2017

You may be feeding Bruno more calories than he can feasibly burn. I would suggest either working with your vet to figure out how many calories your pet should consume daily, or you can use this website link to figure it out yourself. https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator
Also, at this age Bruno is possibly still growing, so his weight may be in flux until he has reached 2 years of age. You should however be feeding him adult food twice daily.
And to answer your other question, yes walking does help keep a pets heart and body healthy. Best wishes in your weight management goals for Bruno moving forward. Take care.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian
Walks are definitely very good for their hearts, their weight, and for their joints/muscles. Dogs can get overweight despite a lot of activity. Some dogs have a slow metabolism and therefore need less caloric intake. Therefore, some need less food or a light formula food to help prevent weight gain. If they are getting too many calories - too much food, treats, or human food - then they will gain weight. Also if a dog have a low thyroid then they will gain weight despite dieting and a lot of activity. I hope this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA
Veterinarian
Published on November 26th, 2016
Weight gain occurs when the amount of energy/calories consumed is greater than the amount of energy/calories used up during daily exercise. IT is important to monitor his body condition score and adjust the amount of food fed to any changes in body condition (muscle and bodyfat - guides are available online or from your vet tech). At 12months Bruno is still growing and developing but his energy needs will reduce slightly from 18months of age and it may be advisable to change his diet at this stage to maintain a healthy body weight
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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