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K9 Kamp: Getting Fit With Your Pet When They Are Already In Shape

K9 Kamp: Getting Fit With Your Pet When They Are Already In Shape

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Last week Mama took us hiking as part of our K9 Kamp Challenge.

k9 kamp canine fitness blog challenge

Are you taking the K9 Kamp Challenge? Get fit with Fido, have fun & win prizes! Click on the image for more info.

We had great fun romping through the forest, running after critters and generally running amok. Mama thinks that she could have done more to prepare for hiking with dogs, but I think the whole trip went smashingly. I tell you guys, that Lu is a card. You would think he’s never see the great outdoors.  He was so woofing excited to be out there, to find the ground by the lake littered with delicious, delicious Goose-made snacks that must have made the Mama jealous, as she kept calling the sh*t. (*sigh* Sometimes it’s hard to have a Mama so insecure about the quality of her own treats that she can’t enjoy other people’s snacks too.) While us dogs were wholly immersed in the wonder and beauty of nature, the vastness of the Canadian rain forest and the delight of chasing woodland creatures, Mama had her nose glued to her phone looking for lost treasure or something like that. I tried to tell her that the top of a mountain, several hours inland seemed like an odd and totally inconvenient place for a pirate to hide his riches, but she foolishly persisted on. Sometimes you just have to let the humans learn for themselves that their plans are as full of holes as Swiss cheese.

As fun as hiking was, I was more than a little concerned.

You see, I’m a trim little guy. Mama jokes about “Roly Poly Koly” and how I used to have a puggle butt, but these days I’m looking quite lean and fit, thanks to Mama and her wretched canine fitness routine. She’s the worst! She watches what we eat to make sure we aren’t getting too many calories. She makes us work to burn off the calories in our treats. She rations the snacks Nana and Daddy can give us. I tell you pups, it’s like living in a Communist nation.

Check out that tiny waist and slick racing stripe. I make this EzyDog Chestplate harness look good.

Check out that tiny waist and slick racing stripe. I make this EzyDog Chestplate harness look good.

Knowing that I was already getting just enough calories to keep me looking like a canine Brad Pitt, I was super concerned that the Mama was going to make me hike for a few hours. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CALORIES A GOOD HIKE CAN BURN? Holy woof you guys, if I wasn’t careful, I would waste away to nothing. I’d be a bone rack and not the good Jones Natural Chew bones. The bad, “Hey Lady, why is your dog so skinny. Don’t you feed him” kind of bones.

What do you do when your human needs more exercise, but the dog is just about perfect?

Some humans would just forget about the dog and hit the human hamster wheel. I ascede that this solution would work, though from the dog’s eye view, it’s possibly the crappiest solution ever. Um, Mama? There is no way I want to sit at home, bored as woof, while you huff and puff on an imaginary walk or run. I don’t get why humans lock themselves inside to exercise when they could be enjoying the great outdoors and bonding with their pooches. After all, K9 Kamp isn’t just about fighting canine obesity, it’s about getting fit with your pet and helping your pet maintain a healthy weight.That means means not letting them gain a bunch of weight and not letting them get too thin. It’s all about balance.

I stole this (and several other cute pictures of Honey kayaking) from Something Wagging this week. I hope Pamela doesn’t mind.

Honey and Pamela at Something Wagging have another great solution: they’re looking for great K9 Kamp activities that make Pamela work her butt off (literally), but where Honey gets to come along as a passenger. Last week they went kayaking. Have you ever seen anything as cute as Honey in a kayak?! I’ve heard rumours about some long bike rides with Honey in her doggy cart too. These are great ways to push the humans fitness level, even if the dog doesn’t need more exercise.

Here at Casa de Kolchak, we’re trying a different solution.

Holy woof you guys. I LOVE IT. Do you know what the Mama’s solution is? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya?

More food.

SlimDoggy Canine Fitness AppMama used the SlimDoggy App to estimate how many calories I was burning between playing with Lu and going on our big hike. (If you don’t have an Apple piePhone, try using the SlimDoggy widget on our K9 Kamp page to calculate how many calories your dog burns on a regular day and on a day when they have some high intensity exercise.) This app can be my best friend, since it told the Mama that I earned an extra 248 calories on our hike! Woot woot! Mama – can I have bacon? CAN I? (Mama’s note: Woof no. While Kol had more than enough calories to justify it, I worry about the high fat content and the possibility of pancreatitis.) Mama was hoarding the bacon like there was a shortage or something. She’s quite the hog sometimes. (Get it?? Get it?!) I did, however get an extra helping at dinner and extra treats. Mama says that when you’re increasing the calories your dog gets due to exercise, it’s always smart to provide good, wholesome calories, like more of your regular food, instead of piling on the calories with junk food and snacks. Your dog can use the extra protein and nutrition to feed their muscles and it will help them to grow stronger and fitter.

What kind of exercise have you been doing for K9 Kamp? Have you had to reduce or increase your dog’s calories?

Don’t forget! If you’re kamping along with us, you should head over to our K9 Kamp page and enter to win our great prize package worth more than $200!

   Save $5   pet
Kol’s Note: EzyDog, NiteIze and Only Natural Pet are the sponsors of K9 Kamp and are providing the prize for our Kamp winner. Links to their products within this post are affiliate links.
Mama bought the SlimDoggy app with her own allowance and did not receive any compensation for mentioning it in this post. It’s a cool app that helps you estimate how many calories your dog needs and how many they’re burning. If you are at all in doubt about if you are meeting or exceeding your dog’s calorie needs, you should check it out.

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LyricInTime2803

Thursday 13th of June 2013

I plan to participate in the K9 Kamp challenge by increasing our agility practices. Shiloh's at a good weight, but conditioning is always a great idea to help prevent injuries. We both benefit from the practice, and I certainly need the exercise!

KolchakPuggle

Thursday 13th of June 2013

That's awesome! We love love love agility and it's so much fun! Did you know that K9 Kamper Rocco Havenese from www.todogwithlove.com is in agility pre-K? We've got the best kampers!

sandy weinstein

Wednesday 12th of June 2013

the girls dont really need to lose weight, i watch their weight very carefully, they may go up an oz or so, but that is it, if we go to a dog party and they get lots of treats, then i cut down their evening meal; we do lots of exercise, walk to the mailbox everyday, over a mile, evie likes to play ball, soccer, kickball; the other 2 girls like to run around in circles chasing one another....mom needs to lose abt 5-6 lbs, ..i like my ribs to show..."you can never be too rich or too thin"....i like my girls on the thin side...i measure their food and they dont get many treats...which is why i donate lots of dog/cat food to rescues...

KolchakPuggle

Thursday 13th of June 2013

Way to be on top of it! I wish every dog had an owner this in tune with their diet needs :0)

Emma

Wednesday 12th of June 2013

We have to send out mom on runs by herself to keep her energy level worn down...we have enough with walking and playing but she seems to need more - LOL! We keep watch in the window while she is gone.

KolchakPuggle

Thursday 13th of June 2013

BOL! Good job. Sometimes you can't "fix" rambunctious behavior, you can only manage it. Your Mom is lucky you're so respectful of her high energy levels ;0)

Jessica Rhae

Monday 10th of June 2013

Chester and Gretel do get excess treats hiking days. One long hike would not make a Puggle starve even if no extra treats of food were given. Sorry Koly. However, extra treats are important if you hike often or go a really long distance.

KolchakPuggle

Monday 10th of June 2013

It's true that a one time hike would be no issue, but I'm really trying to step up my game and exercise A LOT more. We've been quadrupling our walks the last few weeks, which means instead of a half hour stroll around the neighborhood, we've been on 5 - 10 km walks. Since we live in a hilly area, these can actually be grueling!

While he may not starve to death, he'd be awful hungry and might be "to deathed" another way...after he drove me insane barking at the fridge!

Gizmo Geodog

Monday 10th of June 2013

Giz is way more fit than I am but he's such a pal that he's willing to go along on whatever fitness activities I choose and yes, he's rewarded with extra snacks...you wouldn't believe how many extra snacks he got at DoggyGym last week...This week we're participating in some fun evening activities in our community and w'ell be writing about them on Friday

KolchakPuggle

Monday 10th of June 2013

Ohhhh! We can't wait to hear what you come up with!

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