My reputation is in my circle of friends and relatives as a person who tells people they have dogs who are overweight, which is why it might be a shock to learn that I’ve struggled over the past few months to decrease my dog’s weight. The 8-year-old dog turned in November. It was at that point that I noticed that the fact that he looked a bit overweight. When viewed from the top, he is indented around his waist; however, he’s a lot bigger everywhere than he once was. Recent visits to the vet and an official weigh-in proved what I had known; however, I was in denial: he weighs way over the top! I want to shed approximately 8 pounds off the body that now weighs more than 80 pounds.

Recently, I changed his diet to a few low-fat and lower-calorie foods, which has reduced the amount of food I feed him. We’re also trying to encourage us to go for longer walks (I am also struggling with weight gain!). Also, I’ve been using smaller snacks for training, reinforcing his recalls, and other manners that are good for him when we walk. His weight, however, has remained the same.

As do many dog owners, I’ve observed that my dog, who is on a diet, has become increasingly food-obsessed. He is clearly hungry for small portions.

My most recent idea is to transition the two dogs (Woody and Boone, who are both perfectly overweight) to a daily feeding schedule that has allowed me to drastically reduce their daily portion size and expand the number of meals they eat. This trial has been in place for the past week, and I can say that, so far, dogs have changed their diet very well. They’re not making a mess of themselves when they used to do it at dinner time.

There’s some evidence of the benefits of feeding once daily. Still, I’ve never done this before because (again, like most dog owners) I like giving my pets a nutritious dinner when we eat together. Also, I’d like to point out that the research study that provided details about these benefits stated that since there were dogs included in the study might be fed at least once per day for different lengths of duration, the study authors “cannot rule out the possibility that dog owners shifted to more frequent feeding in response to health conditions, and observed associations are due in whole or part to reverse causality.”

However, given the mountain of research supporting the health benefits of intermittent fasting for humans, I’m committed to sticking with the same routine for several months. I’ll strive to improve the amount of exercise we do, hoping it can benefit me and help me shed the extra pounds off my beloved Woody.

If you’ve been able to lower your dog’s weight to healthier levels, What did you learn from it? Share your dog’s diet tips!