Keeping your dog in great shape can actually be quite easy if you follow some simple rules when it comes to maintaining your dog’s diet. Preventing your dog from becoming overweight is possibly the best thing that you can do for your furry friend. The life span of your dog can increase as much as two years if you ensure that your pet stays lean and fit. Here’s how you can achieve this by just following some easy and simple diet tips:

Follow a Balanced Diet Plan
It’s not just you who needs to follow a balanced diet plan; your dog needs one too. A balanced diet needs to make up 90% of what your dog eats every day. The dry and wet dog foods that you may buy commercially advertise to provide more than 30 essential nutrients that your pet needs. Homemade meals are however the best option for your pet, as you can monitor what goes into your dog’s food if you prepare it yourself. You will have to ensure that your home-cooked meal contains all the necessary requirements of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fats that your dog needs.

Measure Out Your Dog’s Food
As a dog owner, you will have to realize that you cannot just keep filling your dog’s food bowl whenever you walk by and find that it is empty. If you do this, you will have absolutely no idea as to how much food your dog eats every day, and this can be quite a dangerous thing for your pet. Make sure that you measure out the amount of food that you feed your dog. The key to controlling obesity in your dog is portion control.

Hold Back on the Treats
Treats and table food should make up for no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories. It is also essential that you count the number of calories that your dog consumes on an everyday basis. Sometimes pet owners have no idea as to just how much they are feeding their dogs. Counting calories does not mean that you need to feed your dog less; you will just have to replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie ones.

Check Your Dog’s Weight
Checking the weight of your dog every few months can be a good thing to do, as you may not notice the subtle changes in your dog’s weight, and it may simply shoot up before you even take note of it. In order to keep your dog slim and fit, you will need to commit to a daily exercise regime. If losing weight can be difficult for you, you will need to bear in mind that it can be difficult for your dog as well.

Provide Clean and Fresh Water
Water is an important part of your dog’s diet, and it is important that you keep track of how much water your pet drinks; as drinking too much or too little water can indicate a medical issue. Another thing to remember is that homemade broth is a good source of hydration for your dog.