Bombshell new research commissioned by pet food brand PEDIGREE has revealed that a startling number of dog owners in Australia are overfeeding their beloved canine companions, despite their best efforts to do the opposite!
The tail-wagging data revealed that 69 per cent are overweight or obese after being accidentally overfed by their owners, with Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Border Collies, French Bulldogs, and German Shepherds being the worst culprits.
While overfeeding isn’t solely on the animal, 39 per cent of dog owners reported that their dogs often begged for more food, with 39 per cent confirming this happened daily.
Even more shockingly, 52 per cent of dog owners reported that their furry friends had tricked them, and those looking after them that they had been fed, with an additional 25 per cent noting that they often overfed their dogs because they couldn’t resist the oh-too-adorable “puppy dog eyes.”
It’s a dilemma that fan favourite media personality Angie Kent continues to face with her beloved rescue pup Chicky Boy. She tells New Idea that it’s “actually really, really hard” to say no to his requests for more food, especially when he puts his most adorable self forward!
“Because he’s a rescue dog, I always feel like ‘awww, he hasn’t had love in the first part of his life,’ [and I always feed him],” she says.
But with help from an innovative new dog collar from PEDIGREE, Angie has gained new insight into when her darling Chicky Boy is actually hungry, and when he is putting on the performance of a lifetime for extra food.
The first-of-its-kind Lie Detector for dogs slides onto any standard dog collar and tracks a dog’s activity based on both high and low-intensity activity minutes as well as day and night rest periods. It also calculates their calorie burn and monitors their food intake 24 hours a day, removing any potential overfeeding from unsure owners.
Designed to help dog parents make healthier feeding choices, the collar connects to an app that also provides insight on portion control, when to disregard body language and facial expressions that imply hunger, and how to ensure they are being fed appropriately and in relation to their breed, overall health and activity from the day.
“I would overfeed [Chicky Boy] if I didn’t have the collar or the app,” says Angie.
“I’ve [now] learnt that he is not always hungry and I just have to take him on a walk or give him a toy instead of a treat.”
“Feeding them isn’t always the answer to loving them,” she adds.
It’s a sentiment renowned Dog Behaviour Specialist Nathan Williams shares: “Dogs can be very clever in how they express their ‘wants,’ especially when it comes to food – whether it’s because they’ve developed a habit of begging or simply know they can charm their humans into giving them extra treats.”
PEDIGREE Brand Director Nicola Paroissien adds: “We know that pet parents across Australia are being drawn in by their dogs ‘puppy dog eyes’ when it comes to food, and we hope to help bring awareness to the importance of nutrition and balance, and improve overall health and well-being for Australian dogs.”
Find out if your dog is “lying” to you via the feeding calculator and enter for a chance to win a PEDIGREE Lie Detector collar of your own here.
In the meantime, keep your pup’s belly full with these top dog food subscription boxes.
