How We Work Up Our Dog’s Appetite

How We Work Up Our Dog’s Appetite has been compensated by the Friends of Beneful program. All opinions are mine alone. #FriendsofBeneful #PurinaPartner

Part of being a responsible dog owner is making sure your dog gets enough exercise. With Glory we’re on top of this task. We make sure to keep her busy throughout the day to help her work up a good appetite. I don’t think there’s an activity she doesn’t enjoy, unless it’s a game of frisbee. But, I told you all about that a few months back.

Today I’m sharing with you a variety of activities Glory does enjoy. 

Running

She starts off, or sometimes ends, her day with a run with my husband. We have a lot of great running places in our neighborhood. I think their favorite is the street they closed a few blocks away. It used to be a through street, but they permanently closed it off to traffic due to some new construction changes they made down the road. Now there is a good chunk of street they can run on with lots of space and no fear of cars. It’s also a great place for Nick to run on the street while Glory runs on the grass. Especially during hotter weather. We want to make sure the pads of her feet aren’t burned on hot surfaces.

Herding Cats

Glory is a master at herding cats. As a German Shepherd she wanted a herding job. Since we didn’t have one readily available she created her own. I’m happy to let her have this job because everyone knows herding cats is not easy. They don’t like to be herded. Glory is up for the challenge. She herds them even when they meow with annoyance at her. If they swat at her she backs off a bit but keeps herding. She even makes sure to remain at her post while they sleep. Just in case they move, she needs to be at the ready. She takes her job as cat herder seriously and she’s good at it.

Family Walks

We all can’t keep up with my husband when he runs. I have bad knees and can’t run. The kids are fast, but not quite as fast as he is. So, instead we take family walks through nature. We’ll pack everyone up and head to the closest lake or nature trail to enjoy a relaxing stroll. Glory gets to smell the smells while we enjoy a bit of exercise and conversation. Not to mention the really cool nature stuff we find. There’s always a cool bug, interesting leaf, or stealthy animal to spot.

Swimming

Glory may dislike her bathtime, but she loves swimming. We don’t get out to places she can take a dip in the water often, but when we do she soaks it all in. It’s a great way for her to cool off and get a little exercise in.

Playground

When the kids head out to swing and slide, Glory comes along with us to get some extra one on one playtime with my husband. As a reactive dog toward other dogs Glory can’t hang out at the Dog Park, that’s okay because we create our own play space at the open area next to the playground. She gets to run, fetch, play tug, and practice her voice commands while on the leash. It’s an excellent time for her to practice being outside, though we still keep her away from other dogs for her safety and theirs.

Toys

Glory has a collection of favorite toys at home. She loves squeaky toys and stuffed toys she can tug. One thing I love is that she has learned her stuffed toys by name. If we tell her to bring us Moose or Bunny she’ll gleefully prance to her toy stash and grab one for a rigorous game of tug.

Beneful recently sent her a couple of new squeaky toys shaped like some of her favorite foods. She loves the squeak, but the taste could be better. Especially since she’s worked up an appetite and we know she’s hungry by now.

After a good play session both Glory and my husband are wore out. I don’t blame them. They are best friends and they play hard. They both earn their naps.

Fueling Up

I don’t let those naps last for long though. Getting them both fueled up for the next activity is my job. Nick gets to enjoy dinner while Glory gets to enjoy her Beneful. Speaking of Beneful, they have a new formula for their dog food! Real meat is now the number one ingredient in both the beef and chicken recipes, plus no added sugar in any of the new dry formulas. This means Beneful is even better than it was before, and it was already pretty dang good. Especially by Glory’s opinion.

We received a free sample of the new Beef formula and Glory couldn’t wait to try it. She tried to break into the bag as soon as we got it out. It hadn’t even been opened yet. She knows a good thing when she sees it.

The new formula is currently being rolled out to stores and is hopefully already on the shelves in a store near you. If you want to give the new formula a try before you go out and buy it you can get a free sample of the Beef formula courtesy of Beneful. After you try it out don’t forget to share your experience on the Beneful website.

When you transition to a new dog food to fuel your pooch, make sure you do a gradual change. Beneful has some fantastic tips about transitioning to a new food to avoid dietary upsets.

Here’s Glory multitasking. She’s enjoying her new Beneful dog food while keeping an eye on the cats. I told you, she takes the cat herder title seriously.

What’s your favorite way to work up your dog’s appetite? We shared some of Glory’s favorites, I’d love to hear what your dog loves to do to stay active. Share your stories in the comments below.