Using research on self-regulation to understand and tackle the challenges that owners face helping their (overweight) dogs lose weight
Webb, T.L. et al.
2018
Preventive Veterinary Medicine

To help owners to overcome challenges in pet weight loss, a 79 people focus group comprised of owners, veterinarians and industry experts created a way to prompt owners to form if-then plans (or “implementation intentions”), identifying challenges (e.g., inclement weather) and specifying how to respond (e.g., play with the dog indoors). In a single-blind, randomized controlled trial of 106 owners of overweight dogs, owners were asked to set relevant goals. Changes in the owners’ beliefs, behaviour, and the dog's weight and body condition were measured around 2 months late. Althought dogs in both groups lost on average the same percentage of their body weight each week, data suggests that owners’ lack of knowledge about appropriate feeding and exercise was associated with poorer outcomes.