Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil Jones has teamed up with pet nutrition experts to create a series of dance-based exercise videos to help dogs and their owners get fit together in 2024.
It comes as research by Burns Pet Nutrition reveals that it’s not just people who piled on the pounds over Christmas as 38% of British dog owners admit to overfeeding their pets during the festive season.
Burns and Neil have devised a series of fun workouts such as the Shih Tzu Salsa, Paw-sodoble and Jack Russell Jive.
Neil Jones, who recently became a new dad, has worked with Burns experts to try and cha-cha-change the perception that exercising your dog is a chore with five fun and simple exercises to help dogs and their owners shift some winter weight.
Neil Jones commented: “It’s not just people that get a bit porky over Christmas! Whilst I always focus on my own fitness, I must admit I don’t always do the same for my age defying 14 year old dog, Crumble. With the help of nutritionists and behaviourists at Burns, we’ve come up with five great activities for you to try at home to get you and your dog feeling great and having fun.”
The research by Burns Pet Nutrition also found that almost a quarter (23%) confess their dogs are overweight, while just over half (57%) of dog owners know how to check if their dog is overweight. Around one in five people (19%) don’t know how to check for signs that their dog is an unhealthy weight and a quarter (25%) know their pup’s ideal weight but not how to spot signs of obesity.
The research also found that a third (33%) of dog’s exercise levels are down in the winter months according to their owners. The top reason being dog owners not wanting to walk their dogs due to the weather (20%), whilst more than half claim it’s their dog that doesn’t like the wet and cold.
Emma Lee a nutritionist at Burns said: “As the weather gets colder it’s all too easy to prefer to stay snuggled up on the sofa with your dog instead of going out for a walk, but as their exercise levels reduce, so must their nutrition. Less treats and a balanced diet can help maintain a healthy weight. Letting your dog get overweight can cause health problems including diabetes and even joint problems.
“You don’t have to go out in the wet and cold every day to keep your dog healthy and stimulated, playing with your dog indoors and enrichment toys can help, and our new exercises with Neil are a fun way to burn some calories for you and your dog.”
For more details on the exercises and dog nutrition, visit burnspet.co.uk/dogdancing.
