I have a F 3 yr old Golden and a 2 yr old F Carin. They both need to eat the same food as separate feeding is impossible. Both put on weight once the summer is over, but the golden is likely to gain weight all year round. I need a really good healthy food which will help both maintain a healthy weight.

I feed my dog Addiction as part of his rotation diet, am currently using the Salmon Bleu dry food. Perhaps you could try that. I think its a very good food and my dog does well on it which is the important thing, but I'm really not sure whether it helps with the weight gain. Why is your golden liklely to gain weight? Would it help to feed her less?

1.  Avoid giving table scraps.

2.  Reduce the feeding amount a little bit, about 10%, your vet can tell you whether the amount is appropriate for your Golden.

3.  Look into diet food, Canidae Platinum or Wellness Weight management food.

Dog biscuits: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Canidae-Platinum-Snap-Biscuits/102005.aspx

Wellness dog food: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Wellness-Super5Mix-Weight-Management-Dry-Dog-Food/138108.aspx

4. Feed smaller portions more often.

5. Weigh your pet regularly so that you know if your plan is working. Aim for a gradual weight reduction of approximately 1% of the pet's body weight per week. A large dog may be able to tolerate up to a loss of 1 pounds per week.

6. Since you have other pets, you MUST separate the dieting one during feeding. This reduces competition and the urge to eat more.

7. Keep water available at all times.

8.  Keep exercise simple and moderate. Over-exercising an obese animal can cause more harm than good.  As your dog adapts to the exercise and weight loss starts to occur, the amount and intensity of exercise can be gradually increased. Start with two easy, short walks per day. Five to fifteen minutes each walk may be enough for the obese dog. Slowly increase to two or three 30 minute, brisk walks per day.  Do exercise him everyday.

9. As your dog starts to feel better and lose weight, jogging can help accelerate the weight loss process.

10. Consider exercising and playing in group activities, such as agility training.

I wish you luck!  Keep us posted on how she does.

The food I highly recommend for creating a healthy, balanced dog and especially for maintaining a slim physique is Sojos Europa Grain Free dog food mix.  It does require a different philosophy about food preparation than dry food, but the payoffs are immeasurable.  Especially because your dogs are young, it would be a great time to convert to whole food nutrition!  Here's the low down:  Both dry and canned foods have been heated to high temperatures, sometimes 1,000 degrees.  This heating process destroys enzymes, minerals and important phytonutrients in the ingredients. Some of the most fragile and heat-sensitive vitamins are the most important ones for our canine friends, such as the B-vitamins.  Also, it's important to know that all of the cellular healing that occurs in the body requires the presence of enzymes.  Food that has no enzymes (dry or canned) actually takes more energy to digest than it gives back in return, and over time creates a health DEBIT which can take the form of weight gain, body odor, bad breath, digestive disorders, skin conditions, ear infections and even more serious imbalances.  

The other thing to consider:  Dry food always contains an abundance of carbohydrates - either grains or potato - as a binder to hold the dog food together, and those are the ingredients that will most often put excess weight on our canine friends.  Most dogs don't need a lot of grains or potato in their diet to begin with.  And these dry food ingredients are PROCESSED (i.e., extracted, extruded, baked and bagged) carbohydrates, which makes them even harder for your dog to digest and more likely to create weight gain and cause other problems.

With the Sojos Europa Grain Free formula, simply rehydrate the food, and then add your own protein - chicken, turkey, eggs, canned fish, or even lentils or beans on occasion.  My dogs love this food. And I always add 3 crucial supplements to every meal: digestive enzymes, essential fatty acids (fish oil, or Ultra Oil at ONP), and a green supplement (Dr. Harvey's Multi is my favorite).

It may sound radical because it's so different from what we see on tv and hear from veterinarians and breeders, but it just makes sense when you think about it.  Which is more nutritious?  A bowl of dry kibble or a bowl filled with chicken chunks, sweet potatoes, and greens?  Which would be more digestible?  And which would your dog get the most energy and nutrition from?  And whole, species-appropriate nutrition will keep your dogs slim and trim.