Save

Effect of leash walking on weight loss and assessment of hair cortisol in overweight dogs

In: Comparative Exercise Physiology
Authors:
K. Kim Department of Veterinary Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Search for other papers by K. Kim in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2256-9915
,
B. Song Department of Veterinary Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Search for other papers by B. Song in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
D. Kim Department of Veterinary Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Search for other papers by D. Kim in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
D.H. Kim Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Search for other papers by D.H. Kim in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8637-8164
,
H.J. Lee Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Search for other papers by H.J. Lee in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2762-2649
, and
G. Kim Department of Veterinary Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Search for other papers by G. Kim in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9384-4741
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€36.93

Abstract

Obesity results from excessive body fat accumulation. Leash-walking is a practical way to increase activity in treating obesity; however, limited studies have focused on the frequency and duration of dog leash-walking. There is few research reporting on whether initiating exercise or increasing physical activity in obese dogs can induce stress. Therefore, the present study conducted a clinical trial of the leash-walking effect on weight management and identified the relationship between stress and weight management. Thirty-one dogs participated in a 4-week weight management and were divided into four groups according to their leash-walking frequency and duration. Low walking group (LW): approximately 30 min, 3 times per week; Group 1: approximately 60 min, 3 times per week; Group 2: approximately 30 min, 5 to 7 times per week; Group 3: approximately 60 min, 5 to 7 times per week. Body weight and hair cortisol concentrations of participated dogs were also evaluated. There were significant ( P < 0.01) differences in the weight loss rate between the Group 2 (−1.08 ± 0.34%/week) and Group 3 (−1.26 ± 0.54%/week) compared to the LW (−0.13 ± 0.49%/week). However, there was an increasing tendency of hair cortisol concentration in Group 1 (0.15 ± 0.10 μg/dl to 0.20 ± 0.19 μg/dl) and Group 3 (0.19 ± 0.19 μg/dl to 0.45 ± 0.76 μg/dl) which are approximately 60 min of leash-walking duration groups. The results of this study suggest that it is more efficient to increase leash-walking frequency than duration for weight loss. However, suddenly increasing leash-walking may be a stress-inducing factor during weight management in overweight dogs. Therefore, it is important to start weight management with appropriate frequency and manageable duration of leash-walking and gradually increase the leash-walking times step by step.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 645 230 24
Full Text Views 35 7 3
PDF Views & Downloads 91 12 3