My Dog is fat (sob)

I swear that up until last year, I would have thought I was a fantastic dog owner.  I walk my border collie/lab  at least once a day.  She goes everywhere with me and is well trained off leash as well as on.  However, unlike my last dog, she is LAZY.  Actually, I believe the correct term is low-intensity.  She is quite content to lay at my feet while I am working and sleep the day away.  The only time her intensity goes up is at meal times, if my 7 year old gelding is near (he hates dogs and enjoys trying to maim them) or if I am in the kitchen (food doesn't hit the floor in this house).

This is weird to me as I've always had farm dogs who loved running mindlessly all over the place or had a dog with a more border collie like intensity where they NEED TO BE WALKED EVERY FOUR HOURS OR ELSE. I have always free fed my dogs and let them determine their own appetite.  However, in this instance it clearly isn't working. Not that I mind her intensity, it's like a nice break in doggy land.

So, in an effort to trim her up, I've been feeding her measured amounts twice a day for about a month now.  We also walk/run 5km every morning.  This isn't working at this point though as she gets the late evening munchies (now who isn't guilty of that) and stares at me soulfully while whining at the higher pitched end of the sound spectrum. I don't give in though. I did start splitting her meals into three meals a day.  She still isn't fooled and is very disappointed in my stewardship.

Now, I haven't had the 'Leigh-lu - I think you are fat' conversation with her as she is a girl and we all know that's an eating disorder waiting to happen.  Today, I went and purchased some high end (sorry visa) weight loss dog food (I was already feeding her a higher end dog food anyway as I have a couple theories on Cancer and low quality generally grocery-store-purchased dog food) and a frisbee.  She enjoys fetch to a point but it is winter here and a ball disappears in a snow bank, which, while amusing, is not high intensity cardio.  Then with the help of my daughter I picked her up and weighed her.  Don't tell anyone but she weighed a whopping 86 lbs. I think I hurt something. Stay tuned....