How to make your dog happier and healthier

Reviewed by Dr Jill McMaster BVM&S MBA MRCVS, Veterinary Surgeon and in-house expert at BorrowMyDoggy on 7 June 2023

We believe dogs deserve the best life possible. From socialising anxious dogs and rescue dogs to losing weight and helping happy dogs becoming even happier, BorrowMyDoggy owners share how their dogs’ lives have improved since joining.

Watch "The Joys of Being a BorrowMyDoggy Dog" for a sneak peek.

Socialising Anxious Dogs

According to Dogs Trust, if you want a happy and friendly dog that you can take anywhere and meet anyone, then early socialisation is key. Owners Katherine and Peter joined BorrowMyDoggy with their dog, George the Dachshund, who now spends time every week with his borrower, Katie. As Katherine says, “we’ve been able to socialise George with more people, which has reduced his anxiety. It’s given him much more confidence.”

Text to speech not available for this image — George, Katherine, Peter and Katie

Since joining BorrowMyDoggy, Lisa has seen a huge improvement in her rescue dog, Doug. Because he wasn’t socialised at all, Lisa had to carefully introduce him new people and situations and she says “he’s now transformed from being timid and shy to always wagging his tail.”

Helping Dogs Lose Weight

As dog obesity rates continue to rise across the UK, exercise has never been more important to a dog’s health and well-being.

When BorrowMyDoggy owners are busy with work, travel and other life commitments, their dogs get to enjoy extra walks and games of fetch so they can be as happy and healthy as possible.

Owner Maggie shared that she’s “noticed a big difference in Maximus the Pug. He’s lost a lot of weight from all the walks and seems so happy.”

Happy Dogs Become Even Happier

“Oso is such a happy dog, but since joining BorrowMyDoggy, he’s so much happier.” - Anna, Oso’s owner

One of BorrowMyDoggy’s goals is to give dogs a happy and healthy life, which is why it’s wonderful to hear from our owners, like Liz, who after going through an unexpected life change, shared that “BorrowMyDoggy is the best thing that’s happened to my Cocker Spaniel, Leo. He’s a lot happier and I’m a lot happier.”

Ingrid discovered BorrowMyDoggy while researching dog care options for Fuggle, her Miniature Schnauzer puppy. She believes that “BorrowMyDoggy is life changing” and her “borrowers have been fundamental for Fuggle to be the happy dog that she is now.”