If you’ve let your dog lick your plate clean or eaten some food from your bowl after you finished your meal, you’re not alone. A new survey carried out by tails.com found that more than a quarter of dogs in Manchester are given the dinner dish to lick on a daily basis.

The research team analysed the habits formed by dog owners when feeding their pets after observing that over 42% of the dogs joining their service are overweight or obese, with the top 3 overweight breeds being Beagles, Border Terriers and Miniature Schnauzers.

‘Puppy-dog eyes’ appear to be a highly effective way to get more treats, with 46% of owners admitting to giving in to their dog simply for ‘looking cute’, while a further 24% offered up a treat if they thought it would keep their dog quiet or occupied.

More than a quarter of dogs are plate-licker-in-chief in their family, with 29% confessing that their dog is given the dinner dishes to lick on a daily basis, while over a third of owners (39%) also say their dog is head of quality control, as they let them eat ingredients when preparing their own meals.

The tails.com research also revealed that 36% of owners in Manchester say that they walk their dog less in winter months because their dog refuses to walk when it’s cold.

Sean McCormack, Head Vet at tails.com, says, “We may all be dealing with the ‘battle of the bulge’ following the festive season, and our dogs are no exception. All of those extra little treats and indulgences add up. But many dog owners may be surprised to know that excess weight could be cutting their time with their pet short down the line. To know that our dogs’ lifespans, and quality of life, are affected by too many snacks or treats outside meals is heart-wrenching.”

“Encouragingly, our data also shows that it’s never too late to make a positive change: when an overweight dog gets back to an ideal body condition through healthy nutrition and exercise they can gain months of their life back. It’s good for them, and it’s good for our wellbeing too, not to mention the months longer we can enjoy sharing with our much loved four-legged family members.”

Carolyn Menteith, Behaviourist at tails.com; “Dogs are incredibly intelligent and highly social creatures, which makes them wonderful companions and great fun to train but that means they are also smart enough to be able to train us into giving them what they want too. Those puppy-dog eyes can be hard to resist – and most owners enjoy giving their dog a tasty morsel almost as much as their dog enjoys receiving them – but it’s easy to take this too far.”