hey guys, i have an 11 year old keeshond. despite his age, he doesn't act like an old dog at all and has a ton of energy, which leads him to bark at the mailman and act up when im gone (separation anxiety). i have been walking him for years but twice a day and up a steep (REALLY steep) incline doesn't wear him out either, so this week i decided to buy him a backpack because i've heard that this is a good way to make their walks more tiring.
so my dog is 32 lbs, yesterday i put 2lbs in his backpack and went up the incline and back and he still had plenty of energy and was barking when the mailman came around. so today i tried to up it to 4 lbs but on the walk he was giving me a lot of resistance and refused to move several times to the point i had to drag him. i took 2lbs out and he was still acting this way. i wasnt sure if it was hurting him (he wasnt making any sounds if it was) or if he was just being defiant at not liking the extra work but just in case it was a health thing i cut the walk short.
this is the backpack:
the way it sits on him it mostly rests on his shoulders, so i dont think its putting any pressure on his hips or anything, and i am led to believe his actions today were defiance and not health related only because he did weigh 37lbs just a few months ago before going on a diet so he has carried around the extra weight on walks before no problem.
but i wanted to ask somewhere just in case, i mean is there any way to tell if he's actually hurting because he's carrying extra weight like this?
so my dog is 32 lbs, yesterday i put 2lbs in his backpack and went up the incline and back and he still had plenty of energy and was barking when the mailman came around. so today i tried to up it to 4 lbs but on the walk he was giving me a lot of resistance and refused to move several times to the point i had to drag him. i took 2lbs out and he was still acting this way. i wasnt sure if it was hurting him (he wasnt making any sounds if it was) or if he was just being defiant at not liking the extra work but just in case it was a health thing i cut the walk short.
this is the backpack:

the way it sits on him it mostly rests on his shoulders, so i dont think its putting any pressure on his hips or anything, and i am led to believe his actions today were defiance and not health related only because he did weigh 37lbs just a few months ago before going on a diet so he has carried around the extra weight on walks before no problem.
but i wanted to ask somewhere just in case, i mean is there any way to tell if he's actually hurting because he's carrying extra weight like this?