Samantha Armytage takes her beloved dog Banjo out for a walk after fans were left concerned about the pooch’s weight

Samantha Armytage is making sure her beloved dog Banjo lives an active lifestyle following concerns about his weight. 

The former Sunrise host, 46, kicked off Wednesday morning by taking the six-year-old Labrador Retriever on a walk around her husband Richard Lavender’s rural property in the Southern Highlands, NSW. 

Documenting the adventure on Instagram Stories, Samantha shared a photo of Banjo panting and looking exhausted as he took a break on a rock. 

‘Sun salutations,’ the Farmer Wants A Wife host captioned the image, referring to a sequence of yoga moves that are traditionally performed at sunrise. 

Samantha later shared another photo of herself eating breakfast at a café, while Banjo sat directly beneath the table hoping for a morsel of food. 

‘And then out for breakfast…’ she captioned this image. 

Critics previously accused Samantha of overfeeding the Labrador, who appears to be over the 30kg recommended weight for male Labradors. 

‘A good weight loss diet is super important for this dog,’ the vet – who did not want to be named – told Daily Mail Australia of Banjo back in 2019. 

‘Sun salutations,’ the Farmer Wants A Wife host captioned an image of Banjo looking exhausted, referring to a sequence of yoga moves that are traditionally performed at sunrise

She later shared another photo of herself eating breakfast at a café, while Banjo sat directly beneath the table hoping for a morsel of food

Critics previously accused Samantha of overfeeding the Labrador, who appears to be over the 30kg recommended weight for male Labradors 

‘Just like humans, they are prone to osteoarthritis, increased joint pain from excess weight and heart disease.’

Following the criticism, Samantha admitted on The Kyle and Jackie O that banjo was 20kg overweight, describing the dog as ‘a 50 kilogram weighted blanket’. 

Banjo also suffers from arthritis, which is a common condition for Labradors due to their high-impact lifestyles and large weight. 

Following the criticism, Samantha admitted on The Kyle and Jackie O that banjo was 20kg overweight, describing the dog as ‘a 50 kilogram weighted blanket’

Losing weight can assist dogs in relieving the symptoms of arthritis.

In 2021, Samantha shared a video of Banjo walking on an underwater treadmill, playfully telling Instagram fans that her dog was loving his ‘workout’. 

She added: ‘For all those asking, Banjo (like many Labs) has arthritis in his elbows and knees. So a few times a week we do a session on the underwater treadmill.’ 

In 2021, Samantha shared a video of Banjo walking on an underwater treadmill, playfully telling Instagram fans that her dog was loving his ‘workout’ 

Banjo was named after iconic Australian bush poet Banjo Paterson