Partially torn kneecap on dog?

[TeamChaos]

Our boy Jack hurt his leg a few weeks back- he'd get a little better, but by the end of the day he wouldn't bear any weight on it. I took him to the vet to get checked out and she diagnosed him with a partially torn knee cap. He's supposed to be on restriction and he's got to lose some weight... but the poor guy is just too anxious to take it easy and if he's left inside the house all day, all he wants to do is eat. He's four years old and a rescue- he's 103 pounds, the shelter told me he was great dane/shepherd but I'm not so sure. Regardless, has anyone dealt with this before? What are the odds it will heal? Can I wrap it in any certain way to aid healing? I googled the issue and felt like most of the sites were saying that surgery is the only solution- our vet didn't mention surgery. Any information or advice or commiseration is most welcome! Thanks.