What is the ideal weight for your dog? Is your dog overweight, underweight, or just right? How do you know? This time of year everyone is on a diet, but should your dog also be on a diet? I’m going to tackle the issue of weight in dogs starting today. Each Tuesday this month, I’ll be covering another topic regarding weight control in dogs, which will be food, treats, and exercise.
Mom is a real stickler about having dogs who are fit. She feels so bad for overweight dogs because it isn’t their fault and they are probably so miserable. I thought she might pass out about a year ago when I had gained three pounds. She had a feeling I had gained some weight, but to see the number on the scale she felt just terrible. My weight gain was because of changing up our food from kibble to Dr Harveys with adding our own protein. Trying to figure out how much to feed me was tough and I ended up with extra pounds. Thankfully by slowly reducing my food I managed to lose it all in about six months.
Many people think a few extra pounds on a dog is no big deal, but it is! Just a couple pounds can shave a few years off our lifespan! This is a great reason to make sure your pup is at her ideal weight. How do you determine the ideal weight for your dog?
There is no magical formula to determine the right weight. For our breed standard, we should weigh 40-45 pounds. Madison is 30, I’m 46, and Olivia is 49. We are all at a perfect weight. Your dogs activity plays into calories burned, age changes how much a dog needs to eat, the size of your dog makes a difference, weight is something one always needs to watch.
Two easy ways to decide if your pet is at her ideal weight are:
- Feel your dog’s ribs with the palms of your hands. You should be able to feel the rib contours without applying pressure.
- How is your dog’s waistline? Every dog has a waist and it should be visible. Madison was kind enough to show off her little waist for you. See right in front of her hips is where her “hourglass” narrows.
If harnesses or collars are getting snug, your pup is probably gaining weight. Dogs with lots of fur are good at hiding extra pounds, so make sure you keep check on their weight. We are big advocates of the right lifestyle for humans and their pets to keep both at their ideal weight. Diets come and go, but a healthy lifestyle that balances food, treats, and exercise will be around for the entire life of your dog. Stop back the next three Tuesdays to find out more about how to create a healthy lifestyle.
My GBGV Life is happy, so we’re joining Comedy Plus for Happy Tuesday!
da phenny looks like a manatee, but the mama said we can fix that… poor guy hahahaha
A manatee…I thought you boys didn’t like water? Maybe the bathtub?
Great advice
Thank you.
One thing for sure ‘over feeding’ is not a good way to show devotion. You 3 are lucky to have an active Mom who enjoys being out with you even in the cold Minnesota weather. Our first family pet in the early 1970’s was a short haired miniature Dachshund. With the appetite of a Great Dane. We sure did have to watch him like a hawk. His favorite place was under our daughters chair. He learned early that toddlers tend to miss their mouth a lot.
Hugs Cecilia
Yes, we figure out quickly that mini humans are great sources of bonus foods! Food is love, but overfeeding is not love. It can be tough sometimes but keeping a pup at a healthy weight is very important.
Managing our weight is really difficult sometimes, regardless of species!
AMEN!
Cat bro Bert is a perfect example as he has been overweight like forever. He is an eating machine, but he isn’t as heavy as he once was.
Good topic! This is something mom thinks about too– which we are grateful for. We have cousins who are overweight and now are older so they aren’t able to get around as well. It’s too sad. And it’s not the pups fault! My little brother is probably the most food motivated of the three of us so it is a new thing for mom to keep track of things with him. If we are not watching, he likes to eat my breakfast! That makes both mom and me mad!! We will look forward to your Tuesday posts. Have a great day! your friend Lilly
Madison has never been into food. She would walk away from her food bowl and I would finish it up for her and she didn’t care. Now she is interested in her meals and the bowls are watched by Mom so no one steals. Olivia steals anything she can get her paws on, so Mom has to really watch her.
Uh oh! I think I need to lose a couple of pounds. It’s hard to tell because I am so furry , and my mom cannot lift me to weigh me on our scale. I do pass the feel and hourglass test. I play hard with Puffin. I just need to get weighed! XOXO, Sparkle
Mom usually knows before we even get weighed if we have gained a bit, but that has really only happened with Bailie and that problem has been resolved. Play more, eat less, that will work to slim down.
Excellent explanation! Coda (Little Girl’s dog, my “granddog” is at an ideal weight just like you describe. Grandma keeps saying Coda is too thin but that’s because her dogs are always overweight, including Lulu. It’s hard to convince Grandma of that, though, but i don’t stop trying.
Gramma’s cat has always been like that. She gets so much food and Gramma keeps saying she is cutting back, but the same food mountain is always in the bowl. I think at a certain age, some people don’t “get it” like they used to. It’s sad for the pets, but we make an exception for elderly people.
Great advice for the start of a new year. Time to work on getting into ‘swimsuit’ condition!
No one wants snug fitting swim furs when summer comes! It needs to be a goal and not a resolution.
Ooopsie. My hu-mom just decided to at least temporarily halt visiting on Tuesdays (sorry) … and as for my weight, well, she can watch it, I’m not going to bother … I like eating way too much!a
Seriously speaking: Important and worthy discussion. Above is pink tongue in cheek …
No one likes the topic of weight, but it must be discussed and pets need to be a good weight. You, being a youngster, burn lots of calories, so you are fine for a while still.
You nailed it on those four things to keep your baby the most healthy. It’s so important for humans and our babies too.
Thank you for joining the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous Happy Tuesday. Scritches to the pups. ♥
Mom says we are all fitness buddies. Fit humans tend to have more fit pets and vice versa. Unless the weight is caused by a disease, there is no reason to harm health with weight.
Great Post! The only weight problems in our house is the Mom…but this winter (like last), Marv has gotten a little rotund. He does not get enough exercise. Now excuse us…Cinnamon wants her morning walk!
Walking is a great and safe way to exercise, get some fresh air and stay in shape…both for humans and pups.
Ah, yes, the food and treats. If it were something I could control, Ducky would NOT be fed at the table (or snack tray, counter, etc.). But, thanks to the dementia, I cannot get the huDad to understand that feeding her table/counter scraps does NOT equal love. So, as long as he doesn’t give her stuff that can make her sick – which he normally doesn’t – I compensate for it with fewer dog treats.
There is nothing wrong with compensating. We get a lot of meat for training treats so we have a bit less meat in our meals. It is all about balance. It makes huDad happy and Ducky too, so it will work out with you to control treats.
Mom says that we both could stand to lose a few pounds!
Eat a bit less, and walk more, that will help. If mom feels like she or we dogs are gaining, it means hitting the road extra hard for a while.
We completely agree with you on this! We have been very lucky to be able to keep Luke at an ideal weight. Right now it’s we humans that need a little more work on this!
Mom says we are all a fitness buddy team and we workout together. Glad Luke is doing well being an only pup.
Great tips on keeping dogs healthy. Our cat Lucy is in good shape because she is on a grain free diet- and we also play with her so she gets lots of exercise jumping and running after toys! Cheers!
Sounds like you found the secret to success for Lucy, good for you, better for her!
Being overweight is unhealthy for dogs, cats and humans. We are working hard on reaching a healthy weight for us and Pierre.
Once you get a good system down, it is easy to maintain, but things like changing food,or injuries can upset the balance and one needs to make a new plan. The boys look really good.
Great post. This is such great information for pets of all species. Helping them to maintain healthy weights is super important.
Weight is so important and we see so many overweight pets, it is sad.