Overweight Showdogs

[BarbedWire]

So why have breed standards then? Weighing a dog is an objective measurement. Labradors are supposed to weigh 30kg. I have seen a lot heavier than that. https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/information/labrador-retriever.asp

pugs between 6 and 8, and bassets 26-33 which means they can be bigger than a lab.

A standard might be ideal but that doesn't account for the build or fitness of the individual dog. Weighing per se is objective but we know it doesn't translate well to "ideal body condition." Just like the amount of food required to maintain an ideal body condition score will depend on the quality of the food, the activity of the dog, the health of the dog and the metabolism of the individual dog.

Yes but the standard weight should be a guide. A dog more than 5 (2?) kgs over (or under) the standard may be overweight (underweight). I am not confident that I could assess a dog's "ideal body condition" and I think most pet owners could not either. Plus I personally have long haired dogs and I would find it very difficult to assess their "body condition". I do weigh them regularly though and I am confident they are not overweight.

[BullBreedBoy]

I think it is important not to rely only on appearance. I wonder how many dog owners actually know how much their dogs weigh and what they should weigh to be within the standard. The same with height. Some breeds seem to be getting taller (or smaller).

So why have breed standards then? Weighing a dog is an objective measurement. Labradors are supposed to weigh 30kg. I have seen a lot heavier than that. https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/information/labrador-retriever.asp

pugs between 6 and 8, and bassets 26-33 which means they can be bigger than a lab.

I find this to be a very odd way of thinking to be honest. Our primary objective as dog owners and/or breeders should be the long term health and well being of our animals. Keeping dogs in good condition is (coupled with feeding a highly quality diet) in my opinion the singular best thing you can do for them. Blind adherence to a Breed Standard is not the way to go. Weighing of dogs is only useful for correct medication levels as far as I'm concerned. Visual inspection and touching is the correct way to assess their condition. Here is a simple chart that I hand out to all our families from vet west:

[Pjrt]

Basset Hounds are true dwarf breed which means they have a normal size dogs body on small limbs. The correct body weight & size of a large male Basset would easily equal or eclipse that of the average Labrador. Just because a dog is short doesn't mean it should weigh less.

I agree that the best way to tell if a dog is the correct weight is to actually look at the dog.

As for breed standards, If a small but tall Labrador weighed 30kg it would look totally out of proportion and would most likely not fit most of the rest of the standard, despite being the 'correct' weight.

[Dame Aussie]

All you need to do is feel the last few ribs without pressing. You can test this on long haired dogs too.

[BarbedWire]

All you need to do is feel the last few ribs without pressing. You can test this on long haired dogs too.

Okay I'm a dumb dumb. last few ribs at head end or bottom end? What am I supposed to be feeling for?

[Diva]

On mine I want to be able to feel all the ribs without pressing, and even then my chiropractically qualified vet may tell me they need to lose a kilo or two. Once I groom them up for show ring though an observer who doesn't put their hands on them might think them over weight. Makes me a bit skeptical about how they judged highly groomed coated breeds from photos.

[Dame Aussie]

All you need to do is feel the last few ribs without pressing. You can test this on long haired dogs too.

Okay I'm a dumb dumb. last few ribs at head end or bottom end? What am I supposed to be feeling for?

You're not dumb! Just run your hand along their ribcage and if you can feel at least the last few ribs at their back end it usually means they're a good weight :) .

[BarbedWire]

All you need to do is feel the last few ribs without pressing. You can test this on long haired dogs too.

Okay I'm a dumb dumb. last few ribs at head end or bottom end? What am I supposed to be feeling for?

You're not dumb! Just run your hand along their ribcage and if you can feel at least the last few ribs at their back end it usually means they're a good weight :) .

Okay my old boy (13) I can feel every rib. I know he needs to be checked. I like to keep him thin though because he has arthritis. Middle dog I can feel the two end ribs. New dog (5kgs and 8 months old) I can't feel any ribs. Therefore I am overfeeding her. Thank you :)

[LisaCC]

Oops. Pocket post!

Edited July 16, 2015 by LisaCC

[The Spotted Devil]

All you need to do is feel the last few ribs without pressing. You can test this on long haired dogs too.

Okay I'm a dumb dumb. last few ribs at head end or bottom end? What am I supposed to be feeling for?

You're not dumb! Just run your hand along their ribcage and if you can feel at least the last few ribs at their back end it usually means they're a good weight :) .

Okay my old boy (13) I can feel every rib. I know he needs to be checked. I like to keep him thin though because he has arthritis. Middle dog I can feel the two end ribs. New dog (5kgs and 8 months old) I can't feel any ribs. Therefore I am overfeeding her. Thank you :)

And it's really important to run your hands lightly over the ribs - I have had numerous clients poking their dogs vigorously and insisting they can feel those last few ribs! Once you show people they are very quick to understand the look and feel method - and then come back each week proudly showing how their dog is slimming down :)

[Tassie]

I encourage people at dog club, especially those wanting to do agility, to do the rib test, by putting hands either side of the dogs spine, thumbs pointing towards the tail, and fingers spreading out downwards. I want to be able to feel ribs without having to press in (so like feeling lightly over the back of your own hand. That, together with the body condition score visual .. waist from above and tuck up from the side, gives them a pretty good idea of what they're looking for. The visuals are going to vary a bit with breed or coat, but I'd think the rib test is a fair guideline. I tend to weigh mine every now and again as a check on what I'm seeing and feeling, although the scales even at the same vet surgery can sometimes vary in their accuracy, I've found.

[OSoSwift]

You should be able to feel the last couple of ribs with slight pressure. You shouldn't have to dig and you shouldn't have to bump your hands over all their ribs. Obviously this is easier in a non-coated breed.

Their ribs should not have cm's or inches of cover over them, ie between the skin and the rib, the last two should feel like skin (couple of mm's) and then rib. Not sure if that makes sense.

I have a boarding kennels. Many of the dogs I see are over weight a vast number obese. If I said to those owners your dogs are overweight they would swear blind that they are not. They are not obese and have the idea of a waist but their ribs are under a good cm or two or three of fat. Most dogs I get in I would drop weight off if they were mine, there are a few I work to get them to gain weight and some are just perfect.

I often get people lament they cannot get their dog to gain weight when it is a perfectly healthy lean fit (often ADD type)dog who I think is perfect! In many cases their vet has even told them they need to gain weight! I have had dogs in obviously carrying extra weight that the vet has okayed and had vets dogs in who need to lose weight.

[Stressmagnet]

Ernie is a small Labrador who weighs 28kgs. He's too heavy - I don't care what the breed standard says. He's got a bit of extra round his waist, and I have to push to feel his last ribs. From above his waist goes in only slightly. This is my fault as his morning walks have been less active while my shoulder is healing. The vet ran his hands over him and said while he is NOT in bad shape, he agreed a few kilos would be kinder to his joints in old age. We think, together that 26kilos would make him trim and healthy.

[Steph M]

I actually have no idea what Gus weighs right now... he flits between about 30 and 35 seasonally and looks fairly similar, He never looks chubby or has a big change in waistline so I think the extra could be muscle when he's out and about every day rather than sleeping on the couch as it's too cold to go out, so I feel more confident looking him over and feeling than going on his weight alone.

I know Rosie could use a little more bulk on her right now, but over winter she too has lost a bit of muscle over her back and shoulders while we aren't out swimming every day and she is also couch dog, so I think that's what it is more than not eating enough in our house. They don't really get fat though, which is nice but I do like them fit and muscled more than just lean but when they decide winter walks aren't much fun there's not heaps I can do with them...haha.

[LisaCC]

I've tried to find a diagram to explain it, but the one I had is buried deep in a textbook in moving boxes.

A basic way of feeling ribs is the "knuckle test".

Remember all of this is "general", It's good to use in conjunction with the above diagrams already posted, I find this good for coated dogs when it's hard to "see".

I've taken some quick photos, thanks Mum for her finger in helping , (Excuse the quality and giant size)

So by lightly, yet firmly running your hands down the side of your dog feeling it's ribs, you can compare what it feels like to what your hand feels like in different positions.

If it feels like the top of your knuckles of a closed fist like this: It is is generally regarded as underweight.

If the ribs feel like the underside of your knuckles of an open palm, there is too much fat covering them. Like so:

If your dogs ribs feel like similar to running your hand across your fingers thats perfect!!:

Edited July 17, 2015 by LisaCC

[Kirislin]

that's clever LisaCC!

I dont need to weigh my dogs, I just go by sight, although I do have an idea of their weights from when they go to the vet. I've noticed as they age they all lose weight, from muscle loss, even though they look the same at first. I do notice the muscle loss with Feather, and I did with Kibah and Pennym but the boys still look much the same to me. I only realise they're aging when I weigh them

[WreckitWhippet]

Fat dogs exist everywhere and not just the show ring.

[Kirislin]

mmmmmm yes. I think alot of people, me included, expect to see prime examples of the breed at a dog show, not fat soft unfit puddings.

[Dame Aussie]

Yeah. Noone is denying there are plenty of fat pet dogs out there, but isn't showing meant to be about the ideal?

[melzawelza]

Showing is supposed to be dogs competing in prime condition. Fact is that fat dogs are not just being exhibited, they are consistently winning in some breeds. That's pretty appalling.