Evaluating Your Dog's Weight

Alright, here is a chart that shows a dog's proper weight. I am seeing more and more FAT dogs and some of them are ones that people are expecting to do agility, frisbee and herding with. It is so sad because the dogs do not have a choice. We control our dog's weight by the amount of food we give them. A dog is not programmed to get a set amount of food each day. If a dog is more active then it needs more food. If a dog is not getting worked/exercised a lot then it needs less food. Geeez it is that simple!

How many overweight marathon runners do you see out there? How many fat high jumpers do you see out there? Our dogs are athletes and need to be kept fit like athletes.

By this chart I would say my dogs are a 4 to 4 1/2. You have to remember that this chart is made for pet people, so a 4 to 4 1/2 is perfect for a dog that is expected to perform tasks.

Evaluating your dog's weight

How skinny is "pretty skinny"? How heavy is "not as thin as he should be"? The Purina body condition system provides a uniform way to describe a pet's weight, from "emaciated" to "grossly obese"

1. EMACIATED
   Ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all bony prominences evident form a distance. No discernable body fat. Obvious loss of muscle mass.
2. VERY THIN
   Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible. No palpable fat. Some evidence of other bony prominence. Minimal loss of muscle mass
3. THIN
   Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones becoming prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck
4. UNDERWEIGHT
   Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. Waist easily noted, viewed form above. Abdominal tuck evident.
5. IDEAL
   Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above. Abdomen tucked when viewed from the side.
6. OVERWEIGHT
   Ribs palpable with slight excess fat covering. Waist is discernable viewed from above but is not prominent. Abdominal tuck apparent.
7. HEAVY
   Ribs palpable with difficulty, heavy fat cover. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent or barely visible. Abdominal tuck may be absent.
8. OBESE
   Ribs not palpable under heavy fat cover, or palpable only with significant pressure. Heavy fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent. No abdominal tuck. Obvious abdominal distension may be present.
9. GROSSLY OBESE