Weight on a working dog - Page 1

I was going to call this 'weight on a working GSD' but then I remembered we have Mali folks around and didn't want to cut them out.

In various conversations across the board, there have been pictures shared that cover both spectrums.  Both dogs who seem to 'need groceries' and puppies who look too fat.

What weight do you like to keep your dogs at and why? 

What numbers (Calories to Protein to Fat to Carbs) do you go by when feeding a dog who is actively working (PPD, SchH, Showring, herding)?

Do you let your retired canine's get a little more portly or keep them at the same weight?

Do you want your puppies on the lean side or like to pack some groceries on them?

What indicators do you use (coat health, energy level, stool, hungriness) to adjust your dog's diet?

And if we can keep it polite, RAW vs kibble vs mix of the two.  Does a dog need to stick to one sort of diet or another through EVERY stage of life or are there times when he/she might benefit most from RAW and times from kibble?

Disagree passionately but play nicely.

I prefer to keep a dog on the lighter side but not "supermodel " skinny.  However that said sometimes the life stage a dog is in will influence that.  I have a three year old that is difficult to put weight on as he is very active.  I feed kibble, if I had consistent access to affordable raw and the prep time for it I would feed that but they seem to do well enough on the solid gold dog food supplemented with K9 superfuel.  I will let the older dogs have a little more weight but still try to keep them on the fit end.  Barbie, like me, looks at the desert cart and gains five pounds.  lol

I do like the solid gold suppliments and have never had any digestive issues with them, which is always a plus.

I may as well kick off, I  have for a long time fed a top quality Kibble Grain free, I have always wanted to feed Raw but too pricey over here,
Now i got a deal and i am for the last two weeks feeding on a product meat Called DUCK comes in packs of 1kg and in slices of 100grams, The dogs took to it no problem i see the stools are a little dryer than kibble with less smell.
Regards feeding a Dog i go by eye i look firstly at the Dogs coat and the eyes of the dog and this is done subconsciously, my eyes run over the dogs every time i go outdoors where they are a life time habit, If the Coat, Eyes are good then i think the stools will be also,
For me to keep a Dog healthy is never a problem and it is a thing i do automatically and never even think about it,
My Dogs are fed twice a day same amount each feed,
I do not feed a Dog more at any time, However i do feed it less at times, WE and dogs eat to LIVE we do not LIVE to eat. I think my dogs will always eat more but then that is only normal, In the winter i feed the same never more food
Steve1

Sorry, but you couldn't pay me to feed Solid Gold.  I tried it years ago and had poor results with 3 GSD's.  I me the people from the company and wouldn't use the food or their supplements.  It didn't work for me.  If it works for you that 's good. 

Not the food Jim but yes the suppliment has worked very well across my dogs of varying ages.

For myself I agree with keeping a dog towards the lean side and I go off energy level for the work, plus coat and general attitude rather than the actual scale.

The young dogs I have in training are perhaps what would be called within a 1lb or 2 of 'supermodel' but they're also solid muscle, with bright shiny coats and all the endurance in the world.  If I see a drop in coat condition or attitude then I worry.

I like lean = muscled and thin.  I pay more attention to the activity level and stamina than the actual weight.  Heck, I rarely even measure the food when I'm feeding my dogs.  My male had a growth spurt and seriously looked like he was wasting (and I like a skinny dog!).  However it was a HOT and humid summer here, and we have no AC (I'm talking about my house, my dogs are all "indoor dogs"), so the dogs had far less apetite this summer.  They were less active b/c of the heat so I wasn't super concerned about them being thin.  Also when they shed they got barely any coat back so it exaggerated how thin they got.

Now that it's cooled off, my male has put on weight.  He was 66lbs in August and is now about 72 and still lean.  I don't mind seeing a rib or two when standing stacked, so long as the dog is also muscled and has a nice coat.  A dog with no musle and a dry yucky coat is not healthy.  I can't really nitpick based on a photo.  Some dogs are obviously fat or too thin, but most of "is my dog OK?" questions I'd really have to see the dog move and work to say.  It depends on how much energy the dog has.

Also you have to consider the coat of the dog.  My mutt has this insane coat, like taking a Malamute coat and ADDING a Chow Chow coat.  He looks HUGE and stands taller than my GSDs, but he weighs 62 lbs and can be fairly rib-y (he's not nearly as active, very lazy, low drive house dog).

FWIW my 7 year old 21" working line female is 50lbs, my 2 year old 25" show line male is now 72lbs, my 4 year old 26" mutt male is 62lbs.

I feed TOTW in the mornings and RAW Chicken in the evenings...I have moved from a HOT Weather climate to a COLD one...Does anyone change the amount of Protein/Calories from the Summer to Winter... I have found that if I feed the same amount for both and use the same food and quantity that my dogs will lose weight during the winter time...
TOTW has 2 types that are 25% Protein and 2 types that are 32%...I have been using the 25% during both the winter time and summer time....and have just switched them over to the 32% for this upcoming winter...
What do ya'll use during different times...

~Bob~

I feed Canidae and am also among the ranks of those who like to keep their dogs thin and muscular.