| Re: Is he the correct weight? He looks chubby to me...but it's hard to tell from a picture. It's best for you to learn how to check his condition yourself, and focus on that rather than the actual pounds on the scale.
Dogs vary in height, bone structure, and muscularity, so there is no one correct weight for a dog of any given breed. The best way to determine whether a dog is overweight is to test 3 different parts of the body: the neck, the ribs, and the hips.
*To check the neck, press your thumb and index finger deep into the side of the neck just ahead of the shoulder, and pinch them together. If your fingers are more than 1/2" apart, the dog is overweight. (Note: this is where old dogs tend to carry most of their excess fat, and they may actually be thin in other locations.)
*To check the ribs, stand with your dog beside you, facing his butt. Place your thumb on the middle of his spine half way down the back and spread your fingers out over his last few ribs. Then run your fingers up and down along his skin. You should be able to feel the bumps of his ribs without pressing in.
*To check the hips, run your hand over your dog's croup. You should be able to feel the bumps of his two pelvic bones without pressing down.
__________________ Becky Giddings
HC Elsa CDX HXAsd HTDIIIsd HRDIIIs ATDsd OTDc NA NAJ VX
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