[LaRen616]

Sinister's "Dad" thinks Sin is too skinny, I think he looks great!

I feed him 3 1/2 cups of TOTW a day and he gets peanut butter put in his Kong every other day and he gets 2 or 3 treats a day.

He is 28' at the shoulder and he hasn't been weighed in a while but the last time he was weighed he was about 80 pounds.

Do you think he is too skinny?

 

[onyx'girl]

Karlo is 27" and 90# and I see ribs on him but he is all muscle. I don't see Sins body tone in those shots, to tell if he is skinny, but I would think he could gain a few if he is really 28" & 80#. Sin and Karlo are only a week apart in age, so I'm sure they will both fill out in the next year.
A black dog's bodytone is so hard to see in pics. He looks good in the pics, how does he feel?
Canned jack mackarel is a nice addition especially this time of year, I would give him some supplemental food other than kibble/ scrambled or raw eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh green tripe.

 

[LaRen616]

Karlo is 27" and 90# and I see ribs on him but he is all muscle. I don't see Sins body tone in those shots, to tell if he is skinny, but I would think he could gain a few if he is really 28". Black dogs bodytone is so hard to see in pics. He looks good in the pics, how does he feel?
Canned jack mackarel is a nice addition especially this time of year, I would give him some supplemental food other than kibble/ scrambled or raw eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh green tripe.

I can easily feel his ribs, they almost feel like an old washboard. He is definitly 28' at the shoulder, he has been measured numerous times. :crazy:

 

[onyx'girl]

Then I would get some more weight on him, at his height he should weigh more, IMO. But his structure isn't blocky or large boned so about 5# may be just right.

 

[LaRen616]

Then I would get some more weight on him, at his height he should weigh more, IMO. But his structure isn't blocky or large boned so about 5# may be just right.

Thank you!

I like the idea of giving him egg and tripe (I used to feed him that almost a year ago).

I give him canned TOTW every now and then, do you think I should give him some of that more often?

I definitly dont want a fat dog, but I dont want a skinny dog either.

 

[onyx'girl]

Thank you!

I like the idea of giving him egg and tripe (I used to feed him that almost a year ago).

I give him canned TOTW every now and then, do you think I should give him some of that more often?

I definitly dont want a fat dog, but I dont want a skinny dog either.

I'm not a fan of commercially prepared dog food, so IMO, no! I'd go with home cooked/raw or human grade supplements, but that is just my opinion.

 

[PaddyD]

He doesn't weigh a lot because he has a smallish body for his height. As the others say, if you can easily feel his ribs he can probably use a few pounds. But he is not a big dog, he just a tall one.
Some GSDs have a runner's build, some have a football player's build .... and everything in between.

 

[LaRen616]

I'm not a fan of commercially prepared dog food, so IMO, no! I'd go with home cooked/raw or human grade supplements, but that is just my opinion.

Ok, thank you for your help!

 

[Roxygsd]

So you shouldn't feel the ribs? Roxy is 24 inches and weighs 62lbs (20 months old). I can slighlly feel the ribs and see faint shadows of ribs in certain lighting. Many people have said she looks thin but the vet said she is perfect.

 

[LaRen616]

So you shouldn't feel the ribs? Roxy is 24 inches and weighs 62lbs (20 months old). I can slighlly feel the ribs and see faint shadows of ribs in certain lighting. Many people have said she looks thin but the vet said she is perfect.

No, you do want to slightly feel their ribs but you dont want them to feel like a washboard.

 

[gsdraven]

So you shouldn't feel the ribs? Roxy is 24 inches and weighs 62lbs (20 months old). I can slighlly feel the ribs and see faint shadows of ribs in certain lighting. Many people have said she looks thin but the vet said she is perfect.

You should be able to easily feel the ribs without pressing too hard. Some people like to be able to see the last rib or two. IMO, it should not feel like a wash board when you just rub your hand down them.

From your description, Roxy sounds like she is fit. Most people are used to fat dogs and have no idea what a healthy dog looks like. Many of us with fit GSDs hear the "skinny" comments a lot.

 

[Jax08]

Jax 3 years old, athletic, is 24.5" and is just right at 62 lbs. I like to be able to feel the ribs, even see the ribs when they are turned but I don't like to be able to see the washboard. Sounds like Roxy is just right.

 

[Roxygsd]

You're right. The people that have said my dog looks thin have dogs that look like over stuffed sausages.

 

[Jax08]

When I came home from my Mom's, and her dog looks like a stuffed sausage, Jax looked really, really skinny to me. I actually increased her food! But her weight was the same. I think that we get used to seeing a certain body type and anything off of that looks either fat or skinny.

We had a fostered dobie for a few weeks that had come from a starvation case. She was 40 lbs when the people dropped her off at the HS as a stray! (NOT a stray they found out later!). But bringing her into our house made our dogs look fat next to her.

 

[LaRen616]

When I came home from my Mom's, and her dog looks like a stuffed sausage, Jax looked really, really skinny to me. I actually increased her food! But her weight was the same. I think that we get used to seeing a certain body type and anything off of that looks either fat or skinny.

We had a fostered dobie for a few weeks that had come from a starvation case. She was 40 lbs when the people dropped her off at the HS as a stray! (NOT a stray they found out later!). But bringing her into our house made our dogs look fat next to her.

My cousin's Rottie looks like a big fatty to me.

Sinister is way taller than the Rott, but the Rott is definitly heavier than him. :wild:

 

[Dejavu]

You're right. The people that have said my dog looks thin have dogs that look like over stuffed sausages.

lol, my mother still has this old belief that fat = healthy, and she's always telling me how skinny my puppy is and to stop trying to slim down my overweight dog or she will look "skinny as a stray dog".

Yeah, right.

 

[PaddyD]

Your dog is perfect. That's just the way he's built.

 

[DJEtzel]

I think it's really hard to say that a shepherd should be this height/weight and eat this much, it's so varying.

Frag is 27.5" and 78lbs, borderline overweight I would say, and he eats 2 cups of TOTW a day. *shrugs*

 

[LaRen616]

I think it's really hard to say that a shepherd should be this height/weight and eat this much, it's so varying.

Frag is 27.5" and 78lbs, borderline overweight I would say, and he eats 2 cups of TOTW a day. *shrugs*

Sinister is only half a inch taller than Frag and he eats 3 1/2 cups of TOTW a day.

Wow. Sin's a fatty!

 

[gsdraven]

Sinister is only half a inch taller than Frag and he eats 3 1/2 cups of TOTW a day.

Wow. Sin's a fatty!

You can't base feeding on height/weight/age alone but have to consider individual factors like how your dog metabolizes the food and activity level.

Raven is almost exactly the same measurements as Frag - 27", 78lbs and eats 2cups of TOTW a day but like DJ, I also think she could lose a couple lbs. I wouldn't consider her fat by any standard but I do think she could be a little more trim. And hey, she's a female!