[Lazylocks]

Hello! I have an almost 6 months old long coat called Hogar and I am a bit worried if he is considered chubby-mostly because of the pressure it would out on his joints. I decreased his food already a tiny bit but he is a foodie and literally eats everything he finds on our walks…

 

[Bearshandler]

I would say generally you want to be able to easily feel the last few ribs. I think fodder describe as the feeling of rubbing your hand across you knuckles when you make a fist.

 

[drparker151]

With a coatie it's hard to tell from photos unless you wet down the fur first. There are plenty of charts all over the internet that show what your dog should look like from above and the side.

It's better to be on the slim side than heavy.

Why do you think it's heavy.

 

[Pawsed]

Hard to tell from the pictures, but he looks pretty lean to me. At that age they are growing fast and it seems hard to get weight on them.

 

[Sabis mom]

he is a foodie and literally eats everything he finds on our walks…

This is not ok. You need to put a stop to it. It is incredibly dangerous and could end up making him sick, or worse.

 

[Pawsed]

What does your vet say about his weight?

I would be careful in cutting food on a dog that age. Yes, you don't want him fat, but he also needs a lot of nutrition to develop good, strong bones and joints.

What do his backbone and ribs feel like?

Can you post pictures of him standing, one from the side and one from above?

 

[LuvShepherds]

Take picture of his full length from above. It’s hard to see his full shape from the angles in your pictures. He doesn't look fat to me but he shouldn’t eat anything you don’t give him. No junk on walks, ever.

 

[Lazylocks]

This is not ok. You need to put a stop to it. It is incredibly dangerous and could end up making him sick, or worse.

Yes, I know. I try monitoring him as much as I can but when he is off leash he is likely to find something to eat. He runs away probably because he knows it is not ok, I am trying to bribe him with treats when I approach him - so that he doesn’t feel as if he is being punished but more like replacing what he found with something better. So far he didn’t eat things like stones or non-edible items. Just junk or poop or food he found on the ground

 

[Lazylocks]

What does your vet say about his weight?

I would be careful in cutting food on a dog that age. Yes, you don't want him fat, but he also needs a lot of nutrition to develop good, strong bones and joints.

What do his backbone and ribs feel like?

Can you post pictures of him standing, one from the side and one from above?

I can feel his ribs but I am not sure how much am I supposed to feel them. He has a layer over them but I can still feel them when rubbing him. I will try and post a photo from a better angle

 

[Hopps]

Yes, I know. I try monitoring him as much as I can but when he is off leash he is likely to find something to eat. He runs away probably because he knows it is not ok, I am trying to bribe him with treats when I approach him - so that he doesn’t feel as if he is being punished but more like replacing what he found with something better. So far he didn’t eat things like stones or non-edible items. Just junk or poop or food he found on the ground

I don’t want to be mean but I would seriously hunker down on this. You never know what someone did to the food. One of my neighbors has been dumping cooked chicken bones at the perimeter of her yard to stop dogs from pooping in her lawn. Have you considered putting a long lead on him? With Fern I had to dig into her gullet to get the chicken bone out. Now I don’t even let her head down when we pass their house.

 

[WNGD]

Yes, I know. I try monitoring him as much as I can but when he is off leash he is likely to find something to eat. He runs away probably because he knows it is not ok, I am trying to bribe him with treats when I approach him - so that he doesn’t feel as if he is being punished but more like replacing what he found with something better. So far he didn’t eat things like stones or non-edible items. Just junk or poop or food he found on the ground

Why is your 6 month old pup off leash if he eats unknowns off the ground and doesn't have perfect recall?
If he runs away and needs to be bribed....he shouldn't be loose.

Work on obedience and you'll also gain control over whatever poop and garbage he's trying to ingest. He's not getting overweight from eating poop and some random garbage but it could be very dangerous; take that seriously.

 

[drparker151]

I can feel his ribs but I am not sure how much am I supposed to feel them. He has a layer over them but I can still feel them when rubbing him. I will try and post a photo from a better angle

Relax your hand and then use the other hand to rub across the knuckles, this will be close to the feeling you want. Make a tight fist and rub across the knuckles, this is what too lean would feel like.