[Okhotneek]

Ok so I just wanted some opinions. Dexter's obedience trainer made the comment that he was overweight. She use to show dobermans in the ring in AKC so dobes are her breed. I just wanted you guys' opinions. I always thought puppies were usually on the heavier side and really didn't want to put him on a 'diet' at this age (he is 5 months). Also, she said he was down on his pasterns a little and to start giving him vitamin C....we started that a few weeks ago, very slowly. I noticed he has been tucking his butt a little more so his top line is rounded instead of straight like it use to be. Are the two related? Will it probably straighten itself out when he matures? He just went through a huge growth spurt and thankfully has slowed down. Here are a few pics I took while playing fetch and working on commands...unfortunately I can't get a nice stacked pic of him by myself and the hubby is absolutely dreadful at taking pictures. He is an awesome little man and I just want to make sure I am doing the best for him.

 

[MeadowCat]

From the pictures he's looks pretty chunky to me. He doesn't have much of a tuck up and I can't see any ribs. If you can get a top down picture we can see whether he has a waist.

What and how much are you feeding him? How much exercise does he get?

 

[Okhotneek]

Looking down on him he does have a waist. He is currently on science diet puppy due to another dog we had here for my brother, decided it would be easier to keep them on the same food until he went home. He gets 6 cups a day, which is the recommended on the bag. We take him for at least a 30-45 min walk everyday, a lot of times he has 2 walks a day, plays fetch and comes with us to the park with the kids. So he is active. Maybe we need to switch to a lower calorie food now that the other dog went back home?

 

[MeadowCat]

Six cups a day seems like a lot, even for a growing puppy. I'm not a fan of Science Diet; it has a lot of fillers and isn't great quality. If it were me, I would slowly switch to a higher quality food and lower the amount I'm feeding him. I like my dogs lean and fit, as it's much healthier for them. I like to see at least the last rib while they are moving and I want a nice tuck up and a clearly defined waist.

If you can take more pictures that would help. But I would trust your trainer and at the very least cut back on his food some.

 

[Tater927]

How much does he weigh right now? I just looked at their website and the Science diet puppy formulas have that between 4-9 months for growth a 60lb puppy should be getting 5 1/2 cups and an 80 lb should be getting 6 3/4. Is he already around 70 lbs at 5 months old?

Regardless, those are just guidelines and might need to be tweaked depending on the dog. He does look a little bit chunky so you might want to decrease the amount you are giving him. It's up to you whether or not to change the food. there are some helpful links on here that you might want to look at in choosing one if you decide that's something you want to do.


ETA: Just looked at the large breed formula and it is a bit different. It shows that 5 2/3 60 lb and 7 cups for 80lb which is a little bit different and I can see possibly feeding 6 cups if he's in between 60 and 80 lb. However, since he's a bit chunky, I still say ya might need to lower the amount

 

[PatchworkRobot]

He looks a little pudgy to me too, but not outright fat at least.

Edit: 6 cups a day seems like a lot but Science Diet isn't that good of a food. I'd suggest moving to a higher quality food ASAP. Also, and I'm sure it's been said, but even though the bags have "guidelines" they aren't set in stone and you should feed enough for your dog to look healthy but not overweight. The guidelines on my boy's food says 4.5-5 cups a day but he actually gets closer to 2.5 cups.

 

[Adara]

I agree that I'd cut back food a tiny bit and I'd change foods. I'm not a fan of Science Diet.

At about 4 months I notice puppies tend to get a bit "tubular" but usually the tuck up is back around 5 months.

 

[Okhotneek]

Thanks guys. I'll post more pics of him when I get off of work later. He is 67 lbs right now. What food would you suggest to switch him to?

 

[Ninabug]

I agree that he looks a bit too round for my liking. I don't think puppies should be plump and chubby, I'd rather they be a bit thin (not emaciated or underfed looking). Think about all that growth in the bones that's occurring. The body doesn't need all that excess fat.

As for food, I agree...switch foods and cut back some. You'll probably cut back quite a bit anyways because most high quality foods you don't feed as much of anyways. As already stated Science Diet is full of fillers and there are plenty of potential allergens in there too.

As for what foods I'd recommend. Personally, I prefer an all-life stages food. The difference between puppy/dog is just more calories...more stuff. That's pretty much it. For varities here's what I'd recommend (in no particular order): Any of the Fromms Family foods, and variety of Acana, any variety of Natural Balance, Wellness or Nature's Logic. I like foods that are made in small facilities with a history of none- to VERY little recall (maybe once for something minor).

I love Fromms and that's what I feed my girl. She has both a sensitive stomach and mild food allergies. Fromms uses non-renedered ingredients, ingredients are fresh, and it's made in Wisconsin. They have never had a recall. Their digestibility number is quite high, so most dogs handle the switch easily (when done properly).

Good luck!

 

[madmony]

I am no expert and don't claim to be, but he doesn't look fat, he's not buff. How was that? He doesn't have that tight look. Oliver is tight, but he runs about an hour twice a day (don't run, I throw the ball). I'm not fit and I'm fat!