Ever wondered, 'so what is the ideal dog weight for my woof's breed? I''m sure it's a question that every pet owner asks themselves at some point.

One thing is for sure, it is very important to keep your pet at their ideal dog weight for their breed, type and age and to do this you must weigh your dog regularly. Keep a record of their weight so that you can quickly adjust their feed and exercise regime to account for any weight gain or loss that may occur over the course of their life. 

We are currently experiencing an epidemic of overweight dogs. Did you know that in a PDSA report in 2014 it was estimated that 1 in 3 canines in the U.K. are nowhere near their ideal dog weight and are seriously overweight?

This can have a multitude of effects on your dogs' health from lethargy, poor breathing, hip or elbow dysplasia, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Ultimately, as with humans, if your dog maintains a healthy weight they will live a happier, healthier, longer life. 

But how much should my dog weigh?

How to check for the ideal dog weight

Here are some tips for checking your dog's weight, but always remember to look and feel your dog regularly to check their condition:

• Can you feel their ribs if you run your hands down their sides?
• Can you see your dog's ribs as they turn their bodies?
• Has your dog got a visible waist behind their ribs?
•  Does your dog have a moderate covering of fat?
• Can you see your dog's abdominal tuck when you look at them from the side?
• Does your dog have excess fatty deposits at the tail, thorax or over their back? If they do they are too fat.
• Is your dog's spine prominent? If you can your dog is too thin.

Don't forget, with all of these points it is important to take into account breed types when checking for your pet's ideal dog weight, for example, a greyhound's ideal body weight and shape are very different from that of a bulldog. 

Feeding dogs the correct amount for their body weight

When feeding your dog you should feed them according to their ideal body weight. For example if you have a dog that weighs 22kg but their ideal weight is 20kg then feed them the correct amount of food for a 20kg dog.

This should help them to lose weight, you should also feed them at the lower end of the recommended range of weight of food to encourage weight loss.

Obviously it may be necessary to adjust the amount up or down according to your dog's level of activity, breed, age, type and whether they are neutered or not; all of these have an effect on your dogs predisposition to weight gain or weight loss.

For example, if you have a working gun dog you may need to feed your dog a slightly increased amount during the picking up season when they are burning more calories.

Don't forget, we have a handy dog food calculator on this website that will tell you how much Benyfit Natural raw food to give to your adult woof for their ideal dog weight. 

Is your dog too fat, too thin, or just right?

If your dog falls in the overwirght range then it’s time to scale back on calorie intake. Your dog’s health is your top priority so why feed her the same heavily processed food day in, day out? It's time to switch your pet over to a raw food diet

Make sure you design a healthy, balanced diet for your dog and stick to it. We also sometimes hand out more in treats to our woofs than we realise.

The dog pictured below, Barley, is above her ideal dog weight and moderately overweight.

You can see she does not have a visible waist and has too much fat covering her back, her shoulders and her neck. 

Barley has been on a diet since starting on Benyfit Natural and you can see from the picture below that she is developing a waist and more of an abdominal tuck.

She is getting closer to her ideal dog weight now and is happier and more active now she is lighter. 

If your dog is a little bony, make sure her food has enough of the nutrients she needs. Check with your vet to make sure there are no underlying health problems and get their advice on developing a healthy, balanced raw food diet.

Make sure you offer them more healthy, substantive treats.

Below are two pictures of a Labrador, Sailor, in the first picture he is underweight and in the second picture he is at his ideal weight.

He was fed on Benyfit Natural to gain weight and you can also see significant improvements in his coat. As Sailor is a working dog you can see he has a good amount of lean muscle over his loins in the second picture. 

As ever, if you have any questions about how to maintain your dogs ideal weight with Benyfit Natural you can always drop us an email or give us a call; we are happy to help.