Emily weighs 25 pounds and Clipse weighs 26. They are at their absolute perfect weights, although some might say they are skinny.



Originally posted by primabella
I know Shelties are typically 25lbs, but Mickey is big-boned and what the vet called "costaud" (which I think would translate to 'husky').

This isn't entirely true. 25 pounds is perfect for my two, but they are much bigger than what shelties are supposed to be. For a proper sized sheltie 25 pounds would be too heavy for most of them.

The best guideline to go by with your dog's weight is feel and sight, not a number on a scale, or in a breed book as every dog, even within the same breed, has a different build and carries weight differently.

Close your fist and run your fingerslightly over the back of your hand. Now run your finger over your knuckles. Finally run your finger over your other fingers.

Now stand over your dog and lightly run your hands over the dogs sides applying slight pressure. The key word is slight, as you can "find" ribs on the chubbiest dog by digging in. Now if your dog's side feels like the back of your hand it's probably at a good weight or slightly over. If it feels like your knuckles it's underweight. And if it feels like your fingers it's just right.
Also while standing over it you should be able to see a waistline, even on most coated breeds. If looking at it from the side you should be able to see a nice tuck up from the belly to the groin.

Overweight dogs are a pet peeve of mine. I hope the guidline I wrote helps. I know most of us here know how to tell if our dogs are overweight or not, but maybe some don't.