“My dog is 105 pounds of solid muscle.”
We hear this often in Weim circles. Yet almost anyone that is involved in Weimaraners as a breeder or in any of the various performance venues will tell you that “105 pounds” and “solid muscle” simply cannot describe the same dog.
I don’t mean to offend —- but let’s be honest here. The Weimaraner standard allows for females to be 22-26” at the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and for males to be 24-28” when measured the same way. While the AKC does not specify a weight, the standard does stress moderation and an ideal specimen should “present a picture of grace, speed, stamina, alertness, and balance. Above all, the dog’s conformation must indicate the ability to work with great speed and endurance in the field.”
We stress endlessly about our own health and want the best for our dogs, too. The best thing you can do for yourself is also the best thing you can do for your Weim — keep him or her at a healthy weight. Why? Well, to keep him looking like a Weim, for one. Sleek, well-muscled, the picture of health. But the risks of keeping your dog even 10-15 pounds overweight are pretty scary:
- Diabetes
- Increased risk of hip dysplasia
- Arthritis related to inactivity and stress on bones, joints, and ligaments
- Ligament tears and joint instability
- Disc disease and back problems
- High blood pressure, heart disease, and valve problems leading to congestive heart failure
- Difficulty breathing due to increased abdominal girth (in extreme cases), leading to a cycle of inactivity
- Decreased stamina
- Heat intolerance (polar bears have loads of fat, but it’s not too helpful for your dog!)
- Decreased liver function/elevated liver enzymes (it’s called “fatty liver” for a reason!)
- Increased surgical risk
- Increased risk with anesthesia
- Reproductive problems: difficulty carrying and delivering puppies, decreased libido, etc
- Decreased immune function (the cause of this is unknown, but overweight dogs seem to have trouble with recovering from both viral and bacterial infections)
- Skin and coat problems
- Increased risks of certain cancers
- Decreased quality and length of life. Do we REALLY need to say more?!
So here’s the deal. Most people have never seen what “solid muscle” looks like. We’ll show you:
Compare to this dog, who has also been described as “solid muscle”:
How Do You Know if Your Weim is Too Fat?
Look at her when she’s standing normally. You should see a noticeable tuck-up behind her ribs. Stand above her and look down. Your dog should have a definite “hourglass” shape, with hips, waist, and ribcage clearly defined. Her spine should be easy to find, not covered by fat. The muscles that run alongside the spine should be strong and lean. Run your hands along her ribcage. What do you feel? There is only a thin layer of muscle covering the ribs, so anything you feel on top of your dog’s ribs is (surprise!) fat!
The muscles of your Weim’s shoulders and thighs should be well-defined and firm to the touch. When she sits, is there a little roll or dimple that collects at the base of his tail? There shouldn’t be! This last test especially pertains to females: When she’s sitting, does she get a “roll” in her lower abdomen? Or does her belly look sleek and hard? Spayed and older females will often have a little tummy, but (just like us!) if you can grab a handful, Baby Girl needs to go on a diet. Dogs have six-pack abs under there, too!
Now that we’ve convinced you that you should see some rib 🙂 we’ll tell you how to do it. Just like you, your Weim will feel her best — in the form of more energy and better focus — when she drops those extra pounds.
- Learn what a healthy Weim looks like and admit that yours may be carrying some extra poundage. The first step is the hardest! Pfizer found that while 47% of vets noted that dogs in their practice were obese, only 17% of those dogs had owners who agreed. Wow!
- Take a trip to the vet if your Weim is carrying more than 10-15 extra pounds. Just like people, you need to make sure your dog is healthy enough to start a weight loss program. Don’t let your vet talk you into a “special” diet though, unless your dog has a legitimate medical condition. Your dog’s “regular” food will be just fine — when fed correctly!
- Look at your dog’s bag of food. The feeding guidelines are there for a reason — follow them! Get a measuring cup and use it! No more guessing! If you are already feeding per the bag’s guidelines then feed a bit less. The bag is a guideline and not all dogs have the same kind of metabolism. Often this step alone will help your dog drop the extra pounds. Split this amount into two feedings a day. No free feedings!
- Make a plan, and talk to all members of your family about your plan. Nobody can sneak Baby Girl treats!
- If your dog acts hungry (She will, she’s a Weim!) add a filler. Green beans work great. Adding some water to your dog’s food also helps him feel full and may help prevent bloat associated with excessive water intake after a meal.
- Cut out treats. Just kidding! But do make them healthy: broccoli florets, asparagus, carrots, apples, string cheese, low fat hot dogs. Yes, your dog will like these things!
- Exercise! And take your dog. Just as if you were starting an exercise program, begin slow and work up to your goal. Your dog’s fitness level will determine how you start exercising. Off leash walks can be great because all Weims love to smell and explore. Some of them just may do it slower than others.
- Weigh in to monitor your dog’s progress! Once a week or every other week is the best way to do this. Aim for a pound or two a week, depending on how much your dog has to lose.
References:
– Alenza, DP; Rutterman, GR; Pena, L; et al. Relation between habitual diet and canine mammary tumors in a case-control study. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 1998;12:132-139.
– Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Nutrition and the Management of Weight Control. In Healthcare Connection: Clinical Module Level II: 117-154.
– Markwell, PJ. Canine Calorie Control. In: Applied Clinical Nutrition of the Dog and Cat. Waltham USA:1-15.
– Wolfsheimer, KJ. Obesity in dogs. The Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian. 1994:981-998.
– Wolfsheimer, KJ. Obesity. In Ettinger, SJ; Feldman, EC (eds): Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine. W.B. Saunders Co. Philadelphia, PA; 2000;70-72.
Next up… Why you should have a skinny puppy…
Photo of lean Weim is courtesy of SaraRenee Photos & Design
I see way too many fat weims lately, its quite a sad sight , especially with working breeds that are supposed to be fit and athletic. I dont even hunt with my weim, but I’m very careful about his weight and measure it carefully(hes raw fed) before each feeding. He also gets regular exercise.
I totally agree Victoria! Not to mention they are so much better behaved when they are regularly exercised! 🙂
Great article Meredith, you very nicely laid out the risks involved, description of what a healthy Weim should look like, and steps to take if your Weim is overweight.
Sadly, it almost seems that overweight dogs are becoming the norm, and often people don’t recognize what a healthy dog should look like!
Ahhh…thank you Meredith for publishing this article! I just can’t stand seeing overweight weims – I truly feel sorry for them.
Not very many pet-owners have seen a weimat the peak of fitness (like the field trial weims I saw at Nationals).
Yes, some of them sit on the line between thin and too-thin, but they have incredible speed and endurance in part because they are not carrying ANY extra weight.
For us, maintaining our dogs’ weight is a daily exercise (no pun intended!). If they’re looking a bit heavier, then less food that day, a little ribby and we’ll add a bit more.
I heard a great quote once: “If you’re dog is fat, you need more exercise”. I suppose you could turn that around as well.
Something I have also heard from Weim owners is that their vet says that the dog is totally healthy, when in actuality, the dog is overweight. I’m not sure if the vet is really saying this or if the owner is hearing what they want to hear. Either way, keep in mind that vets are generalists and while the dog may be otherwise healthy, he could probably stand to loose a few pounds. Try not use the excuse of “he’s old” as an excuse. That should be the biggest reason to go on a diet. Old dogs carrying around extra weight is hard on their old bones and joints.
Weims are not labs. If your Weim looks as thick as a lab, he’s FAT! Lab owners should be telling you that your dog is anorexic looking and you should look at a lab and think he’s fat.
Great points, Renee! Riley is the one pictured as the fat dog at age 9, and we ARE having to make adjustments to the quantity of his food with age for sure!
Overweight Weims are all too common, sadly. I think people think they should look like labs–but even labs look terrible when they are overweight!
I rescued my girl at 80# and put her on Woof Watchers! She’s about right now…maybe even a touch too thin, but healthy! Haze went on it too last April…he’s looking quite svelte. No more pooch on my pooch!
Woof Watchers is half the amount of kibble, supplemented with no salt green beans, healthy treats, grain free kibble and lots of walks/exercise!!
When I rescued my second Weim in Oct 2010, he was 96 pounds! I couldn’t believe how big he was! He is on a diet and gets exercised everyday and he has lost 11 pounds. It seems like he has been stuck at this weight for a few months now. Any advice on what to do when he’s seemed to plateau? He can still afford to loose at least 5-7 pounds!
Maybe his body needs a shake up? Try changing his food or at least the flavor? Also try a different form of exercise. This is what happens in humans.
I feed him taste of the wild and I alternate flavors every bag!
HI. We feed our two whims Taste of the Wild also and rotatev flavors. However, our dogs are overweight and I am putting them on a weight loss program. I was wondering how much are you feeding your dog? I also live on a ranch so I am going to start a good exercise program. Any help would be appreciated. My dogs, male and female both need to lose
,
Hi there, Taste of the Wild is pretty calorie dense so I would start with bag recommendaction and adjust down as necessary. You may not need to as you increase exercise though! I usually keep an eye on their weight a.dog just a just as I go along. Good luck! I’m sure theyll love the new exercise program!
Yep, agree with Renee. I’d mix it up and add some strength/resistance training (roading), and maybe some sprints (fetching) on alternating days. That’s what human athletes do when we hit that plateau, so the same thing applies for our dogs!
I’m not sure what you mean by roading, can you explain? I do walk him some days and some days I take him to the park to play fetch!
“Roading” is basically the same thing as “pulling.” Put your dog in a harness and actually encourage him to pull! Most weims love it and don’t need much encouragement 🙂 Keep resistance on the leash at all times. It takes a lot more effort and builds muscles thanks to the resistance you provide at the other end of the leash.
I have not been the best mama to my 2.5 year old weim, Aiden. He is one of the overweight weims, sadly. He was the biggest in his litter and is very big today. He measures 30.5″ from front paw up to shoulder. In March he weighed in at 110 pounds. The vet said he def needs to lose some weight. After reading on here and about breed standards I am so disappointed in myself for letting him get to be so chubby!! Since his vet visit I have been giving him more exercise – we do at least 4 15 minute sessions of fetch, he swims at least once a day for 10-15 minutes, and he runs with me on the 4wheeler til he stops. I brought him in yesterday and he weighed in at 108.5 pounds. As far as food goes, up until a month ago I would fill his bowl with kibble and he would graze throughout the day, when it was gone I would fill it again. So a month ago I started feeding him 2x per day. He would get a big scoop and half a can of wet morning and night. I noticed he has a lot of dry patches lately so the vet recommended I try a grain free food. I switched him to taste of the wild dry and 4health wet food. I guess my question is, how much should I be feeding him? The kibble guideline is as follows: 80-100 pounds, 3 3/4 – 4 1/3 cups, 100-125 pounds, 4 1/3 – 5 cups. Since he is also getting wet food and needs to lose weight, how much should I feed him?
Eventually i would prefer to just feed kibble but as of right now, he demands it with wet food. Please dont judge me, I just need guidance! Thanks in advance!
I hope Aiden’s weight loss is going well! I would feed him per the guidlines for the weight you want, and on the lower end. Since he is a bigger Weim at 30.5″, I would feed 3-3.5 cups daily, 1.5ish cups in the morning and again at night.
I have a 7yr old Siberian Husky and lived with a fat Weim for 2 years (Looking to get a Weim for my next dog), I can definitely say that my husky needs to loose weight. At 25″ at the shoulder, he’s 3″ taller than the standard and gets confused with a Mal a lot. So far, we’ve lost 5lbs biking/bikejoring with food adjustment, and he’s at 72lbs now instead of 77lbs. For one month and his age, I feel this is healthy. He should be 67ish pounds.
If you want to do “Roading”, I bought my harness at howlingdogalaska.com. Since a lot of Alaskan Husky lines have pointers bred into them for speed, you should be able to find a harness to fit your boy no problem. They have a Hound Harness that may work.