# Is my male puppy to skinny?



## Riemer (Apr 25, 2018)

Hi all, 

We are feeding our male puppy of almost 6months Orijen puppy large. He is now 44pounds.

We switched recently from 3 times to 2 times a day food and are following the Orijen feeding guidelines. Next to that he gets sometimes some normal small snacks (carrots, rice, dog candies) but we try to keep it to a minimum. He is nice, looks healthy and is energetic. However, people often say he looks really skinny.

I added some pictrures below, what do you think?

Thank you in advance!
Riemer


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## NothingbutGold (Apr 2, 2017)

My golden went through a skinny stage around that age too. I was a bit concerned but he has filled out nicely. I can feel his ribs but he no longer looks skinny.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

He looks like a perfectly normal cusp of adolescence dog to me! Good job not letting him get fat.


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## BrianO (Apr 7, 2016)

He is a handsome boy.

It is not easy to determine a good weight from a photo, but he looks good to my eye.


When you pet him, does he feel solid? Too thin and you can feel the definition of the spine and ribs; too fat and bones are not detected; good if you can feel that a skeleton is there under the muscle.

A better view is from the top. Does he have a waist? He should, but not to the extreme.

Better questions: does he have good energy? Is he growing well?

At this age, you should be seeing a vet frequently for puppy wellness checks. Have a conversation with your vet about his weight. I would trust that far more than my opinion based on a photo. Hands on tells much more.

American dogs are often overweight... like many Americans. A lean build is far healthier in the long run. To me it looks like your pup is at a normal leggy stage of growth. He appears healthy.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Good looking boy, he looks great. 

Vets here in the US stress the importance of keeping Goldens and other Retrievers lean, it is better for their overall health but especially beneficial to their joints. 

I would work closely with your Vet and follow their recommendation.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

I think your dog looks great. They get gangly and awkward at that phase. I like to keep my dogs and puppies lean. People always commented that my dog was "so skinny," but lots of people think dogs look "normal" when they are actually overweight. 

I read a statistic somewhere once that said that vets think 50% of dogs they say are overweight, but only 17% of pet owners agree. As long as your vet isn't telling you he's too skinny you're just fine.


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## Riemer (Apr 25, 2018)

Thanks a lot people! That's really comforting!
It is very difficult to see on a picture, indeed. I added 2 more pictures, perhaps these are more clear.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

He looks just right for his age.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

He looks okay to me. Our Rocky is 9 months, and he has looked a little too thin at times. We feed him 3 to 4 cups per day of Whole Earth Farms Chicken and Turkey. We vary the amount depending on his appetite.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

I definitely remember those "gangly" stages with our 4 previous Golden's. Definitely most dogs people see are overweight, so when a lean, trim one does come by they think it is skinny. 


It is the same for Corgi's - which we have 2 of. We had them at a local plant/nursery which had 2 "fat" Corgi's who lived there. When he saw our 2, the first thing he said was "gee, they are kind of skinny, aren't they". I just smiled and thought to myself "why because your's look more like foot stools?"


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## Atopal (Jan 17, 2018)

Wow my pup looks just like yours. He is 5 months on May 6. 
People have commented to me he is skinny. I actually just wrote a post ( before I noticed yours). My vet had told me to feed him 2x a day 1/2 cup each feeding. 
Seems too little to me. I questioned the vet again a different one I saw and he said 2x a day 1 cup each time. Was curious to see what others think. By chance are you located on Long Island? Would them them to meet.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

When Piper was that age she got about 1.5 cups twice a day--ish, because before that it was 1 cup 3 times a day. Sometimes more if she was starting to look too skinny. FWIW, at that age they look quite gangly, and its not uncommon for them to start looking skinnier after a big growth spurt. 

You might find this chart helpful: 
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Purina-Body-Condition-Score-Diagram.pdf


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Atopal said:


> Wow my pup looks just like yours. He is 5 months on May 6.
> People have commented to me he is skinny. I actually just wrote a post ( before I noticed yours). My vet had told me to feed him 2x a day 1/2 cup each feeding.
> Seems too little to me. I questioned the vet again a different one I saw and he said 2x a day 1 cup each time.


So now you can use this thread to help you, or post a photo of your puppy on your other thread. At this age you really have to just watch your puppy and bump the amount up and down based on how his body condition is looking and the amount of training you're doing (how much training treats are you adding to his calorie count) and also how much exercise he's getting. It sounds like you've been doing a good job, keep up the good work.

This is a great tool: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/475552041884265965/?lp=true
Obviously you don't want to see his hip bones or be able to count his ribs but if people are telling you he is skinny, it means you're probably doing something right. Dogs are like people, they are better off being a little on the lean side rather than a little on the heavy side. Especially as he's growing, think about what a lanky and athletic teenage person looks like. No pudge.


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