How to determine if a TT is overweight

"In the last two days two people have said that our TT is fat. One was his groomer and the other our obedience instructor. Neither have had any experience with TTs. He is 11 mo. old, 16" high and weighs 25.5 lb. He's a sturdy little boy with lots of hair. Does this sound like he's fat. He doesn't look fat to us when he's wet. Should I be able to feel his ribs. His breeder says there are no skinny TTs. Course with all his hair he looks pretty wide. Can anyone tell me how to determine if he's too fat?"

Response

The weight really depends on the overall density of bone and structure of the individual dog, in addition to body fat. Some are light boned - some are heavy boned. I find correct size (14"-16") come in between 18 and 22 pounds - females being slightly smaller are lighter. You cannot tell by looking at Tibetan Terriers because of their coats. They often look heavier or lighter than they really are, depending on the coat.

My rule of thumb is that if you cannot easily feel definition of the ribs with a light touching motion (sideways rub) they may be too fat. If he is eating more than 3/4 to 1 cup of (premium type) dog food per day combined with average exercise, this could be a clue. Most dog food manufacturers overstate the amounts of food required daily based on body weight (by way too much in most cases). Each food is different and the same rules may not apply. However some can eat very little and get overweight, others eat a lot and stay slim - just like people.

We have a 23 pound male who eats just under 3/4 of a cup of 'light' food a day - is very active and we are constantly monitoring his tendency to become overweight. Some of the dogs who are being shown need a little more food during their show careers because of the higher stress (good and bad) and activity involved. Growing puppies and 'some' young adults benefit from higher protein/fat levels during growth, and then are changed over to adult maintenance type food with lower protein/fat content. The worst thing you can do for a youngster however is overfeed, because of the added stress to growing bones and tendons, and their high activity levels - jumping, running etc. - Overweightness in puppies is not good.

I find most dogs I see are *very* overweight (just a tad spoiled? table scraps?). This is especially not good for older dogs as it puts additional pressure on their heart and circulation systems. Even in younger dogs I find they are more lethargic when overweight. It is also important that weight be considered with muscle tone. A dog with good muscle tone (not soft) will often be of a good weight.