Hello!

My little 7 month old female, "Cosita", toy poodle, appears to be
overweight , but I can still easily feel her ribs.

But she weighs 7 pounds. I'd like to know what is a healthy, practical
weight range that she should fit into at 7 months , at a year, and at
some time in the future?

She's an agressive eater, very playful, and apparently very happy
puppy! (And too smart for me)

Thanks.

Mike

In article . com,
Mikie wrote:
My little 7 month old female, "Cosita", toy poodle, appears to be
overweight , but I can still easily feel her ribs.

I don't know what a correct weight range is for a
7-month-old toy poodle would be, but at a minimum it would
tend to vary with the dog's height.

You didn't say how she appears overweight to you but I'll
take the liberty of assuming you're seeing some slack around
the belly. However, if the dog "appears" overweight but
still has ribs showing I would tend to look at physical
conditioning first - *in an adult dog*. She's becoming an
adolescent and that's a physically awkward time, where the
proportions seem to change daily and when you often find
yourself wondering how you ended up with such a funny
looking dog even though she'll be a knockout when she
matures. Also, you don't want to overdo the exercise in
such a youngster, but a few miles of walking each day would
do her some good, if she's not already getting that.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
Also, you don't want to overdo the exercise in
such a youngster, but a few miles of walking each day would
do her some good, if she's not already getting that.

Ooh, you are definitely a big dog person.

Just FYI - Our miniature schnauzers (5 years old now) get long walks three
or four times a week. One of those walks can be three miles or a little
more. (And this is on dirt roads and packed trails.) The others can't be
over two miles. And anything over a mile on the days we have agility class
will be noticeable in class. DH needs a bigger, more off-road variety dog
to take the kind of walks he wants to take.

That distance figure does come from the distance travelled by the human with
them. The dogs probably cover substantially more than that. And this is
also at one time. They might be able to do more if it were broken up more.

The human is walking at a good walking pace. The dogs are trotting most of
the time - a little faster at the beginning than at the end. When they get
back home, they're still ready to chase each other around the yard on the
way in. Both dogs are in pretty good shape. Sassy especially is very
solidly muscled - visibly so.

A seven month old puppy would never be able to keep up with them, either in
speed or distance.

I'm guessing that the poodle is at one of those teenage points when the body
parts don't always fit together well.

I'm curious too why the OP thinks the dog is overweight - what this is based
on. I've had people point out the roll of skin at the base of my dogs'
tails to show me that they're overweight. It's loose skin - something
terriers need to squirm around in tunnels. (Critter, not agility tunnels.)
But to those people, it looks like fat.

Judy

Judy wrote:
"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
Also, you don't want to overdo the exercise in
such a youngster, but a few miles of walking each day would
do her some good, if she's not already getting that.

Ooh, you are definitely a big dog person.

Just FYI - Our miniature schnauzers (5 years old now) get long walks three
or four times a week. One of those walks can be three miles or a little
more. (And this is on dirt roads and packed trails.) The others can't be
over two miles. And anything over a mile on the days we have agility class
will be noticeable in class. DH needs a bigger, more off-road variety dog
to take the kind of walks he wants to take.

That distance figure does come from the distance travelled by the human with
them. The dogs probably cover substantially more than that. And this is
also at one time. They might be able to do more if it were broken up more.

The human is walking at a good walking pace. The dogs are trotting most of
the time - a little faster at the beginning than at the end. When they get
back home, they're still ready to chase each other around the yard on the
way in. Both dogs are in pretty good shape. Sassy especially is very
solidly muscled - visibly so.

A seven month old puppy would never be able to keep up with them, either in
speed or distance.

I'm guessing that the poodle is at one of those teenage points when the body
parts don't always fit together well.

I'm curious too why the OP thinks the dog is overweight - what this is based
on. I've had people point out the roll of skin at the base of my dogs'
tails to show me that they're overweight. It's loose skin - something
terriers need to squirm around in tunnels. (Critter, not agility tunnels.)
But to those people, it looks like fat.

Judy

Hi Judy, I'm guessing that 7 pounds or so is too big for a six month
old toy poodle; that's all, and that's where I figure she's overweight.
I was simply asking what her probable average weight should be. The
best to you!
Michael - add the letter 9 after
francisco.

"Mikie" wrote:
I'm guessing that 7 pounds or so is too big for a six month
old toy poodle; that's all, and that's where I figure she's overweight.


1) Dogs are overweight when they have too much fat on their bodies, not when
they don't fit a preconcieved idea of how much a puppy or dog of a certain
breed and age should weigh.
2) Being oversize in terms of "breed standard" isn't the same thing as
"being overweight"; which one do you actually mean?

I was simply asking what her probable average weight should be.

Erm - what HER weight should be isn't the same as probable average weight
for a 7-mo-old toy poodle. Poodles have more size varation than any breed
I'm aware of. Toy and Mini poodles are, as I understand it, the exact same
breed, and the only thing that decides which one you've got is what height
the dog is when s/he is done growing.

It would be easier to guess at what her likely adult size will be (and
therefore to guess at what she should weigh at 7 months) if you tell us
what height and weight her sire and dam are.
T'other thing I have to ask is, why haven't you asked her breeder the
question? Any reputable breeder is happy to answer questions at any time in
the dog's life.

sionnach wrote:
"Mikie" wrote:
I'm guessing that 7 pounds or so is too big for a six month
old toy poodle; that's all, and that's where I figure she's overweight.


1) Dogs are overweight when they have too much fat on their bodies, not when
they don't fit a preconcieved idea of how much a puppy or dog of a certain
breed and age should weigh.
2) Being oversize in terms of "breed standard" isn't the same thing as
"being overweight"; which one do you actually mean?

I was simply asking what her probable average weight should be.

Erm - what HER weight should be isn't the same as probable average weight
for a 7-mo-old toy poodle. Poodles have more size varation than any breed
I'm aware of. Toy and Mini poodles are, as I understand it, the exact same
breed, and the only thing that decides which one you've got is what height
the dog is when s/he is done growing.

It would be easier to guess at what her likely adult size will be (and
therefore to guess at what she should weigh at 7 months) if you tell us
what height and weight her sire and dam are.
T'other thing I have to ask is, why haven't you asked her breeder the
question? Any reputable breeder is happy to answer questions at any time in
the dog's life.


I GIVE UP! Thought it was such a STRAIGHTFOREWARD question : Is my
7 month old Toy Poodle overweight at 7 pounds? What would the
average be? I guess we're all philosophers in a way!

on Sun, 14 Jan 2007 20:06:21 GMT, "Mikie" wrote:

I GIVE UP! Thought it was such a STRAIGHTFOREWARD question : Is my
7 month old Toy Poodle overweight at 7 pounds? What would the
average be? I guess we're all philosophers in a way!

It's not a straightforward question, though. Too many factors must be
taken into consideration--which have all been brought up. The most basic
answer, though, is, "no. Your dog is not overweight since you can feel his
ribs." He may be over-sized for a Toy Poodle (I can't speak to that), but
that has nothing to do with his weight.

What does his breeder say?

--
Lynne

"Mikie" wrote in
ups.com:

I GIVE UP! Thought it was such a STRAIGHTFOREWARD question :
Is my 7 month old Toy Poodle overweight at 7 pounds? What
would the average be?

Average is meaningless when it comes to what *your* dog should
weigh. My dog would be *fat* if she were of average weight for the
breed.

Since no one here has seen your dog, not even a picture of it, then
how the hell should we know if she's overweight? Or did you want
us to just start making random guesses?

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

A work is perfectly finished only when nothing can be added and
nothing taken away.
-- Joseph Joubert

Lynne wrote in
m:

The most basic answer, though, is, "no. Your dog is not
overweight since you can feel his ribs."

Melinda's suggestion, though perhaps a little overambitious for
this particular dog, is a good one (exercise!). From the
description, the dog is out of shape, but maybe not overweight. My
own personal feeling is that weight by itself doesn't tell you much
about a dog's physical condition.

But, if the OP is having a conniption fit about the dog's weight,
I'd recommend talking to the puppy's breeder about whether or not
the dog is in good condition. And talk to the vet about worms. If
the dog is fit and otherwise lean, then a big belly is something to
be concerned about.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

H is for Hector done in by a thug.
-- Edward Gorey, The Gashlycrumb Tinies

on Sun, 14 Jan 2007 20:25:50 GMT, Shelly wrote:

Melinda's suggestion, though perhaps a little overambitious for
this particular dog, is a good one (exercise!). From the
description, the dog is out of shape, but maybe not overweight. My
own personal feeling is that weight by itself doesn't tell you much
about a dog's physical condition.

While exercise is important for all dogs, I don't see anywhere that the OP
mentions the dog's physical condition. He just gives her (not his, oops!)
weight and says he can easily feel her ribs. My take is that the OP is
more concerned that this dog is over-sized for a Toy Poodle.

But, if the OP is having a conniption fit about the dog's weight,
I'd recommend talking to the puppy's breeder about whether or not
the dog is in good condition. And talk to the vet about worms. If
the dog is fit and otherwise lean, then a big belly is something to
be concerned about.

ITA.

--
Lynne