What should he weigh? (SBT) Health

hi there :? i have a 20 week old solid blue staffordshire bull terrier he weighs 16kg which is 33 lbs is that right i dont no what they should weigh at 5months

thanks
grizzy

You need to look at his body condition not weight. Dogs vary too much to give a weight. Adjust his food if needed and let his weight fall where it should be. Be aware, many other dogs that you see are overweight.

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs.

Hi,

Does your pup look healthy? is he happy on his food? Can he run about easily without getting tired too quickly? Does he LOOK overweight or underweight?

I wouldn't go too much on figures given. They're just a guide. You're the only one that can tell and it's done mostly visually.

For example, my Akita x bitch weighs 32Kg. She's very short but is basically solid muscle on legs. For her size, she's way over what the guidelines say. My youngest GSD weighs 38 Kg but looks quite skinny. having said that, he's just had another growth spurt and has shot up. My oldest GSD lost a lot of weight and muscle tone a few months ago. He's now back to his full body weight. He's way above the breed standard in terms of size/height and weighs in now at 58Kg. There isn't an ounce of fat on him. He's filled out nicely and is very stocky, although he's very tall so when he loses weight he looks like a lanky teenager.

So as you can see, it varies from dog to dog. Go on how you feel about your dog''s condition. If he's not begging and scavenging for food from you, then you're feeding him enough (although most dogs will wait for food from you if you allow it).

At only 20 weeks old, 16Kg is probably about right. I wouldn't worry too much about body shape at this stage though. As he grows and develops more muscle too, his wasit will be thinner than he chest and shoulders anyway. In a lot of ways dogs are like us. As they get older and develop, they don't just get bigger - their body shape changes too. Puppies in general don't have the same body shape as when they're adults.

Laura xx

hi there both thanks for reply yes he is very healthy take him evry day on a 1 and half hour walk round the woods off is lead so he runs round crazy but being my first dog i was just curious

Trying to feed many dogs by their appetite would be a disaster. Many dogs will wolf down more than is good for them and look for more. Others refuse to eat more than than they need. Looks doesn't work well either if you are comparing it to other overweight dogs. Feeling the ribs is the best way.

At five months he sounds about right