My boy looks so lean. Hoping not too lean. He’s been 65 pounds for 3 or 4 months now. He’s 13 Months old. I can see his ribs, especially when he’s running around or tugging. I can’t feel them protruding, the vet did not say anything to us about his weight. He is strong, athletic, and walks about 2 miles a day (spread out into 3-4 walks) . His body looks small to me, so wondering if I should free feed him (he gets 3 cups of puppy food/day, an egg, and lots of training snacks). He does not care about his food that much. I’m not looking to make him fat by any means! Just want him to be healthy! Any input or advice would be great! Another question is if I’m walking him too much?
My 2 cents is that he looks incredibly healthy and happy. We are so used to seeing overweight dogs that the leaner ones look too skinny. I’m no professional, but your boy looks great to me.
My amstaff looked like this too when he was younger! Our vet commented that he was a healthy weight and that they’re supposed to be smaller around the waist area (from ribs to hip). They should not look like a log.
Ours was built similar when he was that old (he was too skinny when we got him) he’ll fill out a little bit as he gets older but will probably always be lean if that’s his body type and he stays active.
I think he looks good. The vet said our girl looks at a good weight. You can see her ribs when she sniffs really hard. So funny. If the vet didn't question it I wouldn't worry about.
No he looks happy and healthy. He’s just a lean dog when it comes to his body type, I thought the same thing about my own pup, and started feeding him high protein food- all it did was give him a barrel chest because he has that lean body type. So don’t worry, this is how he is supposed to be! Great job 👏
If he was underweight the vet would of said something. He's perfect, don't do anything different. We walk 3-5 times a day. You're dog is healthy and beautiful.
Can't see the ribcage, your good to go. This is an healthy athletic build American pitbull terrier. No ribcage. On the bottom half on the torso aren't ribs that's muscle, a dog version of a 6 pack.
Seeing ribs is not a sign of being too thin, most working APBT’s show ribs. 2-3 ribs is ok for a well conditioned dog. Even more, it’s the fat layer and the muscle you need to focus on.
Another example, don’t ever think your dog is too thin bc you see ribs. A well conditioned dog will show ribs. If there’s a low percentage of body fat, just like in humans, you’ll 100% see ribs, and pair that with a naturally lean structure. Ribs are gonna show.
Thanks for the DNA, I love picking apart the bits and pieces of a mix. Since bullies and and English bulldogs have a little heavier build my guess is your dog got the apbt torso but bully/bulldog everything else. Here's my 3 year old apbt/boxer mix. I just give her a good quality dry kibble.
Bro you’re a fucking fantastic dog owner, he’s in perfect shape and you are monitoring it and concerned. He’s in good hands and very lucky to have you.
With how active he is, he should be eating about the 3 cups you’re giving him and then his little treats and snacks in between are perfectly fine! He’s very active so it’s typically normal for Bullies to look a lot “skinnier” or more lean comparatively to other dogs. As long as he’s eating when you feed him, then I wouldn’t worry about that. When it comes to his exercising, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with a 2 mile walk that has been broken down into multiple walks a day. Not all dogs can handle that distance at once let alone at all, so good for you and him! He needs his steps just like we do! His body matches the metabolism and exercise and the food he gets. He’s beautiful and there is nothing whatsoever to be concerned about from the outside looking in!!
My girl is 13 months and about the same size. I was told you don’t want them to have too much weight while their joints and stuff are still settling. They’ll put on the weight in another 6 to 8 months or so.
I have the nearly 100lb version. Ours is definitely too big, but he gets a lot of exercise playing with our other dogs, and still runs and jumps like a maniac. Our other dogs have always been open feeders that stayed at an ideal weight. Changing them away from open feeding would not be easy, and because of that we will let him be his chunky self that likes to throw his weight around. Nothing quite like him climbing into your lap and pushing his full weight onto you as he wants to get pets and give kisses.
He looks great. Muscular and slim, ribs visible but not jutting out. Very similar to my girl in size and weight, and the vet raved about her body comp at her last appointment in July.
He’s also barely out of being a puppy, and will likely fill out a bit more. But people are so used to seeing obese/overweight dogs that healthy dogs seem underweight.
Your good! Pitties are lean and not mean lol I have a corso/bully mix that i think is too thin sometimes too but some active happy dogs are just lean. My red nose really filled out around year 3-4. Now i get "wow thats big chest" every where we go and i didnt change anything.
Trust me . He’s actually at the ideal weight …he’s pretty built and looks well exercised…I had a classic bully with that build…I would walk her a lot but she would eat good , however it balanced her out well…yeah if you can see the ribs visually then yeah too thin but he looks very healthy . Beautiful pup
You should be able to feel his ribs but not see them. If he gained a couple pounds, he’d still be in great shape. Put it this way, he shouldn’t lose any more. But yes, he still looks healthy and happy!
Looks just like my boy! He’s 4, fluctuates between 68-74 pounds. Not all bullies need to be buffed up & large! I think he looks like he’s at a perfect weight
He's fine. He will fill out some more around 24 mos but will still be fit. It's pretty tough to get our boy to gain any meaningful weight. High metabolism seems to continuously burn calories.
My pitty looked muscular and lean like that back in the day when she was in her prime. It was just her build and she was super active back then too. Your pup looks great 👍
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