The normal, healthy weight of a dog depends on its frame size and muscle mass.  Weighing your dog regularly at home will also give you an idea of any changes in their weight. Keep an eye out for downwards or upwards trend from their normal. 

As dogs of different builds will have different body weights, vets use the Body Condition Score system. This is an assessment you can do at home as well and allows you to see if your dog is over or under their ideal weight. 

Look down at your dog when they are standing on the floor, and you should see a narrower waist between the ribs and hips. From the side you should see that the belly isn’t hanging down. When feeling your dog’s chest, you should be able to feel the ribs but not see them.  

Your dog is likely overweight if they have no visible waist and are straight from front to back (or rounded in the middle). Other signs they are overweight include, a sagging tummy or has ribs that you cannot feel. Some dogs have ribs you can feel, but then have a ruff of fat over the neck and shoulders, so it is important to feel the whole dog. An overweight or obese dog will also spread when they lay down, looking much wider that when they stand up. 

Dogs maintaining their ideal weight will have a thin fat layer over their ribs, spine and pelvis. They will have a defined tuck at the waist when it is viewed from above. 

If you can easily feel your dog’s spine and pelvic bones, then your dog is likely underweight. Their waist can also be exaggerated.  

If you are concerned about your dog's weight or want advice on what to do about it, then arrange an appointment at your vets.  

Body Condition Scoring is a way of checking to see if your dog is underweight, the correct weight or overweight/obese.  

Looking at your dog from above, you should be able to see a waist. Looking from the side, the tummy should go up towards the back legs and not be hanging down. You should be able to feel the ribs but not see them.  

There are some breeds which do not conform to this; sight hounds such as whippets and lurchers for example, will have prominent ribs but be the correct weight. Dogs with thick or fluffy coats can be hard to tell from looking for a waist or feeling ribs, so if you are not sure, book a check with your veterinary practice for advice on weight and management. 

The main reason for your dog being overweight is overfeeding, often combined with lack of exercise. It is very easy to overfeed commercial dog foods, so weighing the amount of food being offered is essential. You need to check the packet feeding guidelines for your dog's current weight and whether it is under/over or normal weight. 

If you feed a combination of wet and dry foods, then you need to work out how much of each food should be offered. If you are not sure on how to do this, ask your veterinary practice for advice, ask in store or ring the customer care number on the food packaging. 

Once you know how much dog food to give your dog, you must remember that this amount is the total daily calorie allowance for your dog. Any treats or other food that is given is on top of that daily allowance will make your dog gain weight. If you want to feed treats, keep them to a minimum and reduce the daily amount of dog food offered.

Dog treats are generally high fat (as fat carries flavour) so they are very palatable, and dogs love them. Low fat treats are available, or you could weigh out the daily allowance of dog food and put some of that aside to be given as treats. Using vegetables, such as broccoli or cauliflower stalks as treats, means that the dog gets something at the normal treat time that contains only a few calories. Remember that treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog's daily calories. 

Exercise is essential for the physical and mental wellbeing of your dog. The amount needed will vary with each breed, age and ability, but every dog needs to move and get some stimulation from being outside. Feeding your dog should reflect the amount of exercise they are getting – if you have a young Labrador that loves playing fetch, then they will need more food than an ageing, neutered Schnauzer that just manages to potter around the garden.  

You need to assess your dog's energy outgoings to choose the correct diet – the fetch playing Labrador will need a higher energy food than the ageing, neutered Schnauzer, so normal maintenance for the Lab, with a senior light or low-fat diet for the Schnauzer to prevent obesity. 

For more advice on the correct food for your dog, ask your vet or one of our colleagues in store. 

The amount of exercise needed is different for every dog, but if your dog is able, increasing the amount of exercise will help them to lose some weight. It is important not to exercise them to exhaustion. A slight increase in exercise will bring benefits without causing injury. The most important thing is to make sure that your dog is on a food that is appropriate for its age, breed, exercise ability and any underlying health issues.   

Over half of the dogs in the UK are overweight. Being overweight or obese increases the risks of disease in dogs just as it does in humans. Overweight or obese dogs are more likely to develop conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, heat intolerance, joint conditions such as cruciate rupture and breathing problems in the flat-faced breeds. High blood pressure, skin and urinary problems are seen, and obesity causes general inflammation, that may lead to increased incidence of some forms of cancer. General anaesthetics and surgical procedures are also higher risk if the dog is overweight. 

Just by helping your dog to lose some weight, the risks of many of these can be reduced, so if you think your dog is overweight, ask your veterinary practice for advice.  

If your dog is already overweight or obese, then your veterinary team can give you advice and help with a weight loss programme.  

If you are worried about your dog gaining weight, you need to try and match their food type and amount with your dog’s specific needs. Some dog breeds are prone to gain weight, like Labradors, Spaniels and Pugs, while others tend to stay on the skinny side, like the sighthounds, Dobermanns and Weimaraner. Choosing a breed specific dog food can help, but the most important thing is to work out your dog’s daily food allowance and weigh it out. Your veterinary team, colleagues in store and the customer care team on the food packaging can all help you with this. 

Neutering your dog will increase the chances of them gaining extra weight so you could ask your vet about reducing the amount of food offered or changing their food to a neutered dog or weight control diet. 

Increasing exercise can help with weight loss if your dog can do it. If your dog has not been having much exercise and is overweight or obese, always start off slowly and very gradually increase the amount of walking or play.  

Over-exercising when carrying too much weight can be a risk for injury so it is best to just add an extra 5 minutes per walk daily or play for just a few minutes at a time when starting. Excited play with other dogs and off-lead running about will tire a non-exercised dog very quickly, so step in and put your dog back on their lead as soon as they start panting heavily, even if it is after a couple of minutes. Dogs don’t know when to stop, so you will need to decide for them.   

Even having a bit of a play will burn off energy, so ball games, fetch, hide and seek or tug of war will exercise your dog as well as being great fun for both of you. There are lots of outdoor and indoor play ideas in store, so why not re-energise your dog and try something new. 

If you are changing your dog's diet to help them lose weight, look for diets that are called weight control, weight management, light, neutered dog, or similar. These diets are lower in fat but have good amounts of protein and fibre to keep your dog feeling full. Prescription weight loss diets are specially formulated to provide everything your dog needs to stay healthy and feel full while losing weight at a suitable rate.  There is a wide range of diets available, so if you need some help finding the best one for your dog, ask our vet or one of our colleagues in store. 

Feeding your dog in smaller meals through the day – so three smaller meals instead of one large one, will help your dog burn off their food. Not feeding your dog their biggest meal in the evening may also help. Reducing the extras that you give and preventing your dog from stealing or scavenging will also reduce their food intake.  

If you do need to change your dog’s diet, do so slowly to avoid causing an upset tummy. Start with mainly the current food and a little new food, then gradually reduce the current food and increase the new until a week or so later you are feeding just the new food. This will also help fussy eaters adapt to the changing taste. Remember to work out the amount of food needed for your dog per day and weight it out. 

Studies have shown that dogs of normal weight will outlive obese dogs by up to two and a half years. This is reason enough to try and keep your dog at their ideal weight. 

Studies have shown that an overweight or obese dog will slow down, have less energy, be less comfortable and be generally less enthusiastic than dogs of normal weight. But many owners tend not to link these things with the dog being happy. They see that their overweight dog still wants to go out, wags their tail and continues with their daily routine and think that they have a happy dog.   

However, you may notice them getting out of breath quicker, not wanting to walk as far or play for as long, or choosing to lay on the floor instead of getting onto the sofa. Some overweight dogs can get a bit grumpy. 

It is only when these overweight dogs start to lose their excess weight that you realise that they have more energy and want to play more. They get back some of the bounce that you had forgotten they used to have. Studies have shown that the quality of life of overweight dogs improves once the dog has lost the excess weight. 

Weight loss should not be fast. As in people, a slow and steady weight loss is advised to prevent nutritional deficiencies and development of illness. Dogs may also start to steal and scavenge if they are hungry, so keeping them feeling full is important. The aim is to lose 1-2% of their bodyweight every week. So, it is safe for a 40kg obese Labrador to lose a maximum of 800g or 2lb in a week, while an overweight Chihuahua of 5kg should only be losing 100g or 4oz every week at most. 

The first thing to do is work out if you are overfeeding your dog. Write down an honest list of everything that your dog is being fed in a day (don’t forget to ask other family members), then check with the food packaging for the advised amount of food for your dog at its current weight. Then add on all the treats and human foods you have listed. If you dog is getting more food than is recommended, it is safe to cut down the treats and other extras and reduce the total amount of dog food given so you are just feeding the recommended amount of food.  

If your dog is still gaining weight or just not losing on this new level of food, you can reduce it by 10% at a time and check in a week to see if your dog is starting to lose. If your dog is gaining weight on very little food, or not losing on a restricted diet, there could be an underlying condition affecting them, so having a vet check is advised. 

If your dog gets hungry on the restricted diet, or if the amount you are feeding is already less than advised on the packaging, a weight consult with your veterinary nurses or vet can help determine how much you should be feeding or if you need to change diet.