How much should dachshunds weigh

I have a dachshund that appears to be overweight a couple of pounds. She gets treats one time a week and no people food except the occasional dropped food from my 2 year old she can no be in the dining room at dinner time. The problem, I believe, is her sedentary lifestyle. Now she has become more of a couch potato. How do I start getting her fit and how long should I start walking her? Hi Bonnie. Dealing with extreme weather heat or cold can be challenging.

Also, DogTread sells treadmills specifically designed for dogs. I know there are pups that exercise indoors that way. Jessica, finding this post was one of the best things for my little Buddy! Do you think the exercise alone will be enough to make a difference if he is overweight?

Hi Jessica,, my 8 month old mini dachshund weighs He is a dapple, had him neutered at 4 months old. He gained 9 pounds in 3 months. Both parents are mini Doxies. He was never overweight till last year of life, had lymphoma. Maybe he is a standard.

Could I send you pics of parents and Rougie. I stumbled on your site and I am so glad I did. Thank you. As you know, puppies can grow fast. Also, the size of the parents is not always an indicator of the size the offspring will be full grown.

Otherwise, they are genetically the same breed. Mini parents can have a standard and visa versa. Since you just changed his amount of food recently, I would wait to see if he slims down a little from that. If not, you could increase his exercise.

Hi Sergio. Treats can definitely cause weight problems. Having a puppy though, I definitely understand the need for training. The treats I recommend in it are high quality, by my standards, and very small. Another thing to note is that using smaller treats with less calories is only half of the equation. On days that I know my puppy will be getting a lot of treats, I also reduce her food at feeding time a little to compensate.

Minis can have standards and standards can have minis. Thank you for sharing and caring?? Thank you for your kind words. The fact that you were even researching the weight issue tells me you are a very caring dog owner. Good luck with the upcoming babies.

Hi Jessica, thank you for writing this article. I have a tweenie, Odie, that is overweight. When we got him at one year old he was 12 lbs. After he was neutered his weight when up to lbs. We have two main problems with getting him to lose weight. Our other dog, Buckey — a lab mix, is such a slow eater. Odie knows this and he patiently waits for Buckey to walk away so he can have a second breakfast. Any ideas on how to handle this problem?

Our second issue is walking Odie can be is such a pain in the butt. He becomes an 18 lb brick on a leash. Several times during every walk I have to pick him up and carry him away from the distraction so we can continue our walk.

My kids dislike walking him because of his stubborness. I would love it if we could take more walks without it being a battle of wills. Hi Katie. It sounds like you free-feed Buckley leave food out all the time? If so, the only way you can solve the second breakfast is to stop doing that or shut Buckley in a separate room with his food until he is done. If you want to switch to scheduled feeding instead, this article I wrote on my other Dachshund blog may be helpful.

Being overweight can make walking feel not so pleasant but the catch is that he needs to walk more to lose weight. Hi Jessica. I have a Tweenie male of almost 11 years old. His name is Rudie. He has been chunky for sometime, I used to throw him a treat when leaving him for a while. I felt guilty you see. My vet says he is well over weight. The vet does not seem to realize,that Rudie is a tweenie, so his weight of 17 pounds is an average. So have decided to have a Thyroid Test done on Rudie just to see the truth.

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Please check with your veterinarian before your dog undertakes a new exercise routine, you introduce a new food, treat or supplement, or to confirm that anything I suggest here is a good fit for your dog. Share Tweet Pin LinkedIn.

Comments This is a great post! Anyway, good luck to you and your pup. Wooftastic post Jessica! Nose nudges, CEO Olivia. Good girl Gretel! Stay strong my furiend! Great article. I came here looking for harness information and found this timely write-up. Hi Jennifer. Did you also find my harness information? Yes, you can ask me a questions about weight. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks lots of good information. Daisy and I need to start watching her weight.

You should consult with your veterinarian to determine if your dog is a healthy weight for its size. If they look oversized next to their legs and body, or your pup still looks a little gangly, they may still be filling out. A puppy will rarely grow to be larger than its parents, so their weight can give you an idea of the size your puppy could grow to be.

According to the American Kennel Club Official Dachshund Breed Standards , an adult standard Dachshund should weigh between 16 and 32 pounds and stand between eight to nine inches tall.

Miniature Dachshunds should weigh less than 11 pounds and stand around five to six inches tall. Both standard and miniature Dachshunds should appear low to the ground and have well-defined muscles. Prevention is always better than treatment. Regular veterinary appointments that include a complete physical examination, vaccinations, disease screening, and routine parasite prevention including flea, tick, and heartworm medications play a crucial role in keeping your pup healthy.

Like any purebred dog, Dachshunds are at higher risk for some health issues, which can compromise their quality of life and reduce their lifespan. When veterinary professionals think of Dachshunds, back problems, most commonly intervertebral disc disease, come to mind.

In case your dog becomes overweight, extra pressure will be placed on the spine as a result. Consequently, the spine will be able to support the body properly, thus preventing it from becoming damaged. The first thing to remember is that obesity increases considerably the chances of intervertebral disc disease occurrence in dachshunds.

There are different kinds of dachshunds. This fact should be taken into consideration when working out a healthy weight for your pet. There is the standard variety and of course, the miniature variety. The standard dachshund is slightly bigger than the miniature version, and will, therefore, weigh more. An adult standard sized Dachshund should weigh between 16 to 32 pounds depending on the height and length of the body.

Miniature Dachshunds are the smaller variety of this breed. They are particularly popular because they are so dinky and cute. Many pet owners enjoy the fact that their mini weiner can very easily be picked up and carried around in a handbag or pet carrier. It is also a reason as to why dachshunds make great city pets, especially the mini variety. Pet owners can conveniently pick up a miniature dachshund and carry it in and out of stores on shopping trips.

On the other hand, larger dogs may have to be left outside. The appeal of these smaller dachshunds is that they weigh even less than the standard size of the breed. It makes it extremely easy and convenient to carry them around because they are small and light. Dachshunds are such small dogs that it is effortless for them to put on weight quickly. Doxies have such long bodies and short legs though, and this can make it difficult to tell if your dachshund is overweight. All dog breeds are different.

Some are bred to look slightly leaner, while others are meant to be more beefy and muscular. The dachshund is a bit of a mixture because it has the body of a big dog but the legs of a little dog. It can indeed be confusing for pet owners. Every dog has a waistline. It may be more pronounced on some dog breeds than on others. For example, it is often easier to see the waistline of a whippet than it may be to see that of a pug. A side view of your dog should show that the stomach is tucked up and not lying level with the chest.

Palpating he wire-coated type is more challenging, though. If your doxie has a fat roll on the highest part of its shoulders, it is indeed carrying extra weight. It is essential to monitor the weight of your Dachshund puppy at the different stages in his development.

Apparently, the size and weight of your puppy can give you some idea of how big you can expect your dog to be when it develops into an adult. The ideal weight of your dachshund puppy at each stage will depend on few factors. For instance, on what variety of dachshund you have, — standard or miniature. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to define what your dog should weigh at each stage as a puppy. The reason is that each dog is an individual and will develop at their own pace.

You can surely, get a better idea if you know what size your dachshund is likely to be when it develops into an adult dog. The best way to weigh your dog is to have him weighed at your veterinary surgery. It will definitely give you an accurate result. When you view your dachshund from above, you should see a slight definition but in no way should it be in line with the chest or protrude past it.

There should also not be any dimples anywhere on his body as well,. Your dachshund should also be quite energetic as they are considered an active breed. Aside from being overweight, another danger is for a dachshund to be underweight. There are a few ways to tell if your pooch is too skinny. There are 9 categories from emaciated to severely obese. We personally feel there should be a section in between to give a little more leeway.

As a general rule, 4 to 6 are acceptable for healthy dogs. What is ideal will also differ slightly from breed to breed. It has to do with the breed history and genetics, which is why we advise giving your dog a little room and not focusing so much on the labels. Despite our darndest efforts, there could be conditions out of our control that make our dachshunds overweight.

Some influencers include health problems, way of life, and genetics. Dogs that gain weight due to health problems can also bounce back in the future.

In the meantime, let your dog rest and heal before you worry about his weight. Even the medication the doctor put him on can cause weight fluctuations. The doctor should make you aware of any potential side effects illnesses and their treatments can have on your dog.

For the most part, the reason your miniature dachshund or standard dachshund is overweight is due to too much food, snacks or treats — basically just too much food intake. In a perfect world, there is a calorie counter device that will automatically tell you how many calories each bowl of food or each treat contains and how much your dog needs.

Since this is an imperfect world, you will need to track that yourself. You never know who fed your dog a piece of freeze-dried chicken when you were at work. This is why we suggest a on the condition scale.

If you notice your dog is losing some weight, then add a bit more food to his bowl and vice versa. Related: Dog Food for Dachshunds. Another reason why your dog is overweight is a lack of exercise. Whatever the reason is, not enough exercise can increase the chances of an overweight dachshund puppy. One more thing that will cause your dachshund to exceed its healthy weight is a procedure most dogs go through, and that is spaying or neutering.

Sometimes the procedure will calm your dog down, which means he or she is less inclined to run around and exercise. If this is the case, you will need to make up for it by decreasing his calorie intake. Sadly, genetics also plays a part in dachshund obesity. Your puppy may be more susceptible to weight gain because it runs in his family. Again, to determine whether or not your doxie has a predisposition to be a bit pudgier, you should look at his parents.

Conversely, if your dachshund is on the lighter end of the scale, you may also want to figure out why. There are a few reasons why your beloved pup is underweight, and not all of the reasons have to do with poor care. A very common issue for an underweight dachshund is stress. Emotions are factors that can keep your dog from being a healthy weight. What is your dachshund stressed about? Figuring out what causes the stress can help you combat its effects.

For example, some dogs struggle with separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is anxiousness that overtakes your puppy when he is away from you. Your dachshund puppy may be so affected by this condition that he poops, pees, destroys, or refuses to eat. There are varying degrees of separation anxiety, but the more serious cases can be seen in an underweight puppy in a miniature and standard dachshund.

The best way to handle this behavioral problem would be to work with an expert trainer. It could be that your dachshund is just picky.

Another reason is abuse. We hope this is never the reason. Coming back from the PTSD will take time, effort, and lots of patience. Abuse is so mentally and physically stressful that a dog may lose its appetite completely. If this is the case, work with a trainer to help your dog start to trust again. The telltale sign of a sick dog is a dog who refuses to eat. So, if he is sick, chances are your dachshund will not be very interested in food. This is okay, because your dachshund will regain his appetite after he recovers, but make sure to take him to the vet.