Appropriate sheltie weight/height ratio?

[BreeNS]

So I've been looking around on here and have seen a lot of variation in sheltie size. Duncan will be 2 in a month, is 19.5 inches tall, and weighs 32 pounds. I'm concerned about his weight because I've read you should be able to lightly feel ribs and I cannot feel his ribs at all.

However, he doesn't feel fat. His whole body seems pretty solid. So what I'm wondering if is if it's possible that he just has a lot of muscle? He eats grain-free fromm and honest kitchen, and eats the serving size for a 25 pound dog so food doesn't seem to be the issue. He also gets a ton of exercise. We either go for a 3 mile walk or go to the dog park on the off times where he plays a very intense game of fetch with the park all to himself to run across for an hour every day.

All of this considered, I would think he would weigh less than he does.
Does anyone have any comments or ideas about this?

 

[Cara Sandler]

Shelties come in all shapes and sizes. My Spirit Joy was always very petite and slender, not a lot of muscle. I found it difficult to feel her ribs, but that's due to her coat, not due to fat. When she's wet I can easily feel her ribs. So you might want to try feeling for his ribs when he's wet.

 

[BreeNS]

Shelties come in all shapes and sizes. My Spirit Joy was always very petite and slender, not a lot of muscle. I found it difficult to feel her ribs, but that's due to her coat, not due to fat. When she's wet I can easily feel her ribs. So you might want to try feeling for his ribs when he's wet.

That is a good idea! Luckily he is due for a bath soon.

 

[Caro]

When you feel for the ribs try feeling more towards the spine rather than the middle (where there's a lot of undercoat). My vet actually checks the waistline for a heavy coated dog - nice tuck underneath and the waist goes in. Unless the dog is underweight it's a pretty good measure.

Muscle won't hide the ribs, nor make a dog heavier - just have a look at an athletic dog. Bone density may, but you'll never be able to tell. Body length has a big impact on weight, as does age.

We do have the Sheltie Forum height/weight spreadsheet, the result of many queries about Sheltie weights. They are a breed that easily turn to porky, and of course that heavy coat doesn't help. What I've found is, as a general rule of thumb for dogs over 16"+, if weight divided by height is > than 2 the dog is overweight (the ratio reduces as the dog gets smaller and increases as a dog gets bigger). Here's a link to the spreadsheet - I've entered Duncan
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...-PUyUSt2Aa0/edit?usp=sharing&authkey=CMr_9-IJ

I'm cutting and pasting this from another thread
Median Ratio of weight/height (lbs/inches)
.....< 14” , 1.05
to 14.99" , 1.29
to 15.99" , 1.39
to 16.99" , 1.53
to 17.99" , 1.61
......18"+ , 1.73