Commenting on chubby shelties

well... I think yes, you should tell a person, only if you're already having a conversation, especially about dog sports etc... Nice and tactfully, I am with Ashley and Randi on this.

I had my feelings hurt, I think there may still be an old thread about this even, when I was told by a competitor to please not bother doing agility with Toffee if he wasn't losing a lil weight first! While she wasn't the most tactful person, she knew what she was talking about (in hindsight!) but at the time I told her my vet said he was fine! However, in all reality you want a dog to have a good weight to do athletic dog sports not just an acceptable one, most of our pets are overweight nowadays... and I think most Vets maybe are just kinda used to those...

I often start broaching the subject with I sure as heck shouldn't be talking about anybody else loosing weight!! I am an overweight person myself and feel awful trying to say omg my dog needs to loose weight!!
But then I decided to not internalize this, my dog needs to be healthy and I need to do my best to look out for him! Just as you would with a kid!
If I want him to jump, I may as well ensure he doesn't have to haul more weight over those obstacles than is needed!! It really isn't good for his joints, and voila he hasn't had any sore shoulder again since he's lost weight and is looking good!
I think when we talked about milkbones in here some time ago the light finally had come on!!! lol, the treats you give, especially if using kibble for training are SO high in calories it really adds up so fast!

So thanks to everyone here who helped me making the decision to be more careful about my dogs weight :D
 
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It's interesting people's views are divided. I must admit I know quite a few chubby adult dogs and don't comment. It was just in the instances I mentioned the dogs were still pups and it breaks my heart to see an overweight sheltie pup. I guess I worry because I have two shelties with arthritis and I don't want people I know to go through the same heartbreak of having a dysplastic sheltie. My friend is an agility and confirmation judge so does know about the risks of an overweight dog in agility. I guess my hope is they will look at their dogs again and wonder maybe they are overweight - often we see our own dogs with rose coloured glasses.
 
Well, I am of two minds here. I love everyone's honesty and respect it. These posts have been enlightening to me. Clearly there is no right or wrong feeling on this issue and no one fit response to the question posed. I am by nature an empathetic person-no credit to me, that is just how God made me.

I usually run into overweight pets at work where a discussion is appropriate (not always appreciated ) I try to be kind and I can honestly relate to the owners of obese pets- I can relate to overweight pet owners too as I am not at my ideal weight either. When a pet steps on the scales and has gained or not lost weight, the pet parent usually sighs, just as I do when weighed at my doctors. It is hard to deny our best buds a tasty morsel, or skip a walk because(fill in the blank). But, as pointed out already, we are the "master minds" of the relationship and need to care for our furry friends with their wellbeing in mind and sometimes that means tough love when it comes to food.

Our pets can't speak for themselves, and at times when I look in the eyes of an obese pet it seems to say to me" Help me out here...I can't help myself when offered all this food; I feel bad and don't know why." I then feel obligated in a way to convey this to their owner and will say something like, you need to talk to the Dr. about ways to reduce Fluffy's weight and increase her exercise; many of our clients have had success with this or that. Most people know their pets are pudgy and just aren't that concerned about it. But why would they be. Many of us are pudgy and we feel we are doing ok with it.

If you are teaching a dog sport you have a relationship and responsibility to have this discussion. Relationship is the key. If you are a stranger and will never meet this person again, this is your relationship, and a kind word of encouragement about their pet's health won't change the relationship much but could save the animal some suffering. Sometimes we are the voice of animals and sometimes we are the eyes that see into a person's heart... just have to figure out when to be what.
 
Oh man. Definitely a touchy subject. Especially when you do agility, since you can see overweight dogs struggle over jumps.

In all honesty, I think it's about delivery. Saying that a dog is fat, without seeing it, is probably not the best way to go.

Someone (can't recall who), started this public document for us to compare our dogs height/weight. You can see, the height/weight can be all over the board. Koji is 18" and weighs just under 20lbs. Ortegah's dog is about the same height and weighs almost 10lbs more. Neither dog is fat.

Would I tell someone? I probably would if I know them and I'd be sure to do it as tactfully as possible.

Granted, what's funny is how we are sensitive to overweight people's weight, but then we talk about how skinny or overly thin a person is as if it's not an insult. I bring this up, because I had a perfect stranger tell me they were going to call animal control on me because Koji was emaciated. I had to tell the woman that dogs that do sports are in awesome condition and this is an "athlete's" body. Versus dogs you see that don't do sports are typically more on the chubby side.

The point is. Telling someone their dog is fat, can be a personal attack. What I like to do is educate people about how Shelties tend to hold onto the weight as they get older too (or so I was told by my vet) and how it's important to keep the weight off. I tell them how Miko's back used to bow. Once he lost weight, to a healthy weight (and I never thought he was overweight until I got Koji and started agility), OMG, no more bowed back. He needed to lose about 5lbs, that's it.

Koji is a big underweight, but I keep him there so he won't get fat as he gets older, or when we stop doing agility. Right now, he's kinda getting chubby, but is at a healthy weight. This is what happens when we don't agility for a year and we're both couch potatoes.

Sorry to go on and on. Definitely don't comment on a dog's weight, esp Sheltie's unless you can see and feel them. I think of a few people's Shelties I've met who look fat (to me), but honestly, they just have some major coat. I think that's why I never comment on weight, unless they're doing agility or I can feel them.
 
Good thread and discussion. These comments definitely need to come from people you respect and then it is helpful. I have found the 1st year with Bonnie tricky with weight, it is hard to gauge with the fur and not having much experience. I have finally gotten a handle on how big she should be and correct food, balance training treats and bones with less food for that day etc.
I've had some good discussions with two other sheltie owners about our dogs weight which has informed me and spurred me on to deal with it. One had too much weight on and got injured in agility jumps and the weight may have been a factor. I take comments from these ladies contructively as they are friends and have experience with shelties. I have to admit I burred up and was cranky at my vet when he mentioned she was overweight (at 6 months) but I didn't trust much he said at that stage.
I also have a bad habit of talking to dogs when I'm interacting with them, stuff like 'you are so skinny' just because its cute how skinny shelties are under their coat or 'chubby bubby' because they are so fat with all that fur. I know this can be taken the wrong way so I'm trying to stop!

So in summary if its coming from someone with experience with your breed/dogs and you respect them and its followed with the benefits for the dog then I think its a good thing to do as we want the best for all pups!
 
What I usually do when I come across a chubby dog (of someone I know) is to somehow work certain topics into our discussions.

Sometimes I'll talk about the breed then I'll say "this breed is prone to hip dysplasia, it's important to keep them lean so as not to stress out the joints".

If it's a pup I do something similar and talking about growth stages then go "the plates for young pups haven't fused yet. If a pup is too heavy it may cause the plates to fuse improperly and may result in surgery in the future or arthritis at an early age".

If someone is considering agility I'll say "Agility dogs need to be leaner than average because all that jumping will greatly affect their joints and any additional weight could make things alot worse!"

Adding a longer than usual pause after those statements helps to let it sink in! Oh and so does pointing at Romeo and Juliet (who don't look fat) saying "yea, look at them, they need to go on a diet!"

Doing it indirectly has worked so far. I've not had anything thrown at me yet! :winkgrin:
 
Happened to me the first time I took my new little rescue to class. Teacher and several others called her several euphamisms for fat. Of course I laughed and said since she had only been with me 6 weeks and I had already taken off 3 pounds this is a process. She came at 39.4 pounds and is now down to 34.8 as of a couple days ago in 8 weeks. Goal is about 28 or when I run out of fat. Weight is always the elephant in room, but it's important so I would kindly discuss it with someone. I wasn't offended, but I already knew we had some work to do for her. You should see her recall run in class -- more like recall waddles.
 
In a case like this, something should be said, there is no excuse for causing a poor dog like this to weigh that much, it is animal abuse, good for them for giving up the dog, and good for you.

Doodle said:
This thread is the perfect place to share my story.

About two months ago I adopted a sable sheltie from a older couple who loved the dog but were not able to provide the care he needed. He was a farm dog that was kept tied to a rope, lived in the woodshed, and fed twice as much as he should have been. He was 53 pounds and 17 inches tall--morbidly obese.

The previous owner only knew to start putting him on a diet AND to start looking for a better home because of a comment from a groomer and her neighbour. Although I'm sure she was hurt and embarrassed to hear the comments, I believe they must have saved his life.

When I got the dog, he was down to 45 lbs. Now he is 35 lbs. We still have at least 10 more pounds to go. He has arthritis at four years old and skin conditions. The first time he tried to play with my other sheltie, he vomited due to overexertion. But now he can play, run, jump (kind of), and enjoy life.

In extreme cases, it's definitely worth the risk of offending a stranger if it means they MIGHT listen and do what's right.

Here's some pics of my boys:
Pongo: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100671588697871.1073741825.21000856&type=1&l=d6c1387c36

Doodle: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100227205011341.2482143.21000856&type=1&l=5d78007a67
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I had issues with Cadbury's weight and I knew I had issues. I was trying to solve them, but certain of my relations were sneaking him food and undermining me, until we had clear words.

I had strangers mention Cadbury's weight, sometimes joking, sometimes blunt. On each occasion they went on my 'black list' and I stormed off.

My trainer told me Cadbury was overweight and I listened because I respected her and she was telling me about how it would improve his agility if he lost weight. So we chatted about losing weight and she helped me arrange a programme for him.

If one of my close doggy friends told me something similar I would also listen.

But strangers, nope, nada! In fact, being a stubborn mare, as my nan would say, I would be so furious at someone commenting negatively about Cadbury's weight that I would storm off and buy Cadbury an ice cream on purpose:rolleyes2:

That being said, if I had asked for opinions either on a forum or among other dog walkers about Cadbury's weight, then I would accept their opinions.

I think of it this way. Most dogs see the vet each year for their boosters. That vet will weigh them and say, I think he/she could do with losing a little. They are the best person to say this because they have their qualifications/training to back them up. If an owner refuses to listen to them, then why would they listen to the person in the park, or who they see once a week in a class?
 
labgirl said:
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I think of it this way. Most dogs see the vet each year for their boosters. That vet will weigh them and say, I think he/she could do with losing a little. They are the best person to say this because they have their qualifications/training to back them up. If an owner refuses to listen to them, then why would they listen to the person in the park, or who they see once a week in a class?
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lol, on the icecream cone!! yayyy Cadbury!

I agree, unfortunately I found a lot of Vets won't mention weight and most don't mention it until it IS glaringly obvious... but if a dog wants to do agility...?! I appreciated the Stranger much after the fact, lol, whom I asked about agility. She said please promise me your dog looses a few pounds before making him jump... I was taken aback, I had just before asked my Vet if he was okay to do agility and he said yes (and he wasn't FAT... but definitely not ideal weight!)...
Sure enough he had sore shoulder here n there, but ever since I brought him down quite a few pounds, he has much better form (although he'll always be shorter strided and square, lol) he hasn't had a sore shoulder nor need of glucosamine since (knock on wood)
So, if I had only listened to my Vet I am convinced he wouldn't be as healthy!
 
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