Am I getting this totally wrong?

Basically, I want Alfie to lose about 0.5kg as I feel he isn't as slim as I would like him to be, as much as he isn't overweight!

Until a couple of days ago he was getting 1 meal of about 70g of dry Chappie (he has had this amount for about a year or so now).... now I have started giving him 3 smaller meals, around 20-25g each! (Started doing this due to recommendations as he was eating grass a lot to make himself sick and so I was told to keep more food in him).

Just out of interest I looked at the bag of Chappie and it says for a dog his size he should be on 185g a day

He gets very few treats now as I have tried to stop my parents (dad) giving him extras... and when mum gives him things it's now just his food from his daily allowance!

How can I be "apparently" feeding under half what he is recommended daily, and yet he still, to me, needs to lose a little weight?!

He isn't the most active dog indoors, but does a lot of running when out on walks!

No one have any idea at all?

Have you got a pic of him? Just to see what he looks like?

My yorkie was extremly overweight, I reduced her food and gave her more exercise and she has now lost half her body weight

He doesn't seem to be on alot really so I would find it hard reduce really, Maybe try him something low fat?

I have only ever given three meals a day to growing dogs or underweight dogs as it allows for better absorption in the gut. If Alfie will eat carrot you could use this to bulk out his food to keep his stomach full rather than worrying about feeding three meals.

I have so rarely followed the guideline amounts on food packets... I feed as much or as little as I need to to keep my dogs looking how I like. Scooby has about half a cup of kibble in the evening and a smattering of cornflakes with a dash of milk in the mornings. This isn't something I would recommend for you it's just something my dads always done and Scooby is a bit too set in his ways to change now (as is my dad for that matter )

To be honest I'd be tempted to post an above and side picture so others can see how he looks. It may be that he just needs firming up in some areas rather than to lose weight if you get what I mean? I hope I don't come across as sounding like I'm saying your dog is unfit it would just be handy to have some photo's.

Thanks both!
So I could cut it down to two meals a day and he should still be fine?

I will try and get get pics soon, but I have these for now you can kind of see! He isn't overweight, just not as compact as he should be

He is getting a haircut next week, as I know it is hard to see with all the fur!

ETA: Got 2 new pics so will swap them for these ones!

Is he castrated? That can encourage weight gain, although not always.

Also, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but Chappie isn't the best of the foods - it could be he is not absorbing enough energy from the food, and hence is having to burn fat.

Have you ever considered raw feeding? Because of the absence of carbohydrate, the dog will be far less likely to put on weight, and you could still feed him 3 small meals a day. A small raw meaty bone, such as a lamb rib or even a chicken wing, could be 1 meal for instance.

What a cracking dog, he's gorgeous! He certainly does not look overweight, but probably more at the top end of what he should be. I personally like my dogs to be thinner than the top end of what they should weigh, so he probably could do with losing a kilo or so, but he is certainly not fat by the looks of him, he is GORGEOUS!!

Thanks Gnasher! He really does need a haircut though
I have swapped the photos now for some better "side shot" ones lol, though it is hard to see under all the fur!

I had considered raw feeding before actually.... might look into it again then!

If I fed my dogs on what the packet says my dogs would be helfers

He doesn't look overweight to me just gorgeous

Defo not overweight, but wouldn't hurt to lose a kilo I would say. Can you feel his backbone (difficult I know with hairies!) when you run a finger lightly down his spine? And can you just feel his ribs when you run your fingers across his ribcage. If you can, then he's spot on, but if the answer is only just, then a kilo off wouldn't hurt.

Glad to hear you might consider going au naturel - it does mean IMO that they don't get so hungry, they don't get the carb highs and low's that we get from eating carbohydrate. They get their energy from the fat in the food, and certainly eating RMB's, it gives their teeth a good work out, keeps them clean and keeps them occupied. A small dog would take ages to eat a chicken wing I would think - my daughter's chihuahua takes hours and hours, and still doesn't manage it all, but has great fun with it.