Weights of dogs, food and percentage feed ratios

Just leading on from comments in another thread between C&D and smokeybear who both seem to feed their dogs very different amounts despite both having GSDs, I thought this might be interesting.

I know the raw standard is 2-3% of their body weight, what dog you actually feed your dog? And why? For example, energy levels, weight gain.

Cain weighed 45kg. I wanted him to loose a kilo or two so I fed him 2% of a 40kg dog. So he was getting 800g a day. He went to the vets for his annual check up and he'd put on two kilos!!!! Sigh. So I've cut him down to 700g a day despite the fact he is now a 47kg dog. If I fed him with the 2-3% rule he would be on minimum 940g a day but he would clearly pile on the pounds! He is a big boy and going to be a bit stocky because of thr Akita in him, and he doesn't look fat but he's got a bit more on the ribs that I'd like so I want to get him back down to at least 45kg. I feel a bit mean feeding him so little but he doesn't seem hungry and I bulk it out with veg. He doesn't get off lead much now so have less energy requirement, once he can execise off lead and run he might need more food. Technically he's only getting 2% of a 35kg dog.....

I'd be interested to know about others who find they need to feed their dogs under or over the 2-3% amount

My GSD who is circa 40 kg of pure muscle, needs circa 2kg of food per day minimum, in the winter he has more calories provided by oil/fat.

My Weimaraner who is circa 27kg of muscle, can do quite nicely on 400gms per day, even when she was competing.

When I started feeding raw I fed them all on 2% and weighed it every time so I know I haven't accidently exceeded the %, they all put on weight and have all been cut back. For example Syd male Dobermann weighed 46kgs ideal weight fed on 950grms and after a while started to look a tad chunky so I reduced the amount to 750grms and he doesn't seem to have noticed to be fair. He's a very active dog having lots of off lead free running with all the others for around 2 hours a day. The others are all on reduced rations too. Funnily enough none of them had weight issues on Kibble, well Rio did for a while until they all went on F4D and it was well under control before switching to raw. Once they get back to their ideal weights I will weigh them more often and gradually increase the amount until I find the right level for them.

Flynn currently weighs 29kg and this is a tad lower than he should be, perhaps 30-31kg would be about right. He's not skinny but very lean and I wouldnt want him to lose any more. I've just calculated the rough amount he gets fed and it's worked out at 3% of his bodyweight. He is a highly strung dog, very anxious but superfit as well so he burns food off almost as soon as he eats it. This is why I have to be careful of his blood sugar level and make sure I have a banana or something with me in case he has a funny turn.

Jed gets around 1.6% and is still too tubby on this amount, I think at his best he was 24kg which is about right. He currently weighs 27kg but is low energy and will only run if he sees a rabbit so is very prone to putting weight on.

The surprising thing is i've just worked out Jessie gets around 3% of her bodyweight in food. She weighs 15.5kg but likes to keep up with Flynn when he's running about so I guess she does burn it off well. She also does alot of swimming, digging and chasing tennis balls so I know if she puts a bit of weight on I can easily shift it.

I dont weigh their food out anymore, just play it by eye and hand. If they get too much one day they are cut down the following day so over a week it does balance out. I also judge how much exercise they've had that day and adjust accordingly.

Just to say it's 2-3% of their ideal weight, rather than current weight (so you'd feed an underweight dog more than based on their current weight because you want them to gain, and an overweight dog less)
But I feed Casper less than he should have on paper too, generally. I pretty much now just feed him the same as Kiki, so he's, like Cain, having 2% of a 35kg dog's amount. He gets slightly bigger bones or the biggest fillet or whatever but only a small amount more than Kiki.
He's not really one to sprint around, not like Kiki, he can run when he wants to but generally canters along as his own pace. But upping his off-lead exercise, even just a bit (e.g. jogging home across the fields, I can't manage much more than that myself ), did shift the pounds when he was a little porky so I think you may find that once Cain gets more off-lead running he does need to eat a little more.

after posting my thread about food the other day ive realised that ive actually been overfeeding mine by near enough double

they were having 100gs a meal, rather than about 100g a day i did notice daph was getting a bit tubby but she was also leaving her meals alot more.

people tell me asbo looked too skinny, but according to people on here he looks just fine he was leaving meals aswell. cut down their ammounts this morning and this evening and that seems to have worked as theyve had less, not noticed that they havent had as much and they have eaten all of both meals. winner

Thats why I fed him 2% of a 40kg dog originally (when he weighed 45kg, to try and get him to lose weight) and he still managed to put on 2kg Being a crossbreed I have no idea what his "ideal weight" would be, but I imagine 40kg is actually probably too low for him. But I certainly don't want him above 45kg so he's on a diet for now. If he gets skinny or his exercise increase then I'll readjust his food.

Thanks all who replied, it's really interesting

Cherry and Parker are now 10 and 9 but still very fit and active (fortunately).

Cherry is 14kg and Parker 15.5kg and they get 120g of dry food per day split into 2 meals. They also get a bit of "nature's harvest" mixed in to make it more palatable. About half the time they get home-cooked food instead which is meat and brown rice or pasta and veggies cooked in the slow cooker. They also have 5 Spillers Shapes biscuits a day each and a dental chew. They do get quite a few home-cooked small treats each day too as with Cherry being fear-reactive she gets rewarded for being calm around other dogs and meeting small ones nicely.

They are about the right weight for their breed, certainly not more than a pound or 2 overweight if that.

I've never weighed out food in my life, not even for my horses, I always go by what they look like and either up it or reduce it and whether they're hungry or not. totally wrong, but there ya go!

Zena weighs in at 38 kgs and she has weighed this same weight for exactly one whole year, so I can't complain. She's had a couple of bouts of sickness so I've upped the food a bit when she's doing well again. Plus the vet told me when she was a puppy that he never wanted to see her any heavier than 38 kgs fully grown, so I must be doing something right.

Georgie on the other hand, is way overweight, but he's got cushings, and again my vet said we will never be able to get him back to his former slim self. He weighs in at 55 kgs

They both actually get the same amount of food, even though they weigh totally different weights. Georgie because I don't want to risk piling on even more lbs, and Zena because the amount of food she gets suits her.

They get half a scoop of their F4D kibble (probably half a large cup) 3 times a day with either chicken, mince or tuna thrown in, so 1 1/2 scoops each per day. I dread to think what that actually weighs nowhere near the recommended feeding level far less! They hardly ever get a bonio or biscuits, they get a raw carrot after every meal, and the F4D fish sticks quite a few times a day, probably 5 or 6

I remember actually weighing her food when Zena was a puppy (on Hills science plan large breed puppy) because I had to get it right in those days, and I was horrified at the recommended amount, and quite honestly I don't think I would have managed to get that lot into her in a day either, I think it was 5 cups!!! Two and a half years down the line, she's fit and active, ribs can be felt but not seen, she has a nice waist so I've got nothing to worry about here I don't think.

Teg has about 2% of his body weight which is currently 23.5 kgs. He was on 3% but was putting on bit of weight as less off lead running during the winter and no agility, so have dropped it for now.