Our dog is 14 wks & 14.6kg is he over weight

Hi, our new pup is only 14 weeks old, we've had him since 8 weeks, and are feeding him about 150g of bakers complete puppy 3 times a day. He's been on the large size since coming home, vet says he should loose some weight now he's started going out for walks (this was his first week), usually 1/2 hr 3 times a day, is this enough or should he be having more, don't want to damage his delicate bones, he loves going out but won't walk far starts sitting down or wanting to play.

Hi there - sorry just realised posted a bit turt there!

Firstly, can you feel his ribs?

The recommended exercise for dogs is 5 mins per month of life so 1/2 hour x 3 is a little too much at this stage - what does the exercise consist of.

How much food is he getting and what is it?

Hi
going on the age 3 and a half months. Your pup should only be having around 15-20 mins walk a day. At the moment, 3 lots of 30 minutes is way too much and might take its toll on his bones.
An adult male lab should weigh between 29-37 kilos depending on the size of the lab.
I would say that his weight at the moment for such a young dog is too much.
Personally I wouldn't feed on Bakers complete either as there are so many additives in it. JMO. You say he is on the large. do you mean the puppy food for large breeds. a lab is not considered a large breed but a medium one. So I would use this instead.
Looking at Bakers feeding guidelines, the amount you are giving him 3 times a day is correct if you are feeding the correct size.
Are you feeding him anything else on top of his Bakers? Treats, scraps etc?

I agree - Marius is 14weeks old this week and he only goes 'around the block' of houses on our estate which takes less than 5mins or so. I do this two-three times a day so his sum total of walks is maximum of 15 mins.

Their bones and muscles are still developing at this age you must be careful not to over-exercise especially with him being a larger breed.

He does sound heavy I haven't actually weighed Marius yet, but he definately isn't anywhere near that weight and he's a male Rottweiler! I would cut down the food for sure, Marius gets two small teacup size amounts of kibble 3 times a day, he is on Autarky Puppy and can recommend it.

Got this info from Bakers website:-

Expected Adult Weight Age of Dog Grams per Day
24-45kg
6-11 weeks 225-635g
3-4 months 440-740g
4-6 months 485-905g
6-12 months 575-755g
12-18 months 455-635g

So judging from that the 150g three times a day seems correct! However, as he is weighty I would cut it down and take your vets advice. These are guidelines only - I wouldn't be happy with the expected adult weight being such a broad range 24-45kg is a huge difference!

Hi, can just agree with everyone else really, i think that is far too much walking for such a young dogs. You have to be so careful of there legs etc at that age. I personnally would only do one 5-10 minute walk per day. And then as he gets older increase it a bit.

Way to much walking, as has been said.

Do you have a pic of him? A rough guideline to the ideal dog weight is that you can feel his ribs but not see them. A little different for puppies though as they have extra puppy fat.

Your vet should have told you how much is an ideal weight for his age/size/breed.

It is even more important he is not overweight as a pup as it will be putting undue strain on his developing body.

thanks for all the info, we've a lot to learn & quickly, walking guide very helpful, we can feel his ribs ok, his paws are massive & other dog owners we have met all say he's going to be a big dog,

sounds big to me as hes a lab i dont think he should be that weight at the age he is.
change his food to a medium breed the giant breed has a lot of extra protien etc in it because of the speed in which the giants grow, hence why hes gaining so much from the food hes on.
he may be a big lab for his age but shouldn't weigh almost 15kgs @ 14 weeks.

He might just be a big pup. Do you have pics of him?? Also when my pup was his age he was only eating twice a day. Maybe you should wean him down to less food.

The 5 minutes walk per month of age is really important as previous posters have said. It is also really important if your pup is a little overweight as this will put an additional strain on his joints - particularly important in a breed which can suffer from joint ailments such as hip dysplacia.

It is also really important that he is being socialised with as many situations, dogs, people etc so, although he should be on very restricted exercise, perhaps you could walk him (or take him in your car if you have one) to somewhere where you can then sit and watch the world go by and thus introduce him to as many different sounds, sights, smells, people, traffic, animals etc. as possible.

He will get a lot of his exercise at home just being a puppy and exploring his home environment and playing.

If you look in the articles sections (I think that is where they are) you will find lots of information concerning various areas of raising a puppy.

Anything you want to know just ask - lots of people to help out and answer your questions on here.

Enjoy your pup and good luck with him