To perform their best in the field and on the job, working and sporting dogs must maintain an ideal body condition and healthy weight. But what is an \u201cideal body condition\u201d for a canine athlete? We\u2019ll answer that question and explain how to quickly assess your dog\u2019s body condition at home.<\/p>\n
An ideal body condition score (BCS) for performance dogs hasn\u2019t been determined. However, the veterinary healthcare team at Penn Vet Working Dog Center<\/a> recommends keeping your dog\u2019s BCS between 4\/9 and 5\/9 on a 9-point scale<\/a> to minimize injuries and to maintain optimal health and performance.<\/p>\n Canine sports medicine specialists, veterinary nutritionists and professional trainers agree that dogs perform better and live longer when they are kept lean, eat less food and weigh slightly less than is usually seen as \u201cnormal.\u201d But what\u2019s considered ideal body condition for a racing greyhound will be different than what\u2019s right for a police K9 or a sled dog.<\/p>\n Research supports this approach to working and sporting dog nutrition.<\/p>\n In a study of racing greyhounds<\/a>, dogs were on average 0.7 kilometers per hour (0.43 miles per hour) faster when they weighed 6 percent less and ate 15 percent less food than when they were fed free choice. The dogs had a BCS of 3.5\/9 when they were fed slightly less food; when fed free choice, their BCS was 3.75\/9.<\/p>\n In addition, a well-known lifetime study of Labrador retrievers<\/a> found dogs fed 25 percent less food than their paired littermates lived an average of 1.8 years longer. The dogs that consumed more food were overweight, but not obese, with an average BCS of 6.7\/9 compared with an average 4.6\/9 BCS for food-restricted dogs.<\/p>\n A more recent study looked at the effects of extra body weight at middle age on the life spans<\/a> of 50,787 pet dogs representing 12 popular breeds. Regardless of breed, overweight dogs had a greater risk of death and a shorter median life span than dogs of normal weight.<\/p>\n Body condition scoring provides a convenient way to estimate your dog\u2019s body fat and, in turn, can be used to determine how much food to feed your working or sporting dog.<\/p>\n Typically, dogs with an ideal BCS of 4\/9 to 5\/9 should have:<\/p>\n You can determine your dog\u2019s body condition by using the following approach:<\/p>\n You can also ask your veterinarian or a veterinary technician\/nurse to show you how to perform body condition scoring.<\/p>\n Regular monitoring of your dog\u2019s body condition is one of the most important things you can do to help keep your canine athlete in lean condition. Body condition scoring can tell you if your performance dog is getting too many or too few calories so you can adjust the amount of food he or she gets fed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n RELATED POST: Use Body Condition Score to Tell if Your Dog\u2019s Weight Is Just Right<\/a><\/p>\nAssessing your dog\u2019s body condition at home<\/h3>\n
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