Is my dog chunky?

I would need a picture to tell. What breed is she or does she most resemble?  

Here's a chart with some information. 

She  came to me very underweight so I have a hard time knowing when it's time to stop feeding her extra.  I can lower her weight no problem, but I don't know her ideal.  How easily are you supposed to feel the ribs? because I can feel her ribs but not as good as when I just got her.

She is was 25pounds in those pics on my profile, so she has gained 2 pounds over winter, does that seem a lot for a 17'' tall dog?

I can *see* ribs on Sammy, let alone feel them!  Especially when he lays down or is intensely sniffing something.

Martini doesn't look bad in your profile pictures, though.  I think you should be able to see a tuck, easily feel several ribs and occassionally even see the last rib or two.  But, I can tell just by how much extra skin Sammy has whether he is gaining weight or staying the same. 

I think sammy is about 20-21" at the shoulder and, as we've discussed before, is about 47 lbs but has tiny paws ;)  He is a breed (mutt mix) that tends to just be tall and skinny, though. I think breeds with thick coats are much harder to tell if they are at a good weight; Sammy has very little fur so I can easily tell.

I personally think that she's at normal weight but there have been people telling me that she's getting fat.  These people have only seen her once or twice when I first adopted her when she was clearly underweight.  I guess compared to her previous weight she is getting chunky.  I thought that there might be a weight versus height chart that we have for humans to see if we need to lose or gain a few, but I guess it doen't work for dogs?..... I should probably take some new pics of her.

By the way Nicole did you get your shoes?

nataliem

By the way Nicole did you get your shoes?

I sent you a PM :)

And even if there was a height vs weight chart for dogs, if it's like the human ones I wouldn't use it anyway!  I'm pretty small and short but I'm only a couple lbs away from being obese by some charts!  How does that work when I fit in size 2 or 4?!?  Anyway.  Sorry, that was my mini-rant about size/BMI charts.  I don't think you can standardize anything for a mixed breed dog.  At least for purebreds you have breed standards as a guidline.

I think if you post new pictures, from above and from the side, it would help, but honestly she doesn't look bad.  Even if it were a few lbs I think it's only really critical in dogs with joint issues to keep them on the way side of lean.  Black dogs I think look chunkier anyway, since they tend to look more glossy to me (if they have a good coat) and it's harder to see the ribs. 

nataliem

But does a 17'' at shoulder dog that weighs 27pounds seem chunky?

Yeah, there's no way to tell from that. It totally depends on their build. My dog (labbish mutt) is 21" at the shoulders and has an ideal weight of about 58 pounds. My sister's dog (pit bull) is 20" at the shoulders and has an ideal weight of about 75 pounds. Our other sister's dog (an aussie/pyr mix) is 24" and has an ideal weight of about 70 pounds. Out of the three, the shortest dog is the heaviest. Think about a greyhound vs. a bulldog. They couldn't possibly be the same weight per height.

Emma is 13 1/2" and weighs 20 lbs. My friend's Chinese Crested is a little taller than her (probably close to 15";) and weighs 8 lbs. It totally depends on the dog's build. Emma is ridiculously stocky, for her breed, and very, very muscular. She's on the lean side of healthy, and Gator is also pretty lean. He's just a *lot* finer boned.