Food and weight

Hi there.
Hope someone can help. My little Delilah is 17 wks old and a very slight 3.6kg. She is very thin and the bones on her hips and her ribs show. She is healthy and energetic. She was eating Burns but on the instruction of the pet shop we have changed to Arden grange as it has more protein and she needs this to put on the weight. She eats her own poo and also seagull, pidgeon and basically anything that is on the floor, disgusting i know.!!!!! Just need some advice on this as our first staffy was a big lad even as a puppy and, I know shes a bitch but i think she should be more than 3.6kg at 17 wks???!!!!
Hope anyone can help
Sam

Have you simply tried inceasing her food? If you're only giving her the 'sugested' amount on the bag, it may not be enough. If she's very lively/active she could be burning off more calories than she's taking in.

P.S. What sort of exercise is she getting?

I'm not really sure about weight/ages etc there all so different and all develop differently! I always go on the look of the dog.

If you feel she needs to eat more then up the food, if you feel she is overweight cut the food. Guidelines are just that, guidelines

As for eating her own poo, well thats something you'll have to stop with training! They can be rather gross

She is getting 5 mins per month of age once a day, but also she stays at a dog care centre and is running with the big dogs all day
I thought about increasing the amount she eats but was told that could cause problems

Gross aint the word...............
Ill prob let her have a more sedentary life for a couple of weeks and then see if it changes..

She may be getting too much exercise - she's burning all the food off with nervous energy!

Is there a place at the day care centre where she can go for some time out during her stay there?

samg wrote:
I thought about increasing the amount she eats but was told that could cause problems

What problems?

samg wrote:She is getting 5 mins per month of age once a day, but also she stays at a dog care centre and is running with the big dogs all day
I thought about increasing the amount she eats but was told that could cause problems

You could try having a word with the people at the care centre and see if they can reduce the amount of exercise she is getting with the other dogs there. Too much now may cause problems with her joints later on in life.

As for the easting poo try to start and use the command word Leave, this usually works for us anyway. Good luck hope you get there.

Thanks everyone for your help.
The probs i was told were with her digestive system taking on too much and instead give her better quality food.
I will also have a word with the day centre and ask them to keep her in more.
Thanks again

Arden Grange is a good food so I really wouldn't worry there. How many times are you feeding her in a day?

4 times a day

I would cut it down to 3 larger meals, see if that makes a difference

Thanks Janey. When she eats its gone in 10 secs, proper little guts she is. Ill try that and see what happens