Is my puppy too skinny?

Hi everybody, first of all I'd like to say nice forum/community you have here. I've been reading alot of the topics over the past month and they've helped alot, but I still have some questions so I thought I'd join up and ask you guys.

I have a 4month old bitch staff named fudge who we've had since 8weeks, he is my first ever puppy, infect his my first ever dog and she's great! But recently when taking her for a walk we bumped into a young couple with a male English bull terrier who was 5months and built like a beast! When I told the young couple fudges age they replied 'aww she only looks a baby' which got me thinking am I feeding her enough? Up until yesterday I've been feeding her half a tin of butchers wet puppy food 3 times a day, yesterday I received my order Pero puppy dry food (after reading recommendations on here) so I am currently weening fudge off the butchers wet. So my first question is:

1) once fudge is completely on the Pero dry how much should I ideally be feeding her per feed?

2) Also recently one of fudges puppy teeth fell out, is this the norm like our baby teeth fall out?

Fudge is doing very well with her house training and knows to poo outside on walks or in garden and is starting to understand that wee's are for outside too after many treats

Below is the best pic I have of fudge up to now but will try to take some more soon, I'm finding it hard to keep her still long enough and with only have my iphOne to access Internet and take photos it's abIt of a pain! Haha



Sorry about the long post and hello again

I'd say Fudge looks brilliant.
It sounds like she is getting along brilliantly.

To answer your two questions.

1. I've said this before, I don't following guidelines, mainly because Molly doesn't eat as much as they state, so my advice here would be, alter the amount as you see fit, find an equal balance, so long as she is happy, bright eyed, glossy coat, maintaining a steady weight, then stick with the amount she is on.
To start with base the amount with that is recommended on the packaging, and work from that.

2. Loosing their baby teeth is totally normal, we still have some of Molly's!
Leaim would sit at night and wiggle them when they were loose, bloody dog used to lay there and let him as well!

Edit : I totally forgot but : Cute pup!

Hi thanks for the quick reply. Ive actually forgot to mention the main reason for starting this topic! Reason being is when fudge is stood side on we can see the bottom of her rib cage sticking out between front and back legs. This wouldn't usually bother me as when walking fudge outside I cannot see her ribs but it's had my partner worrying were not feeding fudge enough after seeing the bottom of her cage stickig out.

Also im sure this is going To be a newbie question but on the packet of dry food when it gives you amount recommendations it's says 'cup full' is this a normal cup you'd have brews out of?? Haha

Fudge is beautiful & looks totally the right size. I wouldn't even TRY to compare size & weight with an English bull! I've got one, and believe me, they're a LOT bigger, as they should be! A staff just shouldn't be that size!

Fudge is GORGEOUS!!!! Her ears are darling
She looks a fantastic weight, she even has a bit of muscle already which is great at 4 months! Dont worry about her ribs, this just shows she has a large lung capacity. Staffords are bred to have 'well sprung ribs', if you look in the breed standard you'll see it mention them as a plus point.

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/87

Molly's ribs stick out quite a lot, either that or her waist seems to be tiny compared to it.

As Caryll said, EBT are A LOT bigger than Staffs, so don't worry about yours being smaller.

As for one cup, I'd see if Pero sell measuring cups, if not, I'd use a mug that ya make a brew in

Most of the pet food suppliers will send you a free measuring cup if you phone them.

I always say never judge a staff by weight but by body condition. Personally i like to be able to easily feel ribs but not see them. To be honest your doing the best thing by weaning her off butchers. After a while of her being on a high quality food u will prob notice her generally being in better condition both physically and mentally!
ps. shes soooo gorgeous x

Fudge is one gorg lil pup! her ears are gorg!! haha
dont worry about it differant pups grow at differant rates my 6month old pup is still smallish but depends on the pup i spose , dont worry aslong as she's eating well and drinking well she will grow to be a 'beast' in her own time

Thanks for all the replys and compliments, Ye fudges ears are so cool! Haha

I'm gonna be abit cheeky and ask a few more questions

1) is it normal for puppy's to pick EVERYTHING up outside when on walks, weather it be a stone or a dirty used tissue (yuck!) or a stick bigger than her (I know this is normal) to a tiny twig. The reason I'm asking is because when walking fudge after work it's dark and I have to keep a very close eye on her and I'm worried I might not notice her picking up a twig which she tends to store in her mouth after picking up.

2) what's the best age to let fudge off her lead? I know most people will say when fudge listens to me which she does inside and whilst out on the lead but surely you'll actually only find out how the dog is off the lead by trying it? I've had fudge off the lead for 5minutes on a quiet field first thing in the morning and she was fine chasing a stick

Thanks again

1. Yes!

2. There's no age, really. It's a matter of try it and see sometimes! Get the recall strong in the garden & then take something with you to try outside. Build it up slowly. Make sure, at the start, that there are no distractions & then try it with a distant distraction etc.

We started by taking Milly on a secure park near us to let her off the lead and we tried to make sure there was no other dogs on at the time. It worked well and apart from the odd time she comes back when called.

She looks in great condition so don't worry your doing a fine job. Eggs are brill for growing pups and baby formular is good if you think she a lirtle lean. Behind the rib is called the tuck up, for a well shaped stafford you should see a good rib cage with spring and a well defind waist but she's only a baby so she will grow leggy then bulk its all normal.she's lovely

gem wrote:She looks in great condition so don't worry your doing a fine job. Eggs are brill for growing pups and baby formular is good if you think she a lirtle lean. Behind the rib is called the tuck up, for a well shaped stafford you should see a good rib cage with spring and a well defind waist but she's only a baby so she will grow leggy then bulk its all normal.she's lovely

I love that leggy stage, they kinda look all gangly and outta proportion, then when they bulk out, it's such a transformation.

Molly's a year old and still gets eggs now, just be careful with cholesterol, don't go over board with them. And as my OH has said, don't cook them with loads of butter or oil (Apparently scrambled eggs with butter and oil is a bad idea )

fudge wrote:Thanks for all the replys and compliments, Ye fudges ears are so cool! Haha

I'm gonna be abit cheeky and ask a few more questions

1) is it normal for puppy's to pick EVERYTHING up outside when on walks, weather it be a stone or a dirty used tissue (yuck!) or a stick bigger than her (I know this is normal) to a tiny twig. The reason I'm asking is because when walking fudge after work it's dark and I have to keep a very close eye on her and I'm worried I might not notice her picking up a twig which she tends to store in her mouth after picking up.

2) what's the best age to let fudge off her lead? I know most people will say when fudge listens to me which she does inside and whilst out on the lead but surely you'll actually only find out how the dog is off the lead by trying it? I've had fudge off the lead for 5minutes on a quiet field first thing in the morning and she was fine chasing a stick

Thanks again

1. Yes, again, Molly is a year old and has just learnt to stop doing this, she would pick up ANYTHING, and try eat anything, including plants, I'm lucky she hasn't ended up in the vets to be honest

2. We have only just started letting Molly off the lead, we never do it alone, there is always two of us, we always both have a lead, and we only do it when we have her favourite toy so we can get her attention, we need to work on her recall command.

Basically, letting her off her lead is totally up to you, there is no age, it's trial and error. I'd suggest a long line, or an extendable lead if you want her to get more 'roamage' Just be sure to get a strong extendable lead, Molly broke one meant for 25kg dogs, so she's now on one meant for 50kg dogs

Fudge Looks perfect... she is a pretty little thing isnt she xxx

well done with the toilet training

Cornish-Muscle wrote:

gem wrote:She looks in great condition so don't worry your doing a fine job. Eggs are brill for growing pups and baby formular is good if you think she a lirtle lean. Behind the rib is called the tuck up, for a well shaped stafford you should see a good rib cage with spring and a well defind waist but she's only a baby so she will grow leggy then bulk its all normal.she's lovely

I love that leggy stage, they kinda look all gangly and outta proportion, then when they bulk out, it's such a transformation.

Molly's a year old and still gets eggs now, just be careful with cholesterol, don't go over board with them. And as my OH has said, don't cook them with loads of butter or oil (Apparently scrambled eggs with butter and oil is a bad idea )

I don't put butter or oil just 2 eggs in a jug micro for a minuet my holly she was 12 months but duke was about 4 and cried till I give him his eggs every mornin.when they go leggy u think oh no its funny then all of a sudden its wow !!!

I put both mine on a training lead to teach there recall. We live in the country surrounded by massive fields so i got a huge training lead (to long really lol) Just let it dangle loosely and invest in lots of yummy treats like cheese. I to start with try and keep her close by you with the aid of treats then let her venture off a bit further and call her back with a treat and just see how she goes. With the training line at least u no that u can reel her in if u need to to lol x

blaze666 wrote:I put both mine on a training lead to teach there recall. We live in the country surrounded by massive fields so i got a huge training lead (to long really lol) Just let it dangle loosely and invest in lots of yummy treats like cheese. I to start with try and keep her close by you with the aid of treats then let her venture off a bit further and call her back with a treat and just see how she goes. With the training line at least u no that u can reel her in if u need to to lol x

dont know how much a training lead is but I know a lunge line (for schooling horses) you could buy for about £5 are great they are really strong and come in really long lenths

Fudge looks great. My boy's ears are the same, its soooo cute.

gem wrote:duke was about 4 and cried till I give him his eggs every mornin!!!

Oh, that's so sweet!

blaze666 wrote:I put both mine on a training lead to teach there recall. We live in the country surrounded by massive fields so i got a huge training lead (to long really lol) Just let it dangle loosely and invest in lots of yummy treats like cheese. I to start with try and keep her close by you with the aid of treats then let her venture off a bit further and call her back with a treat and just see how she goes. With the training line at least u no that u can reel her in if u need to to lol x

Good advice. If you can get a dog to accept a long line it's a really useful way to teach a recall. Some won't, however, and will just think the line is a 'plaything'!

gem wrote:
I don't put butter or oil just 2 eggs in a jug micro for a minuet my holly she was 12 months but duke was about 4 and cried till I give him his eggs every mornin.when they go leggy u think oh no its funny then all of a sudden its wow !!!

lol that's so cute, Molly's being stubborn and has stopped eating hers, she gets them scrambled with a splash of milk, I know a lot of dogs are lactose intolerant, but after stealing the cats milk most weeks, she handles it fine, plus it helps it move around the pan better (My cooking skills aren't that great)

Caryll wrote:

Good advice. If you can get a dog to accept a long line it's a really useful way to teach a recall. Some won't, however, and will just think the line is a 'plaything'!

Molly was really good with a long line, she never tried to play with it, unless it fell on the floor in the house, then it was like every other chew toy..
With an extendable lead, she is completely different, if we let her run off on it, she come bounding back, then attack it like it's a worm or something and pull and tug at it.
Probably how she broke the last one.....

Yeah, when a lead says for up to 25kg, don't believe it if you have a staffy.....
She's on an up to 50kg lead now, and touch wood she hasn't broken it.
My mum says I should just get a lead rope for a horse for her... I'm beginning to agree, or just walk her on a solid chain

Don't use a chain! If you forget & try to grab it, you'll rip your hands to shreds!

I can't use a long line with Dempsey, he just tries to chew it. I have used an extendable, but I don't feel safe holding the 'handle' I prefer to have my hand through the loop of a lead. At the moment I have a 6' cloth training lead which has two clips, two 'd' rings (one at each end) and an 'o' ring in the middle. It gives me great control & is kind to my poor lillywhite hands!

lol, we have a chain lead, with a padded handle, I find that hard to use, because I can't grip the length of chain when I need her to come closer.

I don't like using the extendable, she has a habit of running full pelt and it reaching the end of it's length, then almost ripping my arm out it's socket.

She's currently got about 6 leads.
I usually just use a plain fabric one, I usually have my hand through the loop, it feels like I've got better control over it.

Occasionally I'll put her on a really short leash, one we found out walking actually, it's really thick and soft, and leaves just enough for her to walk next to me, but not be able to pull ahead. It's handy when we go to pet shops to keep more control.

We mainly use her extendable lead at the beach, if it's very busy, she doesn't get let off, but she loves going for a paddle, so save us getting wet feet, her 8 metre extendable lets her swim out a bit. (Her re-call isn't all that great, and other dog owners are idiots, but that's another thread for another day )

Cornish-Muscle wrote:
I don't like using the extendable, she has a habit of running full pelt and it reaching the end of it's length, then almost ripping my arm out it's socket.

I usually just use a plain fabric one, I usually have my hand through the loop, it feels like I've got better control over it.

Occasionally I'll put her on a really short leash, one we found out walking actually, it's really thick and soft, and leaves just enough for her to walk next to me, but not be able to pull ahead. It's handy when we go to pet shops to keep more control.

I don't like the extendable either - it isn't easy to keep hold when you've got 26+ kilos of dog straining at the end of it!

I love the fabric leads. The reason I like the one I've got is that it has the ring in the middle which I can use to shorten the lead to 3' if I want. I don't use it often, but if I'm in a crowded area it's useful.