One of the things I'm complimented on most with my dogs is their physical condition.
People comment on how muscular they are, how athletic they look and how well they move. With Biggs in particular, I've lost count of the number of people who've told me they've never seen a French Bulldog with his level of fitness or physical ability.
It's always nice to hear, but I also find it slightly strange.
Because to me, a dog being lean, muscular, fit and physically capable should be completely normal.
Sadly, it isn't.
After handling hundreds of dogs myself and keeping a keen eye on the general state of dogs in society, one thing has become increasingly obvious: overweight dogs have become normalised.
And when overweight becomes average, our perception of what a healthy dog should look like begins to shift with it.
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The problem isn't simply how they look There's a tendency to talk about a dog's weight as though it's primarily an aesthetic issue. It isn't. Every kilogram of unnecessary body fat is additional weight a dog has to carry everywhere they go. It places greater mechanical load on joints and makes every movement more demanding. Running, jumping, climbing, playing and even simply getting up from the floor requires more effort. Internally, excess body fat isn't just passive storage either. Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and can negatively affect metabolic and cardiovascular health, while placing additional demands on multiple systems within the body. Then there are the consequences I see from a trainer's perspective. A dog that finds movement physically demanding is less likely to want to move. They may tire more quickly. They may be less motivated to play, explore or engage in training. Their physical limitations can restrict the activities available to them and make it harder for us to provide the exercise and fulfilment they need. Fitness and behaviour aren't separate things. If I want a dog to engage with me, explore the world, train enthusiastically and live an active life, I want their body to make those things easy—not become a limiting factor. |
And we have some remarkable evidence for what staying lean can mean.
One of the most important studies ever conducted into canine body condition followed 48 Labrador Retrievers throughout their lives.
The dogs were paired as littermates. One dog from each pair was fed 25% less food than the other, while researchers followed their health over many years.
The results were extraordinary.
The dogs receiving less food maintained a leaner body condition and had a median lifespan almost two years longer—13.0 years compared with 11.2 years.
But longevity wasn't the only difference.
The leaner-fed dogs also developed signs of chronic disease, including osteoarthritis, later in life than those fed more.
That's an enormous difference from something as fundamental as how much food went into the bowl.
Importantly, this isn't an argument for underfeeding dogs or keeping them excessively thin.
It's an argument for recognising that maintaining an appropriate body condition throughout a dog's life matters.
So what should we actually aim for?
Forget the number on the scales for a moment.
Weight alone tells us very little about body composition.
Instead, learn to look at and feel your dog.
You should generally be able to feel the ribs easily beneath a thin covering of tissue rather than having to press through a layer of fat to find them.
Viewed from above, there should be a visible waist behind the ribcage.
Viewed from the side, there should be an abdominal tuck rather than the underside continuing straight back towards the hind legs.
There shouldn't be obvious excess fat around the ribs, lower back or base of the tail.
Exactly what this looks like will vary between breeds and individuals. A French Bulldog isn't going to have the silhouette of a sighthound, and a Giant Schnauzer isn't going to look like either.
That's why learning your own dog's structure matters.
But lean doesn't necessarily mean well-conditioned.
This distinction is important.
A dog can have very little body fat and still lack muscle.
My aim with my own dogs isn't simply to keep them thin. I want them lean, muscular, fit and able to carry themselves well.
That requires using their bodies.
Walking is great, but our dogs can benefit from much more variety than simply covering miles on flat pavements.
Running. Playing. Exploring. Climbing hills. Moving across uneven terrain. Swimming. Training.
Different breeds and individual dogs will have different physical capabilities, but the principle remains the same: bodies adapt to what we ask them to do.
Nutrition then needs to support that activity.
Feeding guides can provide a starting point, but I think we can become far too regimented by them. They can't account perfectly for your individual dog's metabolism, activity, age, body composition, environment and lifestyle.
Your dog's energy requirements aren't exactly the same every day, so their food intake doesn't necessarily need to be either.
On particularly active days, or when they're expending more energy keeping warm in colder weather, they may need more food. On quieter days, or during warmer periods when they're doing less, they may need less.
We naturally understand this with ourselves. Someone doing hours of physical activity in the cold has very different energy requirements from someone spending a warm, inactive day at home. Our dogs are no different.
So rather than becoming fixated on feeding an exact number of grams because that's what a packet tells you to do, learn to look at the dog in front of you.
If they're accumulating excess body fat, feed less.
If they're becoming too lean, feed more.
If they're lean but poorly muscled, simply adding more food isn't necessarily the answer—consider whether they're receiving the nutrition and appropriate physical stimulus required to build and maintain muscle.
Fit for life.
Physical condition is one of the most obvious manifestations of our philosophy at Native Breed.
We believe dogs should be physically capable of doing the things they are supposed to do and love.
Keeping a dog in good condition isn't just about creating a particular aesthetic. It's about giving their body the best chance of remaining functional for as much of their life as possible.
And perhaps we need to rethink the idea that giving a dog more food is somehow an expression of love.
Overfeeding isn't love.
Consistently feeding a dog beyond what their body requires, to the point that they're carrying unnecessary weight, can cause avoidable harm. As owners, maintaining an appropriate body condition is one of the most basic responsibilities we have towards them.
You can't control everything that happens with your dog's health.
But their physical condition is one area where we have an enormous amount of influence.
Do right by your dog. Don't aim for average. Aim for optimal.
Thanks for reading.
Jamie and Sophie
