Ideal Weight

So here's the issue. My puppy's name is Charley and he's a pomeranian/shih tzu mutt who is 7 months old and weights 10.5 lbs. His parents were average size (dad (pom) was 7lbs and mom (pom/shih) was closer to 8lbs). I was under the impression that his weight was ok, his vet wasn't concerned enough to mention it the last three times we've been in since June, but my Mom seems to think little Charley is on the chubby side.

So for those of you with small, fluffy mutt dogs (or maybe even big fluffy mutt dogs) how to you figure out if their figures need help and if you're feeding them too much?

I should say that he doesn't eat too much (doesn't finish the recomended serving sizes on the bag of food) and doesn't get tons of treats either. We walk for 10 minutes in the morning and a good half hour in the evening as well as many play and training sessions.

Also do heavier puppies get tired faster than their lighter counterparts? I ask because after our evening walks Charley pants for a good 15 minutes when we get home and is noticibly tired, while the 4 1/2 month old yorkie pup (who kept up his pace the whole time) isn't tired or panting at all. At first I had thought it was the summer heat, but now I'm thinking he's just out of shape? Your thoughts?

Could be out of shape. Don't worry about the numbers. Pounds don't really matter if the shape is good. Even in little dogs, the line of the belly from the rib cage up to the hip should be almost straight (up to the hip). If it's horizontal, parallel to the ground, then the doggy is overweight. The dog should also have an hourglass figure when you look at it from above. :)

Could be out of shape.... Even in little dogs, the line of the belly from the rib cage up to the hip should be almost straight (up to the hip). If it's horizontal, parallel to the ground, then the doggy is overweight. The dog should also have an hourglass figure when you look at it from above. :)

There is a hint of an hourglass from above, an even better one when he's wet. :thumbs up

But what do you mean about the line from the rib cage to the hip? I'm having issues visualizing where the line should be :confused: Do you know of a website that has pictures or something?

It is harder to tell if a furry dog is a good weight. His chest should be lower than his stomach when looking at his profile. You should be able to feel his ribs easily.

Just a word of warning. Dog food bags always say to feed more than necessary.

If he were more like a box shape instead of hour glass and if you can barely feel his ribs he would be overweight. He seems to be fine. His coat will make him appear larger than he is.

This is the best picture I found of Jemma's belly... See the belly curve?

Here!!! I found a really good page about weight!!
http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/clinicalnutrition/bcsdog.htm

See how the angle of the belly goes from pointing up toward the hip joint to down toward the knees as the doggy gets fatter?

See in the "Fat" one, the belly line is perfectly horizontal:

And in the thin one, it curves up to the hip?

Here, I put a red line to show the belly angle that I'm talking about..

Thanks for the pictures. Yes, of course, now that I've seen it, its obvious!

It is my biased opinion that he's not quite to the point of being overweight, and his fur pads his ribs too, so we'll just keep walking and playing and not worry about it.

Thanks for the input!