Odin is our 6 month old husky/pit bull mix. He eats a huge amount (2 and 1/2 cups twice a day) of his 4health dog food. He has a husky body shape (I think? Or does he look more pit? Opinions on body shape?) with a pit bull coat which makes his shape easy to see. He has been checked and is worm free. I have not tried backing off food since he already seems at a almost a bit too skinny, I'm worried any less will make him TOO thin. Opinions? I took a few pictures for the purpose of this thread but if you need another angle please just let me know. I weighed him this morning and he is about 50 lbs but there doesn't seem to be any fat on him. He gets walked for at least an hour a day, up and down hills and around the lake by our house.

He always acts starved when I feed him and I have to put a huge rock in his bowl that he has to work around or he eats so fast he throws up. When he was a puppy (I got him at 3 months) he did not have access to food and water regularly. When I brought him home he would binge drink water for fear there would not be any more. He has stopped that but doesn't seem to understand the food will still be there. I cannot leave food out all the time because our other dog (a Corgi) is very food aggressive and will fight him for it and as he gets larger that gets less and less safe. Should I continue feeding until his metabolism catches up and he starts to actually gain some weight or should I start working him down?



Not really about weight, but here he proving he is a husky with that snarky look after getting in trouble. He can force both ears up if he tries at which point his name becomes BATDOG:

Odin has pitt fur and still hard to determine a pitt or husky body, although I lean towards a pit body. Pits and race line huskies tend to be leaner and just have a lean body. At 50 pounds he's close to breed standard for male huskies. At 5 cups of food a day, you will be wanting to decrease once he's closer to a year, dogs will eat because there's food not necessarily because he's hungry and then you get an overweight dog. I do not see his bones and his structure looks good. I wouldn't be so concerned unless you could visibly see his bones, with your pics I do not.

I am more concerned about his exercise level, are you walking this hour walk all at once? At 6 months you need to be walking 30 minutes at a time, this negatively affects his bones and joints if you are walking an hour at a time. Break up his walks, btw it's 5 minutes for every month of age. so at 6 months half hour.

Renee, I'd be inclined to think he's really got a mix of body style; contrary to the concern, he's a decent belly tuck, though not as pronounced as many Husky's, you can see his rib cage, but not the ribs. I had to go looking since I'm not a pit aficionado - it would seem as if they generally have considerably less belly tuck that Husky's. Considering that he's at least part Husky, the overall leanness is something I'd expect.

What the OP doesn't mention is the quality of Odin's feces, considering the quality of the dog food they're feeding (which ranks at 4 of 5 stars on DogFoodAdvisor with the caveat that it's a plant based dog food so while with 4 stars they rate it as an average quality) and the quantity they're feeding,  I'd be willing to bet that dog's stool is loose. ( OP ???? )

Thanks for catching the hour walk, I read it but didn't snap ... quite true and a good recommendation.

Now, OP my perpetual request, would you mind, please, filling out a bit more of your profile. We know what to call your dog but I haven't a clue as to *your* name (this ain't no kitty, so I'm not sure about the "Robert") also, since we're scattered pretty well, it often help to have some idea of where you're located.

Al, I was on the fence with his body, the top view pic looks very much like Miya looking down at her, although she has a nice, defined tuck, but we are not talking a puppy, they do fill out and change some what after a year.

Good on your part about the poo, didn't think to ask, but yes, if Odin has loose stools, he's not processing his food adequately, and therefore wouldn't necessarily gain, but maintain weight.

I think he looks perfect so if everything else is good then I wouldn't worry too much. Teenage human boys can eat like there's not enough food in the world and still stay crazy thin. Boy would I like to be able to do that!

I have completed my profile a bit more. I do indeed go by Kitty, Robert is my husband so hopefully that makes more sense now!

Odin's stools are firm but not hard I guess is how I would best describe it. He has had some loose stools but that tends to be when he ingests his soft toys which have since been removed form his possession. Normally his walks are divided up about 20/40 but both over the course of an evening. I would like to walk him in the mornings but my husband leaves for work at 5. Our neighbors are notorious for letting their dogs roam the front yards free and if there were trouble I could not by myself get Odin and I out safely so I have to wait till after work when I can take him to the park (people park not dog park) or lake and walk him. Normally it's walk, break for 20 minutes or so then walk again but if we need to switch to just 30 minutes at a time that is fine too.

So feeding wise, should I back him down or keep him where he is at?

So in that case, I guess you are Roberts Kitty .... oops, before I get my self in trouble with the feminists in the crowd, I'll go quietly!

If it were me, I'd continue with what you've been doing; if his stools are solid (or relatively so) and he's gradually gaining weight then by Husky standards you're doing every thing right ... though by Husky standards that's a lot of food!!

I'd like to see that morning walk as well ( for me as well! ) but all you have to do down here is mention "pit" and they're either deathly afraid or want to fight him ... I think I'd keep my walks to the evening as well. From your comment and that mixture, I can imagine a 90 pound Kitty trying to manhandle him - nope, *that* ain't gonna happen!

Thanks for filling out your profile and the explanation; some times when we get someone from across either pond it really helps to have some idea of where they are - things tend to get a lot different as you scatter across the globe. Curious, how many of those are cats and how do they get along??

Most of the people around here are sure they can control their unleashed dog...until you walk by. Then you get to hear them shout at their dog, as the dog ignores them, and runs out after us. So far only one has been somewhat aggressive but I'd rather not try to deal with it. I can still lift Odin but not lift and also escape in the event it was needed.

Yin, Yang, and Calypso are all cats. Ein, our Corgi, is great with the cats. Odin is still learning. To him everything is a toy so we don't fault him on it much. He does good jumping around them and boofing at them to get them to play (Yin and Yang both enjoy playing with the dogs and will initiate play with them a few times a day) but sometimes he forgets himself and put their whole neck/face area in his mouth. He has never bitten down hard thankfully but he gets scolded firmly for doing that. He also occasionally chases them and he gets scolded for that too. He is making progress on it, he rarely ever chases which used to be a problem area for him. The cats are all fully clawed and have been known to make him yelp if he gets too pushy. More than once the cats have been pulled along the living room as he backs up with their claws in his face. We never try to prevent the cats clawing him. It seems to help him respect them better.

He is never alone with them, I have built him a large kennel that he is in when we aren't home for his and our cat's safety. In a year or two we hope to have the 'hobby' room clean out for a child's nursery and the guest bed will turn into a play room. Once that happens Odin will stay in the nursery and Ein in the play room when we aren't home. Both dogs love their kennels though and will go there on their own to sleep or to enjoy high value treats. I hope to expand the kennel another foot in December.

Hi Kitty, it seems like you got a good handle on things. Some ideas for Odin and yourself is to walk your property if it's fenced in. It worked wonders for Miya, she understands where her property is and you can also work on leash manners, and commands. This will give the morning time exercise that's needed, and hopefully no one will bother you.

Renee

Sadly our property is a fenced in back yard. While I take him out and let him run in it, not really enough for an actual walk if you will. I will take him out to play fetch but it isn't a game he enjoys enough to play to the point of being tired. About 4 throws and he is done with all that nonsense!