Hi, I wondered if any wooly sibe owners here have any tips on checking the weight of woolies. Most weight checkers have pet parents look for that tummy tuck, the slight "hourglass" figure from above, and the ribs. With woolies though, this gets hard to check because of all the fur. Depending on the angle you're looking at her, my Luna can look pretty chunky or skinny. I try to "feel" for her ribs but I'm not sure how reliable my own judgement is on that end since I don't really have a point of comparison. I don't want to rely so heavily on weight charts either because I understand there's a pretty broad range of weights/growth rates within the breed.

I'm concerned because my Luna seems to be rather small for her age but the last time I tried to increase the amount of food she was eating, she had diarrhea for a day. I'm now very careful about the amount Im feeding her, but I'm afraid it's getting too little (but then again, looking at her from the side, I think, maybe it's okay, but then again, looking at her from above, it could be too little, but then again...and so forth).

So, any tips on weight checking for woolies?

Ugh...assessing the weight of a wooly. The bane of my existance!

For a visual, wet her so she's soaked (but make sure she has not matting first, 'cause the drying will make the mats really tough to get out). Then look at her and assess according to the charts.

As for feeling the ribs, spine, hips and shoulders - I bury my fingers deep into the coat and then move my hands along his ribs - if I can feel individual ribs with a bit of fat covering, I'm assuming things are good. If the hips, spine and shoulder blades feel rather sharp, i'm guessing a bit underweight. If he's well padded, I'm assuming overweight.

Also, weigh and measure her regularly - compare height and weight to the husky standard. Also - I've found that when Ami is picky about food, particularly skipping breakfast, he's probably overweight.

At the moment, here, I am wondering if Ami is maybe a tad underweight (but keep in mind, research suggests that a slightly underweight dog will live longer...). Here in the north, with very cold winters (and he is outside, by choice, most of the daytime and evening hours) his calorie needs vary by season. In the winter, his coat becomes exceedingly thick and its almost impossible to judge body condition.

Thank you for the tips, @amymeme! I can't imagine how it must be during the winter with Ami! I live in the Philippines so I don't expect Luna to really fluff up as much but, as it is, I'm already having trouble wondering if her weight is in the right place!

Luna is still pretty young. At 3 months, she's 5 1/2 kgs, so rather small for her age. The vets keep telling us to feed her more, but I am wary of keeping her lean. She doesn't self-regulate yet so I really control her diet. I don't want to orchestrate weight gain through overfeeding. I've read elsewhere in the forum that some puppies get growth spurts between 3-4 months? I'm just letting her grow at her own pace for now... I do get nervous because sometimes she feels rather bony through all the fur. I'm giving her a bath today and will get a closer look!

Tangential note: I must say, I'm a huge fan of Ami. He looks absolutely stunning and I really enjoy reading about him through the various threads in this forum where you reply (and I lurk, soaking up all the info I can about woolies and what I can expect with Luna growing up).

I have a Samoyed, which has the coat equivalent of a wooly husky

I am often convinced she's fat, then when she's wet like Amy suggested, I realize she's a skinny little noodle. That's the only time I can really tell her weight. After a bath, I'll feel her to see where her ribs are, if I can feel her spine, if she has a good belly tuck, etc.

This time of year when it's cooling off, she has tons more energy and burns her food faster, so we increase it a little bit at a time. She eats 2 cups a day, and we'll add to that until she's eating about 2.5 cups a day by December.

I highly recommend avoiding weight charts--my Anya is on the small side (38 lbs), but some weight charts have her ideal weight as 10 lbs heavier....which would be crazy. She's lean, but certainly not underweight. I can just feel her ribs and muscle, with a thin layer of padding.

When you want to add food, do it by a little at a time to prevent stomach upset. Split up the extra amount between meals, so they don't have a huge meal at once.

I love sammies! You can tell how much by the fact that I got a wooly husky that's pure write with dark (rather than blue) eyes )

Thanks for the tip on increasing intake slowly, @AnyaLuv. I think that was the step I overlooked when I first tried to increase her food intake. Also, I didn't consider the weather/temperature when it comes to food quantities. I should read up more on that.

I do look at weight charts but try not to freak out about her weight (she's on the small side too! at least so far...) by looking for stories and testimonies in the forum about slow-growing huskies, growth spurts, medium-built sibes.

Gahd, there really is nothing we can do but give them the best we have and then watch and see how they turn out, huh... )