3 Secrets for Controlling Springer Spaniel Weight

Springer Spaniels are active dogs, and provided there are no health problems and they are regularly wormed then spaniel weight should not be an issue. A normal adult male English Springer Spaniel weighs about 25 kg (50lbs), with the bitch being a few pounds lighter. These weights apply to the show dog bloodline - the working dog bloodline is a bit more slender and fine boned.

These are smart animals, loyal and affectionate and people love them - sometimes too much, and therefore they often get more calories than they need. You may not even know about it until you see them getting overweight. Where does it all come from?

Tip #1 - Secret Feeding

If you have a family, then your children may be feeding him extras without you knowing - secret scraps from the table and secret treats. The children need to understand that it is bad for him. And, it's not only the children!

We once had a neighbour who threw scraps over the fence (unknown to us) when our dog was in our large garden. After a while I cottoned on when I was cutting the grass and found odd pieces of bone. He did love those lamb bones! I had a quick word with our neighbor and Sam (our Welsh Springer) lost out on his regular bones.

Tip #2 - Overfeeding

If you feed your dog yourself then you are able to strictly monitor the quantities. If feeding your dog is a shared responsibility (and it is good for children to have chores likes this involving animals) then you need to make sure that the quantities your dog is getting are strictly controlled.

A small increase in quantity of, say, cereal for us (say a couple of spoonfuls) is not a lot relative to our weight, but the same increase for a dog is a lot relative to their body mass and the amount of energy they need on a daily basis. It is easy where you have to open one can of dog food for his meal, but the addition of say, biscuit mix is a bit more variable. Our natural tendency is to see that he is fed well and so a bit more gets put in his bowl. Ever so slowly, his weight goes up and you wonder why! So, portion control is essential for spaniel weight control.

Tip #3 - Older Dogs

Older dogs - that is those moving from middle into old age, say after about eight years of age - are less active and need adjustment to their diet. This is done by cutting down on the protein and the fat content relative to the carbohydrate. This need to be done with care, so that the balance of the diet is correctly maintained. He will also need fewer calories. Discuss this with your veterinarian who will know your dog and be able to give you detailed advice. To lighten the load on their digestion and make it more efficient, you can divide their quantities of food in two and serve as two meals, morning and evening.

Finally, do remember to weigh your spaniel regularly, and record his weight. That way you can see any trend to overweight developing.

There are several aspects to check and monitor in order to control springer spaniel weight. Discover lots more about their care and welfare at => www.springerspanieladvice.com. Written by a long term enthusiast and owner of springer spaniels, rescue dogs and pups.