too big????

I went to the vets last week to get Mimi her flea treatment and worm treatment and she had to be weighed as usual but last time which was 3 months ago she was 5.2kg or just under 12lbs now she is 7.3kgs which is just over 16lbs!!!! she is just under 9 months old, is this too big or has she just had a growth spurt?? she doesnt look fat next to others har age and she is not tiring out on walks but knowing they should be between 15 and 18lbs when grown i thought this was a bit early to be near her peak.


188418_10150444563175405_558725404_17574546_6647065_n by whittakeramy, on Flickr
Mimi after a long walk

The breed weight standard is really more important for show dogs and even then, many are over the breed standard these days. All else being equal it is likely much healthier for the dog to be a bit larger than significantly under the breed standard, as miniaturisation is known to be connected to skull changes that can directly affect breed health, especially neurological health. Making the breed even smaller likely worsens this effect.

She is stil well within breed standard and I would guess will likely finish off at 17-18 pounds given her age now: still breed standard.

Breed standard is actually 13-18lbs in N America and 12-18 lbs in Europe, not 15-18 lbs.

13-18lbs? Yikes!

Skippy (1.75 years old) seems to have peaked at 22lbs...I've gotten comments about how 'big' he is in the past, but always just thought he was 'normal' sized. And the funny thing is, I think he's a 'skinny' 22lbs too. He only gets 2 cups of dry kibble every day (sometimes choosing to skip a meal when he's not in the mood for it), an occasional doggy treat or two, and no cooked/processed human food, so my wife and I sometimes feel sorry for him in that sense.

I tried looking for a recent picture for reference but unfortunately don't have a full-body image, just this one --


I do miss his puppy days when I could just carry him around in the palm of my hand!

That is about the size Rose was at that age. She's 11 months now, and I'll find out her weight next month when she gets spayed, but I'd guesstimate that currently she's about 17-17.5 lbs, and looks and feels to be a healthy weight. She eats 1 measured cup of puppy food per day, with a couple of tablespoons of canned puppy food mixed in.

She looks fine and healthy, some dogs grow more quicly than others. It is much more preferable than to have a weedy poor doer.

9kg or around 20lb, or a little over, seems to be much more the average weight these days. Some shows in the UK schedule a class for Cavaliers under 18lb (ie within the breed standard weight) - but there are very few entries! In fact such classes may have disappeared since the days I showed Oliver regularly, 6 years ago. So even show dogs are over the required weight limit (not surprising considering the lack of waistline in some at the recent club championship show!). Oliver is exactly 9kg and two vets we have met recently (including Simon Swift the cardiologist who sees great numbers of show dogs) exclaimed on seeing him 'How nice to see a thin Cavalier!'

Kate, Oliver and Aled

I'm wondering if the dogs that are over the breed standard for weight are also over for height? I recently was talking to someone who shows their Cavs and hers were about 12.5" at the shoulder and 20-21 pounds:shock: That is the exact same height as Rylie (who probably hasn't totally filled out yet) and he is just over 14 pounds. I think he'd still be good at 15 pounds but he would certainly be obese at 20 lbs.

Max is 14" at the shoulder and the vet thinks a good weight for him (based on the "feel test" is 18.5 to 19 pounds). He was up to 22 pounds last winter and in hindsight I can see that he was overweight although it took quite a bit for me to believe it at the time.

Mindy was in between Max and Rylie height wise and a good weight for her was 16 to 17 pounds although she once got up to 20.

I just changed Max and Rylie's food and they have both gained weight:shock: so I'm back to trying to find the right amount to feed them.


I also hear (from the vet and fellow agility competitors) how refreshing it is to see a Cavalier at a good weight.

Skippy is beautiful. Jasper is 10.5 kilos and Holly is 8.4 kilos. Jasper is a big boy.

dandelos said:

13-18lbs? Yikes!
Skippy (1.75 years old) seems to have peaked at 22lbs...I've gotten comments about how 'big' he is in the past, but always just thought he was 'normal' sized. And the funny thing is, I think he's a 'skinny' 22lbs too. He only gets 2 cups of dry kibble every day (sometimes choosing to skip a meal when he's not in the mood for it), an occasional doggy treat or two, and no cooked/processed human food, so my wife and I sometimes feel sorry for him in that sense.

I tried looking for a recent picture for reference but unfortunately don't have a full-body image, just this one --



I do miss his puppy days when I could just carry him around in the palm of my hand!

Click to expand...

Thank you all so much, when i had searched on the internet or in the book i got it never said the weight they gave was for show dogs so i took it as average for all, when i have seen pictures of others and then they have said they are around the 20lb mark and they all look about right to me so im happy she is not getting fat as i got her spayed at just over 6 months and have heard that they can put on a bit of weight so im glad she sounds on track. Again thanks guys...


2011-01-15 20.17.42 by whittakeramy, on Flickr

My Helio has just turned 6 months, and he weighs 15 pounds! But he's still so small and skinny, I just don't know where he hides it away! I'm actually kind of relieved to hear someone else wondering the same thing, I got a little worried that maybe I was overfeeding him or something! He's always been a big boy though, he weighed 6 pounds when I got him from the breeder!

Hi, I'm new here! Just thought I'd mention that my not-so-little girl Rosie is 11kg - just over 24lb - and has no fat on her, when she did drop below that weight the vet told me she was verging on underweight. She's 10 years old. So dependent on the size (height) of the dog!

Some lovely pics on here Off to the 'golden oldies' section now to post a pic of my girl!