__Determining a dog’s healthy weight is not as easy as looking at a chart of average age and breed weights (though that can give you a place to start). As a rule of thumb, a dog at a healthy weight should have a visible waist when you look at them from the side and from above, though we encourage you to talk to your veterinarian when determining an exact number. To give you some quick direction, here are some common weights by breeds:
Average Adult Weights for Common Large Breed Dogs
| Breed | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | 75 lbs | 65 lbs |
| Golden Retriever | 70 lbs | 60 lbs |
| Doberman Pinscher | 85 lbs | 75 lbs |
| Rottweiler | 115 lbs | 90 lbs |
| Poodle (Standard) | 65 lbs | 45 lbs |
| German Shepherd | 75 lbs | 60 lbs |
| Collie | 70 lbs | 60 lbs |
| Great Dane | 160 lbs | 130 lbs |
| Mastiff | 200 lbs | 150 lbs |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 65 lbs | 55 lbs |
Average Adult Weights for Common Small Breed Dogs
| Breed | Weight |
|---|---|
| Chihuahua | 5 lbs |
| Shih Tzu | 12 lbs |
| Miniature Poodle | 12 lbs |
| Pug | 16 lbs |
| Dachshund / Mini Dachshund | 10 lbs / 10 lbs |
| Pomeranian | 5 lbs |
| Boston Terrier | 18 lbs |
| Maltese | 6 lbs |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 7 lbs |
| French Bulldog | 22 lbs |
Feeding a diet is only one part of the equation; getting the calories right and maintaining that weight is another critical component that we ask you to invest in. A healthy dog should have a visible waist when you look at them from the side, meaning their abdomen (their belly) should sort of tuck up, and when we look at them from above, we should see that there is a clearly defined waist visible. We encourage you to talk to your veterinarian because there is a way to more precisely define (typically on a nine-point scale) where your dog should fall.
The recommended, healthy weights for most breeds are four and five. For some sight hounds like greyhounds, they may have a healthy weight at a 3 out of 9, but your veterinarian may already have this information, the medical record, that you can find, so talk to them. If you have any difficulty getting any of that information, or you have questions when you start the individualized diets, certainly you can contact one of the Nom Nom staff, and additional resources will be available to help guide examples of where your dog should fall in terms of an ideal weight.
