Your Dachshund is overweight if you cannot feel his ribs and can see fat over his back and the base of his tail. He will also have rolls of fat on his neck and over his shoulders. He will have no discernible waist behind the ribs when viewed from above and you will be able to see excessive abdominal fat or a distended underline, in profile. The risk of obesity increases with age and is more common in neutered animals, and there are associated risks of diabetes and osteoarthritis. The most obvious solution is to reduce the quantities your Dachshund eats (including titbits!) or move him onto a lower calorie food.

Both weight and body condition score should be measured and recorded. Both of the values are important to be used in conjunction, they are not separate entities. A dog can lose weight but not body condition - e.g. if it has lost muscle mass or if there has been a minor weight change. Therefore an unexplained weight loss could be critical in early diagnosis of certain conditions such as renal disease, liver disease or diabetes - but the BCS may conceivably remain the same. BCS is important in gauging if the dog is at the correct weight for its individual attributes as every dog is different.

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In our 2015 DachsLife Survey of 2000 Dachshunds, the average weight of (1387) Minis was 5.8 Kg (80% were 4-8 Kg). The average weight of (577) Standards was 10.9 Kg (80% were between 6 and 15 Kg).

 

For those Dachshund owners interested in showing their dog, the Breed Standard defines the Miniature and Standard varieties on the basis of their weight: 

Standards: 9-12 kg (20-26 lbs), Miniatures: Ideal weight 4.5 kg (10 lbs), desired maximum weight 5 kg (11 lbs);

 

The Breed Standard also says: Exhibits which appear thin and undernourished should be severely penalised. 

 

Remember, the Breed Standard describes the ideal sizes of Standard and Miniature Dachshunds; these ARE NOT "target weights" for individual dogs.  Every Dachshund will be different and will need to be fed to keep his ideal weight for his frame.  

 

Judges have a responsibility to ensure that there are no welfare issues, particularly of Miniature Dachshunds, related to the weight clause in the Breed Standard.  You can download the Breed Council's Dach-Facts information sheet here.  A dog is too thin if, when running your fingertips over its body without applying any pressure, you can:

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1. Easily feel the ribcage and

2. Easily feel the spine and

3. Easily feel the shoulder-blades and hip-bones

 

If your Dachshund is one of life's "thin dogs" no matter how much you feed him or her, we would prefer you not to show him/her, however good you feel he/she is in other respects.  Sometimes, young male dogs can go through a phase of not eating well and appearing underweight; such dogs would be best left at home until they body-up, rather than being shown looking thin.  It is equally unacceptable to show a dog that is overweight and who looks like it needs more exercise and/or less food.  Dachshunds should be shown in fit, well-muscled condition so that it is clear they could do the work for which they were originally bred.

 

You might also like to read our blog post on this topic.

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Here are some useful links on getting your dog's weight right:

 

PFMA Pet-Size-o-meter

Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic

Purina: Understanding your dog's body condition

Hill's Pet: Know the score

Puppy Weight Calculator - predict your pup's size and weight