hi , just wondering what weight my new staffy should be ? we think hes around 9/10 months old . he weighs 20kg his last owner just put food down in morning and left it there till he ate it all, then put more down , sometimes it was one bowl a day other times 3 a day . we are not doing same , i dont think that was right ! our routine now taken from a training book is to put food down for ten mins if he doesent touch it its taken away and tried a few hours later the water is allways available. i dont want a fat lethargick dog as i see many day to day . he gets plenty of exersize but is allways hungry , hes on a dry food . havent tried him on meat yet allthough hes had liver once a week and egg and milk once a week sunday he just gets one meal in the morning, he just looks hefty but is big boned . we have only had him 4 weeks am i doing things right ?

If you run your hands down his side you should be able to feel ribs without too much pressure needed (put thumbs on spine and run palms along sides). If it requires to much pressure to feel the ribs then he is on the heavy side. If you are unsure weather you can judge this properly yourslef your vet is a good option. Even though there is an ideal/average weight for each breed, it's always better to go on the individual dogs body.
My dog is always ready to eat but that's no indication to his hunger of the ammount of food he needs - he would eat non-stop if I let him and he would soon be a complete fatty! But do make sure his worming is up to date.
It's really good to hear somebody who wants to keep thier dog a healthy weight :)

You should be able to feel his ribs but not see them :-)

my staffy bitch is 23kg and is too big at the moment.  she is tall and broad but definitely needs to lose a few kilos.

hi, thanks for your replies, ive done the rib test very little pressure was needed so he must be ok , he just gave me a funny look whilst doing it ! haha. he was wormed 3 weeks ago when we first got him. i dont have much confidence in the vet i am using, so gonna change before he has to go again.