My dog's current weight is around 19kg, not 100% sure on that, ill get his weight confirmed at the vets in the morning. Hes 17 months old. Hes currently on Bakers weight control dry food, he gets 80-85g a day which is fed at about 5pm and a biscuit in the morning and one in the evening. Both my parents have a habit of feeding him crap eg My mum annoying me to give him some chicken when we did a BBQ. Ive seen my Dad give him treats when he plays with him. I really dont see the logic in that, playtime is about fun, not about food. He gets a short walk in the morning at 6:30am. He gets another walk at like 1pm-4pm and 8pm,those are around about 45 mins.

Mostly when my dad takes him he has a bad habit of letting the dog dictate the pace of the walk. Such as letting the dog sniff about (Beagle) instead of talking him on the walk for exercise purposes. He also takes him on the field too much. I prefer to only walk on pavement so i can keep the dog walking and not stop all the time, unless he needs to take a leak or dump then il let him go on a patch of grass. I am unable to talk him for walks on weekdays as i work nightshifts. On the weekends when I take him out at 1pm and 4pm i will get him into the habit of jogging with me. Hes quite eager to sprint on the field he really enjoys running, well at least till he catches a scent :(

I wont let my dog off the lead in a field, hes not the kind of breed that will run around to exercise, 99% of the time, he follows his nose in the hopes it will lead to food. His recall command isnt very strong. My aim is to get him below 15kg.

After his 6:30am walk, he sleeps like 7am-10am. 2-4pm. 6-7:30pm. Those are his nap times.

So yeh id like opinions/advice on:

Feeding times
Food type/brand/amount in grams
Walk times / length
Ideal weight i should aim for.

Any other info i could provide just let me know.

Thank You.

Wow my Elkhounds weighed that at 20 inches tall,

I would think 15kg a lot for a Beagle.  I have been fostering some rescue Elkhounds some of which were just 17 inches tall, and they only weighed just over 13kg and were not underweight.

I checked the breed standard but there is no suggested weight.

On this http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/Beagle.htm the suggested weight is Weight Min Bitch 8kg Max 14kg Dog 8kg Min and 14kg based on the UK standard for height.
  


, which sounds more what I thought.

Your dogs lack of activity is likely to be mainly due to him being massively overweight.

> Hes currently on Bakers weight control dry food<

The best piece of advice i can give you is to get him off this food asap! It is a terrible food with terrible ingredients and contains nothing that would be conductive to weight loss.The regular line is bad enough,but the low fat one is just...aaaahahhhh :( And it contains sugar which are just useless empty calories and is extremely unhealthy for dogs.

Once you change to a good food,with healthful ingredients and keep up the regular exercise routine you are already doing the weight should drop off. :)

Sugar...extremely unhealthy to dogs?
Kate do you have any qualification in nutrition?
Sugar in modest amounts does no harm at all.  At most it can cause long term damage to teeth if the owners do not observe care over mitigating any effects by cleaning or giving chews etc. something easily monitored.  Fruit acids require the same monitoring and care.
These foods are covered by the trading standards if you think they have been formulated in a manner unsafe to be fed I suggest you contract them and report your suspicions otherwise I don't think you should continue to alarm people with such extremist views.

I would imagin though it would do no harm to avoid sugar if the dog is already a porker

Well that's true :) but I expect the calorie count for the food in general will be low however, like you, I think the key to this dog's weight loss is a good increase in the amount and quality of exercise.

I completely agree with Ktee to take him off Bakers.

If I had a dog which I wanted to lose weight, I would put it on Burns - not even the "diet" Burns, but regular Burns. 

This site, althoug  American, and their dogs are different to ours, has a male beagle's weight at 10-11 kg. Get hs weight properly checked at the vet, because by your estimate he's nearly double his ideal weight!

I had to cut my post short before,but i wanted to talk more about lite diets.

The problem with most "light" foods is that they don't have enough protein to accommodate the maintenence of lean body tissue, so not only does the dog lose weight, they lose their muscle mass which causes their metabolism to drop even lower, causing their calorie requirement to be lower.  I think the "ideal" weight loss food would be around 24-30% protein (higher protein probably  being more beneficical than not) and around 10% fat.  The other problem is that when foods have adequate protein, they also have more calories (vicious circle) which is why it has been difficult for companies to find a happy medium food that will help maintain lean body mass while keeping excess fat off.  Unfortunately I think their theory is "as long as the dog loses weight [no matter what kind] it makes them think the food is working."
I did read a study that found dogs do not utilize carbs as efficiently as we do, therefore, store them as fat quite easily so I would imagine with the lack of protein to condone lean muscle mass and the increase of grains in the light food, I can't imagine a high carb food would be very good for weight loss.
people have actually done well-designed studies on weight loss in dogs on various diets. If you feed fat dogs equal amounts of calories, the dogs on the high-protein diet lose body fat and retain their muscles. I think they used 30% protein in these studies. The dogs on the typical high-fiber "light" dog food also lose weight, but much of it is their muscles.

Sugar...extremely unhealthy to dogs? Do you know something i dont? Can you show me any studies that say sugar is needed by dogs and is indeed healthy? It is added to cheap dog foods to make them palatable and attractive to the dogs so they will eat it.

Kate do you have any qualification in nutrition? No,do you?

Sugar in modest amounts does no harm at all. Perhaps not in humans,not even sure if this is the case,but in dogs i have to disagree. Why feed a dog food with colours,sugars and preservatives with huge question marks next to them when there are plenty of other alternatives that do not include these unneccesary additives??

Thanks for the info. Sounds like the dog diet is similar to a weight lifting diet, where some degree of fat is neccesary so the body
wont hold onto the fat its already got and refuse to let it go.

Ok so recomend me a brand of dry food to try. Jasper my Beagle will eat anything. The Bakers site doesnt list the % info on the adult food, but here it is for Bakers Complete Meaty Bites:

Protein
Fat 10%
Ash 8.5%
Fibre 2%
Vitamin A 12,000 I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 800 I.U./kg
Vitamin E 60mg/kg
Copper (as copper sulphate) 15mg/kg   

It says 200-400g a day, for a 10g-25kg, say i put my dog on the lower end of the figure, 200g is like double what im feeding now, is that right?

Should i cut out his morning biscuit and evening bicsuit?

My 18-20kg dogs get 200g of their Arden grange a day, and at various times of year (like this heat) they have to have it cut down.

So that amount of food would be way too much for your beagle.

When I have had to diet the dogs then I cut their food to 100g of a good diet (not a diet one) and substitute the other half with vegetables for bulk if they are inclined to scavenge or behave as if their throats have been cut.

Just recently I have been giving Kizi carrots and green beans in with her half ration, as she put on a bit of weight when the plums were ripe and she would eat them when she heard any hit the ground :D

I would cut your boy down to at most a 100g of a dent food.  Actually weigh it out and then find a cup, yogurt pot, etc that will hold just that amount and no more so you can use it as a food measure.

Only use carrots or apple pieces for treats.

Do not give any other food at all. 

You might prefer to split the meal into two meals a day.  Also you might want to make him work to get the food. 

Why not use an empty bottle, like a 500ml plastic drinks bottle, and pour the dry food into it, leave with the cap off, and he will have to work out how to get to the food. 

He should work out that if he pushes it around some food comes out.

I am assuming he is the only dog in the house?  as otherwise the above may not be practical.

I would recommend Burns for your Beagle, Kubera: www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk

I don't think you'd need the "diet" one either - try him with the normal adult varieties first, and if you don't see the weight dropping off, then switch to the diet one.

I know this may seem a very simple solution, but have you tried giving him his main meal in the mornings. That way, he has all day to use up the energy supplied by the food. Establishments such as gundog kennels and hunt kennels always feed in the morning. It's logical when you think about it. How many calories is your dog going to burn off sleeping. Since I started feeding my Labs in the morning they are fitter, healthier and the fatties have all lost weight with no change to their diet other than the feeding time.

I don't have any qualifications but the nutritionists that work for these company do. 
If you have no understanding of why sugar would be unhealthy but just regard it as unnecessary why describe it as extremely unhealthy, why not just describe it as unnecessary in your opinion?
If it enhances the flavour why shouldn't the dog enjoy that?  I use a little sugar in all my tomato based sauces as it counters the bitterness you sometimes get and intensifies the flavour.  Neither my hubby or I suffer any ill effects from this and there is no reason to suppose a dog would within the reasonable limits that are undoubtedly used for flavour enhancement in a balanced and complete dog food.
I'm sure the qualified nutritionists have read all the published studies :)

Just one thought: I saw a Beagle last night at dog club and he was HUGE and I mean huge as in seriously over SIZED, not over WEIGHT. He must have weighed over 15 kg. I think in most breeds it is possible to get dogs that are bigger or smaller than average so of course this needs to be taken into consideration as well. Eg. I have a Golden who at 38 kg is just right, and another at 30 who also is just right, both male -just dfferent sizes/body types.

Ues Kubera it might be an idea to measure him.  Stand him near a door frame, put something acroos his shoulders taking car to keep it level, and then mark the wall/door frame and measure.

UK beagles are supposed to be 13 to 15 inches tall.

Hi Kubera - I too have an overweight hound.  My dog's weight is monitored by the vet and I feed her Hills R/D which is having results.  If that isn't right for your dog they do have other specialist foods for overweight dogs.  I have also heard pedigree chum light - just a small quantity - but I didn't go for that as I felt she was not getting enough.  Another desperate dachsie owner bought chicken drumsticks and boiled a couple with lots of veg - obviously for this you need to take the chicken off the bone.  But overall I feel a complete recommended by the vet is the best option.  I am sure your vet will be only too keen to help you.  Tara only started to lose the weight when we moved to somewhere larger with a proper garden rather than a yard - just the simple extra exercise helped - so another walk, even if it is short might also help shift that weight.  Good luck - I know how difficult it is.

Louise

Exercise will often make a huge difference as you say.  It's a spiral too, the chubbier the dog gets the less active he feels.  Put the spiral in reverse and the more he loses the more he enjoys the activity and the more willing he gets and the fitter the owner too :)

Pets At Home faaaaaaaaaaaaail!!! They dont stock Burns :rolleyes:

I got it from another shop, had to buy the 7.5kg bag as they had no smaller bag.

So 100g a day, is it worth splitting it up into 2 meals? 50g at 1pm and 50g at 5pm?

Ive put all his treats and biscuits away, actually going to give them to a friend. Id be happy to start using carrot and apple as
his treat.

Would it be ok just to give like 2 inchs of a carrot broken into pieces in the morning and 1/4 size of an apple in the evening? Or i may not give him anything after 5pm. In the morning i can understand he needs a little bit as its been many hours since his last food.

To be honest he won't get fat on the Carrrots at all, and an apple a day wouldn't hurt him.

What are you giving him the carrot and apple for?  I mean, are they rewards for training or for recalls, or are they just for the sake of giving him something??  If they're just because you feel you should be giving him something, don't!  If they're for rewards, because you need to give him something as a recall reward, for example, then that sounds ok. 

I would definitely give him 2 meals a day though.  I give mine 2 meals a day anyway, as it reduces the risk of bloat to divide feedings, but as yours is on a diet, it will help him stabilise his blood sugar levels to have 2 meals a day and also help him to stave off the hunger pangs too.  But not at 1pm and 5pm - why not morning 9am and evening, 6pm??

I've got in too late but using Burns is a great idea as most dogs naturally lose weight on it anyway,which is one of the reasons i wont feed it :p The fat and protein levels are too low for maintenance IMO,but would be good for dogs such as yours Kubera who need to lose weight but who's owners dont want to skimp on ingredients,i really dont see the point in burns' diet food Unless owners who feed the regular burns feed too much and dont exercise enough??

Kubera your dog is used to alot of treats,and obviously alot of tidbits slipped to him through out the day and is not used to working for every treat,dont cut him off cold turkey,i would feed him in the morning,give him an apple or something at lunch time,then his meal at tea time,then a healthful snack before bed.Still give him treats,but the healthy kind,such as has been suggested,apples,carrots,green beans,burns fish treats are also good.Not all of his treats need to be fruit or veg,you can buy healthy low fat treats.It wont hurt to make him sit or drop for his treats,but when you're out walking and need something extra special to get him to come back skip the carrots and apples and bring along something extra smelly and tasty that will make him WANT to come back to you.Just coming back for the sake of it just isnt enough for some dogs,they need a little motivation ;)

One of the best things you can give to a dieting,hungry dog is a big recreational raw bone.This will keep him occupied as he works to rip the meat off and will keep his mind off of food as he'll be too busy working on his bone.

Good luck and keep us up to date on his progress.Remember you want him to shed the weight slow and steady,not too quick.The more he loses,the more he will want to exercise.By making him lose weight you are adding on years to his life,as obese dogs tend to succumb to alot of today's illnesses :(

ETA: He needs to walked every day,weekend jaunts are not enough for any dog,letta lone one that needs to lose weight,and please dont make him run,let him go at his own pace until he's dropped some weight,making him run could do damage to his joints which have enough pressure on them as it is with the extra weight,and he's just not used to strenuous exercise if he;s only getting it on weekends.

The one simple thing I learnt from struggling to get weight off an obese dog was that you have to be cruel to be kind. Which when you have a dog with pleading eyes and wagging tail begging for treats can be difficult, hence the problem stopping other people slipping them unecessary extras!

As others have said, too much food and inadequate exercise means you quickly get into a vicious circle because the fat dog gets fatter and increasingly uninterested in doing much more than waddle around. Which makes it fatter, and thus the vicious circle goes round and round...

So no matter how hard you try to get your beagle's weight down, everyone else has to be signed up to what's necessary and for sure, being slipped crafty and unhealthy treats will undo all your good work. He's not going to be a happy dog when he first starts following this regime but for sure, he stands a much better chance of being a healthier one.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a274/Slimzee/Jasper/1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a274/Slimzee/Jasper/4.jpg

These photos are of 5th August 2006.

Kubera can you measure how tall he is, he also looks very long bodied, so he doesn't look as fat as his weight would indicate for a standard sized beagle.

I am also surprised that he is as inactive as you say as his outline suggests he should be able to tolerate a fair bit. 

I was wondering if his lethargy might not be a sign of Hypothyroid?  Sometimes weight gain and lethargy are all the signs you get.  Has he had a poor coat, or symetrical patches of poor hair growth?

He was around 15.5inch at shoulder length.

The vets have always been saying to date, hes fine hes fine bla bla. My dad says the people at dog training classes say hes overweight. I dont want him to become a skinny dog, but just lose a few kg and be more toned. One of the trainers said in a healthy dog you will be able to feel his ribs just infront of his back legs.

Hes been getting more fulfiling walks now, hes resting a lot more, and seems a bit more calmer.

Ive been having problems with his coat as in hes getting a bloody lot of dead hair comming out, been happening last few months.

He had the biggest head out of the litter.

I know vets who say that in a healthy smooth-coated dog you should be able to see the last couple of ribs, and all the others should be easily felt.

>Ive been having problems with his coat as in hes getting a bloody lot of dead hair comming out, been happening last few months.<

That would no doubt be a side effect of the food you've been feeding.One of the first and most obvious sign of a poor food is skin problems and excess shedding.

In the picture of him standing it appears he has a roll of flesh at the back of his neck and over his shoulders - maybe that's just a trick of the light?

JG i think its just his markings, but he does look overall, a tad porky.

Have to say he is VERY long, in the neck as well as the back, he brings to mind a working basset in some respects.

Em

my beagle weighs 19kg, but he is a massive 18 inches at the shoulder, he also has a long neck and body. The problem with them is that they will eat anything, so you have to really watch them. Merlin gains and looses weight rapidly. I agree with trying a different food, burns seemed to be good for this with merlin, unfortunately he had recurring stomach problems and is now on royal canin. He doesnt look obese though, i saw a really fat one today. Does he have any treats or tit bits, I found the OH sharing mr kipling cake bars with mine once It may be worth having a chat with other family members to make sure. Good luck.