My ckcs has been very overweight,but has been doing well on his diet.The vet has given me advice on what he should weigh(he says about 8 kilos).He now weighs 13 kilos which I know seems really heavy but already at this weight I can feel his ribs (just),and he is starting to get a waist again,he is not kc reg and was from a very suspect source as I have learned in hindsight.The thing is he is taller than most cockers I have seen he also has alonger nose which makes me think he is not a pure ckcs.How can I tell when he is thin enough?

You'll know he's at the right weight for him when you can feel his ribs when you gently stroke his sides. If they're obvious then he's too lean, but if you still have to poke through flesh to feel them then he's still overweight.

Well done for taking his weight seriously - overweight is a major cause of premature death in dogs, so you're doing exactly the right thing!
:)

thank you, we also have a lot of problems with his general health, since he was a puppy he has had loads of chest infections ,toncillitus ect we never seem to be away from the vets.I dont know if we have just been unlucky .If he gets an infection he takes ages to recover from it.Is there anything I could do to make him less prone to this ?.Would changing his food help?. At the moment he has just supermarket  stuff,would the expensive stuff make a difference?.I am very worried about him he acts like an old man and he is only nearly three.

As you say he came from a fubious source his poor health could be down to the breeding stock not being of the best ehalth wise.  I woudl also thinkif he has been grossly overweight thsi will have affected his general health as it does in people.  what people forget is that a dog that is a couple of pounds overweight in human terms is probably several stones overweight if it is a toy breed.

Hopefully if you keep him on a nutriciops diet in small quantitities rather than the diet foods which are bulked out with fiber and celulose, and replace this with fresh carrots etc as treats then his general wellbeing will improve with his weight loss.

When a dog is overweight, it's a bit of a vicious circle. The more overweight he is, the less he wants to exercise. The less he wants to exercise the harder it is to lose weight. I wouldn't bother with commercial diet foods but do as Brainless says (but don't give too many treats!) and gradually increase his exercise as well. Once he's a slimline version of himself, he'll become much less like an old man! Good Luck

I have just came back from the vets,and he has done very well ,he has lost 1.5 kilos since november , but my problem is that the vet has told me that I must restrict his exercise a great deal and he must not be allowed off his lead due to the problem with his shoulder.I have spoken to a doggy swimming pool place which sounds a good alternative but it is very expensive, does anyone know if this could be paid by his insurance as at £17 a session I could only afford once or twice a week.If it is only for a fortnight that is fine but the vet has said to be prepared for the longhaul, or any other suggestions as his food intake now is very small.

gosh flynns swimming costs 24 a hour.....but i must say worth every penny!!!!

My dog's Insurance Company pay for her to have hydrotherapy swimming, which was on the advice of a Vet. If you get the vet to write a letter saying he recommends it, you should have no problem. I book 5 sessions @ £80, my friend used to take her dogs somewhere near to Drayton Manor Park and it was really cheap, about £5, she moved to Derbyshire and where she takes them now is very cheap. As for proprietary diet food for dogs, my Vet said they were a waste of time for weight reduction, just feed lots of veg with a little wet meat. Mine has raw grated carrot, parsnip & cabbage, and also any cooked leftover vegs, and sometimes I will lightly cook some sprouts for her.

i have a 1yr old staffy terrior, is there any specfic shops for them to get accessiors like taylor made bowls, harness etc plz help

your local pet shop should be able to ask their reps for specific info for you. Ours ordered in a specific make of food that we wanted for our 10month old Staff. Ours has her morning eggs from a normal cereal dish and her other food from a largish metal bowl type dish that we bought. I would have to say do you really need a harness, a good lead and collar should suffice, again you pet shop should help. Or ask the SBT club for your area to help with recommendations, most of them are on the net.
Happy Staffy owning!