{"id":3088,"date":"2017-05-04T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.tails.com\/?p=2519"},"modified":"2023-11-29T17:50:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T17:50:52","slug":"how-to-check-your-dogs-body-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/how-to-check-your-dogs-body-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to check your dog&#8217;s body condition score"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among other things, making sure your dog maintains a healthy weight is an important part of responsible dog ownership. Being overweight or underweight can increase the risk of health problems for your dog and even limit their lifespan. With obesity on the rise in pets, dog owners need to know how to ensure their dogs are in shape.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many owners keep track of their dog&#8217;s weight by checking it on the scales. Whilst this is a great way to monitor weight, it doesn&#8217;t always give a true reflection of your dog&#8217;s health. Within breeds, sizes of dogs can vary and some can be heavier than others, even when they&#8217;re in ideal condition. Along with weighing your pet regularly, it&#8217;s advisable for owners to learn how to Body Condition Score (BCS) their dog.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-measuring-your-dog-s-body-condition-score\">Measuring your dog&#8217;s body condition score<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Body condition scoring\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Bcc-huEHpQA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Body Condition Scoring is a really useful way to assess whether your dog is a healthy weight for their breed and size. By getting hands-on and assessing three key areas, you can work out if they&#8217;re underweight, overweight or in ideal condition. The three areas to examine and feel are:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ribs<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Belly<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waist<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve assessed these three areas, you give them a score on a five-point scale:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>1<\/strong> = Severely underweight<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>2<\/strong> = Underweight<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>3<\/strong> = Ideal condition<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>4<\/strong> = Overweight<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>5<\/strong> = Obese<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/BLOG-IMAGES-1-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/BLOG-IMAGES-1-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/BLOG-IMAGES-1-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/BLOG-IMAGES-1-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/BLOG-IMAGES-1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s how to score your dog&#8217;s ribs, belly and waist to find out their Body Condition Score:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ribs\"><b>Ribs<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-do\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to do<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Run your fingers over your dog\u2019s rib cage, on either side of their chest in a head to tail direction. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-should-you-feel\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What should you feel?<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should be able to feel the ribs with a slight covering of muscle over them. But they shouldn\u2019t be visible, feel like sharp ridges or be poking out. It\u2019s important to really feel them with your fingertips rather than just looking, as many dogs\u2019 coats will hide the ribs from view. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-low-body-condition-scoring\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Low body condition scoring<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your dog is underweight, their ribs will protrude and feel sharp or bumpy as you run your hands along them. If this is the case, it\u2019ll mean a lower BCS.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-high-body-condition-scoring\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High body condition scoring<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your dog is overweight, the ribs will be difficult to feel as they will be covered in a layer of fat and muscle. The deeper the ribs are to feel under this layer, the more overweight your dog is and the higher the BCS.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-belly\"><b>Belly<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-do-0\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to do<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Run your hand along your dog\u2019s underside, again from head to tail and look at the belly from the side.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-should-you-feel-0\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What should you feel?<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The belly or undercarriage should start low to the ground where it meets the sternum (or breastbone) at the bottom of the rib cage. Then it should slope higher the further back towards the hips you run your hands on either side.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-low-body-condition-scoring-0\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Low body condition scoring<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An underweight dog with a lower BCS will have a very pronounced \u2018tummy tuck\u2019 up towards the hips and groin.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-high-body-condition-scoring-0\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High body condition scoring<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the belly droops or hangs down near the floor all the way along and doesn\u2019t tuck up underneath the hips, then your dog may be carrying excess weight and have a higher BCS.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-waist\"><b>Waist<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-do-1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to do<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking down on your dog\u2019s waist and hips from above, you should notice this area is much narrower than the width of the chest and ribcage. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-should-you-feel-1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What should you feel?<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A slowly tapering abdomen leading from the wider chest to a narrow waist is the sign of ideal condition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-low-body-condition-scoring-1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Low body condition scoring<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An underweight dog will have a noticeably narrow waist and the bones of the hips and spine may be easily visible and can be felt protruding under the skin. The more pronounced these bony projections, the more underweight they are and hence the lower their BCS.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-high-body-condition-scoring-1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High body condition scoring<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In overweight or obese dogs, the waist does not narrow towards the hips. The trunk or abdomen will often be just as wide as the chest, giving them a barrel-shaped appearance. In dogs with a very high BCS, there may even be fat pads at the waist which stick out even further than the width of the chest when viewed from above.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-actions-to-take-based-on-your-dog-s-body-condition-score\">Actions to take based on your dog&#8217;s body condition score<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve assessed all three areas, you can give your dog a score on the scale from 1-5, to truly determine if they are at a healthy weight for their size. If they\u2019re not at an ideal BCS (a score of 3), then you can alter their portions or diet plan to get them back to healthy condition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During sign-up at <a href=\"https:\/\/tails.com\/?pc=BODYSCORINGPOST\">tails.com<\/a>, we ask you to do a quick Body Condition Score along with telling us their weight and activity level so we can accurately calculate their calorie requirement. This ensures they always remain in a good and healthy condition, which will mean a longer and healthier life for your dog.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like most things, practice makes perfect and practising the Body Condition Scoring will make sure that you know your dog&#8217;s ideal condition. If your dog needs a little help getting back in shape, you can edit their body condition on their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tails.com\/?pc=BODYSCORINGPOST\">tails.com<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> profile. We&#8217;ll alter their calories and feeding plan to help them get back into shape.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Making sure your dog maintains a healthy weight is an important part of responsible dog ownership, but just weighing your dog on the scales doesn&#8217;t always give a true reflection of your dog&#8217;s health. Find out how to Body Condition Score your dog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2508],"tags":[2527,2645,2647,91,2644,2646,2648],"class_list":["post-3088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-nutrition","tag-advice","tag-bcs-dog","tag-canine-body-condition-score","tag-dog-advice","tag-dog-body-condition-score","tag-dog-body-score","tag-dog-body-score-chart"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to check your dog&#039;s body condition score - Tails.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Making sure your dog maintains a healthy weight is an important part of responsible dog ownership. 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