How to Weigh Your Dog At Home – Weighing Puppies & Large Breeds
So here’s the deal with a dog being overweight and underweight. Too much fat, needless to say, affects the long-term health and lifespan of the dog. Obesity increases the chances of heart diseases, osteoarthritis, diabetes, hypertension, certain kinds of cancer, and faster or premature degeneration of weak, affected joints.
On the other hand, if your dog is underweight, this too opens the door to many serious medical conditions. Aside from health issues like gastrointestinal discomfort, tooth pain, etc.
In that case, you should know how to weigh your dog if you truly care for his/her well-being. Vet visits include checking your pet’s weight, no doubt. But then you can’t always take your little pooch to the clinic every time you want to find out how much he/she weighs.
Also, what if the doctor has told you to keep a check on your dog’s weight at home, for whatever reasons? So wouldn’t it be better if you just knew how to do such a simple, basic thing? So let’s find out what can be done, and how.
How to Weigh Your Dog At Home
How to Weigh Small Dogs or Puppies
Obviously, you’ll need a weighing scale for the task at hand. So once you’ve got that, you can carry out the following…
- Does the scale, at zero, display or point to zero? Please get that checked prior to weighing your dog.
- Now hold your puppy in your arms. Make sure he/she isn’t moving too much. At this point, be very careful not to drop the dog and end up accidentally hurting the little creature. In that case, use both your arms to hold your pet. Feel free to converse if you think that might help.
- Step on the weighing scale with your dog in your arms. Check what the number is or have someone else check it for you. Note down that number.
- Then get off the scale and let go of your dog. But before you do anything, just reward him/her for listening to you so patiently. Positive reinforcements, after all, work like a charm with pets.
- And now it’s time for you to step back onto the weighing scale. But without the dog of course. What’s your weight? Note down that number too.
- Then subtract the second measurement from the first. And that should give you the exact number of your puppy’s weight.
Moving on to how to weigh your dog when he/she is heavy…
How to Weigh Large Dogs
For this, a proper weighing scale is a must. Along with a proper platform that covers the whole scale. So here’s the procedure…
- First, don’t forget to place the platform on top of the scale evenly. You can instead use plastic or plywood to use as the platform.
- Now get your dog to sit on that platform with the help of a treat or anything that he/she likes.
- Make sure the platform is steady before recording the weight.
- Once again, offer your pet a little treat for being so obedient.
- Then record the weight of the platform alone. And subtract this measurement from the first measurement to find out how much your dog weighs.
How to Weigh Your Dog – Other Alternatives
These may not be the most convenient, but at least they get the job done…
Take Your Dog to the Vet’s Clinic
After all, veterinarians do indeed have large weighing scales suitable for all dog breeds. And it’s completely okay to take your dog to the vet randomly just to get his/her weight checked.
This alternative gives you an added benefit you know. You don’t just get an accurate weight measurement. You also get to know, through the vet, if that weight is the most ideal or not.
Go to Any Long-Distance Bus Station
Even long-distance bus stations have large scales, for luggage of course. This alternative method might be a little troublesome because you have to check with the authorities first. Maybe even bribe the counter person with some coffee or any other such hard-to-turn-down treat for letting you use the luggage weighing scale to check your dog’s weight.
Just make sure the dog is leashed properly.
What About When Dogs Just Don’t Like Being Weighed?
The concept of weighing scales is easily understood by grown-up humans. But that’s not something we can expect from a dog, right? It’s a scary, unknown object for a lot of dogs. Even those that are large! After all, these weighing scales are often a part of regular visits to the vet’s clinic, which is something not all dogs are so fond of.
But then if you make it a habit of weighing your pup from a very young age, the chances of that fear not being formed AT ALL are quite high. In fact, he/she will learn how to get on the weighing scale obediently each time you use a certain voice and then offer some treat afterward.
Many dog owners opt for clicker training to make the entire process stress-free for their nervous or scared pets. It involves clicking and rewarding your dog to sniff the scale first, place just one foot over it after, and then finally hold a stand or sit command when on the scale.
How Often to Weigh Your Dog
It’s necessary to weigh your pet, dog or cat, at least once every year. Some are more satisfied weighing their canines and felines once every 6 months.
But then when a medical condition or health problem is a part of the picture, then the frequency increases. For instance, puppies are weighed once every 3-4 weeks until they turn 6 months old.
More often than not, chronic illnesses (such as diabetes, cancer, etc.) demand more attention. In that case, the weight of your dog should be recorded more frequently. So you can tell if there are any sudden weight fluctuations and consult with your vet regarding the matter.
Conclusion
How to weigh your dog doesn’t require you to have a medical degree or anything of the sort. All you need is a proper weighing scale to get the job done at home. Otherwise, you can just take your dog to the vet and use the large, more appropriate scale.
Checking the weight of your pet seems like such a basic thing to do. Yet many dog and cat owners neglect it. And that explains why so many domestic pets are suffering from the long-term negative impact of obesity. As a matter of fact, even being underweight is no good.
Just make sure to keep the whole process stress-free for your little adorable furry companion.
