# Body Condition Score



## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

Not sure is this is the right section but saw this interesting way to asses weight


----------



## Gwyllgi (Aug 16, 2017)

Thank you.
Someone posted here before, that they used the knuckle method to teach clients about body conditions.


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Gwyllgi said:


> Thank you.
> Someone posted here before, that they used the knuckle method to teach clients about body conditions.


maybe me...
i work with the visually impaired and love this method.


----------



## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Next step. Be honest with yourself and what you're seeing/feeling.


----------



## Gwyllgi (Aug 16, 2017)

Fodder said:


> maybe me...
> i work with the visually impaired and love this method.


Yes, I think it could have been. I remember the part about using it for the visually impaired.


----------



## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

@Fodder does this apply for all life stages?


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

AKD said:


> @Fodder does this apply for all life stages?


generally speaking, yes. although we use it primarily for adults.....adolescents bodies can change fairly often during development but should not fall outside of these guidelines for more than several weeks. each pup is different. there are also some breed variations.


----------



## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

Fodder said:


> generally speaking, yes. although we use it primarily for adults.....adolescents bodies can change fairly often during development but should not fall outside of these guidelines for more than several weeks. each pup is different. there are also some breed variations.


Thanks and I recently experienced it with Trinity, she felt like was starting to get a bit chubby so I reduced her daily food by a little and in a week she is starting to look nice and lean again.


----------



## bchevs (Oct 15, 2020)

Oh I'm so glad this was posted! My boy has so much fluff it's hard to tell his body score just by looking. Do you just lightly run your hand over them while standing to use this method? Or use a bit of pressure?


----------



## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

bchevs said:


> Oh I'm so glad this was posted! My boy has so much fluff it's hard to tell his body score just by looking. Do you just lightly run your hand over them while standing to use this method? Or use a bit of pressure?


For me it depends on how she is standing, when she is in a stretch the pressure I apply is akin to applying lotion.


----------



## bchevs (Oct 15, 2020)

AKD said:


> For me it depends on how she is standing, when she is in a stretch the pressure I apply is akin to applying lotion.


Thank you!!


----------



## Atx3Gsd (Nov 12, 2020)

A couple of weeks ago, at 3 am in the morning i took the herd out to use the restroom because our puppy needed to go. Something bit my 2 year old female on the nose and she went into anaphylactic shock. I rushed her to the 24 hour vet and they took her in and because of the covid the vet called me to ask, Is Jewel usually this way? I said what way? Muscular and lean? I said aside from the hives on the nose, she is always that way. Evidently Jewel is the GSD fitness guru and I had no idea. I had no idea Vets rated our dogs bodies.

Jewel is from Croatia and she is the most active i have ever owned. 3 miles in the morning and 3 in the evening. Then she chases squirrels all day. She has caught a few, a few cats, a few raccoons etc. She is a little girl but the fastest GSD I have ever seen. Not sure what they are doing with them in Croatia but something tells me they may herd and hunt with them. Makes sense now why i have to enlist the entire house to get her exercised. If she isn't exercised she is an intolerable grump. She's getting my 5 month old puppy in shape too. It's like a boot camp. She's getting all of us healthier.


----------



## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Fodder said:


> maybe me...
> i work with the visually impaired and love this method.


It's the method I used to teach all my adopters. It's simple and easy to understand. 
Shadow is the fist condition right now, sad as that is.


----------

