This is a very quick test to see if your dog requires more frequent and/or longer walks. When you run your hand along the dog’s rib cage, can you feel the ribs? If you cannot feel the ribs, then you know that the dog is carrying a bit too much ‘insulation’. It probably means that the dog requires a bit more activity.

Here is a generally accepted schedule for dogs:

for a little dog

for a medium sized dog

for a large dog

Does this sound like more than what you have been doing with your dog? If this is the case, then you know why the ribs ‘disappeared’.

Catherine Forsythe

Tags: dogs, weight, walking, frequency, distance