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5 Ways To Fatten Up a Boxer Dog Safely: (Skinny Boxer Help)

We have many owners message us asking how they can get their boxer to gain some healthy weight.

It’s true that many boxer dogs are actually underweight and skinny, so in this article, we’ll explain exactly what you can do to beef up your boxer (in a healthy way).

how-to-help-boxer-dog-gain-weight

What’s The Normal Weight For a Boxer Dog?

Before getting into it, it’s important to clarify the correct weight ranges for a Boxer. This way you’ll know just how far off your Boxer is, or you may realize he’s in fact within the normal range.

Boxers are naturally lean, muscular, and athletic dogs, but sometimes can appear to be skinny, especially when making the growth spurt from adolescence to adulthood. So let’s take a look!

AgeFemale Boxer Low & High Weight Averages Male Boxer Low & High Weight Averages
2-4 Months20-25 lbs24-29 lbs
4-6 Months25-39 lbs29-43 lbs
6-8 Months39-45 lbs43-50 lbs
8-10 Months45-55 lbs50-58 lbs
10-12 Months55-60 lbs58-68 lbs
1 Year Plus55 or over. Females typically don’t get much heavier than 65 lbs58 or over. Large Males can weigh up to 75lbs

Boxers will typically have reached their full height by 10-12 months but will continue to slowly fill out in until around 16 months of age.

Those weight averages are just that, averages! So if your boxer is a few pounds under where he should be, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s too underweight.

It’s normal to be able to feel the ribs a tiny bit, as boxers are naturally lean dogs.

Rule Out Health Issues First

If you suspect there to be an underlying health issue, or you notice that his behavior just seems too “off”, play it safe and visit your veterinarian.

Underlying health issues can go unnoticed for some time! So it can be hard for us to know what’s wrong until you get tests done.

Unfortunately, a loss of appetite is a common symptom of a wide range of health problems. This makes it more difficult for you to know whether your boxer is just being fussy, doesn’t like his food, or has a legitimate issue.

Ruling out health problems with a trained veterinarian is always the best thing to do first.

The 5 Best Tips To Help Your Boxer Dog Gain Weight

Assuming health issues have been ruled out with your veterinarian the following 5 tips will help your boxer gain weight by either increasing calories or making his current food more palatable.

The best ways to increase weight on your boxer include mixing in wet dog food with their kibble, adding unsalted chicken broth to their food, using dog food seasonings to tackle fussy eating, adding peanut butter, or increasing their portion sizes.

  • Mix in wet dog food with his kibble
  • Add unsalted chicken or beef broth
  • Use dog food seasonings
  • Add peanut butter to his kibble
  • Increase portion sizes

1. Mix in wet dog food with his kibble

Following a split of 80% dry food with 20% wet dog food is commonly recommended by veterinarians as a way to increase overall nutrition, calories, water intake and to make the food MUCH more appetizing.

Wet dog food is higher in protein, higher in natural fats, fewer carbohydrates, fewer preservatives, and chemicals, and will act as a meaty gravy to the dry kibble.

The addition of wet dog food nearly always works to stop fussy eating. Just ensure you mix the wet dog food into the kibble thoroughly otherwise your boxer may eat the wet and leave the dry!

Here’s our top pick for wet dog food: Taste of The Wild Wet Dog Food Wetlands Edition

2. Add unsalted chicken or beef broth

If you don’t want the hassle of splitting up your dog’s food into ratios, then simply pouring some unsalted chicken or beef broth over his dry kibble will make his food suddenly much more appealing. Your boxer won’t be able to resist a delicious meaty broth covering his kibble.

If you have some leftover broth from your own dinner be sure to save it for your Boxers meal time.

Be careful with broth from stock cubes, as they usually have a lot of salt, additives, or preservatives in them. Broth from real, cooked meat is the ideal option.

3. Use dog food seasonings

There are a range of brands that make food toppers and seasonings for our canine friends. They are a fun and healthy way to quickly add flavor to your Boxers kibble.

Many people have success with using dog food seasonings and the best part is that it’s super easy… Just sprinkle a little on top.

The company that we recommend is called Shake it Pup. Their seasonings are made within the USA, contain only natural ingredients, are 100% human-grade, contain zero GMOs, preservatives, chemicals, salt, fillers, or anything nasty… The list goes on!

One bottle provides up to 60 servings so if your boxer is currently fed twice a day, one bottle will last an entire month. Not bad for the price. You can check out the full range of flavors and seasonings by Shake it Pup here on Amazon.

4. Add peanut butter to his kibble

Put it this way, I’ve never come across a dog that doesn’t absolutely LOVE peanut butter.

Peanut butter has been deemed safe for dogs to consume so long as it doesn’t contain Xylitol (artificial sweetener toxic to dogs) or high salt content. Source PetMD

Peanut butter is high in healthy fats and therefore contains a lot of calories per tablespoon. This little trick works a treat, but depending on your Boxer’s current weight may not be appropriate to do every mealtime.

Always test a tiny amount of peanut butter with your Boxer first before giving him a full tablespoon with his meal. Although peanut butter is safe for dogs, it doesn’t mean that your Boxer will tolerate it. Test first.

To keep it interesting you could alternate days between using chicken broth with his kibble, then peanut butter, then dog food seasonings.

5. Increase portion sizes

If your boxer doesn’t have issues actually finishing his food, then it could just be a matter of his portion being too small.

It could be that the particular dog food you are using is low in calories (per cup), or that your boxer is more active than usual.

Never the less, if you think the food your boxer is consuming is high quality and digesting well, then simply add half a cup extra to meal times.

If you choose to do this method then do not do other things like adding peanut butter or wet dog food, as that would be a huge increase in calories.

Watch over the course of 2 weeks to see if his weight progresses.

Your Boxer Eats His Food But Is Still Underweight?

So far this article has been addressing fussy eating, and that’s because fussy eating is usually the culprit for underweight dogs.

But what if your boxer IS already eating his full meal, and is still underweight? Let’s run through what you should do next.

Rule out health issues: Just like before, ruling out health issues should ideally be done before trying any tips and tricks. Give your veterinarian a call to explain the situation and you may be required to schedule an appointment.

Check the food your using: Boxers are a large breed, so they should be consuming dog food that’s tailored towards large breeds. This type of food will have more protein, fat, and calories compared to other regular adult dog food.

Check the portion sizes: It could be that his portion sizes that are too small. I can’t state how many cups your Boxer should eat here because it will depend on his age and the brand you are using. Refer to the packaging to double-check the portions.

Change the brand to a premium dog food brand: Not all dog food is made equal. To get the best nutrients and ingredients you need to opt for a premium brand like Orijen, Taste of The Wild, Wellness, or Acana.

These brands are expensive, but you can rest assured that your Boxer is receiving real nutrition through real ingredients. Cheap brands use a lot of fillers that provide little nutritional value. So although he’s eating a full meal, his body isn’t receiving what it should be.

Recommended Boxer Articles:
Can Boxer Dogs Be Left Alone? 5 Tips to Know
Male vs Female Boxer Dogs: The Key Differences

Exercise Requirements

As you probably already know, Boxers need A LOT of exercise. It’s recommended that Boxers receive 2 hours or more of dedicated exercise per day.

As Boxer dogs have such an efficient metabolism, they don’t need much food for sustained energy, so it goes without saying that if your Boxer isn’t active enough, he isn’t going to need to eat, and he won’t have an appetite.

So take an honest look at how much exercise you give your Boxer and be prepared to increase it.

Exercise is so important to this breed that their overall health really depends on it. There may be nothing wrong with your Boxer or his food, he may just need more exercise to get his appetite to the correct level.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, you now have a good idea of what weight your Boxer should be at depending upon his age, how to rule out health conditions, what you can do to help him eat his food and gain weight, and how exercise plays an important role in keeping his appetite healthy.

Recommended Reading
When Can Boxer Puppies Leave Their Mother?
Do Boxers Like to Cuddle?

⭐ Back to more Boxer articles >>



Disclaimer

Before making any decisions that could affect the health and/or safety of your dog, you should always consult a trained veterinarian in your local area. Even though this content may have been written/reviewed by a trained veterinarian, our advice to you is to always consult your own local veterinarian in person. Please read our full dislcaimer if you have any questions.