The only thing I would add to Platz's(frank) post, is that the 2% rule of thumb is for a normal dog who doesnt really go and work hard day in and out. It is usually between 3-4% of overall IDEAL conditioned adult weight that a highly active, say police or military dog, hunting dog or anything of the sort SHOULD get to maintain an ideal body weight in accordance to the line and amount of work the dog does. Hope that helps Mike