Why Labradors need a stricter test
Every breed can gain weight, but Labradors combine three risk factors in one dog: a strong natural appetite, a body that stores fat readily, and a friendly confidence that extracts food from everyone he meets. Some Labradors also carry a known inherited variant affecting hunger and metabolism, which means a proportion of the breed genuinely feels hungrier than other dogs on the same ration. His behaviour around food therefore tells you almost nothing about whether he is overweight. Your hands and a scale tell you nearly everything.
In condition, a Labrador is a strong, deep-chested dog with a clear waist from above, a belly that tucks upward from the side, and an otter tail that is thick at the base from muscle and coat, not from a fat pad wrapping it.
The Labrador hands-on check
Stand him squarely and press your flattened hands along the ribcage. Ribs should be felt promptly under a thin covering, the way you feel knuckles under a glove. Labradors in good weight often surprise owners here, because the breed's dense, water-resistant coat and solid build can make a lean dog feel substantial. The distinction is definition: lean feels like structure, fat feels like padding with no structure inside it.
Look from above for the waist behind the ribs, and from the side for the tuck. Then check the common storage sites: a soft thickening at the tail base, padding over the hips, and a neck that has lost its definition where it meets the shoulders. Finally weigh him, ideally monthly on the same scale. Frames vary, so use the breed's broad usual range only as a sanity check against your rib findings, not as the verdict itself.
What the extra weight does to this particular dog
Labradors load their elbows, hips and knees through enthusiastic, heavy movement: launching into water, braking hard on retrieves, taking stairs at speed. Surplus weight turns that enthusiasm into joint strain, and the stiffness that follows reduces activity, which produces more gain in a dog whose appetite never reduces to match. Owners often describe the midpoint of that spiral without recognising it: he still loves his walks, but he is slower, he pants more, and he sleeps harder afterwards.
There is also a management cost. A heavy Labrador who believes he is starving becomes a more determined counter-surfer and bin-raider, raising his risk of eating things he should not. Keeping him lean is partly a safety measure, not just a health nicety.
Feeding the dog your hands described
Measure his ration by weight for a week, and list every other source: training treats, chews, the other dog's leftovers he hoovers, food dropped by children, rewards from neighbours he visits. In many Labrador households that audit alone explains the rib check. Feed treats from his measured daily allowance where you can, so his total stays fixed even on busy training days.
Weigh monthly, rib-check on the same day, and aim for gradual change. If the scales rise despite honest measuring, if ribs are buried, or if he is stiff, lame or breathless on ordinary walks, see your veterinarian for a condition score and to check for other causes before adjusting further on your own. The weigh-in trail in his KinsLe Pet Passport is exactly what that appointment needs: dated proof of the trend, ready to set beside the vet's hands-on score.