Border collies are known for being the canine version of the Energizer bunny. While it might not seem possible that one medium-sized dog could eat as much as the average border collie and still be too skinny, young borders in particular are quite difficult to keep weight on.
Dog Foods
If you're noticing your normally lean border collie is looking a bit too thin, try adding half a cup of food to his regular daily meals. Within a few days, your border collie should look like his normal self. The best foods to help a border collie gain weight have a high protein percentage (at least 35%), at least 15% fat and some carbohydrates to help the food stick to your pup's ribs. While dry food works just fine to help a dog gain weight, if your dog isn't finishing meals, adding some high-quality wet food can encourage your border to dig in.
Dog Treats
Making treats at home for your skinny pup allows you to use healthy ingredients, avoid added chemicals and throw extras into the recipe, like meat, cheese, veggies or oils. If you're not the baking type, many companies manufacture high-calorie treats containing healthy grains, fruits, yogurts, meats or other nutrients. Border collies love learning new things and having good treats on hand makes it fun for everyone.
Supplements
If your border collie already is eating an insane amount of food and you just don't think he could manage eating more, supplements give you an easy solution. They enable you to boost the calorie content of your pup's regular meals easily without adding extra food. Many excellent weight-gain supplements are available for dogs, such as Nature's Farmacy's "Gain & Shine" and Xtreme K9's "Healthy Gainer."
People Food
People food provides a healthy source of quick calories. Add meat, eggs, fat trimmings, veggies, fruit, Greek yogurt, plain full-fat yogurt, peanut butter, cheese or coconut to your dog's food. Olive oil, flax seed oil or coconut oil also are excellent additives that not only will help your pooch gain weight, but also help keep your border collie's coat shiny and healthy. If you'd rather not add people food directly to your pup's normal meal, layer a variety of foods into a KONG or other treat-dispensing toy and give your highly intelligent critter some mental stimulation. For an extra challenge, stuff the toy and freeze it.
References
Writer Bio
Since 2001, Kea Grace has published in "Dog Fancy," "Clean Run," "Front and Finish" and an international Czechoslovakian agility enthusiast magazine. Grace is the head trainer for Gimme Grace Dog Training and holds her CPDT-KA and CTDI certifications. She is a member of the APDT and is a recognized CLASS instructor. She's seeking German certification from the Goethe Institut.