In order to define what it means for a doxie to be overweight it is important to understand the normal weight ranges for healthy dogs in this breed. The ideal weight for a dachshund depends on a variety of factors.
The first of these is age. At the time of their weaning around 2 months, a doxie weighs between 1.3 to 3.5 pounds. Due to their active lifestyle, dachshunds are always hungry and go through rapid growth spurts. By the time they hit maturity at 12 to 18 months they can weigh anywhere from 16 to 32 pounds.
Another important determinant of weight is the size specific type of weenie. Rabbit dachshunds are the smallest and weigh 6 pounds or less. The standard dachshund on the other hand will weigh between 17 and 30 pounds while large doxies sometimes weigh above 32 pounds.
With these figures in mind, an overweight dachshund dog can therefore be defined as one above its weight limits for the age and specific size variant. This is, of course, assuming that the dog is not pregnant.
In addition to the weight, you can also tell whether or not your dachshund is overweight by inspecting them physically. Overweight dachshunds often have fat rolls all over the body which changes their overall silhouettes from lean to rounder. This is the case particularly around the back, neck, shoulders and base of the tail.
Finally, you could use the oldest trick in the book which is checking for palpable ribs. If you cannot feel any of them this is a sign that the dog is overweight due to the thick fat padding.