Final answer:
In the dog food experiment, the dependent variable is the amount of weight the dogs lose, as it is expected to change due to the new diet they are being fed.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the scenario described where a company is testing a new dog food to help overweight dogs lose weight, the dependent variable is the amount of weight that the dogs lose after trying the new food. This is the outcome that is being measured and is expected to change as a result of the dogs eating the new diet.
In an experiment, the dependent variable depends on the independent variable, which in this case is the type of food that each group of dogs is being fed: either the new food or their normal diet.