"Show Weight"

Sweet72947

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#21
I feel sorry for Bull Terriers. They are always kept so faaattt. When I go to dog events the Bull Terrier Rescue almost always has a booth set up and I like to stop by and visit those dogs, they are such funny little clowns. You can't feel their ribs unless you really get in there and feel for them. Yeah they are weirdly shaped anyway and at a good weight will still look barrel-esque, but they ought not to jiggle when they walk!
 

Aleron

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#22
Yeah, me too.

And since Emily is at a family event I'm just gonna say that Keeva seriously not too thin. She does have widely sprung ribs that I think make her waist in some pictures look deceptively tiny. But her ribs feel like they should feel in an in shape dog and her hip bones do not jut out. She's also insanely muscular for a female puppy. She has such awesome thigh muscles.
I do think that the spring of the ribs adds to the "wasp waist" look as well and that is a common trait of corgis. Possibly one reason people like them fat for show. Honestly, the performance Cardis I know are kept in lean condition as well. Almost every Corgi I see outside of performance is IMO too heavy and most are rather "flabby". We went to a Corgi Fest one year and I couldn't believe how fat some of those dogs were. Quite a few were shaved and their owners were all talking about how they shave them because "they just pant and pant in the summer". It's no wonder they have back issues as they get older.

It's so hard to judge muscling from pictures if the dog has any amount of coat :/
 

Toller_08

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#23
I find it pretty disgusting just how many fat dogs there are in the show ring. It's awful. There are lean, in shape dogs showing around here as well but there appears to be more fat ones. Keeva looks fine to me. Dance looks much the same when she's watered down (too much coat to tell otherwise), though she's older and therefore a bit more filled out looking of course. People do sometimes tell me she's too thin and when I was showing her I was told a couple of times to bulk her up. Last year she gained a couple pounds and she just looked fat to me, so I lowered her food intake again. I like a lean dog. I wish she had more muscle currently, but that has nothing to do with weight. Just need to find different things to do with her to help her develop more muscle again.
 

MafiaPrincess

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#24
Smudge has that wasp waist. When fully coated he almost looks fat, as it is all fur. When his body s shaved, non performance people sometimes have nasty things to say include do I feed my dog, and some swear words with emaciation mixed in.
 

SarahHound

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#25
I hate seeing show hounds, but especially greyhounds. They just look so gross and unnatural! I don't know what weights my dogs are, but they feel pretty 'right' to me. Show greyhounds just look weird.
 

Shai

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#26
I'm very content with a well portioned dog not asked to be exceedingly lean. I worry too many people swing to exaggerations.
Well said.


I agree with many people on the coat issue. I never get grief about Kim being too thin and it's because of her coat...they may say she has toothpick legs but if you gets your hands on her it's because she is bird-boned all over. Just how she's built. But she has a coat that looks short but isn't...it's very very thick and easily 4" long in places, but without fringe. Keeps her snuggly warm all winter no matter how the wind blows ;) And keeps the Emaciation Police off my back as well. But a really close coat like your Corgi or some Mals, etc. that shows off every contour...

Anyway as others have said, a young active dog is going to be thin. Mira looked like a walking skeleton for more than a year no matter how much calorie-dense food I gave her. Active young large dogs, long-backed dogs, etc...I say keep them as thin as is healthy (last thing you want is a malnourished growing/active dog) and exercise appropriately.

As for the show ring...I plan on bringing my dog in working weight. Granted that's more acceptable in my breed than some, but the judges can't pick a fit dog if all they're given is pudge :)
 

SaraB

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#27
Classic was waaaay too skinny when he was in the breed ring per the norm, but honestly I didn't care. He runs agility and there was no way I was going to risk my giant dog's health just to be put up in the ring. Obese danes are waaay too common and it physically hurts me to watch them running around that ring.

 

Dekka

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#28
Wow Classic looks great. Did any judge say anything about her weight?

Dekka was a bit thinner than that when I was getting heck from some breeders. She looked the same weight only more muscles (small dog with bulk) but a little less over the ribs right behind the shoulder blade. Agility ppl said she looked fine, hunting people said she looked fine, it was only the pet and confo people who said anything.
 

Shai

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#30
That is a gorgeous pic of Classic, and he looks nicely lean, not overly so. Very nice
 
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SaraB

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#31
Wow Classic looks great. Did any judge say anything about her weight?
That would be an appropriate show weight if he was a she... but he's a he, so they prefer them bulkier.

No, the judges didn't, but I always get an earful from the breed ring crowd about it.
 

Kat09Tails

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#33
Now I know not a lick about danes or how old Classic was in that photo but in my mind's eye for a dane Classic looks under conditioned. Now - under conditioned does not mean "just needs more weight." Under conditioned means muscle tone and different breeds do carry that muscle differently than others.

I expect a dane to have bone to balance muscle, to bulk and imply strength as their role as a working dog.

 

Saeleofu

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#34
Now I know not a lick about danes or how old Classic was in that photo but in my mind's eye for a dane Classic looks under conditioned. Now - under conditioned does not mean "just needs more weight." Under conditioned means muscle tone and different breeds do carry that muscle differently than others.

I expect a dane to have bone to balance muscle, to bulk and imply strength as their role as a working dog.
To me he just looks like a young dog whose chest hasn't "dropped" yet.
 

SaraB

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#35
Now I know not a lick about danes or how old Classic was in that photo but in my mind's eye for a dane Classic looks under conditioned. Now - under conditioned does not mean "just needs more weight." Under conditioned means muscle tone and different breeds do carry that muscle differently than others.

I expect a dane to have bone to balance muscle, to bulk and imply strength as their role as a working dog.

Tough to show muscle definition from the side on a mainly black dog.. here's a better pic to show the thigh muscles and shoulder muscles.

 

Shai

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#37
Kinda two separate parts of the issue though -- there's muscle mass then there's fat...I've seen some muscular dogs that also have a huge layer of fat over those bulky muscles...and some that are just fat. Likewise there are a lean dogs (little external fat) who are just lean and those who are toned, or wirey, or even bulky. A young dog, especially of a giant breed with the associated careful exercise regime during major growth spurts, is only going to have so much muscle bulk, but they can still be lean and fit.

I guess what I'm saying is that Classic doesn't look like a mature male there, no, but he's a pup.
 

SaraB

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#38
I guess what I'm saying is that Classic doesn't look like a mature male there, no, but he's a pup.
Exactly, it would have been irresponsible for me to put weight on him to get him up to the preferred show weight of great danes (yes it is rolly polly fat in danes that is preferred in the ring, not muscled). Even so, there are a TON of fat 15 month old danes trotting around the ring to make them appear more mature. Young, lanky danes do not win even if they are well-muscled.

Even now that he is mature looking, he is still considerably thinner than the majority of breed ring danes out there and in order for him to be put up, I would have to pack on at least 10 pounds, probably more like 15. Luckily, I don't have to worry about that.
 

Emily

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#39
lol, I'm not remotely concerned about Keeva's weight. I only posted the pic because I thought it showed that she was obviously not underweight, but hey, different strokes and what not.

Anyway, I'm more concerned with the concept of "show weight" - as in, instead of just showing a dog at a normal weight, or performance/working weight in dual purpose dogs, but a specific weight that's heavier than either of those, just for show. I guess I'm just puzzled as to where this comes from... I mean, my friend that told me she needed weight to be shown doesn't think she needs weight in general. And like Aleron was talking about, dogs who are kept on one weight for performance, and then pack on pounds for confo - and not just a few pounds, but a ton. I get that they're not going to maintain hard condition during their off season, but 20 lbs?

kady05 said:
It's pretty well known that lots of conformation dogs are fat.
Um, yes, it is, however, I was trying to be diplomatic and not antagonistic. Subtlety, and all that.
 

Dekka

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#40
lol sorry about the errant 's' Sara.

Bulky muscle isn't better than lean muscle. Why would Danes NEED bulky muscle. I agree Classic doesn't look underconditioned, just young. (which is likely why he looked feminine and made my 's' show up for 'she' vs 'he' :p )

I don't think Dekka's bulky little body builder body type is any more useful than Kat's leaner one. None of the Dekklets ended up with her stocky build. You can artificially build muscles on dogs just like weight lifters can. They aren't useful muscles then. I would rather see a lean muscled dog if that is its natural type.
 

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