Hi guys & gals, Been to a charity dog show today, we had a lovely time. However the judge told me that Mollie had a rather stiff & weak back end She is two years old tommorrow, is working bred with a fabulous pedigree, fully health tested parents (I know thats no guarantee) she is very fit & we have had no problems with her legs at all so this has come as a bit of a shock. I politely questioned her after the class, she suggested I do more walking with her & use trotting poles to strengthen her inner leg muscles as there's too much of a gap?? She made a comment about her being lean & this makes her look 'front heavy' She is 30kg & fit looking, not a chunky chocolate at all. Just wondered about any comments / suggestions as this has got me a bit worried now
What were the judge's credentials? Was she really qualified to comment on Mollie's physique? What did you think about her comments and could you see what she was pointing out to you? Would love to see some photos
If you're concerned why not make an appointment with your vet to chat about the 'stiff and weak back end'. You may consider an appointment with a canine physio who can produce a proper plan to build and increase muscle tone and balance rather than doing some exercises over poles without appropriate knowledge and experience. My "chunky" chocolate girl is actually a lean 4kg lighter than your working line girl so please try not to stereotype according to coat colour
Hmm, I would take those comments with a pinch of salt. My five working bred spaniels would all receive 'interesting' critiques from a show judge if I were ever going to show them, especially my two working Clumbers. But I wouldn't let that worry me.
I'm struggling to add photographs (tips gratefully received lol) I have had no concerns until today, her comment about walking Mollie rather than have her running confused me a little. Mollie has a very varied entertainment plan lol. Walking, running, swimming, track & searching, loves ball games & hidden retrieves. I now feel super obsessed with Mollies back end lol. As for credentials I'm just looking now. I know it's all a bit of fun at a show but comments like this can make owners worry. I have no stereotypes based on coat colour, unlike the judge who I don't think had seen a working bred choccy?
Agree with @heidrun would take those comments with a pinch of salt. If I entered Bramble into a dog show they would probably question if she was a labrador at all! I think tall working dogs do look a little different from the back end, certainly Bramble does compared to our very typical (chunky ) show line chocolate boy. If you have any doubts at all, I would get a orthopaedic vet to have a look
You can use any online web based host such as flikr or photobucket. We do have an upload function available this is a feature that forum supporters benefit from as well as removing the ads. More info here in technical help: https://thelabradorforum.com/forums/technical-help.18/
Apparently a 'Dog trainer' but can't find any qualifications. I've just upgraded so I can get pics on lol so now trying to figure that out ha ha
Is that her in your avatar? She looks solid enough to me. Definitely don't rush out and change anything on the basis of one judge's comments. Who knows what the quality of this person's opinion actually is. Despite things like breed standards there is absolutely huge subjectivity and variability in judges' opinions. They're not all right! It sounds like your girl does a lot of varied exercise and it doesn't sound like she has any physical difficulty with any of it. So I wouldn't worry.
Pics still need to be small enough - 1000 pixels wide. So if you try to upload something (you use the 'upload a file' button on the bottom right of the reply box) and it doesn't do it that's probably because it's still too wide. I use a photo resizing app to resize and save pics in the new/smaller size so I can upload that version.
Thank you yes, that's her she puts her paw to anything & yes you are right she has no problems with anything we have a play at.
Yay, you did it! Looks like decent muscle coverage to me. Do you have any of her standing, taken from the side and the rear?
Then it's just her subjective view on dogs. Lots of folk still expect a Labrador to be a fat beast, of course we all know different. She looks lovely in your photo. You had no worries before the Fun Show, so try and put the comments of a random dog trainer out of your head, and keep up with her wonderfully varied exercise.
