Good pickup!! The first one is a typo. Should say 'the Australian standard is the same as the UK one'. Oops!!!!!
Cooper has a similar configuration. She is 24+ at the withers and taller in the rear. She weighs 85#, and is very fast, both on land and in the water. She is over the US breed standard for height., but we really don't care.
Can you remind me how old Cooper is now? We have also revisited Brambles daily routine, and on reflection, we may been overdoing it a bit, feel really guilty now. She starts her day early @6.15am, her first walk is 30 mins with the 2 boys, this can vary depending on who is walking them, sometimes just one, or the walk is split. They all rest then until around 9.30am then their second hour walk, this is with our dog walker in a secure area in their training grounds, it is dog heaven, fields, grass pathways, dog pools! Bramble used to just have 30 mins, however, more recently she gets an hour. She self regulates, and is watched very carefully ,however it is a very stimulating environment, so we are cutting this out completely for a week or so, then going back for shorter walks. Instead while I am off this week, just work on building on one to one play. Our garden is about an acre, plus the farm area, she loves to wander around, so probably gets more exercise than we realise. She also gets her short 5 min training sessions throughout the day, mostly early morning or late afternoon. Phew! That is a lot! We have the vets appointment on Monday to evaluate development and growth. I think I am used to Benson at that age, having so much energy, he would wipe us out! By 8pm we had to use matchsticks to keep our eyes open!
Cooper is about 17 Months. She does not get as much exerciser as Bramble, but still gets quite a bit, especially on weekends.
That is so interesting. Jessie our rescue was spayed at 4 months according to her records and she is tall and gangly. She is also very " tarty" sorry can't think of another way to describe this and I have said all along she was spayed far too young.
Here is a picture of the chocolate lab I was talking about but this photo does not put in perspective of how big he really is. I'm 5'8 and if this dog stood on his back legs, he'd be taller than me. He's a rescue dog from Texas. His tail was cropped as he was, his owner assumes, used for pig hunting.
I don't know how tall my first lab BJ was but he did have a very long back and swayed incredibly, almost made me seasick walking behind him He was always a little higher at the back than the front but had developed elbow problems by the time he was around 5. He did have various problems but the vet pronounced his hips 'perfect' even when he was an old boy.
Bramble had her visit to the orthopaedic vet yesterday, she was very, very thorough, We were there for roughly 45mins and we covered everything from her joints, diet to spaying. Firstly she was weighed....30.4kg. Despite this, she is very slim and muscular, the vet was very happy with her weight as Bramble is taller than the average for a bitch. Her muscles have developed well and evenly this is a clue to any potential problems, as uneven muscle development can indicate weakness/joint issues/pain. Range of movement was excellent in both hips and elbows so no signals at this point in time. We know this is just a "snapshot" so to speak, but did want to have her checked. Ultimately Xrays at just over a year will give a better picture. When we were discussing the straight hind legs, she wasn't too concerned, however, this can lead to problems with the smaller joints in the foot due to pressures. In this case, it looks like her conformation is to be straighter, although as she finishes growing this may not be so obvious. Exercise wise, we were advised to keep an eye on her..no running up stairs, avoid jumping in and out of cars, as she is obviously has more growing to do! re: spaying, we are waiting until her first or second season,depending on her growth, but before 2.5 years as after this date the benefit conferred in reduction in mammary cancers is negated. Bramble was great, very calm, when she had finished, and were just chatting, she yawned, stretched elegantly, and fell asleep! All in all, much happier knowing we are on the right track, just need to watch her activity, and dial it down slightly allowing for plenty of rest time.
Yes she was exceptional. Looked down her long gorgeous muzzle at the other dogs there.... Benson on the other hand, same training,...is like a bouncing Zebedee! He adores them there, and runs round saying "hi it's ME AGAIN!! with his bonkers face on....
Our younger female Labrador retriever Trixie came from a farm in Texas. Her biological mother was normal size, about 60-65 lbs (about 28 kg) and maybe 57 cm tall. Older "sister" or surrogate mother Daisy was the runt of her litter (different parents), but grew into a 39 kg frame. Trixie did have very large paws, and our vet thought she could become a giant, if she grew into them. My wife wanted a large watchdog...and she more than got her wish! At a year of age, Trixie was close to Daisy's size, but continued to grow. Trixie was destructive as a "teen" but with additional lessons, training, adulthood she has calmed down a lot Nearing 18 months, Trixie is pushing the envelope. She is roughly 67.3 cm tall at the shoulder and weighs 46 kg. However, Trixie is not fat and is quite athletic. She is not as fast as Daisy was when she younger. But she bounds like a deer and can jump pretty high. Both are field stock with longer legs, and long snouts. Daisy was one of the fastest lab I've seen, but Trixie has the tallest frame I've seen, particularly for a female. The tallest Labrado I've seen on the internet is 66 cm tall in India. Given the relatively small size of the mother and grandmother, I don't believe Trixie was bred deliberately for large size. Her litter siblings looked fairly normal size. As time goes on, I'm concerned about her back hips, but her proportion and shape are very good - she reminds me at times of a thoroughbred horse.
