Hi all, It's been a while since I've posted (busy busy lol) however thought I'd come for advice as I emailed our breeder to update on how Loki is doing now he's 6 months old and she commented on one of the pictures that he looks lean. The picture did make him look slim but I think he's a healthy size so I sent her some more of him from better angles and she still thinks he's borderline underweight? Obviously I hate to think he's not being fed enough but he's fed the recommended amount on the Orijen puppy food packet and he has extra than that in treats and things anyway. What do you think of how he looks? She is right in that their labs are generally big and big boned so maybe in need to fatten him up a bit more for his age?
He doesn't look underweight to me from that picture. Have you got any pictures from above him, or him stood up but taken from a side angle?
Is this one an good? I guess his waist looks slim from that angle but i thought you are meant to see a waist
He doesn't look underweight to me either from these 2 photos. In addition to the photos Naya suggests, do you have any pictures of your breeders labs to see what she is comparing to? Maybe they are kept "on the larger side".
It's very hard to see in your pictures. I'd say the first two pictures he looks quite chubby, to be completely honest, but not in the third. You need to take a picture directly down from above, and one directly side-on to really tell, though. Then, can you see his ribs at all? Can you feel them when you stroke him, without applying any undue pressure?
He looks ok to me. Wispa's breeder thought she was a bit underweight a couple of years ago, but the vet has always been happy with her as she is - and I prefer not to let her get too stocky. Whether or not you can see/feel his ribs is a good guide.
From the photos he looks fine. Maybe the breeder likes much fatter dogs? Better to be slim, much healthier for the dog. I used to meet a lovely little Lab and then didn't see him for about three months, was very shocked when I did, because he was FAT, the breeder said she wanted to show him and he had to be fatter, such a shame, so they had been feeding him up
My Sparky looks very much like Loki and he's also 6 months. The vet never says he's overweight just that he will grow fast. I thought he looked fine with a little hip tuck. However, my trainer last week said that he is a little overweight. She then showed me how to feel for his ribs. For Sparky I had to press a little harder to feel his ribs. She showed her lab and it was very easy to feel his ribs, just lightly. So yes I am cut his food down another 5% and lessening his treats. More frequent short walks.
I don't think he looks underweight at all. Dad looks quite stocky so maybe the breeder prefers them bigger. As a few people have said, can you feel his ribs without applying pressure? He's still growing and will change his overall body shape in the next 12 months.
Dad is lovely. Loki is still young and has a puppy frame so he's not going to have that build. Go by what YOU feel and see.
Looks like a slightly podgy pup to me, far from underweight! I agree with edzbird, go by what you see and feel. He's a lovely dog by the way
Rolo looks very similar, when i asked the breeder for pics of his siblings, they were rather chunky imho. I thought I was doing something wrong but as everyone says its better to be slimmer as its healthier for the pups. Loki is gorgeousssss xx
You'd have to post some better pictures of him side on to tell. In those pictures, he doesn't look underweight at all. He doesn't look overweight either - Charlie has always had a super obvious waist when viewed from above, but partly this is because he is well muscled on his hind and he has a slightly exaggerated rib cage. These two things exaggerate his waist and give him a 'nipped in' appearance. Betsy, without her adult muscle, and with a slimmer rib cage, does not have such a defined waist when viewed from above - and she has muscle along her side running to her bum that fills in the space, but has as much a defined waist as Charlie when viewed from the sides and as sharp a tuck up. Anyway....all that is to say you really just need to be able to examine a dog properly to judge whether they are under or over weight (unless extreme and obvious either way - and that doesn't look to be the case with Loki).
Thanks for all your replies. Here's another from the side but it's hard to get one of him still as he follows me everywhere I don't feel that he's overweight or underweight, though sometimes I think he look a slim one one minute and then chunkier the next but neither to an extreme. I can't feel his ribs if I don't apply pressure. Breeder wants me to send more pics in a month and has recommended I increase his food
I think this is quite likely; many breeders are focused on the "show" look and (as discussed elsewhere on this forum!) there is a definite tendency for the "show" standard to be on the big side of perfectly healthy. (Others may disagree with me, but that is certainly my impression.) He looks beautifully fit and healthy to me; and the very best test is the one you've used (can you see a waist, and can you feel his ribs "as if under a blanket, not a duvet and not a sheet"). I hope you don't get into a row with the breeder, but at the end of the day remember he is your dog, not theirs!
Stanley changes all the time. Sometimes he looks a bit chunky then he has a growth spurt and looks gangley again. They're just pups and still growing, I'm sure he'll find a healthy balance
If you can't feel his ribs, he's not underweight. Ideally, you should be able to see his ribs when he eats or sniffs deeply. Remember that he is your dog now, not the breeder's, so if you differ on what you think is a healthy weight, then it's your prerogative to have him as you wish. Far better on the slim side than on the heavy side. She may want him fatter, but that's not her choice anymore.
