just wondering how much all your dogs weigh as even though my vet has said on numerous occasions grace is a very healthy, very fit dog, i cant help but wonder why she is so heavy for her size?! she is 30kg, (not sure if it makes much difference shes a crossbreed?) she seems very muscled, we do agility long walks and lots of hilly walks too. just out of curiosity
How tall is Grace? You measure from the shoulder (what would be the withers on a horse) to the floor. Charlie is a moderately well built dog from show lines, he is slim, stands at 22.25 inches and weighs 29.5kgs. pup by Julie T, on Flickr
im not sure, i will try and dig out my tape measure, i know shes 28 inches long.... but that doesnt really help! he is beautiful btw!
It varies massively from dog to dog. My two are short and slim, from working lines, but very un-Labrador looking! I've not weighed them in a while, but Willow is about 22kg and Shadow is probably about 24kg now. That would be very underweight on a taller dog. If you have any pictures of your dog, preferably showing a side view and, if possible, a view from above, someone might be able to let you know if she looks "right". What does your vet have to say?
Thanks! I think so.... The height and build of the dog are critical, really, to put weight in context.
vet says shes very atheletic and muscly, so maybe thats why she weighs more as muscle weighs more than fat? in my eyes shes just right but its nice to see everyone elses opinions! shes very uncooperative when it comes to sideshots so dont have many!
At 24 inches, she is tall for a Labrador, although lots of working line dogs are tall. She is a good 2 inches above the breed standard for a bitch. So, 30kgs sounds like she'd be a slim dog to me.
Weight alone doesn't mean much. You have to consider age, conditionning, build. Here's an example from Oban, bench bred with moderately heavy bone, 23 inches at his withers. Now, at age 8, he is ranging 66 to 68 pounds. ~ 30 to 31 kg. He looks lean. You can't see his ribs but they are easily felt. We are keeping him lean to spare his gimpy elbow. Also because of his elbow his exercise is limited and he is not nearly in the buff, muscled shape he was when he crept up to 82 pounds. ~ 37 kg. My dogs lose weight in winter, we are much more active, and I feed more in winter. I fed a bit too much that winter but no one would ever have looked at Oban, at 82 pounds, and thought he was fat. A wee bit, yes but not much, it was mostly muscle, which as we all know, per volume weighs more than fat. That 24% difference in weight, because of the condition aspect, didn't show much.
she is crossed with a chesapeake if that makes up for it? i think chessies are slightly taller than labs arent they? or am i talking rubbish? shes 2 and in good health, shes been spayed in the last 2 months aswell
ah so she is quite tall then? i wonder why shes that tall, i think dad was pure lab but unregistered and mum was a well bred chesapeake.
She's very pretty. A kind face. Pictures 1 & 2 show lovely waist definition. And a lovely coat - the Chesapeake showing through.
thanks, i posted the same pic by accident. ooops. i love the cross between the breeds, shes so intelligent but its been hard work as she always has her own ideas about things!
Your photos were not yet up when I started my post above. Even though that's a hard picture to tell from I think I can see a well defined waist. Grace looks good to me.
thanks thats good to know shes on skinners maintenance and has been for about a year now so obviously doing her good
Lots and lots of Labradors fall outside the breed standard height range - lots significantly taller, and lots significantly shorter. And in the US, the height range is taller than the UK. I think there is a significant trend for Labradors to get taller - or tiny! I barely meet any that are actually in the proper height range!
my friend has a pure lab and no word of a lie the thing is not far off the size of a small great dane!!
Very interesting to see you describing your two as unlabby because that is how I descrbe Molly. Only Molly is tall and rangy, as was her mum. I haven't had Molly weighed for over a year as we haven't needed to go to the Vets (always a good sign). She is due a check up and booster on Thursday so I will be interested in what she weighs and what the Vet thinks of her weight.
Grace looks good to me too. My first Labrador Nicolae was 24 inches (and a fit 35kg) and current Labrador Obi is 22.25 inches and hovers around 28kg. Obi is the same height as Charlie but he (Obi) looks shorter in pics because his legs are a bit stubbier I think.
