Fat Labradors: A Thought

[poodlefan]

WOOOAAHHH That's a whole debate that you don't even want to start on this forum. I am sure you can find some shitfights if you do a search on Show Vs Working dogs. It applies in many breeds - either different condition of the same dog or a different build of dog in the same breed used for working Vs showing. Border Collies, Kelpies, GSDs to name a few.

The shit fights occur because people passionate about their point of view can't stick to forum rules. Personally I think these are subjects that should be discussed here.

If people can debate the issues without becoming personal, there's much to be learned from hearing both sides of the argument.

[Snowball]

love all the photos of lean labs, we see so many podgy ones were we live .... they dont look happy

Snowball

[blacklabrador]

WOOOAAHHH That's a whole debate that you don't even want to start on this forum. I am sure you can find some shitfights if you do a search on Show Vs Working dogs. It applies in many breeds - either different condition of the same dog or a different build of dog in the same breed used for working Vs showing. Border Collies, Kelpies, GSDs to name a few.

The shit fights occur because people passionate about their point of view can't stick to forum rules. Personally I think these are subjects that should be discussed here.

If people can debate the issues without becoming personal, there's much to be learned from hearing both sides of the argument.

I've never gotten involved in the argument Poodlefan, but history shows that people seem unable to discuss the topic without it turning into a shit fight.

[poodlefan]

I've never gotten involved in the argument Poodlefan, but history shows that people seem unable to discuss the topic without it turning into a shit fight.

Totally agree that it happens. What a pity.

[sandgrubber]

The Labs I get in kennel tend to be lean when young and, like many of us, I imagine, become heavier and less active as they age . .. my own Labs will do the same unless I REALLY cut back on their food. Eg, my Rainy, who is 8, is built like Henk in the photos shown above. Even on 2/3 of a chook, a couple carrots, and a hand full of biscuits a day, she'll stay above 35 kg. We don't do a lot of treats here -- other than chopped carrot.

I think some of the fat Lab syndrome owes to low metabolisms. And some of the leaner group 3 dogs are lean cause they burn off weight very easily. I've had GSP's in kennel for extended stays. They easily eat twice as much as I would dare feed a Lab without gaining weight.

Btw, I'd love to see pictures of all the lean Labbies shown in this thread five years from now. I'd be surprised if some of them don't fill out to a bit of more than many of us would like.

Edited April 6, 2010 by sandgrubber

[poodlefan]

The Labs I get in kennel tend to be lean when young and, like many of us, I imagine, become heavier and less active as they age . .. my own Labs will do the same unless I REALLY cut back on their food. Eg, my Rainy, who is 8, is built like Henk in the photos shown above. Even on 2/3 of a chook, a couple carrots, and a hand full of biscuits a day, she'll stay above 35 kg. We don't do a lot of treats here -- other than chopped carrot. I think some of the fat Lab syndrome owes to low metabolisms.

Btw, I'd love to see pictures of all the lean Labbies shown in this thread five years from now. I'd be surprised if some of them don't fill out to a bit of more than many of us would like.

Failing to reduce food after a dog has finished growing is an issue for all breeds. Ditto for reducing it when activity levels decline in older dogs.

We have total control over our dogs calorie intake. Whether they plump up as they age is up to us.

[macka]

The Labs I get in kennel tend to be lean when young and, like many of us, I imagine, become heavier and less active as they age . .. my own Labs will do the same unless I REALLY cut back on their food. Eg, my Rainy, who is 8, is built like Henk in the photos shown above. Even on 2/3 of a chook, a couple carrots, and a hand full of biscuits a day, she'll stay above 35 kg. We don't do a lot of treats here -- other than chopped carrot.

I think some of the fat Lab syndrome owes to low metabolisms. And some of the leaner group 3 dogs are lean cause they burn off weight very easily. I've had GSP's in kennel for extended stays. They easily eat twice as much as I would dare feed a Lab without gaining weight.

Btw, I'd love to see pictures of all the lean Labbies shown in this thread five years from now. I'd be surprised if some of them don't fill out to a bit of more than many of us would like.

So why wouldn't you cut back on the food? After a few days they will adjust to the smaller amount of food and won't even know the difference.

[RallyValley]

This is Bronson who is 10 going on 11 in November. His coat has been getting thicker every year but he is still as thin and active as ever. Bronson is from a well known kennel in WA and is related to Masons Mom's Mason.

You might recognise this pic as the sig of a DOLer (Bronson's owner Todd_bre) who asked me to make his this in photoshop.

[blacklabrador]

Btw, I'd love to see pictures of all the lean Labbies shown in this thread five years from now. I'd be surprised if some of them don't fill out to a bit of more than many of us would like.

I agree with you SG. Posting pictures of a skinny adolescent puppy under the age of 2 doesn't always reflect how the dog will end up. The other thing is that every dog is built differently and must be assessed individually as to whether they are overweight or not. Sometimes photos don't display this very well.

This is Mr Boney. His grey moustache is a giveaway to his age (he is seven). He certainly continued to fill out until he was 3 but he's still a long legged, rangey boy. This doesn't show his physique very well but you can get the idea from looking at his chest area and general size.

I Boney... he is my heart dog.

Edited April 7, 2010 by blacklabrador

[Mas1981]

Btw, I'd love to see pictures of all the lean Labbies shown in this thread five years from now. I'd be surprised if some of them don't fill out to a bit of more than many of us would like.

I agree with you SG. Posting pictures of a skinny adolescent puppy under the age of 2 doesn't always reflect how the dog will end up. The other thing is that every dog is built differently and must be assessed individually as to whether they are overweight or not. Sometimes photos don't display this very well.

This is Mr Boney. His grey moustache is a giveaway to his age (he is seven). He certainly continued to fill out until he was 3 but he's still a long legged, rangey boy. This doesn't show his physique very well but you can get the idea from looking at his chest area and general size.

I Boney... he is my heart dog.

Love the pic on the red couch! He looks lovely.

At what age do labs start becoming less active so that I can watch for it and perhaps reduce the food when it happens?? At the moment m boy only eats about 1,5 cups of kibble a day and around 150g of meat, by how much would I cut the food? Will it get to a stage do you think that I would only be feeding him 1cup a day? I would then feel like I was starving him lol!!

[poodlefan]

At what age do labs start becoming less active so that I can watch for it and perhaps reduce the food when it happens?? At the moment m boy only eats about 1,5 cups of kibble a day and around 150g of meat, by how much would I cut the food? Will it get to a stage do you think that I would only be feeding him 1cup a day? I would then feel like I was starving him lol!!

There are other options - you could feed a reduced fat "seniors" food instead of simply cutting back.

[blacklabrador]

To illustrate SG's point.... I have two pictures of the same dog. I have posted these before to show how a dog can mature. Now this dog was a very chunky puppy with a lot of bone. He grew into an ugly skinny adolescent. I realised he would fill out because his dad was a big solid dog and his Grandfather was extremely solid. I didn't quite expect him to turn out how he did though!

Have a look at his head in the second picture. Whaddya reckon his body is like? He has a big, solid body to match. No amount of starvation is going to make this dog look "thin" because his skeletal structure is broad and solid. It's his bloodlines and diet can't change that.

Edited April 7, 2010 by blacklabrador

[spoilt lab lives here]

My boy Ramses hangs around 31-32kgs. He once got close to 40kgs and my god he was a barrell!! I went away for 10 days on a cruise and came back to a fat dog! Spent the next few months getting it off him.

[blacklabrador]

Love the pic on the red couch! He looks lovely.

At what age do labs start becoming less active so that I can watch for it and perhaps reduce the food when it happens?? At the moment m boy only eats about 1,5 cups of kibble a day and around 150g of meat, by how much would I cut the food? Will it get to a stage do you think that I would only be feeding him 1cup a day? I would then feel like I was starving him lol!!

Thanks

Simply assess your dog weekly - which we all should do anyway for signs of weight gain or loss. Adjust his food as necessary. It's a gradual process and depends on how active your dog is and how slowly he settles down (some never do!).

[Mas1981]

To illustrate SG's point.... I have two pictures of the same dog. I have posted these before to show how a dog can mature. Now this dog was a very chunky puppy with a lot of bone. He grew into an ugly skinny adolescent. I realised he would fill out because his dad was a big solid dog and his Grandfather was extremely solid. I didn't quite expect him to turn out how he did though!

Have a look at his head in the second picture. Whaddya reckon his body is like? He has a big, solid body to match. No amount of starvation is going to make this dog look "thin" because his skeletal structure is broad and solid. It's his bloodlines and diet can't change that.

That is also true, its the same as people we all have a different bone structure If a dog has been desexed though could he still end up being more broad and solid?

[blacklabrador]

If a dog has been desexed though could he still end up being more broad and solid?

If the dog has been desexed earlier they are often a bit longer in the legs because the stage at which growth plates close on the long bones is affected by hormones. I am not sure how hormones affect breadth of skeletal structure but I'm sure there must be an influence. Hormones definitely affect muscle bulk.

I would expect a desexed dog to be less bulky generally.

[Mas1981]

If a dog has been desexed though could he still end up being more broad and solid?

If the dog has been desexed earlier they are often a bit longer in the legs because the stage at which growth plates close on the long bones is affected by hormones. I am not sure how hormones affect breadth of skeletal structure but I'm sure there must be an influence. Hormones definitely affect muscle bulk.

I would expect a desexed dog to be less bulky generally.

That is probably true although my dog and one of his brothers were desexed at the same time and his brother is way bigger, much broader and a huge head. They are the same height though.

[OSoSwift]

To me this dog is too fat in the top picture and the correct weight in the second picture.

People have a similar problem with Whippets. Fit to race Whippets are seen as too skinny in the show ring even though they have brilliant muscle, they just have not an ounce of fat.

I also love the picture of the very fit Yellow Lab that is hunting - perfect.

Just an interesting tidbit from a website:

With all these different types it's rather difficult to produce a Dual Champion, that is a Labrador which is a Show Champion as well as a Field Champion. Someone said, "Field breeders are producing the athletes and show breeders are producing the models". How difficult it really is, is shown in the phothographs above. Henk van de Waterlandspolder had to lose 9 kilos (almost 20 pounds) to be fit for Field Trials, and had to gain those 9 kilos again to be fit for the show. As a matter of fact Henk looks great to me on the photo on the right, so how come show judges won't value this dual purpose lab in his working condition? There must be something wrong

Henk fit for show (37 kilos - 81.5 lbs)

Henk fit for field trial (28 kilos - 61.7 lbs)

[teekay]

There are some beautiful beautiful labs on here. Sadly, I no longer have my labrador Holly, she died last year but I thought I would share her photos anyway. She was 5 when she died and people used to think she was a still a puppy.

With regard people overfeeding their lab because of the 'puppy eyes'. Lets face it, it doesn't matter how much you feed a lab, they will still want more and give you the 'puppy eyes'

[Mas1981]

There are some beautiful beautiful labs on here. Sadly, I no longer have my labrador Holly, she died last year but I thought I would share her photos anyway. She was 5 when she died and people used to think she was a still a puppy.

With regard people overfeeding their lab because of the 'puppy eyes'. Lets face it, it doesn't matter how much you feed a lab, they will still want more and give you the 'puppy eyes'

She was a lovely looking dog .