Do they look too skinny?

[BullyLady]

Ham eats 10 CUPS of TOTW a day??? HOLY MOLY!!! He's a beauty, though.

Christine, Sepp and Faust look wonderful. Like everyone else said, the general populace doesn't know what a dog should look like.

[Miss_Pits]

Yup... I get it all the time with my dogs, even at competitions. If I had a dollar for everytime someone told me Ham was too thin. This is him getting 5 cups of Taste of the Wild TWICE A DAY!!!!
I think we just get used to seeing overweight animals. And then desensitize to it and begin to think it is normal. Some breeds more than others, for sure. <big heavy sigh>

I love seeing dogs in good shape - Especially a lab!!! Most of the dogs brought to the clinic I work at are over weight - especially the labs, beagles and pugs.

[maberi]

Wow, he looks good.

Matt, post pictures of Earl, they look a lot alike!

Ham is amazing looking!!! The Pearl is no where in his league but I do try to keep him as fit and trim as possible. According to most, I starve my dogs, but they are healthy, active and full of energy. I think what someone finds aesthetically pleasing is very subjective and most people have a deluded concept of what is healthy.

[amazincc]

Holy WOW, Matt and Dr. Blabs...

Those guys look AWESOME.

[blabsforbullies]

Holy WOW, Matt and Dr. Blabs...

Those guys look AWESOME.

Thanks... sorry to hijack the thread. But I will say that your dogs look fantabulous!!!

Amanda, I hear ya on the fat lab thing. ggggrrrr....

And Matt, your boys are handsome fellas and are unbelievably fit. Nice job with them (and Earl looks like noth Paxton and Ham... funny ).

[Patch O' Pits]

Great picts of those healthy in shape dogs!

I agree, people are too used to seeing FAT dogs.

[juniper8204]

Wow, these pics are great! Christine, your guys are such beauties, and they are nowhere near underweight.

Those pics make me feel a lot better about my guys...people are always telling me they are underweight, but they aren't. Mindy Lou looks a lot like Riggs build-wise and muscle tone-wise...people ask me all the time what I feed her and if I have her on steroids. Working at a vet's, I see so many obese pets come in who are having diabetes problems, joint problems and breathing problems...I made a vow to myself that I'd never allow myself to make my animals obese, and so far I've kept to that. Now, if I could only apply that to myself, all would be good! LOL

[furever_pit]

Your guys look great Christine! I think they are at a healthy weight.
Dr. Blabs - HOLY COW! I have never seen a Lab in such good shape. Beautiful!! I love that first pic.

I get comments about my two being underweight all the time. I pretty much just ignore people because they don't really know what they are talking about. As for vets, the doctor that I work for is a little cautious about bringing up pet's weights in the exam room. Thus, I am the ice breaker! LOL
I have found that talking to the animal about their weight, rather than the owner can be a good way to introduce the topic. But, again, you have to know the clientele...there are a few owners that I won't say anything to about their pet's weight because it would just be way more hassle than it is really worth.

[BullyLady]

Y
I have found that talking to the animal about their weight, rather than the owner can be a good way to introduce the topic.

I used to do that all the time, it's an easy-in about weight-talk. "Oh my goodness, aren't you just the cutest widdle chubby lab I have EVER seen!!" Cue owner:"Awww..... I know she is adorable, isn't she? Do you really think she's chubby......?"

[LMM]

Dr. Blabs and Matt, your dogs look amazing, seriously.

[kera09]

i think i may have 3 fat dogs over here well ava is def fat, duge and lulu are ok and i know with their body types the 2 of them could have excellent muscle and definition. its just soooo damn hard in the winter!
I was told duge looked to thin, bc you could see his ribs

[kera09]

i think i may have 3 fat dogs over here well ava is def fat, duge and lulu are ok and i know with their body types the 2 of them could have excellent muscle and definition. its just soooo damn hard in the winter!
I was told duge looked to thin, bc you could see his ribs so i started feeding him a little more

[TinaMartin]

Nothing wrong with being able to see some ribs. Even in the winter you can help keep your dogs lean by cutting back on the food. With less activity they can do with less food.

[BlueLuke]

Christine,

Sepp and Faust looks fantastic, keep doing what your doing!

[mnp13]

I was told duge looked to thin, bc you could see his ribs so i started feeding him a little more

Most people think that you shouldn't see anything that even resembles a bone on a dog. You should generally see at least one rib easily, especially on our breed. Currently Riggs and Demo are the only ones in the house with ribs, the rest of us are keeping ours... hidden...

[amazincc]

Currently Riggs and Demo are the only ones in the house with ribs, the rest of us are keeping ours... hidden...

It's just "winter" fur...

[fenella]

I get this all the time with Murphy, too. Now, I DO have trouble keeping weight on him, and he has ventured into too skinny territory (when he was on meds before, his hip points started showing, so we went off of the meds). I switched him to a higher protein/fat food. I would like for him to be more muscular, and am working on it for flyball. Perhaps his early neuter limited his muscle a bit. I asked my vet, and he said that he also prefers them a couple of pounds underweight. It used to freak me out, but I grew up with F-A-T labs, so my perspective was a bit distorted.

which is the larger version of my avatar. Like Erin, I love pinchable butt muscles!
As he's been running, he's filling out a little more http://www.swiftbennett.com/photowerx/photoview.cfm?pid=55441&css=photowerx.css


I generally have the opposite problem with Nittany, though she is balancing out now, too. Like Erin, I feel her ribs and adjust from there. Still, people tell me she's too thin