Just wondered.... does any one ever pay attention to the weight their dog is 'supposed' to be according to the breed standard(apart from the breeds where they can be weighed in the ring?).
I've always judged my dogs by how they look and 'feel' to the hand....but out of interest weighed them the other day. Elkhound standard for a male is approx 23Kg. My 2 year old who still has some maturing to do weighs 22 Kg...my 3 yr old weighs 25.5 Kg!! Now hes not big..in fact I'd say hes pretty much spot on for size...he had the required short back and is not heavy boned(coarse) so I was astounded.I know he could do with losing maybe a couple of pound but 1/2 stone...no way. He needn't worry....I'm the one trying to diet..not him,LOL
Archer

I go off feel of my lab.  He looks spot on but weighs about 5.75 stone so he is a heavy one but to look you wouldn't think he wieghs that. 

Dals don't have a weight mentioned in the standard, they have an ideal height (which few people seem to take notice of!).

Staffords have an ideal heigh and weight height 14-16" weight 28-38lbs weight related to  height ie you you wouldn't have a 14" Staff who weighed 38lb.
But people adere "reasonably"  to the height I have heard of people being disqualified for height but NEVER for weight and there are I think more fat Staffs than tall ones!
I think Staffs should look the  part for example say; 17" and 42lb and a fit dog fine 15" and 52lb :(
KAREN

I would suspect that you would find that the majority of Elkhounds are slightly above standard weight as may well be the case in a lot of breeds.  Many breeds are 'larger' than they used to be but the standards have not been changed to match.  There are very many exhibitors who are glad that our breeds are not weighed in the ring!

There can be few breeds that have the range of weights that my breed has.  The standard states that the weight should be between 5 lb and 11 lb, most desirable 6 - 10lb.  That is like saying that your breed should be between 22 kg and 46 kg, and that it is acceptable to have a dog more than twice as big as another dog.  Actually most of our dogs are around the top end of the scale with plenty of the winners being a lb or so over weight.  It is an extremely long time since we have seen any dogs in the ring below about 9  lbs.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

I would reckon that 99% of cavaliers exceed the 18lb max mark, 3 of mine are above(not much though) & one is dead in the middle of the weights at 15 lbs he looks like a puppy in most of his classes compared to the other dogs.

Oddly enough one judge told me he was very over weight & needed to lose half a stone ?????? Funny my vet described him as a wiry little dog all muscle & the correct weight the week before !!

None of my dogs are fat or overweight but the ideal size is meant to be 11-18 lbs which makes three overweight for the breed standard

When I have visited Crufts (my only foray into the 'alien world' of dog showing), virtually all the dogs in most of the breeds look a few pounds heavier than 'working weight'. Apart from the labradors that look a few stone heavier! Really does seem that many, many breeders have lost sight of just how fit a working type animal can and should be.

I always keep my dogs for working and they are always in hard condition. However none of mine have ever weighed the breed standard weights, all have weighed in heavier one admittedly was a big dog and weighed in at 112ls to prove it but my present little dog is not as big as others the same age in the ring and yet weighs more. A breeder told me muscle always weighs heavier than fat, and having tried to get her dogs to the standard weight ended up with dogs which looked more skeletal than fit!

Hi Nikki, most Elkhounds are over the weight and a good few over the height too, some in the past (and may be now ;)) are very over weight and size. The Sod is spot on height and spot on the weight and he looks very 'racy' compared to most. When you look at pictures of Elks from 30 or 40 years ago not only do they look even bigger that they do now they are in most cases a darker colour they have less defined markings and do not have the chunky look that is the popular look now, being far more leggy and more workman like. Not sure, off hand, when the standard was written but would think that even then few of the breed would have fulfilled the standard not just the size but the weight too.

Was looking at the Goldies last night at ringcraft and thought how small they looked (also not gold coloured,apart from one, but that is another subject) and wondered if the Goldies I remembered from a while ago really were bigger or if my memory was playing tricks again.

Gordon Setter Standards:
AKC
    Dogs   55 - 80 lb( 25 - 36.36kg)
    Bitches   45 - 70 lb( 25.5 - 31.8kg)
FCI
    Dogs    65 lb(29.5kg)
    Bitches    56 lb( 25.5 kg)
KC
    The same as FCI

Penny weighs exactly 70 lb, right at the top of the AKC standard, but at 70 lb she is 14 lb over the KC and FCI standard.  Yet so far, every time I show her in FCI shows, she places well, and when we were looking for a stud (before we found out that her hips weren't so good) practically all the winning males on the continent weighed between 65 and 83 lb.  The bitches though, stayed around the standard pretty well.  Penny is very fit, so I don't usually worry so much about her weight for the ring. 

                                                                                                                               Kate