Yesterday Tia was entered in a breed club Champ Show. And at the moment I am very pleased with her. But, no less than five people told me 'she too thin', what am I feeding her etc, etc, etc. It really got my back up after a couple of hours of this. Why should I be so defensive about this? Tia weighs a whopping 33kilos of solid muscle, at 13 months no fat whatsoever. And although she does not work, she has the same gundog training as Bailey and is constantly active. She has a good covering on her ribs, (feel but cant see) Despite this we took VHC in yearling.

Today however, at another show everyone was very impressed with her, including a judge who was showing and she had been under him previously and placed her 1st to win BOB. (I particulary saught him out to ask for opinion)  Today we walked away with 1st in Junior, over a bitch that had been placed higher than her yesterday.

A large ring, twice round then triangle then twice up and down, for Tia it was a stroll, all the other labs (and owners) were gasping for breath at the end, surley this is wrong :(

I dont want fat Labs, I want a dog that can do the work in was bred for, not a fashion accessory.   Rant over ;)

I don't blame you for having a rant.  I've seen some labs winning BOB which were quite literally FAT!!  I'm sorry but if this is what show people want I feel sorry for them.  A Lab. is supposed to be a working dog and many show ones wouldn't be able to do a days work.

Saying this though a photographer told me recently to bring my fat Spanish Wter Dog out, he hasn't got an ounce of fat on him, he's all muscle, so it can go both ways :d

LOL you can't win can you. We have it the same in our breed.  Some dogs are towering above our standard of 11 inches.  ones that are just 11 inches are sometimes penalised  I think for being a little smaller but they are the 11 inches and of right weight.

When we took my hubbies labrador to ring craft at about 8-10 months a labrador exibitor said ours could so with more weight. We watcher her weight very carefully to prevent health issues etc weighing her often.  His labradors were little dumpy things in my opinion. Now I am no expert at all on the labrador breed standard but I didn't think his dumpies ;-) could do a days work. Our labrador is 100% show lines but out of 2 dogs that were certainly dogs that could do a days work I am sure .  I think the father even being one of the top Labradors the last few years is very much a dog that works or can work. I often read the lab critiques and I often see a last line saying "and could do a days work no bother"

as long as you win some and lose some I guess it is worth while ;-)

Kay,

Please dont give up! The only remote possibility of labradors having any shred of dual-purpose credibility is through people such as yourself keeping their dogs fit. I'd be fairly confident that the people telling you to put weight on her dont work their dogs, or even have much of an idea about what 'work' means.

A visit to the retriever championships, or indeed any field trial will show that a dog being regularly worked hard will have ribs that are fairly easily visible, let alone felt!

Well done on your placings.

Good for you Kay on keeping your dog lean and fit!  I fume when I see fat dogs who are praised for their "body".  It's one of my personal bugbears ;)  Ignore those who would have you feed up your dog like a fois gras (sp?) goose :D

Lesley

Stick to your guns and just don't give the fat lovers your entries in future.  Make a note of the breed people advising you to fatten her up so as not to enter under them when they judge.

I am sure that there would be less of a split in the breed (looks at least)if most of the show dogs were actually fit and slim.  Some of them look like self colured rotties, who used to be shown too fat, but now I notice the dogs being shown much leaner :D

Thank you all for restoring my faith a little. I have no intentions of fattening her up simply to fall in line with the 'fashion'. Her health and fitness is too important.

>Stick to your guns

Sorry to use your reply as a pun Brainless, but I may just do that 'literally', I love working them :D :D

No |No keep showing too.  Maybe if more working folk with good looking dogs showed it may show up the fatties for what they are :D

Hi Kay
You stick to your guns, far too many labs are fat. Tia is being placed consistently, and you know she is a good quality example - so let the ringside judges do just that. Its reseults that count, and Tia is getting them and doing brilliantly.

Regards
Patricia