The Bloobmeister and our frantic practicing!!

kittie970 · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:17 pm Post subject:

shes looking good...to get weight on Jack we used Racing Greyhound as its high in protein and gave him an extra meal at lunch time.....hope this helps.....

Scoobs · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:45 pm Post subject:

Diana · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:47 pm Post subject:

Isn't this a very sad conversation? I don't mean 'sad' as in 'silly' because we all know it to be true, but 'sad' as in unfortunate. It rather plays into the hands of those who think 'all show dogs are fat' because what you have there is a beautiful clean lined bitch in good condition at a stage where she is maturing like the clappers and running off anything excessive.

Sigh. Nicola, would you mind PM'ing me your email. I have a picture I'd like to show you.

As for putting on weight, if that is what you want to do, then I'd go back to feeding lunch too at about 100gms, and add tinned Chappie or high protein dog meat to breakfast and dinner. Also you can add full fat goats milk by the cupful to lunch.

She is of a build that will not take much more weight unless her bone and head come on. She will look like a fattie with a pinhead and stick legs.

Thats no insult, she is a lovely lovely bitch, to my eye at 6 months she is carrying perfectly acceptable amount of weight.

Di

Edited to say: I know I sound like a miserable cow. I would just so prefer to see puppies show as yours is, yet know in reality you are probably right on put a bit on her. Not if you came under me though Wink

sue51 · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject:

Diana · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:59 pm Post subject:

Isn't this amazing... we are having a serious conversation about forcing artifical weight on a healhy youngster in order to make her have a better chance of doing well in the showring. It just makes me blink rapidly in amazement. Whilst we tell everyone else to keep their dog at a healthy weight, with a decent waist, especially when young and developing, and never consider overfeeding as it just upsets their system Wink

Sigh, laugh and cry.

Di

Edited again to say - again i'm being a miserable bag. I'm not knocking the idea of feeding your pup up a bit really... well not really...., I'm not knocking you, or anyone else, just the concept and how I probably try and do it myself at 6 months or so and then again at the leggy teenager stage to give them a fighting chance..... but its so WRONG!!!!!!

Diana · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:09 pm Post subject:

I'd be interested to see a shot of her from above down... if its possible. She has proper legs, she won't look fluffy plump and square like some lines. But seeing her from above might give an idea of her breadth better...

They SHOULDN'T have a level bottom line at this age, or any age before maturity.

Di

callyw · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:19 pm Post subject:

I know I don't have a clue what I'm looking at, but she looks gorgeous to me Nicola Very Happy

What is the motivation behind the thinking that the chunkier the dog the better an example it is of the breed??? Why has is gone this way, and not towards the leaner lines?

(sorry if this is an old and boring discussion, I'm just curious Wink

)

Diana · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject:

Can i keep it short and balanced to both sides? I'll try...

back in the year dot when labs came into the country they mostly were owned by landowners and the genry as shooting companions. For a giggle some dogs shows developed, and some were already going, and labs started to be shown, very proudly but mostly as a sideline to their proper job. So they were basically in hard working condition and judges were shooting types and thats how it was.

Then various things occured including the WW2 and a little more shared wealth, a lot less big landowners and many more people realising the pet type qualities of the Labrador. More pets arrived rather than merely functional dogs and some people started to JUST show. The split started. Those who just showed had little idea of why the dog was a slim, hard active creature with a waist and as they rose up through the sport, the shooting men judges faded and just show people judged more and more.

The eye would fall to showier dogs. less practical types, who caught the eye and stood out. Often bigger but generally ones basically flashier and more substantial to the eye than the original dual purpose dogs.

Wins tend to breed folks to want to win more. The 'more is better' concept took hold in many lines and kennels, mostly and primarily those who had no links to shooting and working the dogs and two types started to form.

Pet dogs started to come out all shapes and sizes because they might be from 'show lines' they might be from 'working lines'or chances are they are one type mated to another because the stud dog was close by and convenient in the days less raised eyebrows at breeding less ethically and thoughtfully than now (or DO we - grin???)

So hence most of the winning dogs in the ring were bred solely for showing, had no thought given to working ability or function and so the show dog appeared.

There are many lines out there who are just stockier naturally. They are NOT overfed or have weight forced on them because they naturally seem to be shorter in leg, wider in ribcage and shorter in body. they tend to have heavy coats and tails and well developed heads from a young age. Therefore not everyone DOES have to throw weight on their dog to get it noticed as a puppy in the ring or to 'conform' some have it naturally for right or for wrong. But some less naturally substantial lines, or matings producing less heavy dogs, slightly more dual 'purposey' dogs do have to fight hard to get a glance in the early years as their dogs mature far more slowly, carry less weight and substance naturally and to carry it, have to be 'fed up' or 'conditioned'.

Is it wrong to breed a dog who conforms in the ring? No, if you wish it to win in the ring. If you have a type naturally less heavy and more slow maturing, maybe a little more 'dula urpose' of look then you either pour weight on it un-naturally OR you sit back and wait for it to come on. And pouring weight on it is where people get dreaful ideas about unhealthy show pups and dogs.

So technically by trying to breed a dual purpose type labrador one has to shoulder slings and arrows of the gallery saying it is carrying far too much weight in day to day life to get it to win in the ring until it matures naturally.

An interesting state of affairs i think you'll agree. But certainly there are judges who do NOT reward excess weight and substance. Equally there are those who see a naturally more heavy dog and cannot be criticised for liking it and producing it and placing it.

Di

Scoobs · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:33 pm Post subject:

My (completely amateur) eye tells me that Blue looks lovely as she is, and this is coming from a 'pet owner' who has been struggling (but winning) to keep Ellies weight down for over a year now. Wink

I apologise for my flippant comments in my earlier post.... Embarassed

Maddie · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject:

Di, the best I could get with a wriggling, cat chasing pup!