Labrador Retriever Forum
A very long article . Interesting line that says keeping a dog thin does NOT retard genetic potential.
Whoopsy , thanks here is the link
http://personal.palouse.net/valeska/Growth-calcium-energy.htm
Did you forget to post the link to that article?
I would suspect that "overfeeding" causes growth to happen faster, but not necessarily more in the long run. Feeding the "right amount" causes slower growth but the dog will eventually reach its' "genetic potential". But there is definitely a point where "lack of nutrition" would cause a dog not to reach its genetic potential. I am sure there are "gray areas" in between where a dog for example might not meet its growth potential but be otherwise healthy.
I guess it depends how someone defines "thin".
fixed above
Thank you. I look forward to reading it.
Then why so many times do I see my pets come back as adults to visit and they look nothing like what I have kept and fed my way???
It happens all to often to be a coincidence....
It happens all to often to be a coincidence....
Were they spayed/neutered early too??? I've seen that happen for sure.
I agree on that but my buyers are asked not to spay or neuter before 1, so no.
It happens all to often to be a coincidence....
Were they spayed/neutered early too??? I've seen that happen for sure.
It happens all to often to be a coincidence....
Were they spayed/neutered early too??? I've seen that happen for sure.
One is too early to neuter a boy.
Because they were the dogs that you selected as pets, not keepers? And maybe if your dog were lean , he would look different too....(not that I know how fat you dogs are...)
I have a very nice retired (sterile) 4 year old here.In the Potomac ribbons quality. I keep him very lean (I can feel his ribs) and he looks totally different than when I have him in (choke) "show weight"
Yes, it can be disappointing to see dogs that have been placed grow up with less bone, more leg etc. I agree with above post that part of this is because we keep the stronger prospects, or at least we hope to. Secondly, if we keep our dogs in what many of us consider show weight, sometimes they appear to have more substance (bone) than they really do because fat gets deposited EVERYWHERE - under the layer that covers the muscle and in between - have you noticed the dogs who look like they have a true breast bone and then you go to feel it, and, you guessed it - more like a waddle - all fat. Even inside the body cavity - my vet says he sees tons of fat surrounding the organs on fat dogs, especially what he calls the fatadors.... it's too bad that keeping our dogs fat is in vogue - because it's not exactly healthy for them
One of the vets I use used to have a poster on their wall showing what it looked like inside a fat dog. That image is forever burned in my memory. They also have a model of a 1# blob of fat in their waiting room. I wish more vets would make an effort to show people these things.
Yes I agree. Those dog placed as pets are fed much differently than those that the breeders keep as show prospects. Pet families should feed the dogs a quality food and keep it on good health but they shouldn't have to feed the dogs the same way a breeder feeds a show prospect. There is no need to as it is a pet, not a potential show dog. JMHO.
I am a performance person turned show person. I used to make fun of fat show dogs. I knew enough to know that fat dogs look like they have more overall substance to the untrained eye and (diplomatically and with good humor) even made fun of my so called experienced dog people friends who are fooled by this.
When I bought my first show prospect, I kept her fat. I thought I had to. But I made sure she was only "slightly" overweight. When she matured, I guess I got used to it and even got to the point where I argued with my performance friends that she was not as fat as they thought. I explained that tons of bone and coat made them look fat when in fact they are only a little over weight. She was/is a really nice bitch by the way.
Anyway, after her first litter she lost a ton of weight. She looked like a totally different dog. Less bone, less thigh, slightly longer than I thought. All that substance magically melted away. Still a very nice bitch but she didn't have the substance I thought she had. I couldn't believe she was the same dog. I sincerely had believed she wasn't that fat.
Even someone who knew better was fooled. Your eye gets used to something and your brain follows. And now that I think of it, the substance I thought she had, she doesn't need. That is not what a Labrador should be.
The bottom line is many, many people truly believe their labs are not fat and that it is all bone, coat and overall substance. I am not making fun of anyone any more than I am making fun of myself. It is just something that is very important for us to realize because our dogs are not as healthy as they should be. We are supposed to be knowledgeable dog people....leaders.
PS
Did anyone actually read the article? It was excellent.
Yes I read it and it was interesting. Sometimes you have to interject a little common sense. Poor diet = undergrowth and poor development; over do certain elelments and cause detriment. Having grown up on a farm and coached a lot of youth sports. Each animal/being has max limitations. Over feeding doesn't increase growth it increases fat. If you want maximum muscle/substance you need calories in plus exercise (controlled and appropriate for age). In animals as in hummans there are slow maturers, normal and early maturers. All will equal out at full growth provided all other factors are the same. Your dogs in your kennel should look consistent because all factors are the same. I have seen many different looks out of a litter spaying/neutoring is one factor, food another and exercise another. Funny thing is I can take other people's labs and pet puppies that visit while owners on vacation and change them to well muscled dogs in a month. Lots of running and wrestling with other dogs and adjusting the feed to the optimal amount of feces. And in a short period they can be returned back by their owners by going back to their lifestyle and feeding regiment.
