While at a weekend hunt test this weekend , the was a fairly prominent woman and her specialty class winning dog. (Running JH he did not deliver the birds on water, thank you for your donation) The dog was as fat as I have ever seen. To me to the point of abuse!! Now I am a fat person , and I KNOW what it is like to carry around this extra weight! THis dog was at LEAST 20 lbs overweight and I heard her and someone else laughing about his weight.....COME ON PEOPLE!!!!! you don't add weight to hide slight tuck up, to add bone, to add coat or any of the other reason the show people feel the need to have FAT dogs!!!
PLEASE can't we have some athletes in the show ring

5-10#, I will give you that. I highly doubt 20#. The dog wouldn't be active at all.

Um, how about you mind your own business, and tend to your own dogs.

Why not have spoken to the owner about your concern? Maybe it would have been a chance to educate?

Yes, not your business. Am glad you are so perfect with your dogs. To each his own.

Not sure about abuse, but it certainly is bad PR for the breed. The number of show Labs at hunt tests are pretty small and it is no wonder they have the reputation they do in the field community when this is what people are shown - an overweight dog that cannot (or will not) do the work.

Perhaps the small number of show labs at hunt tests (though I would dispute that as I train with breeders who do hunt test with their show labs)is due more to the fact that not everyone is interested in doing field work. It requires lots of time, effort, money, and many times, methods that some folks find disturbing.
Serious field folks are just that, serious to the point of being driven. To each his own.
As for the case the OP mentions as being abuse, what about the folks training and running puppies in hunt tests? Seems like a lot of hard work, mentally and physically for not-yet grown Labs.
Sounds like a lack of training was more of a factor than the dog's weight.

She has the right to be but read my story too. I know exactly who the dog is and he's over 20# overweight. His owner can't control him on lead also. He's a dog that shouldn't be bred or shown. He looks like a Newfoundland.

That said I have an overweight bitch that I have tried to get weight off of for many years. The older she got, the more weight she added. 10 # drop over 6 months of true dieting and no more will come off. 4 thyroid panels were done in her lifetime, all are normal. She's very heavy boned has the head of a boy and is over coated (not open) but also overweight. I don't know what to do anymore. She's on a very good diet food, 1/2 cup plus vegetables twice daily and as much exercise as I can get her to do. She's lazy, won't even swim with the others. She paddles for 2 minutes at the shore and that's it. All done and she lies down. She was never bred, never shown because I have a brain in my head. I'm embarrassed of her weight and something is wrong so why pass it on? She's gorgeous but obese. So at 99# after dropping 10# a year ago when she should be 88 or so due to her size and bone, what is a breeder to do?

Every other dog I own, all 5 others are in fit condition, not a drop overweight. It's not us, it's her. I've been to specialists with no answers after tons of tests. Her Mum is becoming more and more overweight at age 11 but wasn't younger so I assume it's possibly something genetic.

I know she has to have the long coated-fluffy coated gene as she's also tremendously overcoated. Any chance the 2 could go together? Has anyone seen them together like I am? When she blows coat, she looks 10# thinner. It comes back in fast, what I would like for my dogs that are shown.

This could be a good discussion and no one has to mind their own business breeder. If you don't like the subject, keep moving to another and tend to your dogs to keep you busy. OP brought up a good topic.

I did NOT say that the non delivery was due to being fat. The dog is not trained that is why he did not deliver. The dance of delivery was pretty fun to watch though... :-))
This person has a pretty prominent position in the lab world ,she has owned the dog since a pup and he has a specialty WD win. I am pretty sure she knows that the dog is 20# overweight. ( and I did hear her and another laughing about how fat he was) That cannot be good for any part of the dog. Joints, organs etc .
Can ANYONE, who fattens up their dog for specialties, give me a GOOD reason to fatten up a Labrador Retriever?
I am an advocate for the breed, I do NOT believe that by turning a blind eye and minding my own business is good for the breed. Sounds like I touched a nerve?

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"I know she has to have the long coated-fluffy coated gene as she's also tremendously overcoated. Any chance the 2 could go together? Has anyone seen them together like I am? When she blows coat, she looks 10# thinner. It comes back in fast, what I would like for my dogs that are shown."

You can't tell if a labrador carries the long coat gene by looking at them. I have a girl who carries the gene and she has a short, dense coat with no wave in it. A very proper coat. I have a friend who has a girl who has a somewhat long, wavy, thick coat and she was sure that the girl carried the long coat gene. She had the test done and it showed she did not carry the gene. It's a simple recessive and you can't tell by looking, only by testing.

The conformation breeder judges I've shown under are quick to criticize a fat dog so I don't know who is rewarding fat dog.

Are some of you through. That is so nasty cutting down others dogs and training. Not your business.

If the dog was really 20 lbs overweight, I feel sorry for him. That is a lot of extra weight to carry around.
The fact that people were making fun of the dog and his "lack of training" bothers me. Do you really know that the dog had not been trained? Maybe he was not in the mood to work or just felt really silly that day and did not do what he was supposed to do. Did anyone approach the owner and offer training help? I applaud anyone that tries various competitive venues with their dogs.Maybe conformation is where her strength lies and instead of knocking her down,someone should offer some suggestions on how to stop the silly deliver to hand dance.
I had a good friend whose dog was very close to acheiving her OTCh. I watched this dog work flawlessly and gain OTCh points and I also watched this dog show up and act like a dog that had flunked out of puppy kindergarten. This was not an issue of training, but of working with an animal that had it's own free will. Although she normally worked really well....there were days when she did not.
I think that a lot of us get tired of hearing about our "fat showdogs" that "can't or won't work" So I am sure that you can see why this topic rubs people the wrong way.
FWIW, most of the conformation people I know work their dogs in the field. NONE of the field people I know show their dogs in conformation though

That was an excellent post Sheila, you said it much better than I could have.

I don't understand why anyone would make fun of people participating at a hunt test? Show dogs or not, at least they are trying to prove their dogs. Why not help them out instead?

I agree an excellent post Sheila.

I am going to propose the flip side... What about "performance" and having dog far too lean. Both extremes are damaging to the dogs. I am equally disgusted to see a dog that is "leaned out" to make them "More competetive" as I am with a fat dog plodding around the ring.

A Healthy Happy Dog is a beautiful thing, lets keep that in focus.

I am a show dog person .. I don't like overdone dogs and none of mine are. We do well in the ring. I am glad that there are Specialty judges who appreciate a moderate dog.

I have been to a few hunt tests and training exercises in my area as I wanted to get a feel for that side of the fancy ... what an eye opener! One day at a Hunt Test with one of the local Lab clubs pretty much left me completely turned off .. the dogs were insane .. handlers could barely get them to the line they were so wild. They came off the truck wild eyed and crazy, ran their retrieves and went right back on the truck. There wasn't one of them I would consider breeding to given their demeanor - all I could think of was "how in heavens name could you live with that every day?" I have been to A LOT of dog shows over the years and I have NEVER seen a dog act as insanely as they did. Pretty much turned me off for quite a few years and even tho' my dogs are very birdy I haven't agreed to their kind invitations to go training with them .. So before you criticize "show" people for the lack of training on their dogs, be sure your own nest is clean ...

Recently I have had the good fortune to meet someone who is a breeder, has top show Labs and trains at the MH level. Her dogs are easy to live with, happy, CALM, and well trained, and excel in the show ring and the field. She lives 10 hours away so it makes it difficult for me to work with her as much as I would like, but when i do, it is really worth it ... it has been a very pleasant surprise and exactly what I was looking for.

I believe there are extremes in all areas of the fancy but that does not mean that there is not a great deal of 'middle ground' where we can all exist happily. I think the experienced breeders on BOTH sides of the sport need to start helping/mentoring the new participants or pretty soon the fancy will be dead.

OTCH....obedience trial champion!