# Is my 15 week old labrador too thin?



## Kindasmum (Mar 11, 2013)

Kinda is currently eating 450g of applaws dry dog food a day. 

http://www.applaws.co.uk/ingredients/dog_dry/dog_dry_smlmed_chick.php

If I try to feed him more he gets the runny bum. I will be switching to skinners dog food after this food has gone.

He weighs just over 12kg at 15 weeks old. Is this ok? He is lanky!

Here are a couple pics (The last one I added because I thought it was sweet)


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

He looks perfect! Labs aren't *supposed* to be rotund; that's just what you see in the general public and even sometimes the show ring, but it's not healthy.


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## Kindasmum (Mar 11, 2013)

Thanks! I was beginning to worry!


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

He looks fine! The general guideline is that you should be able to feel but not see his ribs. When he's standing up, look at him from the side. His tummy should tuck up. From the top, his sides should go in between his last rib and his hips.

Here's a working lab.









Often show labs are bred to be big and bulky, and I've heard that once their show career is done they may lose 20+ lbs. 








[pics from http://pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.com/2010/12/lab-or-flab.html]

Like with people, it's much harder on their bodies to be overweight and bulky. It's harder on their joints, their heart, and predisposes them to conditions like diabetes and arthritis.


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

That show lab doesn't even look like a lab! It looks like a... mastiff or something. I definitely prefer working breeds over the show breed in almost all cases. Especially German Shepherds! But, I agree, he looks just fine! There was a GSD puppy at work the other day, and I thought he looked so skinny and lanky and asked about it. Someone told me a lot of breeds go through a stage in puppy hood where they look and even move awkwardly.


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## Tainted (Jan 23, 2012)

From what I can see, he doesn't look too thin. A standing side shot would have been better, though. 




Sibe said:


> He looks fine! The general guideline is that you should be able to feel but not see his ribs. When he's standing up, look at him from the side. His tummy should tuck up. From the top, his sides should go in between his last rib and his hips.
> 
> Here's a working lab.
> 
> ...


Wow. Doesn't even look like the same breed.


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## AlbertaLab (Feb 13, 2013)

Your pup looks great! 

In comparison, this was Dio around 15 weeks:



This was him in 2012:


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Sibe said:


> He looks fine! The general guideline is that you should be able to feel but not see his ribs. When he's standing up, look at him from the side. His tummy should tuck up. From the top, his sides should go in between his last rib and his hips.
> 
> Here's a working lab.
> 
> ...


That bottom dog looks like some pictures of St. Bernard/black lab crosses I've seen!


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I've noticed show bred labs are starting to look more and more mastiffy. I'd prefer working line, no way I'd get a show bred one.

Your puppy doesn't look overweight


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

/going off topic, but I have the same issue with Basset Hounds. And really with many breeds 

From the same blog









vs working Basset from Albany kennel http://www.albanybassets.co.uk/gallery1.php


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

There are some more moderate show labs too. I know a few that are lovely. And there's the opposite- working labs that are stockier. Our field lab was pretty stocky for a field dog. Yeah it's a trend but it's not so cut and dried.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

I went looking to see if I could find pictures illustrating the difference between show and working condition for rat terriers. Couldn't find them, because apparently it's not so extreme as in labs. Given how new the breed is, it makes perfect sense. I did, however, find this.










and stopped looking because i was horrified.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

CptJack said:


> I went looking to see if I could find pictures illustrating the difference between show and working condition for rat terriers. Couldn't find them, because apparently it's not so extreme as in labs. Given how new the breed is, it makes perfect sense. I did, however, find this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Eeeek!!!! That poor dog is going to explode! :/


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## DaisyDC (Feb 24, 2013)

CptJack said:


> I went looking to see if I could find pictures illustrating the difference between show and working condition for rat terriers. Couldn't find them, because apparently it's not so extreme as in labs. Given how new the breed is, it makes perfect sense. I did, however, find this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I refuse to believe that that isn't photoshopped. Nope, not real, cannot be. Lalalalala.

It was actually shocking to see a non-obese lab at the park the other day. There are so many ridiculously fat ones waddling around out there, it's nice to see a lean one. Keep yours lean and fit and healthy!


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

Puppies are also going to be much more lanky than an adult dog.. a Lab probably wouldn't "fill out" until they're 2 or 3 years old.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Sibe said:


> He looks fine! The general guideline is that you should be able to feel but not see his ribs. When he's standing up, look at him from the side. His tummy should tuck up. From the top, his sides should go in between his last rib and his hips.
> 
> Here's a working lab.
> 
> ...


That SHOW Lab is overweight by 20 pounds. Even for a show Lab

This is our pup's mom... Which is typical for a show bitch.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Conversely that field Lab is on the extreme opposite. I would not put that dog in water with current. 
Lacks substance, muscle mass and lung capacity.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

JohnnyBandit said:


> Conversely that field Lab is on the extreme opposite. I would not put that dog in water with current.
> Lacks substance, muscle mass and lung capacity.


I'm. Not seeing any difference in the ribcage and therefore lung capacity on the show dog and the picture you posted of Keely's mom? I mean in bulk/weight, yes, even muscle mass, but not in the structure/chest depth, which is actually where the lung capacity's at, right?


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

CptJack said:


> I'm. Not seeing any difference in the ribcage and therefore lung capacity on the show dog and the picture you posted of Keely's mom? I mean in bulk/weight, yes, even muscle mass, but not in the structure/chest depth, which is actually where the lung capacity's at, right?




I was talking the lung capacity of the field lab. While photos can be deceiving, lack of depth of chest was the first thing I noticed on that field lab.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

JohnnyBandit said:


> I was talking the lung capacity of the field lab. While photos can be deceiving, lack of depth of chest was the first thing I noticed on that field lab.


I'll give it a closer look on a better monitor when I'm awake and see if I can spot it. I suspect the glossy coat on the picture you're posting is obscuring body markers or I'm just too danged sleepy to notice. Or it's the monitor, like I said. What I've got now, they look proportionally about the same chest to everything else ratio, but I'm more than willing to take your word for it.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

I think your lab is at a healthy weight. I have a 6 month old lab, and she is very lanky (all legs) right now, and that's fine. I cannot see her ribs or spine, but I can feel her ribs under a thin layer of fat, and she has an abdominal tuck (indent). She is at an ideal weight and growing at a good pace. You don't want them to grow too fast, as that can cause a lot of problems down the line. Here is a link that should help you monitor whether or not your pup is at an ideal weight for the entirety of it's life:

http://ktk9.com/body_condition_dog.php


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## Vicky88 (Jan 29, 2012)

It is nice to see a healthy Lab, they are often over weight, or getting that way!. Your dog looks good and not skinny.


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## Kindasmum (Mar 11, 2013)

Thanks everyone to their kind words!

If he is just over 12kg at 15 weeks then how big do you think he will get when he is fully grown?

Or is it just guess work? Lol


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

JohnnyBandit said:


> Conversely that field Lab is on the extreme opposite. I would not put that dog in water with current.
> Lacks substance, muscle mass and lung capacity.


Erm, the chest on that dog goes to the elbows. It's a little hard to see because it's black on black, but it does. Plus, shouldn't the coat keep the lab protected in the water, not 20 lbs of fat?


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

Kindasmum said:


> Thanks everyone to their kind words!
> 
> If he is just over 12kg at 15 weeks then how big do you think he will get when he is fully grown?
> 
> Or is it just guess work? Lol


It's hard to say. My vet looked at Nova's bone and joint structure to help predict how large she thought she would get. Nova is 6 months now and weighs around 42 pounds. She's predicted to weigh around 70 pounds when she's fully grown (she's going to be a big girl!). Next time you're at your vet, I would get him/her to have a look at your little man and give you a prediction.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

To add, I think the key thing for a lab puppy is slow and controlled growth.


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## jeyanx (Jul 30, 2020)

Hello. I'm not sure if this thread is still active but as of the moment i have the same concern. Here are some pictures of my 15-weeks old puppy. 




















I'm not sure if he's too thin or something. His parents are both half-Lab and half-GoldenRet.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

jeyanx said:


> Hello. I'm not sure if this thread is still active


The last post was more than seven years ago, so no.

Please start a new one.


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