# Dogs at healthy weight-



## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

We often say that people are so used to saying overweight dogs that they don't recognize one at a healthy weight and in good body condition when they see it. 

So, I thought it might be fun to share some pictures of various dogs with various body types at their ideal weight/condition - or close to it. It looks different on different dogs, and people's perceptions still vary. 

So, share photos (yours or not, doesn't matter).


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Well I have a hairy example of a ripped and fit dog, he is very toned under that coat.


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

Pet Weight

















Conditioned
















A lot of dogs genetically look like the conditioned dogs

*FYI the examples above are of two separate breeds, but i have seen some conditioned Amstaffs look real nice


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## Vernitta (Aug 29, 2008)

That is a gorgeous coat! Australian Shepherds are my heart breed and yours are gorgeous!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

I had to work harder than I'd like to find pictures that work here, and couldn't find some I wanted on this computer, but:









Notice the ribs on Frost, even in the blurry picture?









Same day. Also notice the shoulders?









Jack - lousy picture, good shot of his chest and shoulders, though. Better than the above, because of angle.

My dogs are NOT conditioned, in any real way. They're regularly exercised pretty hard, Jack's pushing 7 years old and used to be a weight pull dog, but that's just how they look. Visible ribs. All the time, except dead of winter when Jack gets lazy because he hates cold. Sometimes visible top of the pelvis, when the weather's perfect for him to want to be out. Muscle ton is decent, but could be a TON better. 

They're just healthy, super active dogs with the right build to show that kind of thing.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

It kills me that some people see a fit dog as too skinny. Certain breeds get targeted more than others. I saw a Craigslist ad once for a greyhound, where a pic was included. The dog appeared to be in good condition, maybe a little heavy if anything. When I popped on Craigslist the next day, someone had posted a cruel tirade to the list, berating the owners of the greyhound for neglecting and starving their dog. Oye.

Here are some gorgeous sighthounds from the Premier:


aukc by grinningd0g, on Flickr


aukc5 by grinningd0g, on Flickr


ukcswhborzoi by grinningd0g, on Flickr


ukcwhippet by grinningd0g, on Flickr


ukcsaluki3 by grinningd0g, on Flickr


ukcsaluki6 by grinningd0g, on Flickr


ukcsilken by grinningd0g, on Flickr

Beautiful. <3


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

I have a few I took at work over the past week. 








A black lab. Can you believe it?!

















Another lab.








Look at all those labs! And... "labradoodle". Apparently my work is 'black lab hang out' >.>


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Dog with a nice tuck and fairly well developed muscles, thin coated

















Short but thick coated dog with a tuck, moderate muscles








And in a running motion


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Those labs make my heart happy, Syd. Healthy AND active, as a lab should be! One of my former coworkers had a lab I admired every time I saw it. For the same reason. Unfortunately, it's such a rarity to see a fit lab, and people forget they're supposed to look like that. 

Even when a dog is of a breed I don't find attractive, I still fawn over a healthy example. There's nothing more impressive, to me, than a dog in perfect condition.


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## TRDmom (Mar 3, 2013)

Pretty sighthounds, Kirsten&Gypsy! Thanks for sharing! 

My dogs have slight ribs showing like Frost in CptJack's first pic. The vet said they were great weights. Sorry, I don't have any pics right now.


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## Melle (Aug 9, 2013)

I don't have any examples but I just wanted to comment; Syd I love love LOVE the look of your lab! I always see so many thick or bulky or stocky ones these days, but yours is the picture of what I've always imagined a perfect lab to look like ever since I was really little


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Chubby Squash (last summer)




Leaner Squash (this summer)






It's hard to get good pictures of Maisy, but these aren't bad.




Here she is a little too chubby.



Pip looks pretty much exactly the same whether he's chubby or lean.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Good weight furry little dog - good tuck. 









Big furry dog at a decent weight. Half-wet


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

Pointers

























Rottweilers


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

Melle said:


> I don't have any examples but I just wanted to comment; Syd I love love LOVE the look of your lab! I always see so many thick or bulky or stocky ones these days, but yours is the picture of what I've always imagined a perfect lab to look like ever since I was really little


Oh, I don't own a lab. These are all from the clinic I work at. 



Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> Those labs make my heart happy, Syd. Healthy AND active, as a lab should be! One of my former coworkers had a lab I admired every time I saw it. For the same reason. Unfortunately, it's such a rarity to see a fit lab, and people forget they're supposed to look like that.
> 
> Even when a dog is of a breed I don't find attractive, I still fawn over a healthy example. There's nothing more impressive, to me, than a dog in perfect condition.


I was actually surprised to see so many fit, athletic labs. But now that I know the vet I work for is so focused on good nutrition and keeping a fit dog (His own dog is in most of the pictures, the one with the purple collar), I'm not so surprised anymore.


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## zeronightfarm (Jun 15, 2011)

I wish I had better photo's but these are my JRT Cheecho, and one of my foster Bully mix Balloo.


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

My mutt at 85lbs


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I'm going to throw these up here because Pip is actually at a very good weight right now but you can see that he has like NO tuck whatsoever. I think you can see his waist pretty well in these pictures, though, since he's wet. If you were to see him from the top you'd see a nice waist. He's just a straight-across-the-bottom guy. 

(He ran out of frame here, aheh.)


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Muttly mutt small breed









Long haired retriever with lean muscle 









Chester had gained a few pounds over the winter but has lost about 5 lbs to get back to his target weight. The vet and I had a laugh about how easy it was Chester to lose the 5 lbs compared to our (humans) efforts. The lack of thumbs to open the fridge or food bag was the key factor but I thought that a kibble marketed to really lazy cooks might work. We decided to call the imaginary food "Bachelor Chow" (also suitable for Bachelorettes of course).


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Here are a couple more contrasting pictures of Squash. 

Last winter, when he was chubby.



This summer, you can see he has a much nicer tuck and waist and just a hint of rib.


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

My other mutt


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Why is it the best photo I have of Sham's muscles he is biting Elsa's head? I'm inspired now to take full body shots of him on purpose because I love his big muscley butt.










Poots has always been muscles:










Jack is slim, but he's all puff:










Smalls and Magpie are just proportionally terrible. Magpie is underweight and Smalls is a good weight, but stumpy legs don't do any one justice.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Summer is very lean right now. Mia's always bordering on too chubby (for my tastes). Vet says they are both at good weights although he says Summer is very lean. Mia has a nice tuck and visible waist but I'd want a little less padding over the ribs. I try to keep mine on the very thin side since they do so much running and jumping and climbing.

This is Summer last year. She is leaner now than she was then.








[/url]
last year by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr[/IMG]


last year 2 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

Summer when her belly was shaved- you can REALLY tell here how thin she is.










I keep her around this most the time:

DSC_0493 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

Hard to see when she's not wet though:


DSC_0279 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

He's a lean and muscley 27lbs. His fur has gotten really poofy since he's matured so it can be hard to see his real lines.

















A shot with the sun on him so you can see his lean waist through the fur.


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## AmandaN (Apr 15, 2013)

Lean, fit and well muscled Dachshund (mine!):



















Fat Dachshund:

























It's also old style/working (mine) vs new/show style, but you can see the difference.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Mia is rough to keep ideal. 


miaa by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


DSC_0093 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


miaf by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


DSC_5509 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


b2 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


DSC_0130 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

Right now she's close but a little bit heavier.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

Love all the pictures! Every one of those healthy dogs is stunning.

Annabel's at a great weight, but you can't really tell because she's a giant fluffball. Of course, Newfs are always kind of big fluffballs... I'll try to get some good pictures the next time she has a bath or a swim.


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## juliemule (Dec 10, 2011)

http://m1244.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/juliemalinois/IMG952012042895180033.jpg.html


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

SydTheSpaniel said:


> I have a few I took at work over the past week.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like the looks of that Lab in the first pick... The Weim needs to lose some weight and gain some condition.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

With a dense medium coat, it is hard to see muscle on ACDs. 

In this photo you can see definition on the shoulder and rear leg, difined "waist", definition in the stifle.









Can see some here...









up close









A different kind of view.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

I keep my dog at a conditioned weight.


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

JohnnyBandit said:


> I like the looks of that Lab in the first pick... The Weim needs to lose some weight and gain some condition.


Yep. I was showing off the labs, the Weim definitely needs to lose a bit and tone up. I've only met him once and he's not active at all in daycare and I think he's on the older side.


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

Foresthund said:


> I keep my dog at a conditioned weight.


 I love your dog


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## Tainted (Jan 23, 2012)




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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

Tainted said:


>


 I was hoping you would post!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM<3<3 the PERFECT ambullies!


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

Thanks,some good looking dogs.
Here's a awesome lab.


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## xoxluvablexox (Apr 10, 2007)

My dog doesn't really have muscle so I guess that's something I should work on although I'm not sure it's really all that necessary. 

He is a healthy weight. He had been a little chubby. It's funny, my dad had just told me today that he thinks my dog is too skinny. He thinks I don't feed him enough and constantly ask me if he's eating. My dad's had quite a few dogs in his life so I have to wonder how chubby they were.
















He's shaved down right now so I should probably take a more recent pic since he's not as fluffy as usual.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

xoxluvablexox said:


> My dog doesn't really have muscle so I guess that's something I should work on although I'm not sure it's really all that necessary.
> 
> He is a healthy weight. He had been a little chubby. It's funny, my dad had just told me today that he thinks my dog is too skinny. He thinks I don't feed him enough and constantly ask me if he's eating. My dad's had quite a few dogs in his life so I have to wonder how chubby they were.
> 
> ...


A treadmill is your friend.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

9 year old male


















4 year old male









16 month old male


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

B-dog


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

From the pics to me it looks like the poodle could drop a couple more. He doesn't have much of a tuck or waist. 

I'm not the most experienced judge though. In any event, congratulations on getting her slimmed down this far!


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## Tainted (Jan 23, 2012)

Adjecyca1 said:


> I was hoping you would post!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM<3<3 the PERFECT ambullies!


 

Thanks as always, Adjecyca!


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Here's Casper. He's actually a bit thin, but with his fluff, he looks good.










This photo is blurry, but you can see Crystal's shape in it -- usually the fur obscures it.










And you can see when it's windy:


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## xoxluvablexox (Apr 10, 2007)

aiw said:


> From the pics to me it looks like the poodle could drop a couple more. He doesn't have much of a tuck or waist.
> 
> I'm not the most experienced judge though. In any event, congratulations on getting her slimmed down this far!


So not only are you calling my dog fat but your also calling him a her, how rude. Lol =P

Seriously though, he's skinny. It's hard to see until he's really shaved down all the way like he is right now. I can see his ribs from certain angles and there is nothing but skin covering them. 

He might need to tone up a bit though. I'm not about to stick him on a treadmill but he could use some more toning of some sort. I like muscular dogs but I'm not about to beef up my poodle. He would look ridiculous.

Now I really want to take a pic of him but my camera is in my room and it's been taken over by relatives =[. I'll just have to wait till a normal hour to take pics to prove he's not fat lol.


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## Vivyd (Mar 8, 2013)

Tainted said:


>


I love the look of your dogs. I was never a fan a bullies (had one jump a fence and chase me up a tree when I was a kid), but since joining this forum and seeing how everyone talks about bullies and especially seeing the photos you post of yours.....they're growing on me


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## Kyndall54 (Apr 26, 2013)

I worry sometimes I feed Ammy too much and she's becoming too weighty but its really hard to tell under all of her fluffiness! When I roll her on her belly she still seems pretty tucked. But now that she's grown longer belly hair it's even harder to tell. I can still feel her ribs under her fur though.


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## Vivyd (Mar 8, 2013)

I think Linken has put on a bit of weight over the summer, it's too hot to take him out for too long. But I started him on a raw diet about 2 weeks ago and he seems to be dropping down a bit now.


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## Avie (Jul 10, 2011)

Here's Mike. He was underweight when we got him and now he's just really lean. May be hard to tell from the picture (medium length hair) but his shoulders and thighs are really defined. All muscle. 










When we first got him: 









Last summer, you can really see his waist here:


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

xoxluvablexox said:


> He might need to tone up a bit though. I'm not about to stick him on a treadmill but he could use some more toning of some sort. I like muscular dogs but I'm not about to beef up my poodle. He would look ridiculous.


There's no reason for a pet dog to be beefed up or "cut," but good muscle tone does help a dog age well (happy strong muscles make happy strong joints).


Squash and Maisy are actually still a little heavier than I would like, but they are fairly muscular. You can usually only see it in mushing pictures, though.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

I think Faolan may be a tad on the skinny side, but putting more weight on him would be pretty difficult as he doesn't even eat all of his food now (3 cups a day) and he is very energetic.

Legend is fat and fluffy so I wont bother including pictures of him.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

A lot of how 'beefy' a dog gets is going to depend on breed/genetics. Most dogs are not going to look like the am bullies posted even at a good weight and with great muscle tone. I wish Summer was shorthaired so you could see it but she's very lean and very fit. She has great muscle definition, very low body fat, but is not a beefy or bulky dog. She is more like a sighthound as far as muscling goes. You can feel muscles down her spine, her ribs have very little covering over them, very well defined rear muscles... 

I've been very pleased with how she's aging. She's 9 and still very athletic and full of energy.


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## MonicaBH (Jul 5, 2008)

I'll try to take some photos today... three of my dogs are rather chunky, one is lean and one is just right.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

Gypsy









Happy is actually underweight, but you cant tell under the fur









Rusty









Baby









Gem









Misty









my vet loves me lol, everytime my dogs are at the vet, no matter what vet it is, they are comlimenting me on the condition of my dogs, and how nice it is to see.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Aha here we go.


summerhiar5 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I think my dog is in good shape - feel free to shoot me down. The vet suggested he should weigh about a pound less than he does now (he's 19 lbs now) but I think that would be too thin! He's oddly shaped, being part doxie, with a big barrel chest! He has nice muscle tone now, a nice tuck, you can easily feel his ribs and spine, and you can see his lower ribs when he's laying down. 





You can see his bottom ribs here (Hamilton asks "Am I done relaxing yet?")


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

What a great thread! I am actually constantly evaluating Charlie's weight because I worry that he is borderline too thin. But then I think I just feel that way because we see fat dogs so often that we're used to seeing them heavier. 

A few weeks ago:


Today:


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## AlbertaLab (Feb 13, 2013)

Dio a couple summer's ago:
Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Dio and Kaity:
Uploaded with ImageShack.com

It's difficult to get a good photo of Kaity. She's always on the move!


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

This was Aleu back in October. I remember posting this asking if she was actually too thin.










I liked her then.

But I like her a little better now.


































We've picked up exercising a little more now, so she's toning out again.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

Aleu is stunning! I think her body is perfect.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

ChaosIsAWeim said:


> B-dog


I'm happy you posted! So painfully beautiful. I always wondered about the flaps of skin Buster had running from his belly to his back legs. Not sure of the proper terminology. So that's just the way Weims are? 

Does what I'm trying to say even make sense? It's not easy being so inarticulate! 


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## xoxluvablexox (Apr 10, 2007)

Laurelin said:


> A lot of how 'beefy' a dog gets is going to depend on breed/genetics. Most dogs are not going to look like the am bullies posted even at a good weight and with great muscle tone. I wish Summer was shorthaired so you could see it but she's very lean and very fit. She has great muscle definition, very low body fat, but is not a beefy or bulky dog. She is more like a sighthound as far as muscling goes. You can feel muscles down her spine, her ribs have very little covering over them, very well defined rear muscles...
> 
> I've been very pleased with how she's aging. She's 9 and still very athletic and full of energy.


Yeah I love the way APBT and Bullies look when there lean and very muscular but I think too much muscle on a poodle would just be weird. IDK, I feel like my dog looks really good. I took more recent pics. Ignore the bald spot. He had a traumatic experience with a doggy seat belt when his hair was WAY to long and the groomer was over booked. Thankfully that hair is growing back. I had the groomer take everything off pretty much, that's not normally how he gets groomed. Let's just say I was an idiot and forgot to bring a brush with me on a wkend camping trip and there was nothing that could be done but to just shave it all off pretty much.



















































So, does anyone think he needs to lose another pound? I personally think he looks good but maybe I'm wrong.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

BubbaMoose said:


> I'm happy you posted! So painfully beautiful. I always wondered about the flaps of skin Buster had running from his belly to his back legs. Not sure of the proper terminology. So that's just the way Weims are?
> 
> Does what I'm trying to say even make sense? It's not easy being so inarticulate!
> 
> ...


I'm pretty sure all dogs have those - they're just more visible on single, short-coated dogs.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Blaze is difficult to see since he has all his hair and he is very stocky looking. but when you get your hands on him, you feel there is nothing to him lol.

Solo on the other hand could tone up a bit more to my liking. but either way for a regular house pet who doesnt do anything then hang out and go walking he is in pretty good shape IMO.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

IMO yes the poodle could loose more weight. there is no waist line or tuck up. Id try for 2lbs or so. more toning then anything will fix most right up.

why bother having a dog a few pounds over weight. better to have them a few lbs under IMO. healthier


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## Tainted (Jan 23, 2012)

Vivyd said:


> I love the look of your dogs. I was never a fan a bullies (had one jump a fence and chase me up a tree when I was a kid), but since joining this forum and seeing how everyone talks about bullies and especially seeing the photos you post of yours.....they're growing on me


That's good to hear, thank you!


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## xoxluvablexox (Apr 10, 2007)

Tankstar said:


> IMO yes the poodle could loose more weight. there is no waist line or tuck up. Id try for 2lbs or so. more toning then anything will fix most right up.
> 
> why bother having a dog a few pounds over weight. better to have them a few lbs under IMO. healthier


Well when he was sick he had been down to 13lbs. Right now he's at 14.9. His skin was hanging off his body it looked horrible so I made sure to put the weight back on him because he looked unhealthy. Maybe I should have just waited till the skin ajusted to the rapid weight loss he went through from being sick. Guess I'll have to cut down his food by an ounce or something.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

sassafras said:


>


CptJack, just grabbed Squash because he's a good example of what I mean. I don't see that on him like I do on Buster. Buster's are more prominent than ChaosisaWeim's dog, but I attribute to the fact that Buster being relatively out of shape right now. 

Best example I could find of what I'm talking about. Taken last week. Yep, they're total doofuses. 









Leave it to those two to collide into each other and miss the ball completely. 


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## Finkie_Mom (Mar 2, 2010)

Jari is still a gangly puppy, so he doesn't quite count yet, but here are the others.

Pen looks like he's a bit overweight, but he's all fluff. I can feel his spine and ribs easily:









He's wet in this picture:









Bubby can use some more muscle tone, but she's getting there. The pregnancy/following illness really took a toll on her:


















And this is a great picture of Kimma (wish it weren't burry). I think she's in really nice shape, though sometimes she borders on too skinny:









My vet always compliments my guys on their physical shape. Means a lot to me because I try to keep them in good body condition.


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## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

These dogs all look great.

At the end of the day, I would rather see a dog a little too lean than a little too heavy


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

BubbaMoose said:


> CptJack, just grabbed Squash because he's a good example of what I mean. I don't see that on him like I do on Buster. Buster's are more prominent than ChaosisaWeim's dog, but I attribute to the fact that Buster being relatively out of shape right now.
> 
> Best example I could find of what I'm talking about. Taken last week. Yep, they're total doofuses.
> 
> ...



Wow, utterly irrelevant reply. Let's try that again. 

SOme definitely have bigger ones than others. Thud and Kylie have relatively small ones. Bug, Jack and Frost more.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Found a pic of Crystal where she was too chubby, and you can tell even with the fur:










Here's one of her perhaps a bit too thin:










And in these recent ones, she looks good:



















Standing funny, but here she is wet:










I like that my vet will tell me if Crystal is overweight. She always compliments my dogs when they look good, too.

Crystal's breeder will also get annoyed if Crystal gets chubby.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Here are some shots of Katie. I think poodles and other dogs with fur that grows continuously are hard. The morning of her grooming appointment, I'll think she's starting to look pudgy. When I see her later, I can't believe how prominent her hip bones are.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

BubbaMoose said:


> I'm happy you posted! So painfully beautiful. I always wondered about the flaps of skin Buster had running from his belly to his back legs. Not sure of the proper terminology. So that's just the way Weims are?
> 
> Does what I'm trying to say even make sense? It's not easy being so inarticulate!
> 
> ...


Katie (standard poodle) has those flaps (don't know what they're called). Depending on the angle you're looking, they can make her look heavier than she is (as I was noticing while searching for accurate pictures).


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

CptJack said:


> Wow, utterly irrelevant reply. Let's try that again.
> 
> SOme definitely have bigger ones than others. Thud and Kylie have relatively small ones. Bug, Jack and Frost more.


Gotcha, finally. Thanks. 


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

cookieface said:


> Katie (standard poodle) has those flaps (don't know what they're called). Depending on the angle you're looking, they can make her look heavier than she is (as I was noticing while searching for accurate pictures).


I agree, I think they definitely make Buster look heavier if you see him from a certain angle. His have gotten a little more noticeable as he ages. 


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Here are a few of Watson. I'm lucky that he is a skinny thing no matter what I feed him or how many treats he gets. I think having him intact has a big impact on his metabolism.

I think he was a bit skinny in this picture, but more puppy awkward skinny, than actually underweight. His breed should look round and spaniel-like, even at a lean weight, and his thighs need heavier muscling. He's definitely still filling out noticeably every month. The breed standard states that he should be shown in hard muscled working condition.


Here's another where I think he looks pretty good. He's getting more feathering so it's hard to see, but you can see how his waist tucks in a lot right behind his rib cage. He's also getting quite muscular in the shoulder and hindquarters.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

BubbaMoose said:


> I'm happy you posted! So painfully beautiful. I always wondered about the flaps of skin Buster had running from his belly to his back legs. Not sure of the proper terminology. So that's just the way Weims are?
> 
> Does what I'm trying to say even make sense? It's not easy being so inarticulate!
> 
> ...


I think I know what you are talking of, and yeah that is normal.


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

SDRRanger said:


> These dogs all look great.
> 
> At the end of the day, I would rather see a dog a little too lean than a little too heavy


Yep.

Aleu has had issues in the past, and I have no doubt she will likely have joint/hip specifically issues in her future. I made a lot mistake with this dog when she was younger because I was uneducated.
I would rather have her on the thin side with muscle in here than a couple pounds overweight. So much easier on the body. 

I still get "oh my- she's so skinny" crap.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

I am so happy that Manna if fluffy. I'm sure that people around here would call the AC because they've never seen a healthy Newfie before. 
Most here are as wide as they are long almost, it's really sad to see in a breed that already has joint issues. Now Manna is starting to put on a little padding around her ribs that I would like to see reduced, but that's mostly my fault, I've been having major issues with my legs lately and haven't been able to hike with her. (She is getting some extra task training though.) I'm thinking I might have to hire a dog walker until I can get my legs back to semi-normal.

I'll post picture later today


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

BubbaMoose said:


> CptJack, just grabbed Squash because he's a good example of what I mean. I don't see that on him like I do on Buster.


Squash is stepping forward with the rear leg in the picture you quoted, so it kind of makes it disappear anyway, but doesn't have as much of a "flap" as a lot of dogs do. As others have said, it's totally normal for there to be some variation. And age makes a difference - gravity is a harsh mistress whether you're a dog or a people.

You can get a better idea of how much flap he actually has here. Come to think of it this is also a better angle to see his waist. White dog from the side... not so much contrast.


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## AmandaN (Apr 15, 2013)

Hambonez said:


> I think my dog is in good shape - feel free to shoot me down. The vet suggested he should weigh about a pound less than he does now (he's 19 lbs now) but I think that would be too thin! He's oddly shaped, being part doxie, with a big barrel chest! He has nice muscle tone now, a nice tuck, you can easily feel his ribs and spine, and you can see his lower ribs when he's laying down.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



He looks pretty good, but I'd like to see a shot from above. I know he's a mix and Nola's a purebred, but she's much more muscled and I'd like to see more strongly defined muscles on Hamilton (if he were my dog), especially on his back and front leg areas. JMO though!


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Kit was overweight when I got her:









But we fixed that:


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Kit was overweight when I got her:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You have her looking tight!!!

Do you know/ or have any idea what mixes she is?


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

Wow! Kit doesn't even look like the same dog! Love it!


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

AmandaN said:


> He looks pretty good, but I'd like to see a shot from above. I know he's a mix and Nola's a purebred, but she's much more muscled and I'd like to see more strongly defined muscles on Hamilton (if he were my dog), especially on his back and front leg areas. JMO though!


His fur is actually about twice as long as a short haired doxie, which probably obscures definition a bit. He is really solid. I'm not sure how I'd get him any more defined, especially considering her is extremely lazy! Not for lack of trying to get him to do things, he generally looks at us like we're nuts. He does walk a few miles a day, and gets the opportunity to play with other dogs a few times a week... but he often just wants to roll in smells.

This is sort of an aerial shot though he's a little scrunched because he's digging a hole. Right now he's passed out on my husband, who is also passed out, and I don't want to bug them. He spent the afternoon with two of his purebred doxie friends (both minis, both only weigh about 3 lbs less than him! they look like sausages).


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I think Hamilton looks good.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

Piper- Boxer: She looks perfect to me.









Damon- Miniature Pinscher: Looks good, needs some more conditioning however.





Jasper- Australian Shepherd: He is good, but could use a little more conditioning for my taste.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

sassafras said:


> I think Hamilton looks good.


He does possess epic handsomeness in excess of that which you would expect to find in a dog of his stature. 

(He does suffer from big head syndrome. No idea how he got that!)


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## Leah00 (Jul 6, 2012)

I want to play!  I used to be disappointed in Buttercup's shape. I felt like she needed to be stockier and more "bully". Now I like how lean she looks. I feel like she's a really a good weight but I know that she does need more muscle. I'm working on it, I just haven't figured out how to do it yet.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Leah00 said:


> I want to play!  I used to be disappointed in Buttercup's shape. I felt like she needed to be stockier and more "bully". Now I like how lean she looks. I feel like she's a really a good weight but I know that she does need more muscle. I'm working on it, I just haven't figured out how to do it yet.


I am NOT ragging your dog... But it she was mine, I would do some roadwork, or more likely treadmill on an incline and take a pound or two off her at the same time. You could get some real muscle definition out of her.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Damon'sMom said:


> Piper- Boxer: She looks perfect to me.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You Boxer ROCKS!! IMO your min pin needs a little work. Your Aussie looks good in the photos but with the coat you really have to put your hands on them.


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## Quilivi (Feb 14, 2013)

Man, these dogs are GORGEOUS. I really wish more people knew what a healthy dog looked like.

I was showing a friend some pictures of the new puppy today, and her sister walked in and started ranting and raving about how abusive I am because 'That puppy is WAY too thin! It's gonna die like that!'


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## Leah00 (Jul 6, 2012)

JohnnyBandit said:


> I am NOT ragging your dog... But it she was mine, I would do some roadwork, or more likely treadmill on an incline and take a pound or two off her at the same time. You could get some real muscle definition out of her.


That's fine. I appreciate the input. She has a mild luxating patella so I get nervous about hurting her. She was training for agility until she started limping and we found out about her knee. I do want her to build muscle though and I know it will be good for her knee. I'm just limited in my area of what I can do.


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## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

Quilivi said:


> Man, these dogs are GORGEOUS. I really wish more people knew what a healthy dog looked like.
> 
> I was showing a friend some pictures of the new puppy today, and her sister walked in and started ranting and raving about how abusive I am because 'That puppy is WAY too thin! It's gonna die like that!'


Agreed. I left Maisy with my parents for a few days and they decided that she was too thin, and that all this 'new' stuff about being thin was overrated and 'back when'...


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

A picture of Solo I took about a hour ago.


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

Quilivi said:


> Man, these dogs are GORGEOUS. I really wish more people knew what a healthy dog looked like.
> 
> I was showing a friend some pictures of the new puppy today, and her sister walked in and started ranting and raving about how abusive I am because 'That puppy is WAY too thin! It's gonna die like that!'


Here's why I cannot, will not, ever, have a sighthound.
I already hear Y IS SHE SO SKINNYNYNYY?1??2>2>2111 out of my husky. I cannot imagine life with a sighthound.


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## Rowdy (Sep 2, 2007)

Great pics. I would take home a Borzoi,or two, or three in a heartbeat!

I went looking for a good picture that would show off Cameron's physique. He's at a good weight and has a great hind end. Unfortunately, with a double coated dog, even a short coated one, you have to be a better photographer than me to be able to see his muscles or even his tuck up. With Toby, it's impossible. It's hard to tell even by feeling him, with all that fur.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

JohnnyBandit said:


> You have her looking tight!!!


Yup, that's what regular exercise and limited food intake will do. A lot of her muscle mass is related to the agility that we do - usually between once and twice a week.



JohnnyBandit said:


> Do you know/ or have any idea what mixes she is?


No, not really. I strongly suspect BC x pointer or possibly BC x springer. At 40lbs, probably more likely to be the pointer than the springer.

Here's another pic edited by someone with mad photoshop skills:


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Yup, that's what regular exercise and limited food intake will do. A lot of her muscle mass is related to the agility that we do - usually between once and twice a week.
> 
> 
> 
> No, not really. I strongly suspect BC x pointer or possibly BC x springer. At 40lbs, probably more likely to be the pointer than the springer.


You are in the PNW correct? 

Ever thought of an Aussie/Kelpie Cross? 

The reason I say that... 

The cross is NOT uncommon. Especially in the northwestern third of the country. 

And the build, colors, etc Plus the hinge, look that way to me.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

GottaLuvMutts said:


>



In THIS picture... IF you colored her brown, I would SWEAR you have a Kelpie....


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

As in the colors of her mask.


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

She's about 19 pounds... I'd really like to see her tone up a bit and lose a pound or two, personally. Thoughts? I know it's hard to see through her fur.. but yeah.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

JohnnyBandit said:


> You are in the PNW correct? Ever thought of an Aussie/Kelpie Cross?


I suppose it's possible. It would account for the drive and obsessive tendencies, but it doesn't explain her gun dog traits: goofy, ridiculously food motivated, uber friendly, strong nose. And almost all herders I've met have much more sound sensitivity than she does - she sleeps next to the open window on the 4th of July.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> I suppose it's possible. It would account for the drive and obsessive tendencies, but it doesn't explain her gun dog traits: goofy, ridiculously food motivated, uber friendly, strong nose. And almost all herders I've met have much more sound sensitivity than she does - she sleeps next to the open window on the 4th of July.


None of my ACDs are sound sensitive.... In fact most the herding dogs I know are bullet proof... 

Frankly I have spent TONS more time working with bird dogs getting them reasonably non reactive to gunshot, than I have herding dogs. I have never thought of herders as sound sensitive. 

Heck about six weeks ago we were doing a herding clinic, a coyote showed up about 80 yards out. Checking things out. I grabbed my Ruger Ranch Rifle out of the Jeep, the coyote got spooked and I emptied out about half a 15 round magazine at him as he was headed South towards the next county. ( did not make it.) There were about a dozen dogs around. None of them freaked. And Ranch Rifles are pretty loud. (About as loud as a .30-30 or an AK47)

Herders can be food motivated, most Aussies are really friendly. And Herding dogs have great noses. As good as any dog on average. Kelpies and ACDs both tend to go nose to ground a lot. They will also stick their faces in the wind to scent things. Stock in the outback is often not visible. You have to find it hiding in the woods. Very different than the environment most other herding breeds developed in. 

All the great things you have done with this dog, she speaks herding dog to me.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

You can't get an extreme piebald from an Aussie x kelpie. 

ETA: Kelpies are solid colored, Aussies are irish spotted. Piebald/extreme piebald needs a white spotted parent on both sides.

Fwiw, I think she's probably a multi-generational mix with a strong border collie influence. There's just something in her expression that says BC to me.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Siberian Husky, she's 40 lbs and 21" at the shoulder. Huskies tend to be very light for their size, labs and such her size are about 60-65lbs









Staffordshire Bull Terrier, she is about 55lbs and shorter than my knee. Quite a bit shorter than Denali but weighs 15 lbs more.


















Vizsla, I'm not sure what he weighs









Now for "Too Skinny vs Good Weight"

Former foster boxer. He started VERY skinny. At his ideal weight he was 70-75lbs, he was about 50 when we got him. First is way too skinny.









Better









Best! Lean with great muscle.









Kaytu, my rescue husky was barely 30 lbs when we got her. She should be 40 lbs. 10 lbs missing was 1/4 of her weight so she was very skinny.

Day 1









About a month later, she gained 1lb per week. Good rate.









Current, 40 lbs


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Denali in the tub









Blowdry after, she looks big. All that fur!









^Those are at a year old, in winter coat.

1.5 years old, summer coat


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Here are my two. 

Max the black dog during the course of a bath so you can see his tuck/waist a little and the other is an hour later after getting blown out and trimmed. Same dog, same day - really. He is stronger now than when he was 8 years old as his muscling is about twice what it was then but except for when he was fed cooked food he has always been a slim dog. I can easily feel all his bony points. He was 12 years old in these pictures.

Ginger, the little red dog, is fat. She may not look it but she is. Behind the front legs there is quite the pad of fat. Her belly has deep folds when she is laying on her side. The skin over her hips and shoulders is too thick. Because she is now raw fed and there isn't much in her gut she looks like she has a waist and because of the shaved belly and deep chest she looks like she has a tuck. This photo was taken 2 weeks ago, now she has a bit of rib and whatever that flap between leg and body is is now present. I really need to take another picture, maybe she has more neck now if the shoulders are slimming down. Or maybe new fluff as made her look chunkier than this photo shows.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Laurelin said:


> You can't get an extreme piebald from an Aussie x kelpie.
> 
> ETA: Kelpies are solid colored, Aussies are irish spotted. Piebald/extreme piebald needs a white spotted parent on both sides.
> 
> Fwiw, I think she's probably a multi-generational mix with a strong border collie influence. There's just something in her expression that says BC to me.





















I am less familiar with Aussies and Kelpies. But I know for a fact that ACDs carry the recessive white piebald gene.

If ACDs carry it, Kelpies could. 

Piebald Dingos are known to occur.


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## mashlee08 (Feb 24, 2012)

She is a good weight to me, could do with tone, but it's hard when her weight is borderline. You can feel her spine, and hips but her ribs have nice coverage.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Woooeeeeeeee mashlee! She is so gorgeous <3


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Jackson at his best weight/shape:


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

cookieface said:


> Katie (standard poodle) has those flaps (don't know what they're called). Depending on the angle you're looking, they can make her look heavier than she is (as I was noticing while searching for accurate pictures).


Jackson has these too! Some pics they make him look heavier than he is. And when his hair grows out, even only a few weeks after groomer, he doesn't look quite as toned as when he's shaved down.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

Manna's mostly muscle and I can feel all her ribs under a little muscle and very thin layer of flesh/fat, but fur! even with the scarf the fur bunches under making her look a bit more padded. Her chest and shoulders are solid, though I need to get her to build up her rear muscles more. What can I do to help her build up her muscles in her rear?




















This one's a bit better, I'm not pulling up anything but fur/fuzz.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

Flaming said:


> Manna's mostly muscle and I can feel all her ribs under a little muscle and very thin layer of flesh/fat, but fur! even with the scarf the fur bunches under making her look a bit more padded. Her chest and shoulders are solid, though I need to get her to build up her rear muscles more. What can I do to help her build up her muscles in her rear?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Good looking dog. Although my past Newfie was lean at first,because of my parents overfeeding he got overweight.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

Foresthund said:


> Good looking dog. Although my past Newfie was lean at first,because of my parents overfeeding he got overweight.


So far, she's doing good though a few times over the last few months right after growth spurts, the vet was concerned about her not having enough fat. She's a a good weight now


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

Flaming said:


> So far, she's doing good though a few times over the last few months right after growth spurts, the vet was concerned about her not having enough fat. She's a a good weight now


Well when my Rottie was two years old and on Blue Buffalo he got a little underweight,I think because of increase in exercise. I don't really like the hip bones to be visible,and the vet agreed he was a little underweight as well. He is also of good weight now,and has been for awhile. Finding the right amount of food can be about trial and error,and depends on the amount of exercise,as well as the age and metabolism of the dog.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

JohnnyBandit said:


> I am less familiar with Aussies and Kelpies. But I know for a fact that ACDs carry the recessive white piebald gene.
> 
> If ACDs carry it, Kelpies could.
> 
> Piebald Dingos are known to occur.


ACDs are piebald/white spotted. They're just ticked on top of that, which makes them look solid colored. Any area in any breed that is ticked/roan is white since ticking only affects white areas of the dog.

Kelpies are solid colored. I've only ever seen one 'kelpie' with any kind of white trim (and it was minimal) 2``and it was a rescue or unknown origin and looked more like a smooth coated border collie than anything else. I'm not sure why the owner decided on kelpie. Every known kelpie I've seen is solid colored with no white.

Aussies can certainly have occasional dogs that are piebald to some extent but it doesn't seem common at all. And most aussies that have excessive white are nowhere near having as much white as Kit does. The first dog in your pictures in a rescue of unknown origin and the second looks double merle to me and I've seen it on websites caiming it is a double merle. But even if she was half aussie, it would have to be a dog carrying for a non-standard color and the other half would have to have a lot of white as well.


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## mrgoodkat (Oct 21, 2012)

WOW, so many gorgeous dogs here.

Jing Jing



















She is a bit on the skinny side, but much better than when we got her. I'd be happy if she would gain another 10 lbs.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Leaner:










Few lb's heavier:










And he's got very large shoulder muscles lol...


















And Abbie's weight is always pretty consistent:


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Jing Jing does NOT need another 10 lbs mrgoodkat x.x


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## zack (May 27, 2013)

:wave: Zack looks fatter than he is , he is all fur but full of muscle.:wave:
View attachment 101138
View attachment 101154
View attachment 101162
View attachment 101178


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

zack said:


> :wave: Zack looks fatter than he is , he is all fur but full of muscle.:wave:
> View attachment 101138
> View attachment 101154
> View attachment 101162
> View attachment 101178


There's a dog in there? He's gorgeous!


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

These were both a few days after a hair trim, so you can kind of see his tuck better. When we were at the vet a couple weeks ago he said Snowball was a good weight, could easily feel his ribs and spine even through all the hair, etc.


Snowball 020 by open_destiny, on Flickr


Snowball 011 by open_destiny, on Flickr


Snowball 018 by open_destiny, on Flickr

Of course, he's staying with Grandma for a few weeks while we reno our kitchen... so he'll probably need to drop a bit of weight when he comes back home... sigh...


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Meeko under all his fur:









He's finally not severely malnourished lol. He is at a good weight now. Ribs under a thin layer of fat, and hip bones not jutting out as much. He is gaining muscle -- I can feel it! When he plays tug of war with me, I can definitely tell that he's gotten stronger.

And him with his regular fur:










You can see that his tummy tuck is still visible.


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## brandiw (Jan 20, 2010)

I'm constantly told Sasha is too skinny, but she looks about right to me.



Moe is a good weight too, although this picture isn't the best.



Heather is a healthy 35 lbs now, but here she is at 55 lbs before we found out she had hypothyroidism. After starting medication, the weight flew off.



Heather when first adopted (before thyroid went wacky)



I don't have a good picture, but our poor old beagle Noah has gained some weight. He has severe arthritis in his left hip due to an old injury, so he has trouble walking very far, but we are decreasing his food and trying to take him on several small walks spread out through the day. I suspect the weight creep could be from excessive treats from my husband (can't resist hound eyes), but if he still isn't losing, I may have to take him to the vet for a check-up.


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

mrgoodkat said:


> She is a bit on the skinny side, but much better than when we got her. I'd be happy if she would gain another 10 lbs.


She reeeaaalllyyy doesn't need it. She looks fine the way she is, unless you plan on that 10 pounds being in muscle


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Yeah, that dog looks fine. 10 more pounds would make her too heavy.


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## MrBiscuit (Aug 5, 2013)

This thread is really instructive! It instructs me that Biscuit could stand to lose another ten pounds or so ... sigh


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

You can do it, MrBiscuit! No reason you can't have fun while you do it, either!


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

Better pic of Gypsy. when she was younger she was really racy looking, now that she has filled out she looks so solid, I always thinks she fat.. till I touch her and realize its all muscle lol, she is RIPPED, like way more so then any of my other dogs(which is funny because she gets LESS hard exercise then my other dogs)


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## mrgoodkat (Oct 21, 2012)

Xeph said:


> Jing Jing does NOT need another 10 lbs mrgoodkat x.x





HollowHeaven said:


> She reeeaaalllyyy doesn't need it. She looks fine the way she is, unless you plan on that 10 pounds being in muscle


Thanks for the comments guys, I always thought she is way too light at ~ 43 lbs. I'd like for her to have some more muscle, especially at the chest. Unfortunately it's too hot right now to have her running regularly.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

mrgoodkat said:


> Thanks for the comments guys, I always thought she is way too light at ~ 43 lbs. I'd like for her to have some more muscle, especially at the chest. Unfortunately it's too hot right now to have her running regularly.



She's also a year old. 

She's not going to have the muscle development yet. Heck, at a year old she's too YOUNG to do the kind of hard pounding repetitive exercise that builds serious muscle, anyway. She's still a puppy. Her chest and shoulders will develop for another 6 months to year.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

mrgoodkat said:


> WOW, so many gorgeous dogs here.
> 
> Jing Jing
> 
> ...


Noo! She looks good for a pup, just needs to get that muscle tone and conditioned body.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

JohnnyBandit said:


> You Boxer ROCKS!! IMO your min pin needs a little work. Your Aussie looks good in the photos but with the coat you really have to put your hands on them.


Thank you. She is just about perfect in my eyes. Maybe a little more toning on her back however... 

Yes Damon needs a little work, he is skinny enough just needs that muscle tone I love. We are working on it with hill work, dock diving, and agility right now.

Yes you have to have your hands on him to really feel. His coat is big for such a young Aussie too. He is getting more and more undercoat, and his hair is 4.5" to 8.5 inches long. Just makes it harder for me to really tell where he should be. He is my first long hair dog. I have had him too skinny and a little overweight (by a pound), and now i think he is pretty good. Just needs that extra conditioning. Now that his Splint is off I hope to get him more conditioned. However he is joint problems so it is hard, I hope to start dock diving soon. So that should help.


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## Mack Maya Iowa (Oct 2, 2012)

Don't have a way to post pics, but Mack, Golden Retriever, was a little on the heavy side according to the vet at 68 lbs but I've dropped him down to 64 lbs where the vet wants him. Maya, Blue Heeler Mix, is at around 22.5 lbs where the vet wants her. She came to me a little lighter, but I put a little weight on her (.5 lbs) since then because I think she looks much better.


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## LoMD13 (Aug 4, 2010)

A lot of people tell me Lola's a bit chubby, but we do what we can. I can't cut her food back anymore, and she does a lot of running, jumping, tugging, and balancing tricks every day-- so we just don't worry about it anymore. I think she's just sorta built that way. 




























Meanwhile, Lucy always seems to be in fantastic shape. . She is a very, very slight dog underneath all that coat.


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

Lucy is a gorgeous dog!


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Both dogs. Faxon looks kind of fat but I think it's all fur because she's actually quite thin, almost underweight. Roxie is on the pudgy side but still fit IMO. She gained a tiny fraction with age and has more padding over her ribs than before.


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## Trillian (Jan 17, 2011)

Chunky Capone:



Leaner Capone:





Muscular Acheron:


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Gypsy, oh Gypsy. 

A (very not dog saavy) neighbor saw Gyp again recently after a long interval and commented negatively on her weight. Something to the tune of "Wow, you've gotten fat!" I was flabbergasted and posted a thread about it. The general consensus is that Gyp's coat has become thicker, but she's not fat. Even so, I've cut her kibbles a little. We'll be seeing the vet soon, and I'm looking to get her opinion on Gyp's weight as well.

Recent pics:


stack 006 by grinningd0g, on Flickr


stack 005 by grinningd0g, on Flickr


GypsyEM8 by grinningd0g, on Flickr

Older pics:


GypsyCatch by grinningd0g, on Flickr


GypsyJumpBall by grinningd0g, on Flickr


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Check her shoulders and behind her front legs. She looks a bit front heavy to me. Could be lots of fur over the shoulders or is it thick aka fat skin? Max has several inches of fur over his shoulders. Ginger has 1/2" of fat masquerading as a shiny healthy fur coat behind her front legs.

This is a photo of Max when he had a table back but was no longer a sausage and had lost all the weight he was going to lose but was 5 pounds heavier than his previous healthy weight. The fat weight turned to muscle weight over the course of the next year. I couldn't feel his ribs well, the skin over his shoulders was thick at this stage yet he had quite a nice tuck and sort of a waist. I love this photo as it is the very first one where he has a shiny coat, ~6 months after he started to eat raw food. 
[URL=http://s38.photobucket.com/user/msmaynard/media/dogs/maxwellnadac08.jpg.html][/URL]


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Toby; 10 months old, 35lbs at his last vet visit. 
English Bulldog x Boston Terrier 
(English Boston Bulldog)
















Best I've got right now, can't really see his side view so I'll have to get a new pic later, he's sleeping right now and always looks like a pile of floppy cuteness when he sleeps so I'll get a better pic when he gets up. However, he is his ideal weight.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Kathyy said:


> Check her shoulders and behind her front legs. She looks a bit front heavy to me. Could be lots of fur over the shoulders or is it thick aka fat skin? Max has several inches of fur over his shoulders. Ginger has 1/2" of fat masquerading as a shiny healthy fur coat behind her front legs.
> 
> This is a photo of Max when he had a table back but was no longer a sausage and had lost all the weight he was going to lose but was 5 pounds heavier than his previous healthy weight. The fat weight turned to muscle weight over the course of the next year. I couldn't feel his ribs well, the skin over his shoulders was thick at this stage yet he had quite a nice tuck and sort of a waist. I love this photo as it is the very first one where he has a shiny coat, ~6 months after he started to eat raw food.
> [URL=http://s38.photobucket.com/user/msmaynard/media/dogs/maxwellnadac08.jpg.html][/URL]


It's hard for me to tell. Gyp definitely has a nice tuck, and I can feel her ribs, though not easily. She has a pretty solid frame, plus lots of coat, and I don't know if the padding on her chest/ribs is fat or fluff. We'll be at the vet in an hour. I'll post later with her opinion.

Max looks great! You're right, you can see how healthy his coat is!


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## skitty56 (Jan 22, 2012)

This is Boo, my husband thinks shes too skinny, but I prefer to keep her lean and the 2 vets she sees say shes at a great weight. She is only 2 but already needs hip surgery, so she stays skinny 


This is Yogi, I call him a tootsie roll with legs, he's really not overweight, you can feel ribs and spine, he's just a bit hefty.


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## workerant (Feb 28, 2011)

Kenda at the lake, looking svelte. She's a 24-pound probably-Border-Collie mutt. I don't have a good profile pic of Maeby tha Hound but she's proportionally slimmer than Kenda.


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## elpizo (Jun 21, 2010)

Willow, a 13 pound 1 year old mutt. She's at a good weight IMO, but I'd like to get her a little more toned. 


























Sox is.. really hard to keep weight off of. He's extremely reactive, so he's limited to exercise in his fence and rural hikes where we're not likely to run into anyone. He _loves_ the flirt pole, though, so that's a plus. He's a 7 y/o BC mix, and currently 48 lbs.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

JohnnyBandit said:


> All the great things you have done with this dog, she speaks herding dog to me.


Me too, but I think there's something else there besides herder. Through sports I know more herding dogs than any other type, and I don't know any with a temperament resembling Kit's. I *might* buy kelpie x gun dog, but I just don't see full herder. A friend of mine runs a BC rescue and is intimately familiar with the breed. She won't argue that there's some herder in Kit (probably BC), but she has always told me there's a strong gun dog influence there, too. She likes to call Kit a freakazoid. 

Regarding the ticking, the first pic I posted shows that Kit has quite a bit. It's most obvious in areas where the hair is short (underbelly and legs, see pic below), but when she's wet, you can see that it's over the entire body. FWIW, she also has webbed toes, a trait that is common in gun dogs, but not in any herders (to my knowledge).


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## Kei San (Apr 14, 2013)

Aurora. 11 months. 39 pounds (last vet visit). IMO, she is very solid and fit (has some major muscle). I feel her up all the time. Her ribs and waist are defined. Nice tuck. I am open to advice. Though I am still recovering from a fractured fibula so I can't do much exercise with her anymore.

Around 7 months







10 1/2 months







Most Recent (10 months borderline 11 months)


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

gottalovemutts both my purebred BC have fully webbed toes, its actually quite common in BCs. 

not saying she's not part gun dog, just saying webbed toes don't mean much


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## quatro (Aug 14, 2013)

Really cool pics!


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## Aska (Jun 9, 2013)

Love this.

I see too many overweight schnauzers, and it saddens me a bit.

My dog is healthy 11 pounds. She does a lot of working, and she we run few miles a day.


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## zack (May 27, 2013)

Flaming said:


> So far, she's doing good though a few times over the last few months right after growth spurts, the vet was concerned about her not having enough fat. She's a a good weight now


 Don't forget Manna is still a baby, Zack didn't really fill out till he was around three.LOL.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

zack said:


> Don't forget Manna is still a baby, Zack didn't really fill out till he was around three.LOL.


I'm not as worried as the vet seems to be. Manna's too hyper to keep any weight on lol.


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

Keep in mind that our giants may not fill out until around FOUR years old. 

Buster @ 3


Buster @ 4


Even though life stayed about the same throughout the year, Buster gained 5lbs and just looks thicker.


May 3rd freak snow storm...
Bus had to give my 15 year old a hug before she left for school


And the closest "stacked" picture Ive ever managed


After a long, mostly inactive, summer Buster is a little soft around the middle. He would benefit from more exercise, both to build some muscle and decrease the little extra padding around his ribs.


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## N Smith (Dec 6, 2012)

Here is Ironhide @ 3 years old, Female, 60lbs:



I keep all of my dogs at competition weight, even the pet dogs. I only have one neutered dog, I find him the hardest to keep in shape.


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

N Smith said:


> Here is Ironhide @ 3 years old, Female, 60lbs:
> 
> 
> 
> I keep all of my dogs at competition weight, even the pet dogs. I only have one neutered dog, I find him the hardest to keep in shape.


That is one gorgeous GSD!


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Izze:





Josefina:





Buddy:

 -when he was heavier (when we first got him)

 -this is more recent (sorry I couldn't find a standing recent shot lol, he likes to sit for pics 

Oh & can't forget Bear, keep in mind this dog is 13 years old lol.


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

elpizo said:


> Willow, a 13 pound 1 year old mutt. She's at a good weight IMO, but I'd like to get her a little more toned.


Wow, that dog really only weighs 13 lbs? Mine is 12, and he looks muuuch smaller than her. Crazy how that stuff works!










You can't really see a whole lot of him in this picture, but he definitely looks tons smaller than Willow. So strange!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

aburgess88 said:


> Wow, that dog really only weighs 13 lbs? Mine is 12, and he looks muuuch smaller than her. Crazy how that stuff works!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Pictures and scale can do weird things. As someone who's only seen pictures of both, YOUR guy looks a lot bigger to me than Willow! Just to continue the demonstration, this is my 13lb mutt:


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## elpizo (Jun 21, 2010)

Yeah, pictures without scale can really make things look wonky. I looked through my pictures, and I don't have a good perspective of Willow; she's actually *fairly* tall for a dog her weight, but she's extremely fine boned and slim. She's a wee little thing. She's about 13 inches at the shoulder. Here are a couple more pictures that may show her size a little better. 



















CptJack said:


> Pictures and scale can do weird things. As someone who's only seen pictures of both, YOUR guy looks a lot bigger to me than Willow! Just to continue the demonstration, this is my 13lb mutt:




Kylie is _so_ cute. Those ears!


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

lol I have a strange fascination with looking at pictures of my dogs that show or do not show size..or make the dogs looks totally off to their actual size  for a long time people on a differnt forum thought based on my pics, that Gem and Gyp were the same size as my Toller...my Toller is 17". Gem and Gyp are 23" and 21"... when I posted a group picture everyone was blown away lol









yup..same size...totally lol 

or when I look at pics of my BCs together, Happy always looks small and Misty looks big..Happy is a LOT larger then Misty! like about the same size difference as in the above pic, Misty is the size of my Toller..Happy is exactly the same size as Gypsy(the red pup)

ok the size diff. between these 2 dogs(the one with the half white face being the SMALLER dog):









and these 2 dogs









is exactly the same.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

My parents Newfie while he was still skinny,and a little less fluffy then he became.

As well as more my Rott.


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## hamako (Aug 17, 2013)

This is Cosmos at 53.5 pounds running 45km


This is Cosmos at 53.9 pounds standing (the poor looking coat, and random shaved areas (including tail) are from the vet). 


He's a Border Collie x Flat Coated Retriever, and he's 24 inches at the shoulder to give an idea of how tall he is.


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

Those are mine...both are Lab-Mixes...the red one is a little weird shaped and she has way too much skin *lol*


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## Kyndall54 (Apr 26, 2013)

> Aussies can certainly have occasional dogs that are piebald to some extent but it doesn't seem common at all. And most aussies that have excessive white are nowhere near having as much white as Kit does. The first dog in your pictures in a rescue of unknown origin and the second looks double merle to me and I've seen it on websites caiming it is a double merle. But even if she was half aussie, it would have to be a dog carrying for a non-standard color and the other half would have to have a lot of white as well.


Ammy is a piebald aussie, her parents were a black tri and blue merle. She's pretty mismarked! 

Side note, someone yesterday told me "She looks skinny for an aussie".


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

@Tainted I was hoping that you would post pics of your dogs 

@captjack every time I see pics of your leashes I want to touch them. 

@everybody else SO MANY PRETTY DOGS!!!


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

"Keep in mind that our giants may not fill out until around FOUR years old."

Even Roxie didn't fill out completely until she was three or more... At 6 months to a year she looked fat and had no tuck even though she weighed the same as she does now. And she's only 12 lbs. By 4 she had matured fully and lost the puppy look and gained more defined features and a real tuck and waist.


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## Vicky88 (Jan 29, 2012)

My parents tell me Holly is underweight, she weighs about 13-14kgs.


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## Avie (Jul 10, 2011)

She doesn't look underweight at all! You can't see ribs and hips visible or sticking out and her fur isn't so thick that it'd obscure it. She looks fine to me.


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## Vicky88 (Jan 29, 2012)

Avie said:


> She doesn't look underweight at all! You can't see ribs and hips visible or sticking out and her fur isn't so thick that it'd obscure it. She looks fine to me.


Yeah me to, try telling them that. I mostly ignore them. I have had a couple of comments about how skinny she is while out, but one of them was from a owner of a BC that was so fat!. The vets think she is fine as well. But my dad is a Mr Know it all!. Problem is they compare her to my aunties dog who is fat!, even an 11 year old said so.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Here's Lars...he hovers anywhere between 80 to 85 pounds depending on the seasons.


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

elpizo said:


> Yeah, pictures without scale can really make things look wonky. I looked through my pictures, and I don't have a good perspective of Willow; she's actually *fairly* tall for a dog her weight, but she's extremely fine boned and slim. She's a wee little thing. She's about 13 inches at the shoulder. Here are a couple more pictures that may show her size a little better.


Yeah, that's what I mean! She looks VERY muscular! Much more muscular than my guy, he's still very thin. He's actually now at 13 pounds as well. Maybe just because he's a puppy and looks all gangly and silly. I wasn't able to get a good picture of his tuck, which he does have, because it's VERY difficult to get a picture of him not moving at all. Here's a few new ones to compare:


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

aburgess88 said:


> Yeah, that's what I mean! She looks VERY muscular! Much more muscular than my guy, he's still very thin. He's actually now at 13 pounds as well. Maybe just because he's a puppy and looks all gangly and silly. I wasn't able to get a good picture of his tuck, which he does have, because it's VERY difficult to get a picture of him not moving at all. Here's a few new ones to compare:


Puppies are just built different and muscle tone... really isn't a thing at that stage. They're just kind of all over squishy and even lack the stomach muscles to hold things in place appropriately. They harden up but grow in weird directions and just. Puppies are a cast unto themselves. 

Adorable little guy.


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

CptJack said:


> Pictures and scale can do weird things. As someone who's only seen pictures of both, YOUR guy looks a lot bigger to me than Willow! Just to continue the demonstration, this is my 13lb mutt:


Aww, so cute!!


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

CptJack said:


> Puppies are just built different and muscle tone... really isn't a thing at that stage. They're just kind of all over squishy and even lack the stomach muscles to hold things in place appropriately. They harden up but grow in weird directions and just. Puppies are a cast unto themselves.
> 
> Adorable little guy.


Hehe, thanks! He has a LITTLE bit of tuck, but not much, but I KNOW he isn't overweight. He's quite thin. He's also about 13 inches tall at the shoulder, and is all leg. He's very clumsy. It'll be interesting to see how he turns out since I'm sure he's still got quite a bit of growing out to do.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

aburgess88 said:


> Hehe, thanks! He has a LITTLE bit of tuck, but not much, but I KNOW he isn't overweight. He's quite thin. He's also about 13 inches tall at the shoulder, and is all leg. He's very clumsy. It'll be interesting to see how he turns out since I'm sure he's still got quite a bit of growing out to do.


It just takes time, and varies by dog but I think usually before 6 months you're not going to see much of the ultimate body shape/tuck, etc. Before that they're just "puppy".

Here:









4 months old. No tuck to speak of. Obvious waist (you can see his ribcage) but no tuck up.









7 months old: Body shape changing - gives him a HECK of a tuck (though not visible as well there as could be). Also remember 'tuck' also involves chest depth, so it's pretty variable.


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## aburgess88 (Jul 29, 2013)

Yes, he is definitely all puppy at this point. Thanks for the info! Makes me feel a little better knowing my guy isn't a total chub.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Josefina was horribly skinny from about, 4 months til she hit about a year & a half. That culled with the fact that she was a terrible eater during those times (she wouldn't eat more then a cup of food per day :/ ) but now she eats steadily about 2 cups a day, she had her days where she is like "meh" about food but they are few & far between. 

I myself would rather have a dog "on the thin" side persay, then one that is a tad heavy. So in a breed like ACDs which can have problems with hip displasia.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

Kris is just 8 months old but I think she is a good weight for her age. She weighed 62 pounds today.

[[URL=http://s275.photobucket Sorry photobucket is not working


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## LadyB (Mar 7, 2013)

This is a great thread—such beautiful dogs!

Here is Bug as of today. She's been through some food/digestive issues as of late and her weight has fluctuated a tad because of it.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Finally got a good pic of Wes (I think)


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

I was happy to learn that the vet thought Buffy was at a healthy weight. At around 36 lbs., she's 2-3 lbs. heavier than I'd like, but I'm working on getting those extra pounds off. I have a photo of her at home that shows her when she was in really good shape, but I keep forgetting to post it (I'm at work now).

Lovely pics of all the dogs


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Here's Sam...proof that even with St. Bernard in you, you can still have a nice tuck and waist. 

















We plan on working hard to maintain that and maybe even lean him up a little more.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Better pics.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Pretty decent profile/body shot. I keep Jubel nice and slim, which does lead to a few "your dog is really skinny" comments from some people.










edit to add a few more photos as I figure out uploading from my iphone to facebook options better haha.

Same location and time just facing me









And two from a few days prior really showing off the waist and tuck


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

People are blind... Jubel looks fine  My stepbrother always told me Roxie needed a sandwich lol


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

I just like this thread because I get to see pics of everyone's doggies


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## Jare (Aug 12, 2009)

I am late to the party because posting from mobile is hard with pictures. ANYWAYS. 

Both my girls are at the weight I prefer, but have very different body types. Aija is a Pit Bull and if she was in the shape Nellie is in, I would think she was chunky. And the same for Nellie, if she was in Aija's shape she would look way too thin. Both have nice tucks and a visible back rib or two, but Nellie just carries a little thicker over all and doesn't have as drastic of a tuck. Nellie is also a Shar Pei mix and the saggy skin doesn't help. 

That being said, I need to take some photos of Nellie's body, and the only photos I have showing off Aija's build are crappy and off center, but they're better than nothing!

This shows her tuck pretty nicely (ignore the neighbors ugly yard in the back)


Weight by Dogsandstuff, on Flickr

Sort of shows her muscle buns

Weight by Dogsandstuff, on Flickr

And this one is a good side shot but it does sort of show off that I was lazy this Summer and she didn't end up very toned at all. The treadmill is in the garage and we're definitely going to be using it this Winter.


Weight by Dogsandstuff, on Flickr

I have also gotten the "Oh Lawd Jaysus you are starving your dog" comments, one time this yappy lady in our flyball class totally ruined my experience because she was HOUNDING me the entire time each week about how malnourished Aija looked. Finally I just said "LOOK, LADY SHES FINE." And then I hulk smashed her into the cement. 

Kidding, but I ignored her the rest of the time, especially after her dog bit the instructor. You deal with your own issues, crazy sauce. I, however, will make sure my dog doesn't die of starvation.


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## sclevenger (Nov 11, 2012)

MrBiscuit said:


> This thread is really instructive! It instructs me that Biscuit could stand to lose another ten pounds or so ... sigh


I agree....I was just looking at Royce, and I've been telling myself that its just his fur, even after my dog savy cousin said no he could drop a few pounds....very much sigh...


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## Doglover65 (Aug 10, 2013)

Sorry for the extremely poor quality but the red dobe. This is a prime example of an over weight doberman with poor conformation. Ive looked at multiple breeds, and this was the only one that stood out.






its the red dobe btw


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

So many brindle dogs posted on this page... Can we have a brindle dog convention? lol


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Here's some more brindle for you! Zoey is finally starting to fill out a bit through her rib cage (just turned 2) she was ridiculously narrow for a long time. This is actually a fuller picture of her. I'm constantly adjusting her food by about 1/4 cup depending on how much rib I can see. She always seems to have a nice tuck and waist though.


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## beretw (Sep 25, 2012)

Ohh, I wanna play too!


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

beretw said:


> Ohh, I wanna play too!


Garp is seriously one of my favorite pibbles on here. Soooo handsome!!!


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## MattyM (Sep 2, 2013)

I *LOVE* this thread!!

With Molly being a pug cross, it's always so difficult to keep her looking trim. Thankfully, the JRT in her helps bring out her energy level when I need it! LOL

I always hate feeding her at other people's houses since she only eats so little. My sister in law is constantly "aww-ing" because we feed her so little (it also doesn't help that her boxer is extremely over weight!)


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## Vivyd (Mar 8, 2013)

I had someone tell me they thought Linken was too skinny tonight. This someone was also a vet....which made me think, "Is he too skinny?".



Vivyd said:


>


He's not too skinny is he?


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

He looks great to me.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

He looks great to me, too. Does he normally have longer fur? Maybe the vet just isn't used to seeing his body?


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Kayota said:


> So many brindle dogs posted on this page... Can we have a brindle dog convention? lol


Here is a super fit brindle boy for you. This dog is an acrobat! Lol! Eddee ........


0720131425 by Leah Lu, on Flickr


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

I'm glad someone bumped this thread. Here's two photos of Buffy when she's at the weight I like her to be at. She's about 4 lbs. heavier now, 2 years later. She doesn't do well in the heat so had been less active this summer, and now she has her ACL injury, so she's not active at all now (I cut back on her food at least).

People were telling me she was too thin at this time, but I think she looks great.


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## Vivyd (Mar 8, 2013)

MyCharlie said:


> He looks great to me, too. Does he normally have longer fur? Maybe the vet just isn't used to seeing his body?


He does normally have a long coat, but it was shaved off and is just growing back now...it's maybe 1/3 the length it used to be. Also it wasn't his vet that said it. It was one of our doggie friends...people we regularly meet up with at the park with so our dogs can have a romp around together. He patted Linken and felt his ribs and told me he thought Linken was too skinny. You can feel the ribs but not see them....I always thought that was 'just right'.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Vivyd said:


> He does normally have a long coat, but it was shaved off and is just growing back now...it's maybe 1/3 the length it used to be. Also it wasn't his vet that said it. It was one of our doggie friends...people we regularly meet up with at the park with so our dogs can have a romp around together. He patted Linken and felt his ribs and told me he thought Linken was too skinny. You can feel the ribs but not see them....I always thought that was 'just right'.


He looks perfect to me! ... and adorable too!


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## beretw (Sep 25, 2012)

MOAR!


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## RabbleFox (Jan 23, 2013)

This is Bae at slightly, slightly too thin. He is honestly the most athletic dog ice ever worked. I'm attempting to get him to gain about another pound and a half. It's hard to tell because of the fur but he is rather pointy. Great tuck though! I'm very happy with it, overall.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

melaka said:


> I'm glad someone bumped this thread. Here's two photos of Buffy when she's at the weight I like her to be at. She's about 4 lbs. heavier now, 2 years later. She doesn't do well in the heat so had been less active this summer, and now she has her ACL injury, so she's not active at all now (I cut back on her food at least).
> 
> People were telling me she was too thin at this time, but I think she looks great.


Your girl has about the same body build as Buddy. Now that Buddy is out there at the ranch and doesn't get walked like he used to when I didn't have a huge yard (we walked twice a day) and since I was not there for a spell and my parents see him every day (and don't know as much about dogs as I do ... bless them ... LOL) when I got here I dropped his feed from a cup and 3/4 to one cup total per day. A lot of folks said I was cruel for feeding him that little but he is a reeeeeaaaally easy keeper, one of those that can almost survive on air.

Our "permanent foster"(as we call her LOL) Yumi, I keep trim because she is predominantly GSD (so we think) and also not very active, so I like to keep her on the trim side so its easier on her joints. 

Same with Bear, the old man.

Josefina is my "thoroughbred dog" as I like to call her, because she is such a hard keeper. no matter how much I feed her (in summer she wont eat more then a cup of food per day :/, if I try to feed her mor,e she leaves it. In winter I maybe ... MAYBE can get her to eat two cups) she is always on the trim side and I have gotten a few "don't you ever feed that dog?" comments ... thank Dog she has longish hair so people usually don't notice. Not that I am trying to hide anything, she is healthy with lots of energy, always gets the thumbs up from the Doc when he sees her. I do feed her satin balls in winter because she tends to lose even more weight when its cold because she is running around and playing more.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

Flaming said:


> Manna's mostly muscle and I can feel all her ribs under a little muscle and very thin layer of flesh/fat, but fur! even with the scarf the fur bunches under making her look a bit more padded. Her chest and shoulders are solid, though I need to get her to build up her rear muscles more. What can I do to help her build up her muscles in her rear?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


since those pictures, Manna's chest has barreled out a bit but she still has a very nice tuck and is gaining muscle around her ribs. We got a compliment at the dog park yesterday. 
"Finally I can say I have seen a newfie that isn't FAT" 
From a guy with a very obese collie mix. He rescued her that way though and is trying to bring down her weight and apparently she lost 8 pounds in the last month. I'm taking what he said as a compliment.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Ginger is getting there. Her flank flaps don't seem to have fat in them now and her abdominal folds have thinned out but since she may have been overweight for a while they may stick around. I can feel ribs all the way to the backbone but the skin over shoulders and hips is still thick. 

Fat Foto taken when she came to the pound in June, she was already thinner when I got her 2 weeks later.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Just about perfectly where I want him.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

I hear that a lot in the horse world too, how many folks think a race horse is "too thin" but in reality they are just very very fit, all muscle with not an ounce of fat on them.


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## BellaPup (Jul 7, 2007)

Her nice Summertime tuck...it usually fills in a little in the winter, though :/


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Luke




Some better pics of Zoey.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Too skinny "Neo Mastiff" that I think is more likely a Cane Corso. If she's not adopted soon or picked up by rescue within a few weeks, I'll update with her progress. She's a sweetie! No idea what her story is, she's hasn't been at the shelter very long.


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## Equinox (Nov 11, 2008)

Here's Trent at his ideal weight





















sassafras said:


> Just about perfectly where I want him.


I've been meaning to comment on how great his weight's looking!! I love that dog <3


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

I was looking through this thread, and was wondering how to see if a puppy is of good weight? Cosmo is a pretty energetic boy, but I feel like with the amount of treats he gets (potty-though when I say go potty I swear he sometimes will force a little out just for the treats lol), his peanut butter bone, and my boyfriend sneaking him bits of cheese and other "goodies", he's on the chubbier side. Though for a 4 month old Sheltie his coat is pretty full. I can feel his ribs, and when he stands up from above I can see some hip definition but was just curious anyway...

(big pictures-warning)
At the beach two weeks ago (a week after we got him)


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## RabbleFox (Jan 23, 2013)

Could you snap a shot that's more of a side view?

I would suggest using his kibble as treats if you worry about too many snacks. Make him work for his dinner!


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

RabbleFox said:


> Could you snap a shot that's more of a side view?
> 
> I would suggest using his kibble as treats if you worry about too many snacks. Make him work for his dinner!


I mostly use kibble for training, and he has special treats for potty. 

I got some pictures, though he was constantly sitting down since I was holding my hand up with the phone (hand up=sit) lol! 

(sorry about the finger, was just happy I got a few shots of him)


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## RabbleFox (Jan 23, 2013)

For just a baby he looks good to me. 4 months is still a rolly polly stage. 

Keep using his dinner or breakfast as the treats. That's an easy way to prevent getting chubby! I'll use Bae's dinner (~2 cups of kibble) to do his nighttime training. 

But he couldn't get fat even if I wanted him to.


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## mashlee08 (Feb 24, 2012)

Puppy at healthy weight  I like to keep my puppies lean. People thinking their chubba puppy is cute is one of my pet peeves.


(ignore the stack, we are still learning and so is he )


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Lean 18 week old puppy ... whom is going to stay that way too. 


1009131435 by Leah Lu, on Flickr


1009131434b by Leah Lu, on Flickr


1009131434c by Leah Lu, on Flickr


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

I need to get some good pictures of my foster pup Jazz. She's in great condition... I've had two neighbors comment that she is "too skinny" though. She's a doxie mix, keeping her nice and lean is a very good idea. I might be tempted to hold on to her until she gets adopted just so I can tell the adopting family how important it is to keep her at a lean healthy weight for her joints and back.


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

This thread should get stickied. So many owners have *no idea* what a trim dog really looks like. Could be very useful.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

well I finally got a semi decent one of blaze. he was in the tub at work. so it was easier to get a real idea of hwat he looks like under all his fur. 10.5 year old collie (x)


Solo again. 3 year old beagle (x?)


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

This little girl is all muscle, picture with iphone didn't come out as well as I'd hoped but you can still see some of that definition she has. There was a squirrel that must to stared at outside









Impossible to get a shot of her JUST standing as she's always moving or laying down, probably the best I'll get is mid wrestle here.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

Kris at 9 months.http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj282/Kyllobernese/2013-09-22011.jpg

a little younger

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj282/Kyllobernese/DSC01273.jpg


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Tankstar said:


> well I finally got a semi decent one of blaze. he was in the tub at work. so it was easier to get a real idea of hwat he looks like under all his fur. 10.5 year old collie (x)
> 
> 
> Solo again. 3 year old beagle (x?)


Wow a Beagle actually in shape! I swear everyone I've seen is fat


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## upendi'smommy (Nov 12, 2008)

Cara:


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