Not fat, just FLUFFY....in fact, is he too skinny?

[Kimmy & Chewie]

I get very defensive when strangers says Chewie's FAT. He's not fat, he's just reeallyy FLUFFY!!

Look what's left of him when he's wet. He's a skinny minnie! In fact, do you think he's TOO SKINNY??

He's 8 months old, is around 48cm (19 inches) tall at the wither and weighs 16.5kg (33 lbs).

Anyone else with doodle about his height? How much do you think he should weigh?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

OMD, Sophie's coat is starting to change. She's almost ten months. I found the beginnings of mats on her belly a couple days ago and it wasn't easy to work them out. I think I'm going to have her shaved down to about 1 inch to make it manageable.

[Kaira]

The coat change was such a pain because of all the matting and we had Remy shaved.  He looked absolutely ridiculous but it did get rid of his matting.  That said, I will tackle mats individually from here on out.  I recently found an amazing, wonderful de-matting comb that works like a charm.  I highly recommend everyone keep one on hand. I blogged about it yesterday if you'd like more information but it is called the Safari Dematting Comb and it was the best $10 I've ever spent.

 

http://emmaandremy.wordpress.com/2011/10/16/matted-fur-no-more/

[Kimmy & Chewie]

Yes, I'm a bit worried about the dreaded coat change too. How long does it typically last?

I found some tiny mats on his belly and behind his ear the other day. I brush Chewie quite often (every other day), but brush him in different part each time.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

You know Kimmy, every dog is different with regard to the coat change.  Some never mat, some only mat during the coat change and some will mat from that point on.  But if you are starting to find some then that is probably the beginning.  With his coat as long as it is you really need to make sure you are brushing him all the way down to the skin.  You should probably even get a comb to make sure.  If you seriously brush/comb every day you might be able to get through the change with his coat long, but it probably won't be easy.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Hi Kimmy, I'm not sure how to measure height (to the top of the head, shoulder, etc.) but Sophie is approximately the same size, perhaps a few inches taller. She is 17.2 kilos at the last weigh in, which is actually down from 17.5. she looks a lot like Chewie, and is all skin and bones under all that fur. :)

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

btw, is Chewie black or dark brown. It's hard to tell in the photos. Sophie is so dark brown that she often looks black in the photos. When people ask me what colour she is I say "Espresso" ;-) ... Chewie is adorable.

[Kimmy & Chewie]

Thanks Sherri, Chewie is dark brown. Yes, it always looks black in photos :P

 

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My Oliver have the exact problem. He look huge but is about 10 lbs under weight. When he is wet all he is is looooong legs and a head :) Ollie is 26" at the shoulder and weights 71 lbs (16 months old). His vet wants him to gain at least 10 lbs. Its going to be difficult because he is a picky eater :(

[BG and Gavin]

Wow this surprises me that the vet wants Oliver to gain weight.  Gavin is 29 inches at the shoulder and weighs 66 lbs at just over two years old.  Our vet said he would be okay to gain about 5lbs but NOT to actively try to make him gain.  Much easier on his joints to be slender.

[Rose Ann and Amante]

He looks fine to me. Amante's breeder said he should be expected to be 35 to 40. He is 5 months and at his last vet check he was just 19 lbs. I wonder if he is to skinny, too. One of his litter mates is already 33 lbs!!!! I know he is not food deprived so I just tell myself he was hungry he would eat!!! Chewie is super cute!!!!

 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Really-not too fat, not sure what the weight should be but our little one is all hair too and looks like that wet!!!!

[Ginny Nightingale]

My  9 1/2 month old pup is the same height and weight--they will both get heavier when they are a year or so old and fill out--males usually get deeper chests--but are quite slender until then. I expect my Rio to be about 38 pounds at the end--same as his dad, but his dad is shorter and stockier. I can feel all his ribs and his spine, but they don't stick out. So, he is about right.

I agree about the coat change thing--I had to shave a 14 month old doodle that I was hired to groom because they had not groomed her between 6 months and 14 months--she had gotten very long and they let the mats get WAY ahead of them. My pup is getting a lot of mats around his neck, chin and backs of his legs. I am spending about 10 minutes several times a day picking at his mats with a steel comb so that he does not have to go through the "torture" for a very long time. So far, i am keeping up with them. Before this month, he has not had many mats at all--so be on the lookout!

Rio is getting health tested by my breeder to see if he can be a stud dog--she wants me to get his coat really long for photos--like 5-6 inches long--so I have to be very careful about mats from now on.

Rio as of today: