First Show & Comments

[Lee]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting i have a 5 month old show cocker and we went to our first show yesterday to have look and get a feel for it all before we decide to put Henry in. Well he was very vocal to start with but did settle down nice after a while, generally good comments about him, he does need to put on weight according to everyone, we had been following the vets advice and keeping him reasonable lean, but he will be happy at getting extra food to bulk him up The only negitive comment we had from someone ( that i will say) was that he was a bit rangey - what do thy mean by this? Can anyone advise? Many thanks for your impending replys this site is fantastic!! 

[JaspersMum]

I would say that the comment about being "Rangey" was the same as those saying that he needs to put a little weight on.  Usually it's when they are looking a bit leggy and slim.  You probably noticed that most of the puppies carry a little more girth (although this is often oudles of coat too) but refine and tone as they move up through the age groups.

It can be a balance between keeping the show dog with enough body to do well in the ring and slim in "vet" eyes 

[Lee]

Thanks for the reply, i know that Henry will love having extra food and that we will now get him bulked up which i know he will enjoy. We have started to increase his kibble and have also added some fresh chicken in addition, which he is really enjoying. We did notice that the other puppies had more girth and we now have a good idea now on how much weight he should be carrying!! The Vets had told us that he was to big at 4 months so we did reduce his kibble slightly and was told last week that he was the right weight, but after your advise and speaking to others we will be bulking him up. Many thanks for taking the time to reply it has put my mind at ease!! 

[Brimbeck(Dyllan)]

Hope you enjoy showing him , puppies at five months can look "rangey" and a lot of shown puppies are chubbier than some vets would like, however a lot is lost in the teenage months. Best person to ask is your breeder who will know how their puppies develop.

Best of luck, enjoy showing.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

compared to other puppies Charlie was always on the slimmer side, now was a 15month old, he's still probably a bit slim, but he doesn't have a big appetite, although his weight in numbers is perfect.

[JaspersMum]

compared to other puppies Charlie was always on the slimmer side, now was a 15month old, he's still probably a bit slim, but he doesn't have a big appetite, although his weight in numbers is perfect.

Hope it doesn't go with the name as you could be describing my Charlie too LOL 

[Lee]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Does anyone know what i should add to his diet to bulk him out? As i've said we have upped his kibble as from yesterday and also added some chicken to each meal, whats best for bulking? and what quantities approx? many thanks everyone

[Helen]

More kibble = more waste and potentially upset tummies, so don't overfeed him just for the show ring

He's a puppy, he has growth spurts - he may put on weight for a while next. Be sure you're not mistaking 'bulk' (which should be muscle and will come with age) with 'fat'.

He may naturally be a slim pup 

[Lee]

Thanks Helen , i take on board that we do not want to make him fat, i have been monitoring his weight so much as the vets put the frightners on us with saying he was overweight at 3 Months, 4 Months. We thought he was a nice chunky pup but decided to cut his kibble down a bit on the vets advise. Then yesterday at the show the only thing all the breaders said was he needed to put on weight? They all said cocker puppies should be chunky? Some where a little fat in my opinion but yet they were still getting placed? We do really want to show him and i could see that he did need to put more weight on to be able to compete with the other puppies? So any suggestions i can get are greatly appreciated form everyone.

[JaspersMum]

Some mature later though so although they might not do as well as a puppy, they hold their own in the adult classes! Heidi was always very lean and Charlie is also a finer build to some but still gets placed by the judges who prefer his type so don't get too hung up on it.

A word of warning too, changing the diet can cause problems if you have a picky eater like Charlie, there are lots of additives BUT you can end up with them not eating at all and/or causing upset tummies defeating what you are trying to achieve

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

More kibble = more waste and potentially upset tummies, so don't overfeed him just for the show ring

He's a puppy, he has growth spurts - he may put on weight for a while next. Be sure you're not mistaking 'bulk' (which should be muscle and will come with age) with 'fat'.

He may naturally be a slim pup 

That is very true, my Charlie has skinny little back legs, I honestly think there is more meat on a chicken drumstick, but I'm hoping that'll come with age.

[Lee]

Thanks Everyone for your excellent advise as per normal, Im sure everything will right itself He a winner in our eyes anyways always will be, and im sure he'll be just as successful at showing as he is at gardening Thanks everone 

[praia]

Your dog will bulk up naturally as he matures.  As others have already mentioned, bulk should be muscle, which is developed with maturity and exercise, not fat.  It's unhealthy to fatten up any dog as even just a few extra pounds is a lot of added stress to the body. I think it's even worse to add extra fat on an immature frame. 

Judges should be looking for the whole package not just substance.  If your dog is a quality specimen, there will be judges that will recognize and reward knowing full well that he is still a growing puppy.

[Ninasmum]

Thanks Helen , i take on board that we do not want to make him fat, i have been monitoring his weight so much as the vets put the frightners on us with saying he was overweight at 3 Months, 4 Months. We thought he was a nice chunky pup but decided to cut his kibble down a bit on the vets advise. Then yesterday at the show the only thing all the breaders said was he needed to put on weight? They all said cocker puppies should be chunky? Some where a little fat in my opinion but yet they were still getting placed? We do really want to show him and i could see that he did need to put more weight on to be able to compete with the other puppies? So any suggestions i can get are greatly appreciated form everyone.

Several people that show their dogs said the same to me    I was told to get as much weight on as poss in the 1st 6 mths & worry about them losing it when they are past this
age    I must admit i like the look of a chunky puppy but some look a bit too chunky   
Its difficult though, as to a novice (like myself) you try to take on board various advice from different people but i often felt slightly uncomfortable as it doesn't always seem in the best interest of the puppy.   
Also one judge will have a different opinion/preference to another. 

[louisedi]

A lot off show people - add tripe too help bulk out pups, over exercising a young dog can make them go up on the leg & look Rangie,
Ask your breeder for advice, I like too see chunky pups, as they soon loose body when out showing - gd luck keep us posted on how you do