Hi all.  I have been wanting to post some pics of Link's physical development just to run it by you and get some feedback about his physique, his weight distribution, proportions, etc.  

I'm not coming from a show conformation perspective, but rather a basic health perspective.  Does he look proportioned? Chunky? Thin? Balanced? Good tummy and hip tuck?  Etc.  

Here's his basics: 10 months old, 50 pounds almost exactly, 21.5 inches at the shoulder, neutered, full raw diet, well exercised with good paced walking totaling 2-2.5 hours a day and light jogs across squishy soccer fields a handful of times a week, runs around a dog park freely about 3-4 times a week.  

Sorry if the harness or leash is in the way, it's just so much easier to keep him still in in it.










Thanks for any feedback everyone.

Oh, and with him being a teenager and winter coat coming in, I realize his coat is a bit inconsistent in its development and that may skew some of the analysis on his physique.  Just a caveat

Cheers

And here's a good natural shot of him and his buddy Taco

I'm so glad you posted this, and I'm looking forward to see the responses. Dizzy looks very similar (imagine that) and I have been debating with myself if he's chunky or not. He's right around 42-43 lbs now I think, but its been a couple weeks since I weighed him. His hip tuck looks more narrow from the top view, but I think his back is also shorter. He needs some more length, I'm told he's 'cobby'.

I think at this point him being chunky is my biggest fear, regardless of how irrational that may be.

I remembered once you posted that Dizzy "jiggles" and Link does too sometimes. I am certain Link isn't fat or unhealthy, I am just not familiar with the breed standard for thinness or trimness as well as I wish I was.

Link has always had a tummy and hip tuck, but I wonder if either should be more pronounced? I dunno. Both his parents were show dogs and on the smaller side. In terms of height and length he's spot on as their offspring.

Anyway, we'll see Jen. Hopefully Megan or Lani chime in.

Link's got two months on Diz in age so weight wise they are right on the same pace it seems.

I love the way he looks from the side, muscular and fit and well proportioned, it's just from the top that sometimes I think I'm a horrible dad

Yeah, Dizzy trimmed down a lot, and now is thickening up again. Here is the thread where Lani and Megan discuss his conditioning. Of course, he's a whole different dog now, and I want to update the pix in that thread this weekend. I remember there was one on Mishka too, but I couldn't find it.

I remember that thread well. Cato is stunning, looks a lot like Link's mom in the face.


Just for fun and comparison (I have always wanted to start a thread comparing our Huskies to their parents), here's Link's dad

CH Snobear's Dueling in Defiance

Does Link have Karnovanda dogs in his pedigree?

Nope, none. Mostly Innisfree, Kristari, Highlander, and Snobear.

Here's his mom

CH Kristari's Call Me Irresistible

Check that, one Karnovanda dog 4 generations back on the dad side, CH Karnovanda's Grey Spirit.

I'm a bit interested to know too, from the top view and side views Link looks a lot like Yuki, been wondering if I let her gain too much but shes still 36 pounds like she was at 7 months old.

Does he look too chunky to you?? If so where??

In my opinion, both Link and Yuki look just a tiny bit overweight in the middle area. I don't know about Link but with Yuki I can feel with there's too much jiggle around her ribcage. Everything else looks good, since Yuki is only 15 months (and Link only 10) I haven't given her less food since I know shes a growing puppy and can use it, I wouldn't be concerned personally. But obviously, my opinion doesn't hold much value as I'm not that experienced with Sibes and Yuki and Link are my first.

Is that one of the no pull harnesses? The clip should be in the front if it is lol

For a growing puppy he looks fine, he won't have an adult body until later. His coat also throws it off too I think.

He does look a lot like his mom. She's so pretty. Dizzy totally has his moms face too. Thinking it over I think Link looks good for a pet, maybe a tiny bit of an extra layer around the ribs, but it could just be his coat thickening up too. I think Lani and Megan were critiquing Dizzy from a show perspective, which tends to favor more lean and conditioned dogs. I'm not saying Link is out of shape, just not conditioned the same way a show dog would be, obviously he gets plenty of exercise. That is my impression, but I'm still learning about the show world, so I could be wrong. Also, with Diz, he tends to grow bigger around right before he has a growth spurt, so it will seem like one day he looks like a chunky short legged puppy and the next he's nice and lean. He changes so fast!

Megan, yeah the rib area is where he jiggles too on walks and is the area that most makes me go "hmm...".  But at the same time, I can still clearly count each rib by touching, the general rule-of-thumb.  I am pleased with his tummy tuck and his hip tuck, so that's good too.  It's really just the rib area.  I remember asking Lani if the ribs should be the furthest point out wide on their body when viewed from above, and she said No, it shouldn't.  He's not there yet but is flirting with it for sure.  

Kristina, ha, yes it is a no-pull harness.  The Wonder Walker.  But we were out in the field doing free-roam so he's allowed to go wherever he wants to during this time.  When we walk at a concerted pace, it's clipped in front and he's expected to be in line at heel.  He does good too...most of the time (minus squirrel sightings)   And yeah, he's a growing puppy and inevitably in an awkward growth spurt at any given time, as Jen mentioned with Dizzy too.  

Jen, great food for thought on the show standards.  It made me wonder about the scrutiny of what we should expect our dogs to look like.  Do I want Link to be seriously overweight to the point of unhealthy or too far out from his breed function? Absolutely not, no way.  Do I expect him to look like a well conditioned show dog? No, not really.  I wonder if analogously that would be like comparing my body to a professional hockey player's body because I play hockey.  I don't really need that body. It isn't practical or that realistic for me necessarily (although it wouldn't suck either because wow, pro hockey players are like 6'1, 220 of rock solid muscle....sigh).  

I am confident though that once Link reaches the appropriate age and I get him in harness and joring everywhere and all the time the lil fella's gonna be looking great and in awesome shape.  There's only so much we can do right now at this age while they are growing.  

For the record, I'm not worried about him in light of this.  Just curious.

Thank yall so much for your responses.  

His new nickname when I just got home was Chunky McChunkyson, and Patrick is freaking out!

wpskier222 wrote:

Also, with Diz, he tends to grow bigger around right before he has a growth spurt, so it will seem like one day he looks like a chunky short legged puppy and the next he's nice and lean. He changes so fast!

Yes, ditto here. It's like clay being spread out further and further and then thinning and thinning some more, waxing and waning. I've noticed this too.

I've also been scrutinizing Orion lately not sure if he's getting a bit chubby or not and he looks very similar in stature to Link. On our last visit to his breeder she said he was perfect but that was roughly a month ago and on his walk tonight I definitely noticed he has gained a bit of a jiggle round the ribs! At 9 months he is younger than Link but it is really helpful to see a slightly older pup shaping up so thank you for posting

On a side note I love Links dam!  

seattlesibe wrote:

I wonder if analogously that would be like comparing my body to a professional hockey player's body because I play hockey.  I don't really need that body. It isn't practical or that realistic for me necessarily (although it wouldn't suck either because wow, pro hockey players are like 6'1, 220 of rock solid muscle....sigh).

True. Now lets all think of Henrik Lundqvist for a moment...   

Holy crap! I just realized I know a half-sister of Link's dad!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=736700076346503&set=a.159915454024971.42056.100000195533086&type=1&theater

Snobear's Noir de Blanc - aka Lola!

Wow Lola's owner also has a pup from the same litter of Link's sire!

Snobear's Silver Lady of Luck - aka Kylie

http://pawvillage.com/pedigree/dynprofile.asp?ID=QN6KDZ9G4U

Small world I guess!

Here is a few pictures of Nanook, good pictures are pretty much near impossible these days. It seems about this age they are not quiet as defined but we are also at that spot where they are almost old enough to start do more so I bet in the next 6 months we will see some major change. Nanook is part Malamute though so I am not sure if he will ever have that full cut husky look anyway...

These are Yuki's just for comparison, although they're all from the last couple months since I haven't gotten any good photos recently, she hasn't changed much though.

Wow yeah Megan, no kidding. They really do look similar in structure, the second picture even in the face as well. And ha, what's gonna come out of that door??

Well I think Yuki looks fine, so I guess by association Link too. I just wanna get him trimmed up a bit in the ribs and get rid of that little extra jiggle. Maybe I have to wait until I can start pushing him harder in harness and in running. I know Yuki hasn't started yet either, so I'm sure it'll be the same with her.

That's so cool that you know the Snobear crew, Jen. I never actually got to meet Lance, the dad, but he is a gorgeous dog.

seattlesibe wrote:

Wow yeah Megan, no kidding. They really do look similar in structure, the second picture even in the face as well.    And ha, what's gonna come out of that door??

Well I think Yuki looks fine, so I guess by association Link too.  I just wanna get him trimmed up a bit in the ribs and get rid of that little extra jiggle.  Maybe I have to wait until I can start pushing him harder in harness and in running.  I know Yuki hasn't started yet either, so I'm sure it'll be the same with her.

Yeah haha miss Yuki is a chunky little bear, but I love her. She's so fluffy too, like I noticed with Link,that sometimes its hard to tell fluff or fat. But when I feel her I can feel that jiggle XD and haha thats when we were watching Ares, and I was taking the dogs out to potty one at a time, so they were waiting for Sophie or Link to return through the door lmao.

Basically I was thinking the same thing, its winter, shes going to be running, building muscle, so I think she'll shape up in time. I think one of the reasons she looks loose is also because we haven't been to the dog park since my car broke down, my Link's showing it a little bit too. We actually *just* took our first real run today. She went out with Link in harness, although unfortunately I had to use her crappy PetCo harness since her x-back is currently being made. It worked out though, they dragged eachother along. Plus I wanted to see how Link would do with another dog, and see how he is tomorrow.

Maya's my jiggly chunky girl. xD Been working on getting her in shape and here's her then and her now.