Dog Showing People Want More Weight On Isis...

[Pawsies]

I show my year old cardigan Isis in conformation classes- mainly corgi ones but we do all breed ones too.

We're totally new, and everyone has really helped us, but they all say she needs more weight, I do agree to a certain extent but my nightmare would be that she becomes overweight. I really don't want to cause her health problems.

Anyway she's been on a diet of dry food, goats milk and tripe and is getting bigger, my parents still want to feed her more but I don't. I think she's big enough now, her ribs are able to be felt and she looks a decent size.

The other problem is that our scales are in stones and we need to measure her in kg. Is 10kg right for a smaller female cardigan?
Any tips on how to make her stand still on the scales? Lol.

Last thing which isn't relevant to food but anyway. We keep getting told her nails are too long, they are just past the quick. She is a real wriggler and won't sit still for long. How can I make the experience more enjoyable?
Someone also told me that when they had litters of pups, they would make the pups bleed when they cut the nails on purpose so that the pup could feel what it was like and would be less wriggly or something. I thought it was quite cruel.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Pawsies

Anyway she's been on a diet of dry food, goats milk and tripe and is getting bigger, my parents still want to feed her more but I don't. I think she's big enough now, her ribs are able to be felt and she looks a decent size.

It's more probable that she is just not mature. Slow maturing dogs look thin longer. My cardigan girl is the same way, in fact she just started to spring her rib cage and drop her chest this past spring and summer. She was 2 last Dec.

You could probably put a little more weight on her if you wanted. And yes, it will probably help in the ring. If several people are telling you she's too thin then she probably is. (As well as immature.)

Try adding just 1/4 cup of dry food to her daily amount. And see if that helps. If not add a quarter cup more. By adding only a quarter cup at a time she shouldn't get fat on you. Of course it's going to take a few weeks to see any difference.

The other problem is that our scales are in stones and we need to measure her in kg. Is 10kg right for a smaller female cardigan?Any tips on how to make her stand still on the scales? Lol.

Well, I use pounds so I can't say if that's a good weight or not.

Don't try to get her to stand on your scale. Instead weigh yourself and then weigh yourself while holding her. Then subtract your weight alone from the weight of the two of you. That will be her weight.

Last thing which isn't relevant to food but anyway. We keep getting told her nails are too long, they are just past the quick. She is a real wriggler and won't sit still for long. How can I make the experience more enjoyable?

Doubtful you can make it more enjoyable but you can teach her to tolerate it.

Do you clip her nails or use the grinder (Dremel)? A grinder is easier. Look at this site: How to Dremel Dog Nails @ DoberDawn.com

What I did with Lacy who was at one time horrible about having her nails done, was I'd do one nail (I use the grinder) and give her a treat (a dog biscuit broken into many pieces). Then I'd do the second nail and a treat. Did this with every nail.

After a few times I'd give one treat for two nails, and so on. Now we're down to one tiny treat per paw. I'm happy with that and she seems to be too.

And do her nails at least once a week. If you use the Dremel you can do them weekly or even twice a week if they really need to be shorter. You only take off a tiny bit at a time. And gradualy they will get shorter.

[/quote]Someone also told me that when they had litters of pups, they would make the pups bleed when they cut the nails on purpose so that the pup could feel what it was like and would be less wriggly or something. I thought it was quite cruel.[/quote]

I think it would make them worse, thinking they were going to get hurt every time. I do my puppies nails each week, I start when they are one week old. I only take off the tips and am careful to not make them bleed. I want them to learn that I *can* do it and they have to let me.

Peggy

[Michael Romanos]

10kg for a female junior Cardi is underweight on the basis she is of around average structure. She should be at least 12kg - perhaps nearer 13kg.
The daily meals you give her seem good in type - cooked tripe (boiled for four-five minutes) is the best meat you can give a dog as a supplement; goats milk is superior to any other kind of milk though a weaned dog does not need any milk of any description; make sure the dry food is super premium and AAFCO-tested and passed/approved. Adding a little carbo supplements will help put on weight without increasing the dry food content - such as cooked brown rice, cooked pasta or cooked potato.

I simply find overweight Corgis a huge disappointment both for the poor Corgi and for the owner who doesn't care or is unaware of her/his responsibilities. Conformation showing can and does produce Corgis that are not of an ideal weight probably in certain countries than in others because of the general perception of breeders and show handlers/owners. So Corgis in some countries are getting bigger and bigger and because the winners and placegetters are on the bigger size, those smaller (and conforming to the lower end of the standards) are seen as the 'out-of-order' and therefore unfashionable. My Taylor's ideal weight for shows is not his ideal weight for agility - and agility equates to a Corgi doing what he/she is designed to do - herd in moving and running and racing for lengthy periods of time on a daily basis.

I had one Corgi who was underweight for show purposes until he turned three. He was an embarrassment to the breeders but finished up as one of New Zealand's most winningness Pembroke Corgi of the era.

Nails - must be kept short - just longer than the quick - otherwise the quick will grow and the nales will needlessly become longer. The best method of keeping nails short is to walk/trot your Corgi regularily (almost daily) and for lengthy periods over roads and pavements - that way no need to have the nails trimmed.

[Pawsies]

We feed raw tripe.

That sounds like a good idea on the scales. We've thought about getting a drummel, I think we will now.

[MyPemCharlie]

I trim Charlie's nails either Saturday or Sunday every week with a guillotine nail trimmer. He won't let me do it when he's wide awake and alert, but if I start gently while he's napping he's usually relatively easy. He can get wriggly before we finish though. If he starts to put up a wriggly squirmy fight, I just stop and wait to finish until he's completely relaxed (read snoozing) again.

Trimming weekly, I just barely take a teeny bit off the end of each nail. Unfortunately today, I cut a little into the quick on one nail for the first time ever. It didn't flow any blood so I must have just barely nipped it. You'd think I killed him the way he yelped. Poor guy, I'm sure it hurt. Hopefully he'll trust me to trim him next weekend.

[Michael Romanos]

Tripe and any other offal should not be given to dogs uncooked. And it is safer to also cook premium cuts of lamb or beef along with all other meats.