I just thought he looked 'big'... my uncles breed is Labs, and he told me ages ago that the american ones are bigger built than the british ones... I have to say, I prefer the smaller built ones, and there are two stunning females like that who live near me. There is also a HUGE male lab... his head is massive

Honestly though, labs are a breed I don't pay much attention to, so I have no idea if it is an american/british thing or a show/working thing...

I thought that too (about the Malinois). The Komonder seemed not at all happy about having the judge look her over. I am unsure if he actually did? They certainly didn't show it if so. I think they do have the reputation of being difficult dogs for strangers to handle but this was a top show dog.

Salty is a moderate type of show dog and is not 'big' at all. You can get MUCH more extreme than Salty, trust me. He is what the breed should look like. Most people are used to seeing poorly bred, tall, thin Labs that look nothing like the breed should.

That would be a description of the ones who work round here. Gamekeepers etc seem to like them----but what do they know?

rune

Sorry to avoid from the labrador issue, but I wondered if everyone had seen the released health form for the Clumber, and what they thought?

After talking to some KC people about this today, along with veterinarians who had been consulted, I can see where they are going with their route. I hope they stick to it.

Not much about the look of the breed by the sound of it.

In the interview the owner said it was just conjunctivitus---I assumed she hadn't realised that on the same web page the form was reproduced!

It did make me think that if she was lying about what was on her form maybe the owners of the other dogs are doing the same?

rune

I think he looks 'big'. Compared to a lot of the fit and healthy labs I see around here, he is bigger than them.

The dog that lives around here is a much more extreme dog, but that doesn't change my opinion that Salty is 'big'.

Well if by big you mean fat, then you are mistaking fat for substance. The two are not one and the same.

Unless it is frighteningly obvious, you cannot judge whether ANY dog is fat by looking at a picture.

People who criticize dogs like Salty as being overweight have probably never had their hands on a well conditioned show type in their life. It is all too easy to be an armchair critic.

Show type Labs are 'chunkier' looking (for want of a better word). My personal preference is for the looks of the working type, but both have lovely characters