# Skinny Tall Retrievers?



## AnimalLuver

Anyone ever had the same problem as me????

Here it goes. Trooper is now 4yrs old, neutered, EXTREMELY active, and about 85lbs, 27.5" tall at the shoulders (which is ideal...finally!). 

But before that.....

People thought he was an Irish Setter, because he was so tall, dark red, and skinny! We just got him neutered about 3mths ago, and I think that is one of the reasons he put on weight. He was always a super tall Retriever (like way taller than any we met), so that accounts for him being skinny...but people were always like "why is he so skinny...why don't you feed him...maybe he has worms...is he an Irish Setter?" which drove me NUTS!!! He was healthy, happy, and extremely active. He ate TONS of food...but wouldn't gain. We had tried every kind of food out there and the only one that worked was ....da da da dum.... EVO Turkey and Chicken formula. Amen! He went from 75lbs to 85lbs and his spine stopped poking out his back!

So I'm not sure whether it was the EVO food, or getting him neutered, or a mix of the two...but I'm just so happy he's at a better weight (I actually had to switch him off EVO, because he was starting to lose the tuck in his waist), and people have stopped with the rude comments.

I know from having Great Danes that this is a common problem with Dane owners, but I was under the impression that it was the opposite with Retrievers. The breeder had even told me to be careful not to over feed him or he'll get obese...HAH!

So has anyone here had an "impossible to put weight on" Retriever? How tall? What weight? What age? Altered?


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## Angelina

No answer for you but lots of people think my Cannella is an irish settler because they've never seen a golden retriever so red before. I never knew that came so red either until after I adopted her.


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## Tuckers Mom

Yes! Tucker is CRAZY ACTIVE 

He looks skin and bones to most, but then again, MOST goldens you see are overweight. ( at least in my town they are). Tucker gets 4-5 cups a food a DAY, and he retrieves like there is no tomorrow..... all speed all the time. I would say that every dog is very individual. Time and age will take care of the lanky look you describe. Tucker has feet like toilet plungers....  There will be a time when you will " wish" he had that puppy look. Enjoy your dog. Tucker eats Lamaderm by Natural Life and does fabulous on it, good coat, good poops, no issues.


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## Benita

I think that some People just don't know what they are talking about 

Those that know dogs and both breeds probably know right away that your boy is a Golden Retriever. Most Goldens that I see around here are overweight and from Showlines. Showline Goldens have usually shorter Legs, have a stronger body, a longer and lighter (cream to almost white) coat. I Personally like the skinny and darker ones more :wavey:


Our Matt lost a lot of weight this summer because we spent so much time outside, went to the dogpark every day and played fetch in the evening. He lost about 5 Pounds which is a lot for him since his normal weight is about 58-60. If you think your boy is too skinny and should gain weight just give him more food. That's what I did with Matt until I finally couldn't see his butt-bones sticking out...


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## GoldenMum

Both my Hobbes, Cooper, and Clyde are very thin.........Calvin and Bonnie are more on the normal side. I have just started giving the thin guys an extra meal a day, hoping to beef them up a bit. Cooper is starting to fill out better, at 2&1/2...lots thought he was an Irish Setter too!


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## Dexell1827

My Dexter has always been on the "do you feed your dog??" side of the weight spectrum. He's 7.5 years old, 24.5 inches tall, but has never weighed more than 62 pounds. He's about 58 pounds now. He was neutered at 18 months old. I could feed him 6 cups of food a day, and he wouldn't gain a pound. His energy level is actually pretty low; he's always game for running and playing, but he'd just as soon relax all day. He's had all kinds of tests run checking for parasites, disorders, etc, and everything has come back completely normal. The vets say he's simply wired to have a thin build.

This is him at about 59 pounds last year:









ETA: Oh, and I _always_ get the Irish Setter question.


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## jimla

It sounds like Trooper's weight is ideal. Elliot is 27 inches tall at the shoulders and weighs 85 lbs. Our vet thinks he looks "perfect". He is taller than all the other goldens I have met.


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## missmarstar

While not very tall, my Sammy was VERY VERY lean (a nicer way of putting SKINNY!!). I was actually somewhat worried about him. My vet said she did feel he was underweight but not terribly so, and because he is SO active and healthy in every way, she wasn't worried about him. 

When I had him neutered at age 3.5, he packed on a good almost 10 lbs. He is now at a perfect, healthy weight! I'm very happy. He is still very lean, but now looks less skinny to me, and more just... healthy young active dog. 

It's been a little over a year now since he was neutered and he has held fast at that gained weight without gaining more or losing any. I still feed him more than he should be eating based on his weight, so I know his metabolism is still working in warp speed. Just like some humans, some dogs are just lucky to not have to watch their weight 

For the record, he weighs 65 lbs now, so still on the small/light end for a full grown male GR.


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## AnimalLuver

Good to know there are other Retrievers that are on the "lean" side lol.

I'm just so reluctant to have him at a "better looking" weight, even though he WAS in fact healthy before gaining, people couldn't understand why he was so skinny, and the comments drove me mental. 

Like Retriever Nut said...I think people just don't know what their talking about. They are used to seeing "overweight" dogs (all the Retrievers in my neighborhood are obese  poor dogs), so when they see a dog so lean and trim, in comparison to the obese dogs, he looks emaciated! 

I try to educate people that a "lean" dog will have less health complications than an "obese" dog. It's too bad so many people are under the impression that a "fat" dog is a "happy" dog...I just don't get it.


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## jimla

Keeping a tall dog lean will help reduce the load on their joints. Elliot is six years old and our vet said his joints are great.


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## goldens2love

*lean goldens*

My Jasper is 23 inches and weighs 61lbs but he doesnt look it he still looks thin to me hes eating nutrilife all life stages and is very active glad im not the only one with this issue. I want to post a picture but it wont let me.


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## Charlie's Mom NJ

Sorry, I'm getting to the party a little late in answering! My 2 yr old Charlie is a neutered male Golden and is also dark red, has a VERY wavy back and tail, shorter hair overall and is 27 inches tall and seems long to me too. I thought he was doing fine weight wise, but then went for his 18 month checkup last winter and he topped out at a hefty 104 lbs! The vet said I was overfeeding him last winter so I cut back, upped the hard cardio (extra ball retrieving) and he's slimmed down quite a bit. I'm thinking he's in the 90s now but haven't had him on a scale yet.

The funny thing is that I visited a GR breeder to reserve our new puppy (arriving next week) and I was shocked to see all of the "tiny", short Goldens at breed standard. In comparison to Charlie....they are all actually normal size GRs and he is a giant LOL. I did have him neutered at 6 months as I didn't realize the pros and cons back then. I sometimes wonder if that is why he is so tall.


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## AnimalLuver

Charlie's Mom NJ said:


> I did have him neutered at 6 months as I didn't realize the pros and cons back then. I sometimes wonder if that is why he is so tall.


Could be, I've heard that neutering too early can lead to abnormal growth, ironic though because Trooper is so tall, and wasn't neutered until 4yrs old. I took Trooper to the vet last week, and he is 28" tall and 88lbs. It's definitely easier to put weight on him now that he's neutered though, so I strongly believe that it makes a difference.


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## jiffy

I am so glad to have come across this site, my 6 year old boy briar looks like a bag of bones even though he is fit and healthy, he has a good layer of fat over his ribs but his pelvis sticks out and he is incredibly lean, he looks worse when your looking down on him. he is long in the leg and has a shorter coat (most goldies I have seen have long shaggy type coat) i think this makes him look even skinnier,. I'm constantly paranoid of what other people think when i have him out. he gets fed 3 meals a day a mixture of tin/dry and fresh tripe. I just cant get weight on him. he has been checked for parasites etc he is very healthy but skinny :-(


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## Bentman2

AnimalLuver said:


> Could be, I've heard that neutering too early can lead to abnormal growth, ironic though because Trooper is so tall, and wasn't neutered until 4yrs old. I took Trooper to the vet last week, and he is 28" tall and 88lbs. It's definitely easier to put weight on him now that he's neutered though, so I strongly believe that it makes a difference.


Just seeing this post and was hoping to get an update on Trooper.How tall and what does he weigh now? 
My Bentley is still intact and is 27.5 inches and 101 lbs.


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## staciaeliza

Charlie's Mom NJ said:


> Sorry, I'm getting to the party a little late in answering! My 2 yr old Charlie is a neutered male Golden and is also dark red, has a VERY wavy back and tail, shorter hair overall and is 27 inches tall and seems long to me too. I thought he was doing fine weight wise, but then went for his 18 month checkup last winter and he topped out at a hefty 104 lbs! The vet said I was overfeeding him last winter so I cut back, upped the hard cardio (extra ball retrieving) and he's slimmed down quite a bit. I'm thinking he's in the 90s now but haven't had him on a scale yet.
> 
> The funny thing is that I visited a GR breeder to reserve our new puppy (arriving next week) and I was shocked to see all of the "tiny", short Goldens at breed standard. In comparison to Charlie....they are all actually normal size GRs and he is a giant LOL. I did have him neutered at 6 months as I didn't realize the pros and cons back then. I sometimes wonder if that is why he is so tall.


It is! Big dog breeds especially are affected when neutered/spayed early or before sexual maturity. Those hormones are needed to help stop the plates growing and without it you will see the increased bone growth from the delay.


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## Obedience rocks

Yup! My boy (a 1 1/2 now) was SO lean at the 6-12 month range. He was getting TONS of treats during training, plus 3+ cups of food a day! Now he’s much better, and yeah, I’ve heard the darn setter question too 😖 However, I do like my dogs leaner because it’s healthier (but not as skin and bone as he was lol) What some consider healthy weight is actually slightly overweight.


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## Obedience rocks

jiffy said:


> I am so glad to have come across this site, my 6 year old boy briar looks like a bag of bones even though he is fit and healthy, he has a good layer of fat over his ribs but his pelvis sticks out and he is incredibly lean, he looks worse when your looking down on him. he is long in the leg and has a shorter coat (most goldies I have seen have long shaggy type coat) i think this makes him look even skinnier,. I'm constantly paranoid of what other people think when i have him out. he gets fed 3 meals a day a mixture of tin/dry and fresh tripe. I just cant get weight on him. he has been checked for parasites etc he is very healthy but skinny :-(


Oh dear, I had this problem too...but my boy now is a healthy weight and still had two little bumps on his rear where his pelvis is. I wouldn’t worry so much about the pelvis if it just shows a little. My vet thinks Rhode looks just fine. I lll put a photo before so you can see him. But looking at the other posts, he must be tiny, because he tops out at only 55 lbs 😱 He’s not that short either


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