The "filling out" stage?

Hi, all! Gutie the cutie is nearing the 7mo mark. He was neutered shortly after hitting 6mo and recovered quickly. His last weigh-in was around 26lbs and he's a healthy, active dog. We went to a little corgi meet-n-greet last weekend and I realized that he is bigger than a lot of the adults he played with, but he is still weasel-like in appearance (torpedo with legs). When do male corgis really start to "fill out"? Will his coat change at all and get thicker? I live in Northern Wisconsin, so he will be experiencing some very cold weather come February. What else should I expect from 7mo to a year of age? (Attached is a picture of Gutie at the dog park last week)

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Permalink Reply by Linda on September 12, 2015 at 12:22pm

He looks fine to me. Katie looks like a torpedo also, long and thin while her cousin Max is a large, heavily built guy. I live in NY and use a sweater/coat on Katie in the very cold weather. Max is a fluffy so he can take the cold a bit more. I use a coat on both of them when it's snowing....too much snow piles up on those long, broad backs and I don't want it carried into the house.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on September 12, 2015 at 3:53pm

His weight looks good. Males usually get their chest somewhere between one and two years of age, and he may get his first adult coat this winter, but maybe not til next year.

Start to monitor his food more carefully. This is the age where they need less as they stop growing so they can get chubby. Give him a good long look once or twice a week and cut his foid back by a quarter to a third if he starts to put on any fat, then tinker til you reach the right maintenance amount.

At this age he will slowly take on his adult personality. Work a lot on recall and manners. He will realize he does not have to listen and may develop "selective hearing". Also watch how he interacts with other dogs. "Puppy license" is ending and adults will no longer put up with pushy puppy behavior. And as he grows, he may (but may not) become less friendly towards strange dogs.

Most of all, enjoy this next phase!

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on September 23, 2015 at 8:22pm

Seven months seems pretty young to be filling out. Ruby is about 18 months now and is just beginning to look like a fully adult dog.

He looks very much like Ruby-Doo. My guess is, he's N-O-R-M-A-L.

Living in a hot climate and having spent my adult life as a German shepherd aficionado, I'm unclear about corgi winter coats. I'd say if he seems to be unduly cold or unwilling to go outside when it gets to be colder than a bigod, then purchase or make a doggy coat him. I made one for the Late Great Greyhound...if you use the fabric called "fleece" (very cheap to purchase), you don't even have to sew a hem, because it won't fray.

Otherwise...it's never too late to move to Arizona. ;-) Ya can 't shovel heat!