Corgimus Maximus?
Puppies grow and grow fast, no doubt about that. When we first met Gromit I couldn't help but notice his large paws, even at 12 weeks of age they were big so I suspected that he would either be a big guy or very much a "teddy bear" looking Corgi.
Back around the first of March a discussion with Gromit's breeder, Jean York, and other Corgi breeders at the Scottsdale dog show led to the decision that Gromit and his brother Night (who still lives with Jean) could stand to ease up on their food allotment just a bit. Never good news for a Corgi!
So Gromit was put on reduced rations and then about a week ago my wife Debbie and I decided after reading about raw diet and dogs to see how our two pals would do (we have a mini-wiener dog, also) on a partial raw diet of 50% meat and some veggies and 50% kibble. We made the change and after a day or so of doggie digestive systems adjusting, both Gromit and Holly seem to like the raw food, Gromit more so than Holly. I have some misgivings about certain aspects of raw diets but watching them chow down on raw chicken and crunching up the bones is a reminder that they are not just little humans in fur suits. I tend to forget that sometimes. Never the less, we are proceeding cautiously with the raw diet concept.
Gromit has slimmed down noticeably around his tummy but he's still a big guy at just over 6 months of age. I weighed him on our bathroom scale and he's at just over 25lbs now, nearly as big as an adult Corgi. I suspect a good portion of that is fur and skin because there seems to be enough of both for two dogs. I've noticed too that rather than growing into his puppy paws his paws are still growing. We may be on our way to owning the world's biggest Corgi!
Because of his size and the structural layout of a Corgi we are working hard to make sure that Gromit is fit and develops good muscle tone to support his frame and keep his joints strong. Sometimes with all his fur, his "glamor coat", it's tough to tell where the fur stops and the dog begins but looking at him as he lays around or runs it seems that he's shaping up nicely underneath all that Corgi fur.
Back around the first of March a discussion with Gromit's breeder, Jean York, and other Corgi breeders at the Scottsdale dog show led to the decision that Gromit and his brother Night (who still lives with Jean) could stand to ease up on their food allotment just a bit. Never good news for a Corgi!
So Gromit was put on reduced rations and then about a week ago my wife Debbie and I decided after reading about raw diet and dogs to see how our two pals would do (we have a mini-wiener dog, also) on a partial raw diet of 50% meat and some veggies and 50% kibble. We made the change and after a day or so of doggie digestive systems adjusting, both Gromit and Holly seem to like the raw food, Gromit more so than Holly. I have some misgivings about certain aspects of raw diets but watching them chow down on raw chicken and crunching up the bones is a reminder that they are not just little humans in fur suits. I tend to forget that sometimes. Never the less, we are proceeding cautiously with the raw diet concept.
Gromit has slimmed down noticeably around his tummy but he's still a big guy at just over 6 months of age. I weighed him on our bathroom scale and he's at just over 25lbs now, nearly as big as an adult Corgi. I suspect a good portion of that is fur and skin because there seems to be enough of both for two dogs. I've noticed too that rather than growing into his puppy paws his paws are still growing. We may be on our way to owning the world's biggest Corgi!
Gromit greets Debbie's friend Susan two weeks ago. The very long fur around his front half makes it look like he's wearing a cape or has a lion's mane.
My hand with Gromit's paw.
Because of his size and the structural layout of a Corgi we are working hard to make sure that Gromit is fit and develops good muscle tone to support his frame and keep his joints strong. Sometimes with all his fur, his "glamor coat", it's tough to tell where the fur stops and the dog begins but looking at him as he lays around or runs it seems that he's shaping up nicely underneath all that Corgi fur.
Gromit running across the backyard during this morning's training session with Debbie. The long part of his coat up around his shoulders is starting to look like a lion's mane. We may have to buy a second vacuum cleaner to keep up when coat blowing season comes.
Comment
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Comment by Kari & Jackson on April 8, 2010 at 3:03am
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Look at how long Gromit is! My 5.5 month Jackson dwarfs him! We are probably at about 15+ pounds, I would say...
But it looks like you're on the right track. Gromit does seem sturdy, but not terribly overweight! I think pups just grow in different spurts and maybe yours is a little farther along than most at that age... I'm sure he'll catch up to himself and stretch out a little. I mean, I was the awkward, chubby 12 year old until I grew another foot ;)
Enjoy it! I love these puppies!
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Comment by Gromit, Sparkle, and Doug on April 7, 2010 at 11:04pm
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John, I saw your comment elsewhere about Siri and the turkey neck, it's one of the reasons we're being cautious with Gromit and the raw food and why we've crossed those off the food list. Having lost my first two Corgis too soon I'm a bit of a worry wart about Gromit. Debbie and I sit outside and watch him eat and fortunately he's not food obsessed although he clearly enjoys meal time.
Debbie loves brushing Gromit, like you I think she finds brushing the dogs to be relaxing. She's also a compulsive tuft plucker during coat changing season. :-)
I'm inclined to think when Gromit is full grown he'll be 32 -35lbs and as solid as a rock. Per Joanna's comment, he seems to have good bones, and unlike birds, Corgi bones are not hollow!
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Comment by Beth on April 7, 2010 at 10:52pm
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I can't tell by looking because of the coat, but go more by condition than by the scale. My Jack is ribby at 34 pounds; ideal weight for him is probably about 36.
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Comment by John Wolff on April 7, 2010 at 5:08pm
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Magnificent coat. Spectacular ruff. He must be fun to comb; that's what I do when I need to calm myself. Al's front paws have always seemed oversized, too.
Be careful about raw food if he's a gulper; Siri gulped her food (nothing ever hit the floor), and one bad day, we gave her a turkey neck (chicken necks had been no problem). Nowadays we get ground raw food from a local company. We usually add a very small amount of kibble (6-10 nuggets).
We've got smooth floors, so we put nonskid throw rugs on takeoff/landing zones.
If I've got it right, our breeder had a dog (was it Al's sire?) who was allegedly 35 lbs (and there is some suspicion of elasticity in that statement, since 35 lbs. is the upper limit of the breed standard, I think:-) -- a big, lovely dog.
No matter how much you do or don't feed him, he'll be waiting for you at the Pearly Gates:
"Yes, Mr. Peter, that's him. That's the man who starved me my entire life..."
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Comment by Joanna Kimball on April 7, 2010 at 4:59pm
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In corgis, paw size is actually more a measure of what we call "bone" than it is of the eventual size of the dog. It's great to have a dog with good bone.
Coat DOES make it difficult, but you want to EASILY be able to feel his ribs with your palm when you rub up and down his sides. I have some really coaty Cardis and you can definitely find each rib without digging. Since Gromit is so young, he should be slim, slim, slim, with the feeling that when you pick him up he's bone and muscle, not soft.
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Bev, Gromit's jumping is limited by reduced height on the pause table and also leash control now. He shows so much enthusiasm that he's ready to jump on and off of stuff all too quickly. Our last Corgi, Tinsel, had back problems even though she was never a jumper -- even from the couch -- so we're wary of letting Gromit progress too quickly.
Kari, Gromit's coat has changed quite a bit in the last month or so, it's as if he got most of his adult coat already except that he still has puppy fuzz on his ears. I'm surprised how quickly his coat has changed, it wasn't that way with my late pal, Watson, who didn't get his adult coat until he was over a year old. I met Robin Kearns years ago and almost got a puppy from her but wound up getting Watson from Jean York, instead. I was delighted to be able to get another pup from Jean and it coincided with a visit to CA for Christmas so it was easy to visit Jean and her husband Ed, see their new kennel set up, and bring Gromit home. Robin Kearns has had a lot of success showing and no doubt you've gotten a fine pup from her.
Susan, lucky you getting to see Nick Park's original work! Bertie is a hoot and I love the Warhol-esque graphics you use.
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Comment by Susan Stanton on April 7, 2010 at 4:18pm
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Gromit is so good looking (and we of course love his name -- I even flew to Boston a few years ago to see a museum exhibit of storyboards and the actual figurines used in Nick Park's movies!). My Hefty Cinch Sac (as he's known around town), Bertie Wooster (soon to be 6! where did the time go?), weighs in at 35 lbs, and he has good tone, clearly feelable ribs, and a lovely nipped in waist, all the items we've been told to look for. My little Ethel is a mere 24 lbs (at age 2) and looks so tiny against his bulk. Love Gromit's "mane," he really is a cutie.
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Comment by Kari & Quin on April 7, 2010 at 4:14pm
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Doug, My Quin is 5 months and she weights 15 pounds but a difference i can also see is in their coats Quin is a fluff, her coat is very fuzzy but Gromits' seems to be longer he also seems to have his adult coat, hers is starting to come in along her back, will Quins' coat change that much in this next month? He is a very pretty boy. I almost got a puppy from Jean but she moved to CA and i wasn't sure if i wanted to drive there to get the puppy. I got Quin from another breeder in Sierra Vista, Robin Jones. Quins daddy is Louie ( if you know any of the dogs) Also my cousin Dr. Kroger a vet in Sierra Vista speaks highly of Jean York.
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Comment by Bev Levy on April 7, 2010 at 3:56pm
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He looks great! Glad you are aware of the trouble a corgis appetite can cause. He is going to be magnificent but be cautious about too much jumping until he is full grown.
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