Whew! OK! I have raised German Shepherd, Malinois, Finnish Spitz puppies and they all seemed to have some "puppy fat" as youngsters that the vlcaks seem to lack.
Luna's plush coat masks her thinness, but Pollux's coat is close and you see ribs, muscle, even the top of the pelvis. But he is HARD all over. SOLID and HEAVY. MUCH heavier than he looks.
I agree - with large breeds, lighter is better. The GSD lines I breed on tend toward leanness until they are mature. The first litter I bred is about 18 months and I have to reassure their owners that no, it's OK they are thin. They will even "self-limit" when eating - consuming no more than 2 cups in volume at a time. It's actually something I LIKE in my dogs - less worry of bloat/gastric torsion! And their joints develop beautifully... They tend to have plusher coats, too, though, so they do not look scrawny... there's someone who posts on this list (I will have to find out who) that has a picture of their vlcak and the coat is exactly like Pollux's...
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