What Size is a Cobberdog? Does weight indicate its size?
ANSWER Not Always! Tall lean dogs often weigh less than small chunky dogs weigh. Weight is no accurate indicator of size when we're talking height.
Muscle and bone weigh heavier than fat, and a dog with good strong muscle cover and dense bone is called a dog of good SUBSTANCE. A small - in - height dog of substance will always weigh more than a tall more lightly built dog weighs. Body Mass Index (BMI) is why a small overweight human or animal can weigh more than a tall lean one who is not fit. So at the end of the day, a dog's weight is no indicator of what size in height it is, nor is likely to be at maturity.
If it is still a puppy. It is much better to ask how tall a puppy is likely to be at maturity, to get a breeder's best guess. Remember though that the Cobberdog is still a developing breed and even its parents' sizes are not accurate indicators because all 3 sizes are still in close up ancestry in the interest of genetic diversity.
If it is still a puppy. It is much better to ask how tall a puppy is likely to be at maturity, to get a breeder's best guess. Remember though that the Cobberdog is still a developing breed and even its parents' sizes are not accurate indicators because all 3 sizes are still in close up ancestry in the interest of genetic diversity.
There is no way a breeder can know what a puppy they sell will be fed, nor can they know what exercise regime the dog will have in its new home. So any guess they may make as to mature weight, might be just to satisfy the buyer but have no validity you reckon? Just asking :-)
Cobberdogs come in three main size categories, Miniature, Medium and Standard with Miniature being the smallest. These are the Official Sizes of the Australian Cobberdog as per the MDBA Breed Standard. Dogs are measured in a vertical line from the floor to the top of their shoulder blade (wither) which is the highest fixed point. Not to the head which moves up and down!
Miniature:
Over 33 cm /12.9 inches and No Taller than 42 cm/16 1/2 inches
Medium:
Over 42 cm/16.5 inches and No Taller than 51 cm - 20.7 inches
Standard:
Over 51 cm/20.7 inches and No Taller than 61 cm - 24 inches
Over 33 cm /12.9 inches and No Taller than 42 cm/16 1/2 inches
Medium:
Over 42 cm/16.5 inches and No Taller than 51 cm - 20.7 inches
Standard:
Over 51 cm/20.7 inches and No Taller than 61 cm - 24 inches
Not sure what size you want?
Run a tape or ruler from the floor up the side of your leg. Now bend down to pat where you would like your dog's back to be. Not the head because that moves up and down all the time! Push the coat down so you can feel the bony withers (where the tops of the shoulder blades meet).
Run a tape or ruler from the floor up the side of your leg. Now bend down to pat where you would like your dog's back to be. Not the head because that moves up and down all the time! Push the coat down so you can feel the bony withers (where the tops of the shoulder blades meet).
When I studied for my judge's licence in the conformation show ring, each of the individual breeds had an ideal weight we had to learn for bitches and an ideal weight for dogs. After graduating, and being faced with real live dogs to judge at the shows, I wondered why so many dogs (males) we'd learned were always heavier than bitches were in fact often much lighter beneath my hands on examination even though they were usually taller. Then it hit me that weight isn't a true indicator of size (height).
The Australian Cobberdog (ACD) as a breed is still in its infancy when compared with other breeds which have been in existence for hundreds and even thousands of years. When a breed as ancient as the Poodle still has unpredictable variations in height it is unlikely that the Australian Cobberdog size will be reliably precise any time soon in any of its size categories.
This early ancestor was a big dog the size of a small pony. His size was average for the developing breed at that time.
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DIPLOMAT from early root stock in the 1980's was typical of the size at that time. He was a big dog standing at 28 inches or 71.12 cm. There was a need for a smaller size dog with the same character and coat traits. But this could not be accomplished overnight. There were originally only two sizes intended; the Standard (big but not as big as Diplomat) and a smaller version to be called Miniature only because it was smaller, not tiny. But on the way down, (where we are today in 2023) the height of many a Cobberdog lies somewhere in the middle. For want of a better descriptive term, they're known as 'Medium'. The dogs closer in size to Standard have been dubbed 'large mediums' and those closer to the Miniature size are called 'small mediums'.
WHAT IS TOO LARGE for a Cobberdog, OR TOO SMALL and why?
TOO LARGE. Orthopedic health problems and shorter lifespan. Hip Dysplasia, Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy, Osteochondritis, and Panosteitis. All of these conditions result in lameness and pain.
TOO SMALL Prone to fractures, Hypoglycemia due to small stomach, Heart problems, Eye problems, slipping patellas, incontinency issues, accident prone, early gum disease because of the propensity of tiny dogs to have crowded teeth that make it painful to chew.
THE CHALLENGE HISTORY SHOWS that there will always be some breeders who will want to cash in on a trend set by public demand, (more puppy sales) but before selectively breeding for tinier or more huge size, they should think about the overall consequences to the breed they profess to love. Once the line is crossed, where does it stop? This is why it is so important that Breed Standards be put together by unbiased knowledgeable people in the field, and that they do not leave room for mis-interpretation nor exaggeration.
SIZE and TEMPERAMENT
There should be no difference in temperament across the range of sizes. If a breeder tells you there is, and that Miniatures are too excitable to make good therapy dogs, or that Standards are too big and rough, then you might want to look for a different breeder.