Calling dog experts!

[the.fee.fairy]

Can someone help me identify what might make up my dog please?
The vet always asks and I always say half chihuahua, half I-don't-know.

Then they're never sure whether she's the right weight, which leads to discussions about her being fat (she has a little tubbiness which is slowly going now that the rain has stopped and she'll go outside at last...). I'm not convinced that she is that fat, and I think they're trying to get her to look like a chihuahua, which she never will - she's too...tub shaped...

So..here's her blog: http://nuckster.weebly.com/

Any ideas?

[clanpowell]

Is the "don't know" bit pug? They're a bit rounder than chihuahuas and I think she looks like a bit pug like.

[trinder]

Hi, well I would not call myself a dog expert but I was curious enough to look at the pictures. I can see why you picked her up She looks very cute. Unfortunately the pictures don't help to assess her weight but I would agree she is very chihuahua like from these angles the only give away is muzzle being heavier. a Purebred is more pointy / finer.
If she has a curled over the back tail, try flattening it down ( lower to hocks) and feel the width of the wrinkles on her back especially near the tail/rump. It is a sort of pinch more than an inch test. Don't be pleased if she hasn't got any wrinkles that just means that she has filled them out!
For the exercise and mental stimulation walking will be an excellent plan however I don't think they have fat issues in the same way we have. What I mean there is, if your really want her to lose weight you can outright starve her- her internal organs won't give out like a humans would. I could not do it that harshly , the nearest I can get ( I can only do it by thinking that I might be shortening my dogs life or putting excess stress on joints ) I simply half a meal and float it in an excess of water so that the initial feed isn't obviously missing and they would feel full after eating.
Your added problem is that with such a small dog it is such a small meal and if (like me ) you feed twice per day it would tiny.
Has the vet made a recommendation as to how much she should be getting? Try sticking to weighing it and no treats in between- or weigh the treats and calculate them in with the meal.
One last thing I may have misread your intention , but I sort of felt you were looking to disagree with your vet? that you don't think she is overweight? this will be a problem for you to diet a pet when you are not committed to the task. Dogs can be very appealing and our way of expressing our love on them is often with food. good luck

[bonniethomas06]

Don't know but I would say she is part Yoda - part dog. But VERY sweet!

[becks77]

She's lovely perhaps a wee bit of jack russell?

[the.fee.fairy]

She doesn't have wrinkles, she does have loose skin on her back.
I can feel her ribs.

The reason I disagree with the vet (although I do agree that she is a little pudgy) is because they seem to think that she's pure chihuahua.

She's got a curling fluffy tail and her fur is all long (and dropping everywhere now that the weather's changed).

I fully agree that she could do with losing a bit of weight. She put on a bit over winter because when it was cold, she wouldn't step foot out of the door. Then it rained and she got wet, so every time I suggested a walk and held the lead, she ran to the other end of the room...

Now it's warm, she's happy to go and walk for ages, so I'm managing to take her out at least twice a day for at least half an hour each time. She's losing some of her fat bits :)

I don't think she is pure chihuahua just because her build is not slender. Chihuahuas that I've seen are tiny things all over, not just in height.

Nucky's like the most ridiculous bits of all small dogs in one dog! She's got stupid ears and silly little legs, yet a long curly tail..

You should see the look I'm getting after pinching her back end!!!

I didn't exactly just pick her up - she was dumped on me last year. She was picked up last April when she was found running round the campus. The girl who picked her up asked me to look after her last september (just until December...) and then never came back for her...so now she's mine and she'll be coming to England when I eventually return for good!

Foodwise she has Pedigree Chum complete dry food and some wet food pouches. She won't have meals as such, she'll graze throughout the day. I usually give her a small handful of the biscuits for 'lunch' and then top up the bowl in the evening with a third of a pouch of food. She'll graze on the biscuits and then eat a bit of the food, but not much.

She is absolutely addicted to some dried beef things that I found. I've cut them into small pieces and we use them for training.

I don't think I can overfeed her - she just stops eating. She stopped eating the other week and dropped a few pounds, and has now started eating again. i think she regulates her own weight (I had a Great Dane who did the same). I wish I had her willpower!!!

Thank you all for the suggestions (especially the part Yoda! My sister says she's part Gremlin as well...). I will see if I can take it up with the vet next time we go and see what he says. We're going to a new vet this time (one that's been recommended to me by someone who owns two gorgeous pekinese dogs) so we'll see what he says.

[MuddyWitch]

She could be part peke, which considering where you are, is highly likely. I seriously doubt she's 'pure' though.

MW

[the.fee.fairy]

That's what I'm going with at the moment. I saw a picture on the internet of a Cheeks (1/2 Chihuahua 1/2 pekinese) puppy and it looked a bit like her. The Pekinese have a similar build and the squished looking muzzle too.

[prison break fan]

I think she looks lovely and agree with becks77 that she might have some Jack Russell (from her broad chest). I also have a mixed breed, but definitely all terrier! She has a lovely red coat and if anyone asks what she is I tell them she is a Sussex red terrier. (we live in Sussex). I am also tempted to say she is a dog, but usually resist!.

[becks77]

She has a lovely red coat and if anyone asks what she is I tell them she is a Sussex red terrier. (we live in Sussex). I am also tempted to say she is a dog, but usually resist!.

He he love that!

[Somnophore]

Looks 3/4 chihuahua to me and 1/4 pug or jack Russell, something bigger build, it is mostly chihuahua so will be hard to determine what else is in the mix.

[the.fee.fairy]

the broad chest is what is confusing. And the long hair and stupid fluffy tail!

All the stupid bits of dogs in one...including the brain

[MKG]

Don't know but I would say she is part Yoda - part dog. But VERY sweet!

Bonnie has it. Definitely Yoda is she. Do you in your apartment levitating objects find?

Mike

[the.fee.fairy]

So...update on Nucky's weight!

I took her to Shanghai to the Western vet (I really don't think most Chinese vets are clean enough) to get spayed. The vet there was British and trained at the Royal Veterinary College at Potter's Bar.

He had a good look at her and gave her a good all-over check. I asked him about the weight issue and he sighed and rolled his eyes and said 'She's fine - they should have a covering of fat - these dogs usually have lovehandles - the Chinese vets are obsessed with the dogs being really thin because they're obsessed with their people being really thin'.

So I'm feeling much more confident about her being OK now. The vet also said that he reckons she's about 3-4 years old (I was guessing 4) and that she's had puppies at some point (before I got her, i'd never breed a dog). Having puppies has left her with the saggy belly and nipples and that could be what the Chinese vets are calling fat.

Good news: She's all chipped, vaccinated and spayed now, ready to go the England in the summer We're going back to Shanghai in a couple of weeks for the Rabies titre test to be done. Then she'll get her passport and be ready to fly.

Just got to work out how to get her home now. She's booked in the cabin from Shanghai to Zurich, but the turnaround time in Zurich is not long enough to get her in the hold there, so I can either book her in the hold from Shanghai to LHR, or book another flight, or rebook the Zurich to London portion of our journey.

She can go in the cabin to Europe (which is what I'd prefer), but not land in London in the cabin. She's got to be in the hold. At the moment, I'm thinking of flying to France with her in the cabin and then my sister will drive to France to come and get us (You can't take a dog on the ferry/tunnel if they're not in a vehicle).

It's looking like we'll probably fly to France. To get her landed in the UK will cost between £300 and £400 for customs agents (quite why, I don't understand). It'll cost extra to book another flight from Zurich to London and there's the cost of getting her flown in the hold as well (more expensive than the cabin!!). So It'll probably be cheaper to fly to France with her in the cabin and then sort out the customs stuff there. I can fill in customs paperwork on my own (I used to work in the field), so hopefully it'll be an easier ride for us.

[FarmerTones]

Chihuahua is strongest. I'm fairly sure people will sell dogs such as this as pure chihuahuas, they aren't supposed to have such a stocky muzzle but they can, whether it's from outcrossing to another breed or just detrimental breeding practices for cuteness is hard to say. If she is crossed with another dog it is definitely a small bracycephalic breed- pug, pekingese, boston terrier, etc etc.

I honestly think she's at least 75% chihuahua though.