# Skinny lanky vs short sturdy looking chihuahuas



## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Hey, so Lilo's legs are really skinny and lanky looking. Very little muscle, especially on the front legs. I can see light go through in some places when she stands in the sun. :lol: Coco on the other hand had shorter legs that were more muscular, round and sturdy looking. I quite liked that as I guess she looked less fragile than some other chihuahuas I've seen. Lilo's legs sometimes look so delicate. 

Is there a chance that her legs will fill in as she grows up or does this kind of thing mostly come down to genetics? Not that it matters that much, I'm just curious really.  

Her mum wasn't that lanky, but she did have relatively skinny legs. However the previous owners don't seem to exercise their dogs much at all whereas I took Coco for longs walks daily and made her exercise quite a bit. They also feed a low quality food whereas I had Coco on a high quality diet. Do you think exercise and a good diet can make a noticeable difference? Or is it just the case that some chis are naturally lanky and others 'rounder' looking? I'm not concerned or anything, just asking out of curiosity. I'm trying to figure out what she'll grow up to look like. hehe


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

My two are true brother and sister (same parents different litters) and they are as different as night and day. We joke around that it is beacuse BG is a girl and Sonny is a boy! Both are tall chis but different body shapes. 

BG- very tall and lanky but muscular too. She weighs 7lbs but her neck is 6" and only fits at a cat collar. She has no shoulder mass and a well defined waist. 

Sonny- UGH stocky as they come. He is solid as a rock and all muscle. He stands like a Pitt Bull and is just a chunk of muscle. He weighs 10 pounds but feels like 20lbs at times he is so solid. My Vet stated she has not seen a chi with that much muscle. He is like a muscle builder.

See in the photos what I am trying to describe?


BG- long and lean

Sonny- look at the defined muscle mass in his back legs alone and the size of his neck


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

When Jaxx was a pup he had little short chubby legs. As he grew up though his legs did change to tall lanky legs. He now has areas on his legs that looks like you could see through them. We were told that Jaxx got tall because he was neutered at 6 months and that makes me wonder if we had waited to neuter him if he would still have those short legs that did not seem so fragile.

I am sure a lot of pups that have the short stubby legs become tall and lanky but I am not sure if it can happen the other way. In my head it makes sense that it is just part of the genetics.


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## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

Enzo is very thick lots of muscle weight somewhere about 8- 8.5 lbs. his brother from the same litter is small very little muscle on legs and thin he's all about 5 lbs


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## SarahJG (May 25, 2013)

Frodo is 4 1/2 months now, and is quite a little chunkster. Last time I weighed him he was just over 4lbs in weight, but he just seems to get denser, not bigger! His legs do seem to be beginning to elongate, though, so time will tell what his adult shape will be....


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## catz4m8z (Aug 28, 2008)

i think alot of it is to do with the deerhead/applehead types. It doesnt just refer to head shapes but the general conformation.
Heidi is a deerhead type so is long and lean with a slim build and looks abit like a mini whippet but Adam is an applehead and has short legs, a stocky barrel body and looks longer then he is tall (while Heidi is more square).


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