Women of a certain age will lament over their necks and refer to it with disgust as a “neck wattle,” but dog men and women refer to a dog that’s showing an excess of folds of skin and dewlap on its neck as “throatiness.” Some breed standards make a point of addressing it:

From the Rhodesian Ridgeback AKC Breed Standard: “The neck …should be strong, free from throatiness and in balance with the dog.”

From the AKC standard of the Labrador Retriever: “The neck should be of proper length to allow the dog to retrieve game easily. It should be muscular and free from throatiness.”

Why, do you suppose, is “throatiness” an undesired quality?

Image inspired by the image of a veterinarian taking a look at a chocolate Labrador. Artwork by Amy Reges. Buy this artwork here