It depends on the dog. Each of them can be a little different than the next. It is best to have a general plan based on knowing the individual dog. I try to keep the dog on or at below his ideal weight throughout the entire process. My attempt is to have the dog no more than one pound over or one pound under from beginning to end. After a hard work out the dog can drop as much as 2-3 pounds. If this weight loss effects his strength in a negative passion then I more than likely should have picked his weight one pound higher and started from there. Until one has the 'eye' it is safe to do a practice run on the dog to see where ideal working weight is for that dog. Missing he weight low means he will be even lower after an hour of hard work. Meaning the mouth will as well body strength will fade as time goes on, an odds are not where it should have been from the beginning. Come in over and the mouth will be there for a short period but carrying the extra weight will also have adverse effects. Meaning an overweight dog will fade as well, in both mouth and body strength. I have no real data on his but I believe a dog that is on his weight and in shape will better one that had his weight missed or picked incorrectly. Or, if it is a close decision the one that started off with the better show weight choice will last. EWO