SIZE RANGE (GERMAN STANDARD) - Page 3

Hello all- Size size guess why they are so big?? Well simple really, the pet market likes them big!! Every litter I have had, I have had the pet people say I want a "BIG" one, I spend hours telling them it is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog...Size does not equal brains beauty..I do have one confession though, my bitches are substantial, some people think they are males.. Substance is often confused with height by the inexperienced...Ok ,I guess I better get that shrinking machine out..maybe a nice short legged beagle type might appeal to judges this year.. alternative any takers in the USA?????

JARED - You don't need to have your dog surveyed to be able to put a yard stick next to him and have him stand still for 10 seconds -- Your vet needs to re-think his 130 pound estimate !!! The GSD has his last and probalby biggest growth spurt between 7 and 9 months -- but you dog did gain an awful lot of weight in a sort time, if you are starting with the correct numbers. Growing TOO fast is a big cause for concern (for me) but I don't feed less protein in an attempt to slow down the dog's genetic predisposition to get to whatever size he's going to get to -- I figure, he needs the nourishment to keep everything healthy. It's quite possible that your puppy is pretty much done growing at 9 months -- he may grow another 1/2 inch over the next 6 months - maybe an inch - but we don't know how tall he is - and there are little "surveys" posted on his background to give us a hint - It's my experience that when people say "there's not an ounce of fat on him " -- they could probably lose 5 pounds and still look fine. Vet's are extremely SLOW to even suggest to people that their dogs could lose a few pounds because they are afraid you will leave, insulted, and not come back. BTW - I love his color/markings !!