This is a placeholder text
Group text
by rykie on 09 March 2011 - 00:03
I have a 4 1/2 month old gsd and he is approximately 24" at the withers and he weighs 60 lbs and big-boned, however, he is very lean, and not overweight. Is he going to be oversized?
by nonacona60 on 09 March 2011 - 00:03
That does seem big for that age...But only time will time...Just to give you an idea, we have an 8mo old male with big bone and substance..He is 25 3/4 inches tall and weighes 70lbs...We do have him lean because he has pano now....Big boys that grow fast are usually the ones that will get pano.....Not always, but more likely to get it....JMO
by Hedi on 09 March 2011 - 01:03
My 7 month old girl is 50ish pounds. Not sure how tall she is and I thought she was big. That sounds like a big puppy.
by RCale on 09 March 2011 - 01:03
German Shepherd Growth Chart by Weight and Age
www.mygermanshepherdpuppy.com/german-shepherd-growth-chart.php
www.mygermanshepherdpuppy.com/german-shepherd-growth-chart.php
by laura271 on 09 March 2011 - 14:03
Here's a thread from Dec. 2010 that's related:
www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum/73846.html
www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum/73846.html
by grunwaldhaus on 10 March 2011 - 02:03
How reliable are weight charts?
Here is a sample chart: http://mygermanshepherdpuppy.com/
Here are some problems with these charts:
1. They don't specify if it's for Showline or Working Line or American Line and it would be an important clarification. They are most likely an "average" of the lines. In that case how much of a true help are they?
2. Dogs from different "families" (lines, parents etc.) grow at different rates. I have seen puppy males which grew so quick that there was a concern for them to be "oversized". However at 15 months, they were upper medium size. On the opposite, I have also seen small sized puppies until they were about 4 to 5 months old. A year later, they ended up being the tallest of the litter. Conclusion: "dogs, like people, have different developmental stages. I also believe that every dog will reach his or her genetically predetermined height and weight, regardless of how much and what they eat, unless there is evidence of severe malnutrition or a sickness. Too much food and too much of high-protein especially, only makes them grow faster and not bigger."
3. The scales/charts above are on or above the top end. 8 week old puppy should be between 8-12 lbs. max. 6 month average GSD should not be over 45 lbs.
To have a chubby puppy is cute but is wrong and unhealthy. Puppy should feel ribby.
* It was found in one early study on German Shepherd Dogs that there were NO PUPS weighting over 20 pounds at 60 days of age that did not develop hip dysplasia.
* Another example is the experiment by W.H. Riser "Influence of early rapid growth and weight gain on hip dysplasia in German Shepherd Dog. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1964; 145:661-668" involving 222 German Shepherd Dogs showed a correlation between Hip Dysplasia at 1 year of age and their weights at 60 days of age. The heavier puppies at 2 months had a higher incidences of HD. Out of 222 GSDs, 100 were dysplastic at 1 year and their mean weight at 2 months was 14 pounds, while 122 diagnosed as normal and they had a mean weight of 13 pounds at 2 months.
* The Collie as a breed has a low incidence of HD and GROWS SLOWLY IN ITS FIRST 4 MONTHS. Riser and Miller in their "Canine Hip Dysplasia and How to Control It. OFA and Hip Dysplasia Control Registry, Phila. 1966." reported that the weight of Collie puppies to be HALF that of many medium to large breeds at the same age that mature to approximately the same size. By the time the Collie is 18 months old, its weight is similar to faster maturing breeds of similar size. They further report that their low incidence of HD is due to that fact that "it has not been as likely to deform the softer tissues of the hip joints during the slow change from cartilage to bone in the FIRST SIX MONTHS or so of its life."
Fred Lanting: "The chart above originated with a knowledgeable breeder based on his experience with a few litters. It was copied from his website and pasted in a bunch of others, including the one above, without proper attribution. In any case it is simply a rough guide, according to his experience. All dogs are different and again, knowing the specifics of what the standard is can be useful in extrapolating. However, as I stated, some large pups end up normal or small, while others who seem small end up normal or even large. There are no cut and dried formulas, especially because there is no real data collected except for a handful of examples. In such a case, the data is essentially useless and may be way off base."
Here is a sample chart: http://mygermanshepherdpuppy.com/
Here are some problems with these charts:
1. They don't specify if it's for Showline or Working Line or American Line and it would be an important clarification. They are most likely an "average" of the lines. In that case how much of a true help are they?
2. Dogs from different "families" (lines, parents etc.) grow at different rates. I have seen puppy males which grew so quick that there was a concern for them to be "oversized". However at 15 months, they were upper medium size. On the opposite, I have also seen small sized puppies until they were about 4 to 5 months old. A year later, they ended up being the tallest of the litter. Conclusion: "dogs, like people, have different developmental stages. I also believe that every dog will reach his or her genetically predetermined height and weight, regardless of how much and what they eat, unless there is evidence of severe malnutrition or a sickness. Too much food and too much of high-protein especially, only makes them grow faster and not bigger."
3. The scales/charts above are on or above the top end. 8 week old puppy should be between 8-12 lbs. max. 6 month average GSD should not be over 45 lbs.
To have a chubby puppy is cute but is wrong and unhealthy. Puppy should feel ribby.
* It was found in one early study on German Shepherd Dogs that there were NO PUPS weighting over 20 pounds at 60 days of age that did not develop hip dysplasia.
* Another example is the experiment by W.H. Riser "Influence of early rapid growth and weight gain on hip dysplasia in German Shepherd Dog. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1964; 145:661-668" involving 222 German Shepherd Dogs showed a correlation between Hip Dysplasia at 1 year of age and their weights at 60 days of age. The heavier puppies at 2 months had a higher incidences of HD. Out of 222 GSDs, 100 were dysplastic at 1 year and their mean weight at 2 months was 14 pounds, while 122 diagnosed as normal and they had a mean weight of 13 pounds at 2 months.
* The Collie as a breed has a low incidence of HD and GROWS SLOWLY IN ITS FIRST 4 MONTHS. Riser and Miller in their "Canine Hip Dysplasia and How to Control It. OFA and Hip Dysplasia Control Registry, Phila. 1966." reported that the weight of Collie puppies to be HALF that of many medium to large breeds at the same age that mature to approximately the same size. By the time the Collie is 18 months old, its weight is similar to faster maturing breeds of similar size. They further report that their low incidence of HD is due to that fact that "it has not been as likely to deform the softer tissues of the hip joints during the slow change from cartilage to bone in the FIRST SIX MONTHS or so of its life."
Fred Lanting: "The chart above originated with a knowledgeable breeder based on his experience with a few litters. It was copied from his website and pasted in a bunch of others, including the one above, without proper attribution. In any case it is simply a rough guide, according to his experience. All dogs are different and again, knowing the specifics of what the standard is can be useful in extrapolating. However, as I stated, some large pups end up normal or small, while others who seem small end up normal or even large. There are no cut and dried formulas, especially because there is no real data collected except for a handful of examples. In such a case, the data is essentially useless and may be way off base."
by HighDesertGSD on 10 March 2011 - 18:03
I think a 4.5 month male that is 24 inches and thin 60 pounds will be somewhat oversized.
What is oversized? The standard is 26".
Is a male 26.5 inches and lean 95 pounds oversized? Strictly speaking yes, but in reality no, IMO.
IMO, this is just within my preference.
I think he may not be huge.
I read it is not high protein as a percentage in a food, but the calories consumed that causes undesirable growth rate. Also too high a calicum content is not good.
I would restrict food consumption, choose a food with moderately low Ca content (1% may be) but enough protein. Always measure rather precisely the food he eats and weigh him regularly.
What is oversized? The standard is 26".
Is a male 26.5 inches and lean 95 pounds oversized? Strictly speaking yes, but in reality no, IMO.
IMO, this is just within my preference.
I think he may not be huge.
I read it is not high protein as a percentage in a food, but the calories consumed that causes undesirable growth rate. Also too high a calicum content is not good.
I would restrict food consumption, choose a food with moderately low Ca content (1% may be) but enough protein. Always measure rather precisely the food he eats and weigh him regularly.
Contact information Disclaimer Privacy Statement Copyright Information Terms of Service Cookie policy ↑ Back to top
