any guess on how big he will be?? - Page 2

My "little man" is 85+  @ 8 months old.
(prob closer to 90 - I can't hold him long enough to get a weight)
  Not a fat boy either!
I don't remember (or have written down) a 4 month weight but....
He was....32.6 @ 3 months (@ the vet)
...................62 lbs @ 5 months
 ..................72 lbs @ 6 months (@ the vet)
He was probably about 50 lbs (or so) @ 4 months of age.  Everyone always says "he's huge."
We don't see him as huge - just a big puppy that's a HUGE goofball!  He is also "big boned"

Harley,
Post a picture or two.
Would love to see him.
Moons.

What's his breeding?  Is his pedigree listed on the PDB?   I'd like to see his lines just out of curiosity.

Jim

You are seriously going to neuter this gorgeous boy?? with this awesome pedigree??

If you don't want puppies, then don't breed him; why neuter him?

He might just be a fast grower. My female was 22 inches tall at 4 months and weighed 49lbs. But she slowed down on the growth a LOT not long after that. Right now at 11 months she is 25 1/2 inches tall and 63lbs.

A male gsd is half his final weight between 16-18 weeks.  4m is between 17-18w, so he is about half his final weight now.

If your pup is really 4m and 55lb (and so 51-52 at 16w) and he is truly fit, he will mature to between 102-110  He will be 92-100 at 1 yo and gain another 10 lbs from 1 to 4.

If he is a little plump, which is highly likely, he will be a lighter.  But he will surely be 85+ at 1 yo and 95+ at 4yo unless he is actually fat now.

Basically, he is a 100 lb dog.

This formula works for all but sickly or starved puppies or fat puppies.  Some people starve their puppies and they are 30 lbs at 4 months but those dogs mature to more than 60 lbs -- they just grow later, if they eventually get the nutrition they need.

Some people stuff their puppies into fatsuits, and those dogs eventually thin out if trained, so they don't double their 4m weight.

My rules that work well for males are:

5x the 9w weight.
3x the 12w weight.
2x the 17w weight.

And they gain 3cm at the withers after 7m if you're curious about final height.
 

If you neuter him young, he will have a different final shape.

His legs will be longer.

His body will be fatter.

His head will be smaller.

And he will weigh more at maturity.

The science is tiresome to recite and we've said it before on the pdb.

But if you hate those 28in, 120 males -- don't neuter!  They are usually eunuchs.



ONE MORE THING:

The dietary fat is NOT making him heavy.  The dietary CARBS are making him heavy and the dietary PROTEIN is making him grow a bit faster. 

Counterintuitively, I think you should add some fat and cut back some carbs/protein.

MVF,

What is your formula for females?

Thanks
kelly

MVF - dead on, have never seen a better formula than the one you articulated

Harley - I'm sure you're just speaking in hyperbole, but it is troubling to hear someone say "I despise fat dogs"
Obesity is a disease of excess fat accumulation - it is not a moral failing.

P.S. I am not fat myself