Age-weight data - Page 1

Has anyone kept a decent record of weights at different ages and weights at maturity?  I am sometimes surprised at what some breeders call "huge" puppies (they're usually not). 

My experience has been that female pups just about double their 16 week weight, and males just about double their 18 week weight.  Not competition weight, but healthy, active pet weight in early adulthood.   This rule is only approximate, as males have ranged from 1.75 - 2.25 times their 18 week weight.

A rule that would be more useful for breeders would be 7 or 8 week weight.   The rule I use is a male is about 5-6 times his 8 week weight and a female is 4.5 - 5 times her 8 wk weight.

Has anyone kept careful records  (I know this involves a lot of communication with puppy buyers)?  

Does anyone use a rule of thumb that works well?

Does anyone have documented experience that differs from mine?  I am aware that competition weights are 5-10 pounds lighter than active, healthy noncompetitive weight.  (Hey, I was a world class runner 40 pounds ago, yet I'm not fat now.  But I sure do know the difference.)

Finally, does anyone know of any legitimate research done to create a growth curve for gsd's?  I think a general canine curve would be somewhat inaccurate.  I know of setters, for example who were over 40 pounds at 18 weeks yet matured to 70 -- so they mature faster.  I also know the giant breeds mature more slowly.

Thanks in advance.

nope, i think you are pretty much right on.  a general rule of thumb is that the pup will double his size from that at 4 months.  i have found that to be true in most cases also.

pjp

Thanks.  Double 4 months for males seems to work.  Females seem to double a younger weight (16 weeks -- about a week and a half earlier.)

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/134/8/2027S

This careful study suggests that a dog of a shepherd's size would be expected to double his 18-19 week weight.  So 4 months is a bit young to double.

I think 1st year weight = 2x 4 month weight

Final adult weight = 2 x  18 1/2  week weight

Tiny dogs double 11 week and giant double 22, according to this study.

OMG,  my pup is 51.5 lbs at 17.5 weeks!  He was 19.5 at 8 weeks.  Both weights indicate an adult weight well over 100 lbs.  I didn't think good condition GSD's got much over 85 lbs or so.

I read somwhere that a gsd pup will be 10 times his 6 week old weight.

Fred Lanting did some research over many generations of GSD's and published the results in his book, "The Total German Shepherd Dog".  He has weights from puppyhood to maturity for both males and females, characterized as Small, Medium, and Large in each gender.

Being the geek that I am, I created an Excel spreadsheet with the growth curves programmed in, complete with graphs and a plug-in table that you can add data on your own dog.

Email me if you want a copy.

schhbabe@yahoo.com

P.S.  Every once in a while, being an engineer comes in handy.  :)

GEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's ALPHA GEEK to you, Don C!  Don't make me whip out a standard deviation on your shaggy behind.  My grade school calculator has more buttons than your universal remote.

You crack me up.  :)  I love ya, man. 

Ruegers: your pup is going to be at least 93 lbs., I think.

But there is another issue: what we mean by weight and condition varies.  I was a college football player in the fall at 215 pounds, but when i competed in the decathlon in the spring I went down to 193.  There's weight and there's weight.

I think your pup will have a street weight (happy, not fat, not hard) of about 100 but if he is competing and training hard (and even being underfed, they way we see in some dogs) he will be 85.  I think it can swing that much.

I have asked Schhbabe for her s/s.  The scientific study I showed looked at many breeds.  Maybe gsd's mature young and finish sooner?