Adopted 2yo female and have some questions... - Page 2

Beautifully said GSDTravels !!

pretty girl!, maybe could stand about 10 lbs more on her, but please don't get her heavy!
GSD tend to be aloof, give her some more time to come around.  most tend not to be the love everyone retriever type dogs, and it can take a little time for you to be deemed worthy of their affections.

She looks like she's going to be a very beautiful dog! She does need to develope muscle. But some German Shepherd dogs take a while to reach maturity. Some lines are not expected to start 'filling out' until they are around 3 years old. She will never get chunky like a lab without sacrificing her health, so a little lean is better. As previously mentioned, you should feel the last rib or two. And my GSDs are picky eaters, too. When they were on Orijen, it was not a problem. Especially right before they come into heat, my ladies will turn their noses up at almost anything. Not my male, he'll always eat.
I'm so glad that you have given her a loving, caring home. I hope you will all have long, happy lives together!
jackie harris

ps-she looks a lot like my girl did when she was young!

Thank you everyone for your feedback and compliments.  If I might ask another question....  In looking up something about her feet turning out, I came across the term "weak pastern".  Never heard of this before, but am curious about whether or not this could be contributing to the 'floppiness' I notice in her front feet.  Anyway, had them both out playing today and was able to get a pic that sorta shows what I'm talking about.



Is this...stance(?)...how a weaker pastern might present or is this normal?  Is it something that I should mention to the vet at her next visit? 
Oh, and duly noted from everyone about keeping her fit, but lean  .  Having found out my son has been giving the Lab "a little extra food because she's such a good girl", we're working to get her to drop a few pounds.  Kids!!

Thanks again for all the information.  It's much appreciated.

could be a little east and west in the front, but don't see weak pasterns.  make sure she has been de-wormed recently.
but I had to go check to see if my Ezra was still in my yard, lol.  same face, ears, color ect as my girl. She's sired by  VA Voltan (Larus Batu son)  out of a V Yello St. Micheals berg daughter. does your new girl have a tattoo in her ear? and where are you located? that dog looks familiar

jra, weak pasterns are seen with the dog in profile and relate to the angle of the first (short) bone coming directly from the front feet with the flatter this been to the ground the weaker the pastern. You can just see in the 2nd photo you posted (with her standing next to the ball) her pastern looks to be at the correct (20 or so degrees) angle from the vertical.

As others have mentioned the photo of her next to the lab shows her front legs are a bit easty/westy and this could just well be down to her youth (& therefore subsequent gangliness) along with her muscle condition. Strong muscles around the shoulder will tighten & straighten things up and good food and plenty of regular exercise is the key to improvement.

It could also just be that the 'floopiness' you notice in her front feet is entirely normal but just different from what you have previously experienced. When a GSD gaits and moves their front legs forward the whole pastern & foot will swing loose underneath the leg until it finally 'flops' down when it has reached it's maximum forward extension.

I think she's got pretty good structure and has a great expression that indicates a great character. I also reckon she's a very lucky girl to have found such a caring family who, it's obvious to see, have nothing but her best interests at heart.

Enjoy your dogs.

AandA

Thanks for the info.

Uber - At her first vet visit (with us), she had a complete/thorough check-up, to include deworming.  And nope, no tattoos.

AandA - the way you described the gait is what I've been noticing and was curious about.  Actually, what got me thinking about it is that I can hear her footfalls at night (initially, I was wanting to make sure I heard her if she needed to go out).  Her steps are just heavier and seem to slap the floor, but if that's just the GSD gait, then no worries.  I'm certainly not looking for anything to be wrong with her, but don't want to miss any problems she may have.

By everyone's comments, I'm understanding (and becoming less concerned about) some of her characteristics/traits .  This is the kind of info I was looking for and I'm grateful for everyone's input. 

We are already enamored of her and think she's a perfect addition to our family.  We feel like we lucked into her and by all accounts, we ended up with the best end of this deal!  Thanks again.

She is so lucky to have you for her family.
I breed Shepherds & labs and they are such a great combo for getting along,
the shepherds are serious, most of the time, and the labs are just silly all of the time!

Good luck with your new addition, they both look so happy together!

She certainly looks happy! Probably thinks she just won the lottery!

the lab will build her strength and i would just free fee,she is the perfect age for playing and running and will compete for food, as well as proving ( who is the big dog) all good for her, she is light but not bad.Most labs are chow hounds so she will try to out do the lab on all things , let her go for awhile work on the family connection ,the lab can help with that too. Just a tip most young gsd love kids best wishes