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Shepherds => German Shepherd Discussions => : Johnnysgirl_668 April 16, 2007, 04:16:42 AM

: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 April 16, 2007, 04:16:42 AM
Hello. I'm new here, and new to owning a purebred GSD. I've had mixes before, mostly GS/labs, who got to about 55-65lbs. I was wondering if anyone has charted their dog's growth from puppyhood to give me a rough idea what to expect?

I've seen the "standard" height weight chart, but my baby is  beyond their numbers. So far, his weight-ins have been:

  9 weeks - 22.5lbs
 11 weeks - 29.3lbs
 13 weeks - 38.7lbs


(http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/984/p1000614xj5.jpg)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: People Whisperer April 16, 2007, 04:25:25 AM
Welcome! You pup is gorgeous! About his weight...he is either growing too fast or will be a monster! lol What do you feed him?
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 April 16, 2007, 04:48:26 AM
Hmm, again in this case I'd ask how large his parents were and grandparents if you know. That's usually the best place to start. It would seem he is gaining too quickly, what does your vet say? And also like people whisperer asked, what are you feeding/how much? If you're sure he is purebred, it does seem a little extreme for a GSD. My male Pyr weighs less at 16 wks. If yours continued to gain almost 10 lbs every 2 weeks that would be one enormous dog haha.

Oh, and welcome! I'd love to see more pics!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 April 16, 2007, 05:59:29 AM
Right now he's on Nutrience Junior Large Breed forumla, but I want to switch him over to something like Canidae. He gets 1 cup, 3 times a day, which is underfeeding them by the bag's standards.

The vet says he's well proportioned, he's slim and sleek, with MASSIVE paws. His siblings (two of whom we have playdates with regularly) are gigantic too. I'm wondering if they are "king" shepherds, due to their size.

They were sold without papers, so we have no clue about his ancestors. I have questioned the "pureness" of the breeding, and have be assured (not reassured) they are purebred. Clearly, I am led by my heart, and not by my head.  ::)

I will be taking him in for hip/shoulder xrays when they neuter him.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: schelmischekitty April 16, 2007, 06:02:54 AM
ok, for his age, he actually DOES fit pretty close in this growth chart.  GSD's stop growing at a year, according to this.  this is the male half of it.  also, please note the % of total is the % of total growth completed.  anywho, here it is and also a link at the bottom.  according to it, he should get 70-80lbs.

Age   Weight  % of   
(mo)   lb.   Total   

1   9.2   12.10   

2   19.9   26.18   

3   31.3   41.18   

4   41.8   55   

5   50.6   66.57   

6   57.4   75.52   

7   62.6   82.36   

8   66.4   87.36   

9   69.4   91.31   

10   72.0   94.73   

11   74.3   97.76   

12   76.0   100   

http://www.nwk9.com/weight_height.htm
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 April 16, 2007, 06:09:29 AM
Right now he's on Nutrience Junior Large Breed forumla, but I want to switch him over to something like Canidae. He gets 1 cup, 3 times a day, which is underfeeding them by the bag's standards.

The vet says he's well proportioned, he's slim and sleek, with MASSIVE paws. His siblings (two of whom we have playdates with regularly) are gigantic too. I'm wondering if they are "king" shepherds, due to their size.

They were sold without papers, so we have no clue about his ancestors. I have questioned the "pureness" of the breeding, and have be assured (not reassured) they are purebred. Clearly, I am led by my heart, and not by my head.  ::)

I will be taking him in for hip/shoulder xrays when they neuter him.


So then you haven't seen the parents? If it were me, I'd be more inclined to think he was mixed with something else perhaps..it's hard to see from the pic but his muzzle looks wide for a gsd puppy, at least the ones that I've seen. Not that that means anything. :P
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: schelmischekitty April 16, 2007, 06:16:17 AM
i'd be good with saying he looks pure bred.  i've looked up a lot of AKC GSD puppies at 13weeks to better help you and they all have the broad noses like his.  i'll attach one good example.  my guess would be that they have to get out of that puppy stage and get their adult look, as well as the adult longer slimmer nose.  BUT i do have to say, more pictures of him would make it a lot easier to speculate ha ha (hint hint  ;))
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 April 16, 2007, 06:41:05 AM
i'd be good with saying he looks pure bred.  i've looked up a lot of AKC GSD puppies at 13weeks to better help you and they all have the broad noses like his.  i'll attach one good example.  my guess would be that they have to get out of that puppy stage and get their adult look, as well as the adult longer slimmer nose.  BUT i do have to say, more pictures of him would make it a lot easier to speculate ha ha (hint hint  ;))

aww thats a cute pic. gosh i don't usually see ones with noses like that, maybe it's the difference in their line. and you seem to be good at finding the growth chart things, you can find one for mine. ;D everytime i look i come up with nothing.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 April 16, 2007, 06:45:11 AM
I was thinkin more like this..
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: schelmischekitty April 16, 2007, 06:46:03 AM
i can't find one for pyrs or specific mastiff breeds  :-[  i try all the time and can't find one.  the only place i can think of it maybe there is one in a breed specific book   ???  i love doing research, wish i could get a job doing it
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: schelmischekitty April 16, 2007, 06:46:44 AM
that one has a broad nose, also.  just a different angle, a little more straight forward and not from as high above as the pic i posted.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 April 16, 2007, 06:48:16 AM
It's really hard to tell his muzzle size, as 90% of him is black, and the little fudgebar won't sit still for any pictures. Here are a few more, I hope they are better.

(http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/5779/p1000524smfe8.jpg)
(http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1088/image3db3.jpg)
(http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9185/image2mr3.jpg)
(http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/7325/image1di2.jpg)
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: schelmischekitty April 16, 2007, 07:10:45 AM
he's 100% adorable!  i LOVE his ears!  i'd still go with he's more than likely pure bred.  time will definately help tell, though!  he's gonna be a gorgeous dog!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 April 16, 2007, 07:12:45 AM
Awwwwwwwwww, those are much better pics, his nose doesn't look the same there to me. He's adorable. The first I'm taking it was the youngest? His feet don't look large there, it looks like they've gotten bigger as his body has grown, but don't look overly large in comparison to the rest of him. Looks like he has a nice solid frame. He's soooooo cute!!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 April 16, 2007, 07:15:35 AM
i can't find one for pyrs or specific mastiff breeds  :-[  i try all the time and can't find one.  the only place i can think of it maybe there is one in a breed specific book   ???  i love doing research, wish i could get a job doing it

Yeah, I love it too and generally I'm pretty good at finding things out but that one was a dead end. I have a couple books but it doesn't say in there either, need to look more in that direction maybe like you say.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Moni April 16, 2007, 07:24:07 AM
He is a patootie.  :)  Reminds me a lot of Faust when he was a wee lad.  lol

I wouldn't be too worried about his weight as long as its constant.  They give the growth charts to help try and make us "parents" feel better.  Sadly, I think they end up making those of us with pups & kids outside the chart just feel worse!  lol

An example would be that Zeo, my 18" 35# BC/Sheltie weighed more at 8wks than all my other dogs did, including Tenchi(Great Dane who now weighs 155# and is 38" at the shoulder)!  I thought she was going to be a supersized blue merle butterball, but she stopped growing around 5 months old.  Where as Tenchi didn't stop until he was over 2yrs old and he's still "filling out".   
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 April 16, 2007, 07:57:36 AM
Yes, the little avatar pic is Bear on his first day "home". My last dog's muzzle grew like Pinocchio's nose (without the lies). It was a short stubby as a pup, and elongated as he grew. He went from looking like a black lab, to a floppy-eared GSD with lab fur on his head and ears.



I agree about the scaring us poor parents. The doctors did the same thing to me with my daughter, who, before she turned 4 yrs old, was in the 5th percentile for weight. Now she's nearing the 75th percentile in weight, and 10th percentile in height. Only time can tell.


I was just hoping someone might have a GSD with similar weight stats. No worries if he turns out to be the size of an elephant. Well, on the other hand, maybe I should just go out and buy stocks in the dog food company now.  ;D
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: rayray May 15, 2007, 12:56:02 PM
my inlaws female started out growing that fast...now that she is a year she is a little over 70lbs but we're told that she'll still grow until she's 2
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: ZooCrew May 16, 2007, 08:35:52 AM
Awwwwe, what a cutie he is!
Can't help you out much, but his growth doesn't seem to rapid to me.
I have a husky/shep mix and she's more husky built.  Topped out at 35lbs by 6 mo. and stayed there for 2 yrs, then jumped to 50.  Stayed there for 3 yrs, then gained some more after the addition of Gunther (don't ask me how or why).  At her heaviest was around 62.  She is now down to a svelte 53 lbs.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Jas2Cats May 16, 2007, 09:19:14 AM
He's adorable~!  I love GSD's, though, I've never had a purebreed before, maybe on my next.....hopef ully, that will be a ways away~!

Welcome, and don't worry too much about his size unless the Vet thinks he's growing too quickly  :D
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: navarre1316 May 16, 2007, 11:36:58 AM
I just got rid of all of Navarre's old papers last month.  If memory serves me correctly he was about that big at that age also.  I remember at 5-6months he was 62lbs.  He stayed a steady 98lbs until he was put on epi meds and then he topped 130!!  His parents were 105lbs and 115lbs.  He was a solid boy even at the 130!  Just make sure that while he's small enough (which won't be for long) that you teach him YOU'RE the boss.  It's easier to put a 40lb dog in his place than a 100lber trust me!!  But after that's done all you'll have to do is give him a look, not even say anything, and he'll know you mean business so it won't matter how big he gets!!  Enjoy, I can't wait to get my next one, it's been a year and I need another GSD in my house.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 May 16, 2007, 08:22:50 PM
Thanks all. I guess since my previous pups were never this huge I started panicking(sp?). He's now 18 weeks and just over 50lbs. He'd probably weigh more, but the little stinker has had a very nasty bout of the runs, due to cleaning out the cat litter box on his own. EWWWWWW!!!  :o :-[

The cats now have to crawl through a tunnel to get to their igloo-ish style box that DH made, as Bear kept getting in to the blasted box wherever and however we set it up. And of course, the litter box just has to be in the mudroom, where I take him out.  ::)
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 May 16, 2007, 09:40:55 PM
Gosh, he's still growing fast! I'd think he would be slowing down in the next month or so. My dogs love the litterbox too, so gross. Esp my female she is relentless, luckily whenever I see her start to head to that room I can tell her to leave it and she listens. But there were times before I realized she was obsessed, just gross. I have a litter robot which is an automatic box that empties on it's own so technically there should never be anything in there, but my one cat figured out right away how to not trip the sensor so I have to go behind her and push the button, hahaha..she's a pain in the butt.

Hope your pups tummy gets better soon!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Jas2Cats May 16, 2007, 10:22:33 PM
Yuck~!  My dogs try to raid the cat box too! Luckily for me, my cat has a very strong sense of "ownership" for our office where her box is located.  she comes out hissing with loaded claws if they try to go there. My sister calls it Kitty Rocha  :P  Her dogs go after it too.  I guess its just a dog thing. LOL

Do we ever wonder why we let them kiss us?
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 May 16, 2007, 11:20:30 PM
Yuck~!  My dogs try to raid the cat box too! Luckily for me, my cat has a very strong sense of "ownership" for our office where her box is located.  she comes out hissing with loaded claws if they try to go there. My sister calls it Kitty Rocha  :P  Her dogs go after it too.  I guess its just a dog thing. LOL

Do we ever wonder why we let them kiss us?

Hubby doesn't allow kisses lol. I can smell Yiska coming for a mile if she's been in the box and she isn't getting anywhere near me!!!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: GoldenPyrs May 16, 2007, 11:48:13 PM
I was out of town when this thread began, and somehow I've missed it even since.  Your little Bear is adorable!  Welcome (though sorry it's so belated ::)) to BPO.  I love puppy pics and your puppy is so cute!  I'm mom to 3 kids, 3 dogs (1 Golden & 2 Pyrs) and our kitties. 

Hmmm, kitty litter treats....arou nd here hubby calls them "Cat Poo-d" (as opposed to cat food).  Yep, Daisy (our Golden mix) would probably prefer the cat poo-d to her own dog food.  NASTY!  ::)  Our litter box is in the laundry room and we just bought one of those gates that someone posted here about recently.  It's pressure mounted and has a door for us humans, then a small door in the bottom for the cat to come & go.  It's a great design (from PetsMart) and so far it's working. 
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 May 17, 2007, 10:10:39 AM
Our last dog enjoyed frozen poopcicles. BLECH! But I've never had to deal with litter robbers before.  :-\

DH won't let Bear lick him either, and I won't let him near my face, considering where that tongue's been.


I'm hoping his weight gain starts slowing down soon. He LOVES his Orijen, and even the cats' Orijen. In fact, the bunch of them swap food bowls all the time. It's funny how, until we started this food, he was never really food driven. He sure is now!!!  :o He'd knock me over if I weren't so big. One good thing about his food drive is that it makes train so so so much easier. He's learned stay, even if it is for only 10 seconds.  ;) :D
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 June 30, 2007, 02:30:10 AM
Well it's been a busy 6 weeks for us, I haven't had much time to pop in. Bear is STILL growing and growing and growing. He's almost 6 months now, and weighs just over 70lbs!  :o


He's a sweetie, still a suckie for attention, and loves to have his belly rubbed... sometimes for (what seems like) hours!

(http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/3135/image1ya4.jpg)
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 June 30, 2007, 02:33:21 AM
Wow he sure has matured! He looks like a big dog now! Awww. I'm glad he's doing so well!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: GoldenPyrs June 30, 2007, 03:21:20 AM
Wow, he's gorgeous!  He looks like he's doing really well.  Great pic!   ;D
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: navarre1316 June 30, 2007, 07:39:36 AM
He looks about the size that Navarre was at 6 months.  Yes you are going to have a big boy!  He should stop gaining now and start getting longer/taller.  Do you have him on any supplements?  My vet just told me to be careful of the fast rate of growth because of hips, etc.  I'll have to find some pics of Navarre when he was younger and post them.

On the flip side, my new GSD pup is just now 5 months old and I don't even think she weighs 30lbs!  I've only had her 3 weeks and she's such a quick learner!  But she was in the shelter for about 5 weeks and I think she's probably had the runs for the last 2 months (which have finally cleared up, seriously like yesterday!!)!  Plus she's female and I think Navarre was part mutant!!!  I will just have to wait and see!

He is a GORGEOUS pup!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Johnnysgirl_668 June 30, 2007, 08:43:15 AM
Thanks all.

No, I don't have him on any supplements. I've kept him lean, as best as I could. Most everyone that sees him says he looks too thin. I find when he's starting to look chunky, it means he's about to shoot upwards.

How large did Navarre get?
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: navarre1316 June 30, 2007, 09:07:11 AM
He was a steady 98lbs for a few years then after he was put on epi meds he went to 130lbs for the last three years.  I don't know how much of that was the meds or just his genetics!
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Sillygoose June 30, 2007, 12:46:49 PM
I wish there was somwhere where we could find a chart for all breeds. I've been looking for awhile now for Pyrs and have come up empy handed. I was and still and a little worried about Trippers weight. He looks great but I find he's a little small. His present weight is 32lbs and he's 15 weeks old. My other pyrs if memnory suits me right were bigger than that at his age. Anyone out there have and ideas on what his weight should be?
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: mama23+pyrs2 June 30, 2007, 11:19:26 PM
I wish there was somwhere where we could find a chart for all breeds. I've been looking for awhile now for Pyrs and have come up empy handed. I was and still and a little worried about Trippers weight. He looks great but I find he's a little small. His present weight is 32lbs and he's 15 weeks old. My other pyrs if memnory suits me right were bigger than that at his age. Anyone out there have and ideas on what his weight should be?

I've looked for the same and haven't been sucessful either. I think the difference in Pyrs is a big one, some turn out HUGE, some just big, and some smaller. If he's not boney or anything I wouldn't worry about him. He may end up being a smaller male or just hasn't hit a big growth spurt yet. If I remember correctly my male was about 45lbs at that age, and my female about 40lbs. They stayed within a consistent 5 lb difference up until about 5 months old, now he stays 10 lbs ahead of her. Who knows, but it will be interesting to see how they turn out. He has a much, much larger structure and is much taller eventhough he's only 10 lbs heavier.
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: Duramax July 01, 2007, 02:59:25 AM
theres just too much varriation to take into consideration to come out with a no-fail weight calculating system
: Re: New mom-- large puppy -- any ideas how big he'll get?
: love4pyrs September 01, 2007, 03:48:18 AM
He's so cute.My big boy was 10 lbs at 1month and then gained 10 lbs every month until he reached 110lbs.He is probaly alittle over weight.If yours doesn't get overweight i would say he will probly be 80-95lbs.