# Kopper's little sister is 80lb at 8 months.



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

He was 62lb at 8 months and is 75lb at 15 months. I think one of us is messing up somewhere.  

Is that even possible? Can a full brother and sister be _that_ far off and both of them be healthy? 

I'm looking at him critically, wondering if I need to feed him more.  Maybe I stunted his growth not feeding puppy food.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

Emoore said:


> He was 62lb at 8 months and is 75lb at 15 months. I think one of us is messing up somewhere.
> 
> Is that even possible? Can a full brother and sister be _that_ far off and both of them be healthy?
> 
> I'm looking at him critically, wondering if I need to feed him more.  Maybe I stunted his growth not feeding puppy food.


You are a nervous Nelly LOL. If your dogs are at a healthy weight then I wouldn't worry about it.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

LOL I am a nervous Nelly. I just measured him and he's 26 inches, so a good height for a male. He's just so LANKY!


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Chances are they are overfeeding, or feeding an improper diet causing too rapid of growth, or they are overestimating or outright lying..people see their dogs weight as a status symbol. IE: my puppy is 40 lbs at 3 months old and his sire was 125 lbs!!"


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Do you have any pictures of his sister? Have you seen his sister in person? If yes, does she look a healthy weight to you?

I guess anything is possible when it comes to genetics. Nothing is guaranteed, so I guess a sister being that much bigger than a full brother is possible, just not typical. 

I'd actually prefer a male that's Kopper's size than if he were around 90+ pounds. In my opinion, an in-shape 75 pounds is the perfect size for a GSD. They're more agile and athletic at that size. They knock over less stuff in the house too.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I saw pictures but she was lying down. I can't tell anything about her weight. I certainly don't want him overweight at all since he's doing agility, but then I don't want him stunted either.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I think I've read enough of your posts on here to safely assume you didn't stunt his growth. You do a great job with him. He's just growing the way he was genetically designed to grow. 

I know there are plenty of people who love their huge males, but Kopper sounds like the perfect size to me. JMO.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Karlo was 20-30# more than his litter-mates at that age. Even though they were females, it was a big spread in weight/height. He was 80# at 8 mos, and not an ounce of fat. I fed raw.
The other male was at least 15 behind him. Karlo is now 90# at 3 yrs and 27" very, very lean(I need to add some to him, he's muscled but not a bit of extra fat) Gryff is 27" and 85# the females range from 55# to 65#. 
I see some dogs that are overweight, jiggly because they aren't muscled and I don't want that look at all. I keep my female Onyx the same as Karlo, she is not in sportwork, but if I let her, she'd get fat(spayed 5yrs old) She's 90# and 26" but bigger boned than him.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I have 2 'big' sisters. Am i stunted? Gee, I hope not.
Sometimes the girls are just bigger.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I can't ever let them see each other. He'd never live it down if he got beat up by his little sister.

I freely admit to getting my back up a little when I found out his younger sister was bigger.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

He'll never live it down? or you wouldn't let him.
He wouldn't know the difference.
Little bit of macho pride going on here.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

Emoore - Seriously I know how you feel. Mac is 2 years old and he's still lanky...hasn't entirely filled in yet. But he's happy, healthy & energetic so I know its all good.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

My girl is at least 10-15 lbs. heavier than her same aged brother and was fed Orijen puppy, and TOTW after a year old. She just grew faster and is bigger boned than he is though he is taller


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

PaddyD said:


> He'll never live it down? or you wouldn't let him.
> He wouldn't know the difference.
> Little bit of macho pride going on here.


Sorry, I forgot to engage "joke" mode to let everyone know I was making a funny.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Originally Posted by PaddyD 
He'll never live it down? or you wouldn't let him.
He wouldn't know the difference.
Little bit of macho pride going on here.


Emoore said:


> Sorry, I forgot to engage "joke" mode to let everyone know I was making a funny.


OOoooops


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## Clyde (Feb 13, 2011)

I am very critical of heavy dogs and my first thought was this dog must be fat. I try to compliment people all the time on how nice and lean they keep their dogs because it seems like most people don't even know a healthy dog when they see it. 

The other day someone actually said their vet told them their dog was a good weight because it has some excess weight to fall back on if it gets sick. Or the "I just don't like petting a dog unless it has a layer of fat over its body so I can't feel anything bony"

I know of a Lab breeder that told a puppy buyer that growing puppies should be heavy while they grow because they need the nutrients

Sorry ranting!!!!


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Clyde said:


> I am very critical of heavy dogs and my first thought was this dog must be fat. I try to compliment people all the time on how nice and lean they keep their dogs because it seems like most people don't even know a healthy dog when they see it.


I can't agree more, and do the same thing. There are SO MANY fat dogs in this country; I find it really sick. I definitely try to compliment people when they have a nice, lean dog. Lucky for us, since discovering agility, I've really been focused on keeping my girl very lean. She's a big girl overall being a couple inches longer and taller than the standard, but is nice and lean at 68 to 69 pounds. It's funny when I "thought" she looked lean at 75 pounds. Amazing what 7 pounds can look like! Now, if only I could keep myself lean! 

Emoore- agility dogs are lean. Very lean. I really think that's for the better. There are some phenomenal slow motion videos of agility dogs on youtube. Take a look at them and realize the truly awesome athleticism of these dogs and you'll no longer feel bad/worried about keeping your dog lean.


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## Falkosmom (Jul 27, 2011)

Emoore,

I am curious how tall she is at the shoulders. I also wonder if she is spayed, and if so, at what age?


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Hmm. I wonder how tall too. 

I haven't measured Rocket for a bit but he's 9 months and 77 lbs, and the vet said he could gain a few. You can easily feel his ribs, (you don't even have to press, just rub your hand down his side) even through all that extra fur, but he's just not a huge eater. Now that his kennel cough is FINALLY gone, he's eating better, so I think he'll gain a few now over the next month, but he is most DEFINITELY NOT fat or overweight in any way. Last I measured him, somewhere around 7-8 months, he was almost 26".

Maybe his longer hair weighs more.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

No, she isn't spayed. 

Kopper's 15 months, 26 inches, and 75lb. You can see the back half of his ribcage but he's muscular. I'm honestly thinking that when he gets closer to 2-3 years he'll get a bit thicker in the chest/shoulders/ribs because right now it's like he's all one width.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

I'm sure he will, he is from a slow growing line. Also he probably looks even leaner because Rocky is an older dog and more mature/developed. Gabe is really lean too (80# at 1 yr) and I don't think too much about it until he's next to Moses and then it's really evident how lean he is and how much development he has left. Moses just turned 4yr and while he was always a big boy there is a huge difference in his maturity look from 2yr to 4yr...even 3yr-4yr there is a difference.


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

Emoore said:


> He was 62lb at 8 months and is 75lb at 15 months. I think one of us is messing up somewhere.
> 
> Is that even possible? Can a full brother and sister be _that_ far off and both of them be healthy?
> 
> I'm looking at him critically, wondering if I need to feed him more.  Maybe I stunted his growth not feeding puppy food.



It is possible and I have the proof. All of Freyja's siblings, from all three litters are smaller than her. Even the males. The males maxed out at around 65-75lbs, and the females 55-65lbs. She's 78-80lbs (depending on the scale), and is 25 at the shoulder, and not even 2 yet. There's not an ounce of fat on her, she's just our genetic freak. :wub:


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

RocketDog said:


> Hmm. I wonder how tall too.
> 
> I haven't measured Rocket for a bit but he's 9 months and 77 lbs, and the vet said he could gain a few. You can easily feel his ribs, (you don't even have to press, just rub your hand down his side) even through all that extra fur, but he's just not a huge eater. Now that his kennel cough is FINALLY gone, he's eating better, so I think he'll gain a few now over the next month, but he is most DEFINITELY NOT fat or overweight in any way. Last I measured him, somewhere around 7-8 months, he was almost 26".
> 
> *Maybe his longer hair weighs more.*


I'm sooo taking this. I haven't measured Jinx yet but I've been so nervous about her weight lately. I can easily feel her ribs just by sliding my hands over her side I don't have to press down at all but she's 80 lbs. She was 79.2 at the vet and 80 at the banfield scale in petsmart. That completely freaks me out. She has always had big bone structure and has been a tank since a little pup. I want her to lose a few lbs because while she's not fat she's not a lean athletic shape either I think she could stand to lose a few lbs so she has a more noticeable tuck because while she has some it's a bit hard to see through all the hair.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Emoore said:


> He was 62lb at 8 months and is 75lb at 15 months. I think one of us is messing up somewhere.
> 
> Is that even possible? Can a full brother and sister be _that_ far off and both of them be healthy?
> 
> I'm looking at him critically, wondering if I need to feed him more.  Maybe I stunted his growth not feeding puppy food.


Pan's littermate was consistently 10-20lbs heavier than him as they grew. Not sure where he's at now or if Pan is catching up but I'd wager he still has at least 10lbs on Pan. Granted Pan was a smaller puppy (9lbs when I got him at 7 weeks) but I don't think he's a small male, he's 75lbs and finer-boned, doesn't have a massive head, and is always on the lean side (can see his ribs). He's a tad taller than Nikon.

Nikon is 70lbs and has a half-brother over 100lbs.


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