# Is he to small?



## StreaksMyBoy (Dec 6, 2010)

My puppy streak just turned 12 months hes a great dog and i love him but im starting to question his size he is about 26 inches tall and weighs about 65 pounds (not fixed) hes been to the vet and they say he could weigh a little bit more but hes fine and they think he will be around 80 or 85 i think he should be bigger but i really dont know, his mom weighs 85 or 90 and his dad is about 90.
I just dont know what to expect i feed him larg breed puppy a cup in the morning afternoon and night should i be feeding him more or is he fine? hes my first GSD could anyone help me out on this? :help:


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

What kind of large breed puppy food? That doesn't sound like much food. a 15-20 pound weight gain between a year old and maturity is a LOT, unless he's truly underweight now. The rapid weight gain of puppyhood slows down between 6 months and a year old, and he'll probably only gain a little more after that. right now he's at the bottom of the standard for an adult male (66-88 pounds) by weight, and at the top of the standard by height (approx. 23-1/2" to 25-1/2"). 

The best way to tell if he's a good weight for his size is to look at his condition - can you easily feel his ribs when you run your hand down his side and see the last one or two? Does he have a "waist" when viewed from above and a tuck up at the abdomen when viewed from the side? That would be perfect condition. If his ribs are overly prominent he might need a little more food.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

26 inches and 65 pounds ........ sounds like my dog.
He is slim but probably not underweight.
He will probably fill out a little but maybe he is just a slender dog.
26 inches is not small. It's a good height for a GSD, right in the standard range.
3 cups may not be enough .... try 2 in the morning and 2 at night.


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## StreaksMyBoy (Dec 6, 2010)

i feed him avoderm (do you know when to switch to adult?) and everyone tells me he will fill out alot over the next year and his breeder and vet both say he should be 80 or over and i have been feeding him more around a 1 and a half cups in the morning 1 sometime 2 in the afternoon and 1 and a half at night and he just turned 12 months on november 27th also it dosent make sense if he was much less thn 85 or so because size is hereditary right?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Looks like he should be getting around 3-1/2 to 4 cups a day according to the feeding guideline. But looking at his condition as I described above is a much better way to know if he's getting the right amount of food. 

You can switch to adult food now if you like, many people don't feed puppy food at all. And you can also switch him to 2 meals a day from 3.


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## StreaksMyBoy (Dec 6, 2010)

yes i can feel his ribs a bit and sometime i can see them im going to start feeding him 4 times aday also the "cup" iv been using isent quite a full cup so that might be another thing thats affecting his weight im going to be feeding a full cup now. I just kinda want a big german shepherd even though "biggers not better" haha i just dont know what to expect all his family members are big but i shoulden't worrie and just listen to what the professionals are saying


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Your dog sound right into the standard. The problem is we see more dogs out of it nowadays...


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I have a 66lb 18 month old male.  He's on the small side for a boy, but not out of standard. I have to say I LOVE HIM!  He's way more agile, and much faster than my big males.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

My GSD, Chief was tall and thin at first. At age 2, I could see way too many of his bones. The vet suggested that he wasn't getting enough protein. I wasn't feeding a good food, but in 1990, the average pet owner didn't know about good dog food. I changed him to a higher protein diet, and he filled right out. He topped the scales at 120 at one point. He ended up at his ideal weight at age 4, weighing in at 105.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

StreaksMyBoy said:


> *I just kinda want a big german shepherd* even though "biggers not better" haha i just dont know what to expect all his family members are big but i shoulden't worrie and just listen to what the professionals are saying


His genetics are going to determine how big he will be. The only way to make him any "bigger" is to overfeed him and make him fat. Not a good idea! It's much better to keep him at a healthy weight_ for his size_, and accept him as he is, no matter how big he ends up being. 

And I agree, bigger is not necessarily better. I love Halo's smaller size, she is strong, FAST, and agile!


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## Lesley1905 (Aug 25, 2010)

I'm sure he is just beautiful! Bigger isn't always better like you said


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## StreaksMyBoy (Dec 6, 2010)

ok i think i just have to wait i think he might just be going to gain alot of his weight size and stuff a little later by the way what kind of dog food did you switch your dog to that made him alot bigger?


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

A certain kind of food isn't going to 'beef up' your dog more than another if he's doing well on what he's eating now. If anything, you want to build muscle. I'm not sure if this was already mentioned or not, but is he neutered? If he's not, he'll fill out and grow some more. 
Exercise him and build muscle on him. Don't just get him fat.


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## Deuce (Oct 14, 2010)

Catu said:


> Your dog sound right into the standard. The problem is we see more dogs out of it nowadays...


You know what? I agree with you!

He's only a year old. German Shepherd's don't reach full size/maturity until 2-3 years of age so I wouldn't worry about it. I feed 1 cups in the AM and 2 in the PM and my boy's right on track with yours.


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## Deuce (Oct 14, 2010)

Konotashi said:


> A certain kind of food isn't going to 'beef up' your dog more than another if he's doing well on what he's eating now. If anything, you want to build muscle. I'm not sure if this was already mentioned or not, but is he neutered? If he's not, he'll fill out and grow some more.
> Exercise him and build muscle on him. Don't just get him fat.


Agreed and no, he says he's not neutered


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## StreaksMyBoy (Dec 6, 2010)

Yea ino im pertty sure hes going to be a good 80 or 85 pounds how olds your dog u said was on track with mine?


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## armymp1014 (Aug 14, 2010)

i took ava to the park yesterday and there was a 7 month old male GSD who was twice avas size. i have been told that she was small for a GSD before but i figured she just has not really started growing. well i have watched her grow so big from the little dog i brought home that day. so i guess i dont really have many GSDs to compare her to in person. but if she is small for a GSD that is ok with me. she is the best dog ever lol


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

StreaksMyBoy said:


> Yea ino im pertty sure hes going to be a good 80 or 85 pounds how olds your dog u said was on track with mine?


It would be nice if you don't write like if the board were a cell phone.

Dots and commas are also free.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Konotashi said:


> A certain kind of food isn't going to 'beef up' your dog more than another if he's doing well on what he's eating now. If anything, you want to build muscle. I'm not sure if this was already mentioned or not, but is he neutered? If he's not, he'll fill out and grow some more.
> Exercise him and build muscle on him. Don't just get him fat.


I've noticed a big change of when I feed only kible compared to when I feed raw (I can't do only raw, but I suplement as much as I can) in the same adult dog, regarding muscle mass and a better built appearence.


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## GoSearchk9 (Oct 20, 2010)

My boy is 62-63lbs at 8months. He's a little shorter but he's definetly on the small size. Agree with JKlatsky..I love his size :wub: he is a rocket and very very agile!! And a fire cracker on rubble for his searches!


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## StreaksMyBoy (Dec 6, 2010)

Can i upload a picture of him to this thread?


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## StreaksMyBoy (Dec 6, 2010)

Heres his dogster theres pics

Dog profile for Streak, a male German Shepherd


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)




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