# Very undersized 6 month old male GSD?



## Rooster (Jun 29, 2014)

My pup turns 23 weeks old today, so he is just shy of 6 months. I took him to the vet this weekend to weigh-in for new heartworm and flea preventative medicine and he weights 30 lbs. The vet does not seem concerned as he's a very healthy and happy boy and says that he will just be a very small dog. Both his parents were within the upper limits of the breed standard. I had the pick of the litter of twelve pups and they all were the same size at 8 weeks old. Clearly in a litter that size the puppies will be smaller, but I expected by now for him to be more in the "normal" range for a 6 month old. I guess my question is, is there any chance at this point that he will be eventually be within the breed standard for a male GSD? I'd love to hear input from anyone who has experienced something similar with their pup and put my mind at ease!


----------



## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

Dogs continue to mature weight wise up to 3yrs of age as they fill out... I wouldn't worry  Your pup has alot of growing left to do, and will probably have a growth spurt of epic proportions very soon and put your mind at ease . Be glad though, that he is a slow grower, my pup has been a fast grower (physically) and I have had to really watch her and make sure she doesn't overdo or hurt something. Slow growth is preferable for the dog (but harder on the human waiting, lol)... Pix of your pup would be great


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Normally with these puppy weight threads I say the pups weight is fine BUT 30 pounds at 6 months seems really underweight. 

Can you post a picture?


----------



## d4mmo (Mar 27, 2013)

How tall is he?
A photo will be good
At this stage it is still very early, if you can look at a thread I have made of my boy rhino, you can see the monthly progression of a male gsd from 6-11 months.
He was very very skinny, he is now very masculine


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Are you sure its pounds, not kilograms?


----------



## Zeusthegsd143 (Nov 24, 2014)

Rooster said:


> My pup turns 23 weeks old today, so he is just shy of 6 months. I took him to the vet this weekend to weigh-in for new heartworm and flea preventative medicine and he weights 30 lbs. The vet does not seem concerned as he's a very healthy and happy boy and says that he will just be a very small dog. Both his parents were within the upper limits of the breed standard. I had the pick of the litter of twelve pups and they all were the same size at 8 weeks old. Clearly in a litter that size the puppies will be smaller, but I expected by now for him to be more in the "normal" range for a 6 month old. I guess my question is, is there any chance at this point that he will be eventually be within the breed standard for a male GSD? I'd love to hear input from anyone who has experienced something similar with their pup and put my mind at ease!


Need some pics ?


----------



## GSDluver4lyfe (Nov 15, 2006)

As long as he has a clean bill of health per vet then I wouldn't worry. Not all pups grow at the same rate. He may very well end up being a smaller GSD or he could "catch up" and be of average or larger size. My 7 year old male was 42lbs at 7 months. He just would not grow and I was incredibly concerned. Other people had begun to notice his small size as well. He ended up hitting a growth spurt getting up to 70+ lbs within 8-9 months old and once he was fully mature topped out at 92lbs. Trying to get his weight down due to health issues but up until now he has always been between 92-93lbs.

Now, on the other hand I have a 5 month old dutch shepherd pup who weighs 51 lbs currently (her mother tops out at 50-55lbs fully grown!). I don't expect her to get anywhere near 90lbs but she is much larger that my GSD male was. They all grow at different rates! Would love to see a pic btw!


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Growth depends on a lot of things. My young dog was about 34lbs at 7 months old but he is perfectly normal. He grew very slowly but is 14 months old and the same height as his father (who is V-rated, UKC champion, and KKL breed survey so I know he is correct size). Now he is probably in the low to mid 60lbs and will continue to fill out. His father also physically matured very slowly, I would say he was not fully mature until he was 5 years old. The food I use also seems to promote a very slow rate of growth, and I've never had pano in any of my GSDs or puppies I've started for other people using this food. Whether your dog is not thriving or underweight will depend on the lines, how they grow, and what type of nutrition he is getting.


----------

