# What does the average GSD really weigh?



## Germanshepherdlova

I have read that the average gsd weighs between 65 and 80 lbs. My boy weighs 115, and he is not overweight. I am now curious, is my dog just big for a german shepherd, or are the "books" off? How much does your dog weigh?


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## Mrs.K

how tall is your dog?


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## Emoore

The standard calls for male GSDs to stand between 24 and 26 inches at the shoulder. There is no standard for weight, but they need to be proportionate. My male is 24 inches and 76lb. I have a hard time thinking that yours is within standard height at 115.


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## doggiedad

yeah, that's it. the books are off.



Germanshepherdlova said:


> I have read that the average gsd weighs between 65 and 80 lbs. My boy weighs 115, and he is not overweight. I am now curious, is my dog just big for a german shepherd,
> 
> >>>>or are the "books" off? How much does your dog weigh? <<<<


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## Emoore

doggiedad said:


> yeah, that's it. the books are off.


Lol @ Doggiedad. . . stop being confusing!


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## elisabeth_00117

My male who is 2 years old and intact:

26" at the withers
88.2 lbs


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## Lucy Dog

If he's 115 pounds and not overweight than he's bigger than what the standard calls for.


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## Cassidy's Mom

Actually there is a standard for weight - 66 to 88 pounds (approximately, that's converted from kgs).


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## Emoore

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Actually there is a standard for weight - 66 to 88 pounds (approximately, that's converted from kgs).


See, I've seen that on some English translations of the SV standard and not on others. I can't read German, but some folks who I consider to be knowlegeable have told me that is not part of the original SV standard.


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## Konotashi

Are you sure he's not overweight? Some people have rolley pollies for dogs and say they're a healthy weight.... 

I'm not trying to say that your dog is fat because he's 115 lbs, but that's a BIG dog if it's a good weight for him.


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## Mrs.K

Yukon is 26 inches and has 79 pounds, he's compact dog. 










Indra should be around 24 inches and is 71 pounds. 
(black&tan)









I don't know how tall Judge is but as of right now he's got 62 pounds at 7 months.


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## codmaster

Germanshepherdlova said:


> I have read that the average gsd weighs between 65 and 80 lbs. My boy weighs 115, and he is not overweight. I am now curious, is my dog just big for a german shepherd, or are the "books" off? How much does your dog weigh?


Sounds very big to me. My 3 yo male is just about 26' give or take a 1/2"; and he weighs about 84 lbs as an example. He seems just about right weight not too skinny or too fat.


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## Davey Benson

Germanshepherdlova said:


> ... My boy weighs 115, and he is not overweight. ...


And this conclusion was achieved by observation? Vet doctor opinion? Charts? A GSD is healthiest if you can see a little bit of ribbieness and a slinder stomach/gut area. If their body is a nice solid consistant size from their shoulders to their back hips... they are a little overwheight, and it will in time will probably effect their joints and other health issues.


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## codmaster

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Actually there is a standard for weight - 66 to 88 pounds (approximately, that's converted from kgs).


That is the SV standard, isn't it? AKC has a height standard but not a weight one.

Isn't the weight different for males and females?


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## doggiedad

Rotfl!!!!



konotashi said:


> are you sure he's not overweight? Some people have rolley pollies for dogs and say they're a healthy weight....


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## Germanshepherdlova

Konotashi said:


> Are you sure he's not overweight? Some people have rolley pollies for dogs and say they're a healthy weight....
> 
> I'm not trying to say that your dog is fat because he's 115 lbs, but that's a BIG dog if it's a good weight for him.


I am positive that he isn't fat, the vet told me that his weight is perfect. His ribs aren't showing, but you can definitely see his waist. He had surgery (neuter complication) so he is at the vets till tomorrow, but I will post pics of him when he comes back home.


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## Mrs.K

codmaster said:


> That is the SV standard, isn't it? AKC has a height standard but not a weight one.
> 
> Isn't the weight different for males and females?


Yes. There is a difference in weight between males and females. Females are supposed to be smaller and slimmer than males. Females weight are supposed to be, between 49-71 pounds.


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## Konotashi

When you post pics, try to take some of him standing from the side and then at least one directly from above. Some pictures of him moving would probably help too.


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## RazinKain

Germanshepherdlova,

can you post pics?


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## Von Jordan Haus Angels

This is definately an oversized dog, not within the German Standards. Bigger is not better.


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## RazinKain

detract my last. the thread was moving faster than my fingers could type.


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## Miikkas mom

I download a weight chart off of this very site about a year or so ago. Unfortunately I can’t figure out how to attach it to this message (I keep getting an error message:headbang. I believe I found the chart in the puppy section.


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## vicky2200

My female GSD, who is tall for a female is now 80lbs (yikes.) Personally, I think she looked better at about 70-75, but the vet and everyone else I talk to tell me she isn't overweight. I just hope the weight gain ends. I had a male who never was more than 65lbs, but Im not sure what his height was.


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## Konotashi

Von Jordan Haus Angels said:


> This is definately an oversized dog, not within the German Standards. Bigger is not better.


I think most can agree with that.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Well from your answers I can see that he is big for a gsd. He was the biggest out of his litter. His grandfather weighed 130 and displayed no hip problems. As I already mentioned, the vet checked him and said that his weight was perfect, so I don't need anyone here to insinuate that he is overweight because he isn't. There's nothing wrong with him being big, he is beautiful. People pull over their cars when I am walking him to ask me for the breeder info.


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## Mrs.K

From what you are writing he's definitely coming from waaay oversized Shepherd lines. Are you sure he's not a King Shepherd or one of those "Old Fashioned" Shepherd lines?


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## RazinKain

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Well from your answers I can see that he is big for a gsd. He was the biggest out of his litter. His grandfather weighed 130 and displayed no hip problems. As I already mentioned, the vet checked him and said that his weight was perfect, so I don't need anyone here to insinuate that he is overweight because he isn't. There's nothing wrong with him being big, he is beautiful. People pull over their cars when I am walking him to ask me for the breeder info.


I'm sure he is a great looking dog, so don't take offense to any of the responses. No one here is insulting your boy. But, he is overly large for the breed standard that's all. Do you have any photos you can post?


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## codmaster

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Well from your answers I can see that he is big for a gsd. He was the biggest out of his litter. His grandfather weighed 130 and displayed no hip problems. As I already mentioned, the vet checked him and said that his weight was perfect, so I don't need anyone here to insinuate that he is overweight because he isn't. There's nothing wrong with him being big, he is beautiful. People pull over their cars when I am walking him to ask me for the breeder info.


If you can't see his ribs, our vet would have said he is too heavy. But of course, vets will vary in what they may think is an ideal weight.

But don't take any of the comments personally - I don't think anyone thinks your dog is fat - a few may think as I do and just think that a 115 lb GSD is too big compared to the standard. What most seemed to think is that a GSD that heavy who is not fat simply had to be be way over the height standard of approx. 24" -26" for a male GSD.

Maybe you could try measuring his height at the withers so we can see how tall he is.


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## Konotashi

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Well from your answers I can see that he is big for a gsd. He was the biggest out of his litter. His grandfather weighed 130 and displayed no hip problems. As I already mentioned, the vet checked him and said that his weight was perfect, so I don't need anyone here to insinuate that he is overweight because he isn't. There's nothing wrong with him being big, he is beautiful. People pull over their cars when I am walking him to ask me for the breeder info.


I apologize if I offended you from my previous post. It's not too uncommon for GSDs to be oversized, because a lot of people want them bigger. They're not meant to be a BIG dog, they're supposed to be a medium sized dog.

I have an oversized Pom. The standard is 4-7 lbs. He weighs over 13 lbs, and he's actually a bit thinner than I'd like him right now.

Just because your dog is 'heavy' for the standard doesn't mean he's fat. Just means he's a big dog for his breed.


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## Konotashi

codmaster said:


> Maybe you could try measuring his height at the withers so we can see how tall he is.


He said his guy is at the vet right now.


Whenever you get a chance, measure him at the shoulder and let us know how tall he is.


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## Germanshepherdlova

I was a little offended by some of the comments, but thanks for the explanations, I understand what you guys are saying. I will measure him but he is tall, so I am sure that he is above the height also. I have heard of King Shepherds, and wonder if he could be one, but wouldn't his AKC papers mention that? His registration doesn't mention anything about king.


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## Konotashi

If he has AKC papers that say he's a German shepherd, then he's a German shepherd. 

A King shepherd is a different breed. It's not just a big GSD.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Konotashi said:


> If he has AKC papers that say he's a German shepherd, then he's a German shepherd.
> 
> A King shepherd is a different breed. It's not just a big GSD.


Ok, thanks for clarifying that. So he is just a big GSD then.


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## Lucy Dog

Germanshepherdlova said:


> I was a little offended by some of the comments, but thanks for the explanations, I understand what you guys are saying. I will measure him but he is tall, so I am sure that he is above the height also. I have heard of King Shepherds, and wonder if he could be one, but wouldn't his AKC papers mention that? His registration doesn't mention anything about king.


From your description, he just sounds like an oversized (not overweight) GSD. At 115 pounds, he's bigger than the standard. 

Some GSD's are bigger than what the breed calls for... yours probably falls in that category.


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## Syaoransbear

My dog is 30" tall, somewhere around 95 pounds, and on the lean side, which is ideal. I can't help but think either your dog has some pretty crazy muscle or thick bone structure on him, or he's even taller than 30"eek, or he could stand to lose some weight to put him in the lean category.

I know when my dog was 115, no one would ever consider him fat, but he definitely didn't have a nice lean body on him.

I think the giant sizes should be left to the giant couch potato breeds. You stick a drivey, energetic personality like a german shepherd in a giant body and it's a lot more work. Mine is a real bull in a china shop:crazy:.


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## TheNamesNelson

I took over responsibility of a rescued shepherd from someone who could no longer take care of him. When I got him he was 70lbs, the previous owner thought his weight was fine and said his vet said his weight was perfect but to me he looked like he was slightly malnourished. After I had him for a year he had put on some weight and was 90lbs and my vet said he looked perfect. At one point he got up to 100lbs and the vet said he still looked to be in great shape. I ended up having to change his diet and exercise up to get him back to 90lbs.

Point being, The dog went from 70lbs, to 90lbs, to 100lbs with a total of 30lbs difference and at all three weights he looked to be proper weight to the vets, and other people also thought he looked good at all three weights.

115lbs seems too large. I believe you have a large shepherd, but I also believe it is probably overweight and perhaps you are just not seeing it because it is your own dog that you love.

I could be wrong though, it happens a lot.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Syaoransbear said:


> My dog is 30" tall, somewhere around 95 pounds, and on the lean side, which is ideal. I can't help but think either your dog has some pretty crazy muscle or thick bone structure on him, or he's even taller than 30"eek, or he could stand to lose some weight to put him in the lean category.
> 
> I know when my dog was 115, no one would ever consider him fat, but he definitely didn't have a nice lean body on him.
> 
> I think the giant sizes should be left to the giant couch potato breeds. You stick a drivey, energetic personality like a german shepherd in a giant body and it's a lot more work. Mine is a real bull in a china shop:crazy:.


When my dog gets back home I am going to measure him, I saw your dogs pic though and mine is as tall, possibly a little taller than yours. Your dog is on the lean side. My dog's waist shows prominently, and I watch his diet closely. I am very happy with his weight right now, because he looks good. He has great energy, and is very active.


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## Chicagocanine

Yes it helps if you can measure him (at the withers), to give an idea of his size as it is hard to picture a dog by just the weight.  
My girl is 68-70 pounds and 26", which is actually too tall for a female (over the standard for height).

Some people are breeding for larger sized GSDs over the breed standard, which it sounds like your dog's breeder may have been doing if the grandfather was 130 pounds. So yes your dog is big for a Shepherd, however there are other oversized GSDs out there too.


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## Germanshepherdlova

TheNamesNelson said:


> I took over responsibility of a rescued shepherd from someone who could no longer take care of him. When I got him he was 70lbs, the previous owner thought his weight was fine and said his vet said his weight was perfect but to me he looked like he was slightly malnourished. After I had him for a year he had put on some weight and was 90lbs and my vet said he looked perfect. At one point he got up to 100lbs and the vet said he still looked to be in great shape. I ended up having to change his diet and exercise up to get him back to 90lbs.
> 
> Point being, The dog went from 70lbs, to 90lbs, to 100lbs with a total of 30lbs difference and at all three weights he looked to be proper weight to the vets, and other people also thought he looked good at all three weights.
> 
> 115lbs seems too large. I believe you have a large shepherd, but I also believe it is probably overweight and perhaps you are just not seeing it because it is your own dog that you love.
> I could be wrong though, it happens a lot.


If one can't trust their vet in a simple matter such as determining if a dog is overweight or not, then how can one trust their dogs health to such a vet? ....Just a thought.


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## Lin

Germanshepherdlova said:


> If one can't trust their vet in a simple matter such as determining if a dog is overweight or not, then how can one trust their dogs health to such a vet? ....Just a thought.


Because a vet cannot be an expert on everything. There just isn't enough time in vet school to do so, its why there are specialties and subspecialties in both human and veterinary medicine. If there's an eye issue, you refer to an ophthalmologist. Nutrition issue to a nutritionist. A GOOD vet is willing to continue to learn and doesn't think they know everything. 

Not to mention there are many vets (and Drs!) that just aren't trustworthy period. When my girl was having eye issues, we saw my dads vet because I was staying with him for a bit. I hated the guy and didn't trust his diagnosis at all. He said my dog had entropion and recommended immediate surgery. I asked if another condition could be causing inflammation that just mimicked entropion but he said no. I decided to go see my vet for a second opinion- and found out the diagnosis WAS incorrect, the inflammation from KCS was mimicking entropion. I exclaimed to my vet 'Thats what I said!!!' 

I'm not saying your vet isn't trustworthy, but vets and doctors are not perfect, they are fallible. Sometimes they're afraid to admit they don't know, sometimes they're just plain wrong. Its quite possible to have an overweight dog and be told their weight is perfect- the vet also may be thinking in comparison to obese and morbidly obese dogs yours is doing great. But, the question is, could your dog be doing even better?


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## Syaoransbear

Germanshepherdlova said:


> When my dog gets back home I am going to measure him, I saw your dogs pic though and mine is as tall, possibly a little taller than yours. Your dog is on the lean side. My dog's waist shows prominently, and I watch his diet closely. I am very happy with his weight right now, because he looks good. He has great energy, and is very active.


In most of those pictures he's between 110-120 there and didn't have much of a waist if you viewed him from the top, he's lost a lot of weight since then, but I don't have any recent pictures since his weight loss.


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## Franksmom

Frank is about 29 inches and 81 pounds he'll be a year old next week. He's on the lean side but still probably has a little filling out to do.
Like everyone has said weight really doesn't mean anything without height and build of the dog being known.
Hope your dog is doing well now and you get to post pic's soon.


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## LaRen616

My male is 2 years old, 28 inches and 80 pounds.


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## evybear15

Baxter is 24-25" at the shoulder, and currently weighs in at 65lbs. However, he's only 6 1/2 months old, so he has quite a bit of growing left in him. Right now he's on the long side - never quite proportionate as he grows.


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## Davey Benson

Well, I hope you didn't take my respose personally. The origional tittle of this thread was what is the average weight of a German Shepherd. So in short, it's more like 70-90 lbs. 65 lbs would be considered a little light, and 115 would be considered a little heavy, but as was pointed out in the many responses, it has more to do with the size of the dogs frame. 

It's much like figuring BMI in people.

So for the OP, and the origional dog. He very well could be just a giant dog, not morbidly fat. But not an average German Shepherd.

As for the opinion of a qualified vetrinarian, I too have noticed that when it comes to a vet's opinion, they are close... like as in hand grenades close. Unless you visit a specialist, your average run of the mill vet is trained to notice the more obvious under/over weight issues. Most vet doc.s are trained an many different animals, large and small, rabbits, cows, dogs, cats, goats, etc., and they may not pick up on the small changes of any one particular breed of animal. That's why it's so important to be your own pets health advocate. I'm constantly dropping by with my dogs to my own vet clinic just to run them across the scales. (like every month or two) Just to keep track of how they are doing weight wise to determine if any changes need to be made to their diet.

Also I love the phrase "bull in a china shop" because I have noticed the energy level difference between my pyrs (a giant breed) and my German shepherds. German Shepherds are so driven, so divey. For them it seems to be nearly always all or nothing. 

I too would rather see my German shepherd a little more ribby than my pyrs, who are more of the couch potatoes metabolism. A German shepherd that is pushing nearly 125.... that's going to be like stopping a freight train. Even if the guy is all muscle and bone structure, it's the cartilage that has to support that weight, and will be taking the pounding. 

Speaking of which, I find that I feed my German shepherd twice the amount of dog food as my pyrs who out weight the shepherd, just to maintain her weight. It is because of the difference in the energy levels, and how much more activity that the shepherd engages in. 

Can't wait to see the photos of the large German Shepherd.


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## Samba

There are many sizes of German Shepherd dogs. There are some breeders who select for the large dogs because many of the general public (as in the cars pulling over to enquire) have a sense of liking a big dog. I have had a dog who was overly tall. He was a good boy but oversized at 29" and some 90+ lbs. 

The Sheltie is another breed that has variations in size due to the breeds in its foundation. Some Shelties are oversized and above the standard. Some people like them. They are still oversized and larger than the standard. Many are born of different sizes. It is not something to take offense at as the ruler is pretty clear on the measurements. It is just that. There is a standard for size in some breeds and some dogs do not fall within it.


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## Cassidy's Mom

This is the standard: German Shepherd Weight Chart and Height

There's no way of knowing what the average GSD weighs without weighing every single GSD in the world, but this is what they are _supposed_ to weigh.


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## DunRingill

One other thing about vets: They don't like losing clients. People get OFFENDED when the vet suggests that their pet might be a little chunky, so unless the dog is obviously overweight they tend to say things like "He's OK" or "he's fine now but don't let him gain any more weight." Translation: "he could stand to lose a couple of pounds." 

People have been known to change vets (and groomers!) after being told that their dog is overweight. Not making comments about any dog in particular, especially one I haven't ever seen....just saying this can and does happen.


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## redsox10

*height*

How do you measure their height? Not sure where to measure from.


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## TitonsDad

redsox10 said:


> How do you measure their height? Not sure where to measure from.


From the ground to the top most part of their shoulder.


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## TitonsDad

My roommate likes to pick fights with me about Titon's weight vs. his GSD's weight. 

Mine = 75lbs and can run like a bat out of ****. Measured fed. 

His = 98lbs and can run like he's 10 years old. Free fed.

Mind you, both shepherds are one month apart in age. You figure that one out. 

-E


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## Belle1989

My female 10 month old german shepard is 80 some pounds and is 27 inches in the shoulder... Is this normal?


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## gsdraven

Belle1989 said:


> My female 10 month old german shepard is 80 some pounds and is 27 inches in the shoulder... Is this normal?


What is normal? What is normal for one dog is not necessarily normal for another.

It is appropriate for her? No one can say without seeing her.

My 3 year old female is 27" and 78lbs.


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## Germanshepherdlova

I am not the best picture taker, but here are the ones I took today./Users/deborahrodriguez/Desktop/c4093089c8829d301092c387830ecd1f_8040.jpg/Users/deborahrodriguez/Desktop/cdaa37890298120cd2d5719d285820af_8041.jpg/Users/deborahrodriguez/Desktop/e6e7e2a19949a68c771a293b5795b873_8042.jpg
Not sure how to put them on here but there is the links.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Figured it out so here he is.


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## Emoore

Honestly, I'd like to see your dog lose 5-10lb.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Emoore said:


> Honestly, I'd like to see your dog lose 5-10lb.


I like his weight, just as it is. I don't see anything appealing about a bony dog. I looked in your album and honestly could tell you that your dog could gain 15lbs.


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## LaRen616

Emoore said:


> Honestly, I'd like to see your dog lose 5-10lb.


I think he would look better 5 pounds lighter too.


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## Emoore

Germanshepherdlova said:


> I like his weight, just as it is. I don't see anything appealing about a bony dog. I looked in your album and honestly could tell you that your dog could gain 15lbs.


That dog is dead, just in case you didn't see the RIP next to his name in my gallery I would have liked to have seen him gain a bit of weight too, but he was a rescue with numerous food allergies and intolerances. I think a good body composition is somewhere between where he was and where yours is.

He's your dog and you can do whatever you want with him of course, but especially with the oversized guys like yours, every extra little bit of flesh really wears on their hips and joints. When you posted the pics, I initially thought he was in god condition for a 6 or 8 year old GSD. Take that for what it's worth from someone who's been involved in raising, training, fostering, rehabilitating, and placing this breed for more than ten years.


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## evybear15

The general rule of thumb that I've heard for weight (please, someone correct me if I am wrong!) is that you should be able to see the last rib or two - you don't want to be able to see them all, but you don't want everything to look padded, either, and you should be able to feel the ribs with some pressure, but not digging and searching.

Again - someone do correct me if this is wrong. Our pup is still growing like a weed, so we haven't even gotten to that stage get. He keeps stretching out every time he starts to look proportioned.


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## Emoore

evybear15 said:


> The general rule of thumb that I've heard for weight (please, someone correct me if I am wrong!) is that you should be able to see the last rib or two - you don't want to be able to see them all, but you don't want everything to look padded, either, and you should be able to feel the ribs with some pressure, but not digging and searching.


This is true. You should be able to see the last rib, especially when they're in motion.


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## TheNamesNelson

That dog is pretty heavy in the chest which will take its toll on his elbows and he is a bit thick in the mid. Not calling your dog really fat but he could lose 10lbs and totally still not be bony or ribby. He wouldnt look underweight but he would be much healthier. He could lose weight without being too lean like you are worried about

Why are you here asking about GSD weights and discussing the weights of your dogs if when you get feedback that your dog is slightly overweight you get defensive and say "I like his weight"? 

Some people like those fat rolly round dogs even though they are morbidly obese, that doesn't mean they are healthy. You seem to only care about how much you like his look and not about his actual health. If he lost a little weight you would still like his look and he would be healthier and more mobile. GSDs are athletic breeds that are supposed to be quick and agile, it's important to keep that in mind.


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## Davey Benson

I'm not commenting on the photos, I'm just going to post a link to a pet conditioning chart. I'm sure we have all seen them at the vet clinic.

Body condition scoring for fat pets and the case of one hefty dog - DoLittler: Blog | Dog Time - Dog Blog Network

The link also includes a nice little story.


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## gsdraven

Thought it was important to post the picture in the thread.

Came from this website: Body condition scoring for fat pets and the case of one hefty dog - DoLittler: Blog | Dog Time - Dog Blog Network


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## LaRen616

I would just like to say that 2 of my cats are obese.


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## Emoore

Those charts are pretty useless, IMHO. _Everybody_ thinks their pet looks like #3.

Just like in my job. Everybody thinks they need to lose "just a little weight." Then when you show them the hard numbers that they are clinically obese, they are shocked and try to deny it.


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## evybear15

LaRen616 said:


> I would just like to say that 2 of my cats are obese.


 Haha, both of mine are, too. Well...not exactly how the photo is - their weight is entirely in their guts that swing back and forth when they move, and folds over their toes with they sit. And they only get a restricted amount of food - less than the bag recommends, actually. However...they simply refuse to move. I swear they spend 22 hours out of the day sleeping. Or sitting. Or laying down. Just...not moving.


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## Chicagocanine

Can you post a photo of your dog taken from above? That would help to show the waistline. From the side he looks to be carrying some extra pounds, as there is not much of a tuck-up. That could also be caused by poor muscle tone though, but the view from above looking straight down at the dog standing would help to determine which it was.

I'm sure someone here can post a photo showing how the tuck-up should look on a GSD, it should be pretty defined. I don't have a good photo that shows it or I'd post one.


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## Germanshepherdlova

evybear15 said:


> Haha, both of mine are, too. Well...not exactly how the photo is - their weight is entirely in their guts that swing back and forth when they move, and folds over their toes with they sit. And they only get a restricted amount of food - less than the bag recommends, actually. However...they simply refuse to move. I swear they spend 22 hours out of the day sleeping. Or sitting. Or laying down. Just...not moving.


I will readily admit that after I had my two cats spayed, both became OBESE! Mine are very lazy to, and just want to sit around all day. Unless they are heading over to their food bowl.


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## gsdraven

Emoore said:


> Those charts are pretty useless, IMHO. _Everybody_ thinks their pet looks like #3.


I think they are a good general guideline especially if your pet falls on the extreme of either end where it would be pretty clear that something needs to be corrected either way. 

Looking at it, my female cat would be considered very thin and my male cat is underweight. But they were self regulating their own food for years so that's their own doing.


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## Germanshepherdlova

gsdraven said:


> Thought it was important to post the picture in the thread.
> 
> Came from this website: Body condition scoring for fat pets and the case of one hefty dog - DoLittler: Blog | Dog Time - Dog Blog Network


Thank you so much for posting this chart, as now I can see that me dog clearly looks like #4, maybe not quite as thick, but definitely not a #3. I think I will have him loose a few pounds.


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## PaddyD

Chicagocanine said:


> Yes it helps if you can measure him (at the withers), to give an idea of his size as it is hard to picture a dog by just the weight.
> My girl is 68-70 pounds and 26", which is actually too tall for a female (over the standard for height).
> 
> Some people are breeding for larger sized GSDs over the breed standard, which it sounds like your dog's breeder may have been doing if the grandfather was 130 pounds. So yes your dog is big for a Shepherd, however there are other oversized GSDs out there too.


My female is the same size. The OP's dog appears to simply be a big feller.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Thanks to GSDRaven posting those pics on the chart, I saw that my dog could loose a few pounds, though he is not obese, as many of you have mentioned, he is slightly overweight. I apologize for being in denial, and giving you that were giving me friendly advice a hard time of it.


----------



## wildo

Chicagocanine said:


> Can you post a photo of your dog taken from above? That would help to show the waistline. From the side he looks to be carrying some extra pounds, as there is not much of a tuck-up. That could also be caused by poor muscle tone though, but the view from above looking straight down at the dog standing would help to determine which it was.
> 
> I'm sure someone here can post a photo showing how the tuck-up should look on a GSD, it should be pretty defined. I don't have a good photo that shows it or I'd post one.


To be very clear- I think my dog here can stand to lose a couple pounds. But I think that she does have a pretty well defined waist and tummy tuck. I just happened to have this picture available:









I don't know what the tuck should look like for a male GSD... This is just for reference.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

wildo said:


> To be very clear- I think my dog here can stand to lose a couple pounds. But I think that she does have a pretty well defined waist and tummy tuck. I just happened to have this picture available:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know what the tuck should look like for a male GSD... This is just for reference.


Thanks for the pic, she is well defined, I think she looks great.


----------



## LaRen616

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Thanks to GSDRaven posting those pics on the chart, I saw that my dog could loose a few pounds, though he is not obese, as many of you have mentioned, he is slightly overweight. I apologize for being in denial, and giving you that were giving me friendly advice a hard time of it.


5 pounds will make him look healthier, when he loses 5 pounds come on here and post more pictures and we will tell you how he looks then.


----------



## gsdraven

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Thanks to GSDRaven posting those pics on the chart, I saw that my dog could loose a few pounds, though he is not obese, as many of you have mentioned, he is slightly overweight. I apologize for being in denial, and giving you that were giving me friendly advice a hard time of it.


Davey posted the link, I just thought it was good enough to make sure the pic was actually in the thread.

I'm glad that you decided to help your guy lose a few pounds for his own health. I don't think anyone was suggesting that your dog is grossly obese. With all of the joint problems that can go along with our beloved Shepherds, many of us like to err on the side of less weight to help keep the pressure off.


----------



## evybear15

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Thank you so much for posting this chart, as now I can see that me dog clearly looks like #4, maybe not quite as thick, but definitely not a #3. I think I will have him loose a few pounds.


 I'm sure he'll look more handsome than ever, and feel fantastic!


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

Ok then, thank you Davey for posting the link. I will post an updated picture after he recovers from his surgery and looses 5 pounds.


----------



## Davey Benson

This is actually a pretty good thread, just so long as we all don't take comments too personally. 

Here's my girl for refrence.....

I rescued her in november. She's anywhere from 3 to 6 years old. She was rescued HW+, but now by just plain dumb luck she's HW-. I've been working on gettting her weight up a little bit and muscle conditioning. I had her spayed. When I got her she had just welped a litter of pups. (she come from a back yard breeder who litterally had her chained to a tree 24/7 so she had not good body conditionig, but she had all sorts of papers.... *big deal!*)

She's 25 inches at the shoulders, and she's right now at about 70 lbs even.
























So what does everyone think? A three? A two?

(in case you are wondering.... she's chewing on a treat in the photos)


----------



## TitonsDad

I just noticed before I left to work that my roommate's GSD's back is entirely flat like a table. I could set a plate down and maybe a drink or 2 as a picnic table.


----------



## gsdraven

Davey Benson said:


> So what does everyone think? A three? A two?


Personally, I'm going to say she's a 2. Her top down view makes her look like a 3 but there's too much rib for me. But that could also be because she is eating in the pics.


----------



## wildo

gsdraven said:


> Personally, I'm going to say she's a 2. Her top down view makes her look like a 3 but there's too much rib for me. But that could also be because she is eating in the pics.


I agree _unless_ she is worked in a dog sport such as agility. In agility- you want your dog really lean. This is why I said mine could stand to lose one or two pounds. I would agree- a bit too much rib for me. I am NO authority though! haha!

(And I wish I could edit my post so the data is with the pic. Pimg is 26" tall and currently at 74 pounds. She is 28" long.)


----------



## gsdraven

Not the best photos but what I have on hand at work. Kaiser is the sable and weighs 65lbs at 24" tall, Raven is the B&T and weighs 78lbs at 27" tall. 

To me, Kaiser looks a little heavy but when he's running around outside, I can see all ribs. He was 45lbs when I got him in Nov. so I let him carry an extra pound or two.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

Davey Benson said:


> This is actually a pretty good thread, just so long as we all don't take comments too personally.
> 
> Here's my girl for refrence.....
> 
> I rescued her in november. She's anywhere from 3 to 6 years old. She was rescued HW+, but now by just plain dumb luck she's HW-. I've been working on gettting her weight up a little bit and muscle conditioning. I had her spayed. When I got her she had just welped a litter of pups. (she come from a back yard breeder who litterally had her chained to a tree 24/7 so she had not good body conditionig, but she had all sorts of papers.... *big deal!*)
> 
> She's 25 inches at the shoulders, and she's right now at about 70 lbs even.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So what does everyone think? A three? A two?
> 
> (in case you are wondering.... she's chewing on a treat in the photos)


I'd say she is a 2.


----------



## Emoore

Davey, your girl almost looks like she could add some muscle. I don't think she needs to add "weight" as in fat, just some more conditioning. I don't mind seeing more than the 2 last ribs if the dog is obviously muscular, but she just looks malnourished. Thanks for rescuing her and working on getting her back up to where she needs to be! You're doing a good job with her, bringing her along slowly. She just has a bit more to go.


----------



## Davey Benson

Well, I've got an easy job. She loves to run, and hunt, so she is always on the move. I am not having to restrict her movement any more which is going to make my job easier. Now, I just need to find a little doggie weight bench. :dogsledding:


----------



## Franksmom

I like this thread, I want to keep Frank at an ideal weight, I know he's tall (29 inches,) and I don't want anymore weight on him then he has to have.
I'm seeing him as right on with his weight, but can you all take a look too, to make sure I'm not just seeing what I want to see. 
He'll be a year old next week.
Thanks


----------



## angel18

Hi everyone, I newby and I very happy join in this forum. I have 1 dog is name Biebel. Thanks for all....


----------



## wildo

angel18 said:


> Hi everyone, I newby and I very happy join in this forum. I have 1 dog is name Biebel. Thanks for all....


There's an introduction section here: Introductions & Welcome Mat - German Shepherd Dog Forums

Probably should be a bit more observant of where you post.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

Franksmom said:


> I like this thread, I want to keep Frank at an ideal weight, I know he's tall (29 inches,) and I don't want anymore weight on him then he has to have.
> I'm seeing him as right on with his weight, but can you all take a look too, to make sure I'm not just seeing what I want to see.
> He'll be a year old next week.
> Thanks


As you know from reading this thread, I am no expert, but I would say that your dog looks about a 3.


----------



## Emoore

I think Frank looks about right for his age, Franksmom. he'll probably fill out in the chest/shoulders as he gets older, but I think his body condition is good.


----------



## evybear15

Emoore said:


> I think Frank looks about right for his age, Franksmom. he'll probably fill out in the chest/shoulders as he gets older, but I think his body condition is good.


 Agree! He still looks a little lanky, but that's to be expected at his age. He's a handsome boy, and will look great once he fills out in the chest/shoulders as he gets older.


----------



## Franksmom

Thanks, for the response!


----------



## x0emiroxy0x

I can't wait until Memorial Day. I am going to my future mother-in-laws and I can't wait to get pictures of her Beagle that would be a 9-10 on this scale. He is so overweight that it makes me cringe...I imagine butter/oily fat seeping through his skin and onto my body any time he rubs against me. :O

How is this on topic? She thinks he is in good shape!! He can't jump on a couch and has to roll from side to side to get up after laying down! Unbelievable!


----------



## evybear15

x0emiroxy0x said:


> I can't wait until Memorial Day. I am going to my future mother-in-laws and I can't wait to get pictures of her Beagle that would be a 9-10 on this scale. He is so overweight that it makes me cringe...I imagine butter/oily fat seeping through his skin and onto my body any time he rubs against me. :O
> 
> How is this on topic? She thinks he is in good shape!! He can't jump on a couch and has to roll from side to side to get up after laying down! Unbelievable!


 Wow. That's....almost impressive.

My parents' dog is a little chunky (they use the whole, "He's just solid") excuse), but nowhere NEAR that. Has to roll from side to side to get up!? That's just crazy.


----------



## Franksmom

x0emiroxy0x said:


> I can't wait until Memorial Day. I am going to my future mother-in-laws and I can't wait to get pictures of her Beagle that would be a 9-10 on this scale. He is so overweight that it makes me cringe...I imagine butter/oily fat seeping through his skin and onto my body any time he rubs against me. :O
> 
> How is this on topic? She thinks he is in good shape!! He can't jump on a couch and has to roll from side to side to get up after laying down! Unbelievable!


I have a sister whose beagle is the same way, and she stays after me all the time saying I'm starving my dogs because they look so thin.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

For those who asked me to measure Brutus, he is 28 inches. Now, since Brutus is freshly neutered, and I know that a neutered dog is to be given less food than an unaltered dog, how many cups of food are you owners of neutered males feeding them a day? Mind you, his activity is going to be very limited for a month while he is recovering from a scrotal ablation.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

Franksmom said:


> I have a sister whose beagle is the same way, and she stays after me all the time saying I'm starving my dogs because they look so thin.


Wow-my son's girlfriend's parents have a dog like that. He is a basset hound and he is huge, the poor thing can barely walk. I will be looking for those pics when you get them.


----------



## Emoore

Germanshepherdlova said:


> For those who asked me to measure Brutus, he is 28 inches. Now, since Brutus is freshly neutered, and I know that a neutered dog is to be given less food than an unaltered dog, how many cups of food are you owners of neutered males feeding them a day? .


Just feed to body composition. How much food a dog needs varies from dog to dog, so it's impossible for us to tell you how much to feed, especially since we don't know what you're feeding and how many kcal it has per cup. Obviously you'll need to cut back a bit at first because his activity is restricted and you've said you want him to drop a little weight. I'd start by cutting 1/2 cup per day and re-evaluate after 2 weeks.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

Emoore said:


> Just feed to body composition. How much food a dog needs varies from dog to dog, so it's impossible for us to tell you how much to feed, especially since we don't know what you're feeding and how many kcal it has per cup. Obviously you'll need to cut back a bit at first because his activity is restricted and you've said you want him to drop a little weight. I'd start by cutting 1/2 cup per day and re-evaluate after 2 weeks.


He was eating 7 cups a day of Purina Lamb and Rice. I think I will cut him down to 5 to begin with, and see how that goes. Maybe even 4 cups so that he can loose those 5 lbs.


----------



## Miikkas mom

Davey Benson said:


> This is actually a pretty good thread, just so long as we all don't take comments too personally.
> 
> Here's my girl for refrence.....
> 
> I rescued her in november. She's anywhere from 3 to 6 years old. She was rescued HW+, but now by just plain dumb luck she's HW-. I've been working on gettting her weight up a little bit and muscle conditioning. I had her spayed. When I got her she had just welped a litter of pups. (she come from a back yard breeder who litterally had her chained to a tree 24/7 so she had not good body conditionig, but she had all sorts of papers.... *big deal!*)
> 
> She's 25 inches at the shoulders, and she's right now at about 70 lbs even.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So what does everyone think? A three? A two?
> 
> (in case you are wondering.... she's chewing on a treat in the photos)


*Thank you* for rescuing a HW+ dog! You’re taking good care of her…she’s beautiful!


----------



## evybear15

Miikkas mom said:


> *Thank you* for rescuing a HW+ dog! You’re taking good care of her…she’s beautiful!


 Really sorry to get off topic...but what does HW+/HW- stand for? I tried to find it, but wasn't having any luck.

Regardless of that, I am glad that the beautiful girl is now in a loving home. :wub:


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## Emoore

7 cup! Wow that's a lot of food!


Yeah, I'd cut down to 5 to start. Also, if he seems hungry you can add green beans or canned pumpkin for volume without many calories.


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## Emoore

evybear15 said:


> Really sorry to get off topic...but what does HW+/HW- stand for? I tried to find it, but wasn't having any luck.
> 
> Regardless of that, I am glad that the beautiful girl is now in a loving home. :wub:


Heart worm positive or negative.


----------



## codmaster

Belle1989 said:


> My female 10 month old german shepard is 80 some pounds and is 27 inches in the shoulder... Is this normal?


Sounds like she is a big girl! Probably won't get much taller but could still fill out some more. 

Standard height for a female GSD is 22"-24". no weight specified (AKC).


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## Miikkas mom

evybear15 said:


> Really sorry to get off topic...but what does HW+/HW- stand for? I tried to find it, but wasn't having any luck.
> 
> Regardless of that, I am glad that the beautiful girl is now in a loving home. :wub:


Heart Worm positive


----------



## evybear15

Emoore said:


> Heart worm positive or negative.


 Thank you! I actually figured it out as soon as I hit "Submit Reply" (isn't that when it always happens?).


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## Germanshepherdlova

Emoore said:


> 7 cup! Wow that's a lot of food!
> 
> 
> Yeah, I'd cut down to 5 to start. Also, if he seems hungry you can add green beans or canned pumpkin for volume without many calories.


Great idea, adding veggies or pumpkin to help fill him.


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## Rerun

I am confused on how the HW+ dog went to HW- without treatment? Could you clarify what you mean?


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## Chicagocanine

How much food you need to feed depends on the food you're using and on the dog. With the cheaper foods you generally have to feed more food to get enough nutrition, because they contain a lot of fillers and lower quality ingredients. Also keep in mind the amounts listed on the bag to feed are sometimes over-estimated.


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## Emoore

Rerun said:


> I am confused on how the HW+ dog went to HW- without treatment? Could you clarify what you mean?


If a dog is a light positive, sometimes they use what is referred to as the "slow kill" method, where you just give normal preventative to help keep it from getting any worse while waiting for the existing worms to die off. I'm assuming this is what the poster meant by that.


----------



## Davey Benson

Ya, I should have worded it better, it's not like just one morning *poof* she turned from + to -. She was put on preventative stat as soon as I got the + antigen test restults. I kept her on that, and limited her mobility somewhat. Then in the begining of February she went on a month of antibiotics in prepration to receiving the shots at the end of the month. I told them to preform another antigen test before begining treatment... and that's when they found out that the shots wouldn't be necessairy. 

To be honest, I might have passed on the GSD had I known that she was HW+, but once I had her and discovered that was the case I wasn't going to do anything else but get her cured. (if I would have turned her over to anyone else, she probably would have been put down, and she's not a half bad dog) I got her just because the elderly mother of the guy who was keeping her, went over and literally dog napped her and somehow after a few hand offs, I recieved her. (I think the previous owner might be incarcerated currently....:crazy

I'm now a big advocate of the preventative. As much as I hate keeping chemicals in the body, it's much cheeper than the cure for heartworms, and much less crual. Now she goes in monthly to get her heart and lungs listened to at the clinic, and so far, it's been all aces.

I feed my gsd about 7 cups a day of a high calorie kibble. (it's a sporting dogs ration) She's also been on TOTW bison, which I thought also was good for her... just didn't like the fact that it was three times as much money. The Great Pyrs get 4 cups a day of the same food, and they maintain a great body condition on nearly half as much food as the GSD does. (92# male and 87 # Female)


----------



## gsdraven

7 cups of food and that thin when not active? Am I misunderstandin something? 

If she is really on 7 cups of premium sport dog food and being kept on limited activity, I would question whether or not she had a malabsorption issue.


----------



## Davey Benson

no, she's not on limited activity any more, she's currently very active now. 

She had been receiving only 4 cups a day prior to the begining of this month. (april)

In fact, when I first received her, she didn't have an appatite at all and she was much skinnier. She was probably dog napped in order to save her life I suppose. Anyway it took a while to get her adjusted to the food, and to get her digestive system in sync. Her stools went from solid to runny and back and forth. I had to put her on canned, and then work her off of that over to a higher calorie food, (which was too rich and made her stools soft) The taste of the wild did wonders for her and I was able to switch her back over the the sporting dog kibble that everyone else gets after she polished off a bag of the totw.

I worked at getting her weight up just prior to starting the shot treatment (which she didn't receive) because I figured that her appitite would slow down, and I didn't want her to loose any more body mass. So I was giving her satin balls, (worked great to hide the antibiotics in) She was up to 75 lbs. 

At the last vet visit, she was down to 65 lbs, so they recomended me up the food, so I went to 6 cups a day (four in the morning, and 2 in the evening) Then up a little bit more at night ( to about 7 cups total) Now shes just shy of 70lbs, and I'm betting that it's the level of activity that is keeping her weight down. Anyway, I'm going to keep a sharp eye out on her weight, and if she can't keep the weight on with her current food, we might have to switch to something else, or have the vet check her for some other problems.


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## Franksmom

My 2 dogs that weigh 50 and 60 pounds eat 2 cups a day each. 
Frank is 80 pounds and eats 6-7 cups of food a day, depending on how much training I do (I treat with TOTW when training) 
All the dogs are on 4 health lamb formula dry dog food.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Davey Benson said:


> Ya, I should have worded it better, it's not like just one morning *poof* she turned from + to -. She was put on preventative stat as soon as I got the + antigen test restults. I kept her on that, and limited her mobility somewhat. Then in the begining of February she went on a month of antibiotics in prepration to receiving the shots at the end of the month. I told them to preform another antigen test before begining treatment... and that's when they found out that the shots wouldn't be necessairy.
> 
> To be honest, I might have passed on the GSD had I known that she was HW+, but once I had her and discovered that was the case I wasn't going to do anything else but get her cured. (if I would have turned her over to anyone else, she probably would have been put down, and she's not a half bad dog) I got her just because the elderly mother of the guy who was keeping her, went over and literally dog napped her and somehow after a few hand offs, I recieved her. (I think the previous owner might be incarcerated currently....:crazy
> 
> I'm now a big advocate of the preventative. As much as I hate keeping chemicals in the body, it's much cheeper than the cure for heartworms, and much less crual. Now she goes in monthly to get her heart and lungs listened to at the clinic, and so far, it's been all aces.
> 
> I feed my gsd about 7 cups a day of a high calorie kibble. (it's a sporting dogs ration) She's also been on TOTW bison, which I thought also was good for her... just didn't like the fact that it was three times as much money. The Great Pyrs get 4 cups a day of the same food, and they maintain a great body condition on nearly half as much food as the GSD does. (92# male and 87 # Female)


I am so glad that the guys mother dog napped that dog and that this GSD ended up with you. What a story!


----------



## gsdraven

Davey Benson said:


> no, she's not on limited activity any more, she's currently very active now


Ok, good. I thought I was missing something.


----------



## Lin

Franksmom said:


> I have a sister whose beagle is the same way, and she stays after me all the time saying I'm starving my dogs because they look so thin.


I had a roommate who told me my dogs were too thin, also said I was starving them because Logan would get on the table to eat off plates that were left there... Don't leave your fricken dirty plates sitting on the table!! I could rant more about those issues but I'll stop now lol. Anyway, one day my dogs were sick and eating grass and dry heaving... I feed raw diet, and wondered if that days meal was bad? Then I overhear the roommate on the phone telling her mom about how I starve my dogs, and so she has to feed them for me! I ripped her a new one, I was furious. This is a picture taken in the yard when she was my roommate:









Logan is a bit ribby there, but this was less than a month after he spent a week in the ICU and nearly died. 

Last year my ex and I were living with his sister for a bit while looking for a new place. Their cocker spaniel was the most obese dog I've ever seen.. Looked like she swallowed a beach ball. Poor thing tore her acl.... And they felt crating was cruel, and couldn't afford the surgery... So they didn't treat it at ALL. They had to stop free feeding because of my dogs so she dropped a bit of weight, but when I left she gained it all back. I feel so sad for that dog.


----------



## Rerun

Emoore said:


> If a dog is a light positive, sometimes they use what is referred to as the "slow kill" method, where you just give normal preventative to help keep it from getting any worse while waiting for the existing worms to die off. I'm assuming this is what the poster meant by that.


Yes, that I'm familiar with....the way the OP worded it really confused me. Sounded like the dog was HW+, then they didn't treat, and eventually the dog ended up being HW-...

glad the dog ended up being ok!


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## LaRen616

My boy was really skinny about 3-4 months ago, I fed him 3.5 cups a day, alot of people told me that he was way too skinny so I started feeding him 4 cups a day.

Before









After









I can still easily feel his ribs and I can see them when he moves.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

LaRen616 said:


> My boy was really skinny about 3-4 months ago, I fed him 3.5 cups a day, alot of people told me that he was way too skinny so I started feeding him 4 cups a day.
> 
> Before
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can still easily feel his ribs and I can see them when he moves.


He looks great, beautiful dog.


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## LaRen616

Germanshepherdlova said:


> He looks great, beautiful dog.


Thank you!


----------



## PupperLove

:wub: OH MY Lin, What gorgeous dogs! I LOVE THE BLACK AND RED ONE he reminds me of Jackson but redder! Cute cute cute!


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## DunRingill

EXTREME fat dog:









Here's the story:
Spa Tails: THe Official Sean Patrick's Pet Spa Blog


----------



## LaRen616

DunRingill said:


> EXTREME fat dog:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the story:
> Spa Tails: THe Official Sean Patrick's Pet Spa Blog


Holy COW!


----------



## Germanshepherdlova

DunRingill said:


> EXTREME fat dog:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the story:
> Spa Tails: THe Official Sean Patrick's Pet Spa Blog


OMG, I don't even know what to say!


----------



## Davey Benson

127.9 lbs is a bit much for a border collie. I think it's nice that they are trying to rehab that poor dog, depending on the age, I would actually consider euthanizing the poor dog. They said it was fed a solid diet of people food, including greasy fried food, and chocolate and who knows what all else. The weight issue is just one of a whole miriad of problems she is going to have. It's going to be a long and painful recovery, and she is going to do much suffering from now untill then.


----------



## Whiteshepherds

Don't people say that a picture adds 10lbs to a person? I wonder if it's the same for dogs?

People are always surprised to learn that our "big" dog actually weighs 10lbs less than our "small" dog. The taller dog on the left in this picture weighs 68lbs. The shorter dog on the right weighs 78lbs. Go figure!


----------



## Lin

Its all the fur! People always think my LC Emma is bigger than Tessa, but Tessa weighs more and is wider built. However Emma's fur makes her look as if she's wider, and she is about an inch taller.


----------



## carmspack

Dog is oversized . Get some exercise with the dog . Start off with a brisk walk of 15 minutes the first day and every day add 5 minutes . This gets the dog , and you, in to condition. Within a short while you should be able to go for long walks. Are you able to get a bike and have the dog run beside you at a medium clip , about 5 miles an hour . You can get a Springer - Biking your Dog Healthy .
Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


----------



## SiegersMom

MY GSD is almost one year and keeping his weight right is a constant battle. He goes through a growth spurt and gets a little too skinny so I increase the food just a little...then his growth slows and we cut back a little. Sieger was 78 lbs at his last groom appt at 10.5 months old but I do not know his height. He should top out in the upper 80's...maybe into the lower 90's. My trainer (a GSD breeder too) says he is a large GSD but not crazy oversized. When I was looking at puppies I kept finding advertisements for large dogs... 120 lbs plus so the oversized dogs are out there. They are not all just overweight. You look like you have a big dog...even if he looses a few pounds


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## Chicagocanine

DunRingill said:


> Here's the story:
> Spa Tails: THe Official Sean Patrick's Pet Spa Blog


Oh wow that poor dog...and I thought my neighbor's (previous)dog was bad:









semi-shaved









fully shaved










(that's my lean Golden on the right...the only time my neighbor's dog got walked was when I was petsitting him)


----------



## Jessiewessie99

115 lbs is a BIG dog. I would be a little worried. Molly is lean and athletic. Tanner is a bit overweight, but has lost some weight, and is rather more bulky.


----------



## Sue Smart

'Hanging head in shame'

Candy was overweight and this was resolved by both of us going on a diet. 









This was the picture sent in for 'Pet Slimmer of the year' - she was runner up.


















These were taken at the Finals.

Candy is the only dog I've had that LOVED food. We had to put child-proof locks on the fridge. She was around when the kids were at home and they used to give her their fast food. She lived to 11 and a half so I hope we didn't harm her too much.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Jessiewessie99 said:


> 115 lbs is a BIG dog. I would be a little worried. Molly is lean and athletic. Tanner is a bit overweight, but has lost some weight, and is rather more bulky.


There is no need to worry about him, he is not obese. I already posted his pic here, he is just a big dog, height included. Other commenters said that they thought he could loose 5 lbs or so. Vet checked him and said that his weight is fine. I will repost his pic for you.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Whiteshepherds said:


> Don't people say that a picture adds 10lbs to a person? I wonder if it's the same for dogs?
> 
> People are always surprised to learn that our "big" dog actually weighs 10lbs less than our "small" dog. The taller dog on the left in this picture weighs 68lbs. The shorter dog on the right weighs 78lbs. Go figure!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/QUOTE
> I agree.


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## Germanshepherdlova

SiegersMom said:


> MY GSD is almost one year and keeping his weight right is a constant battle. He goes through a growth spurt and gets a little too skinny so I increase the food just a little...then his growth slows and we cut back a little. Sieger was 78 lbs at his last groom appt at 10.5 months old but I do not know his height. He should top out in the upper 80's...maybe into the lower 90's. My trainer (a GSD breeder too) says he is a large GSD but not crazy oversized. When I was looking at puppies I kept finding advertisements for large dogs... 120 lbs plus so the oversized dogs are out there. They are not all just overweight. You look like you have a big dog...even if he looses a few pounds


I am glad that someone finally understands that. He comes from big lines, he is tall, huge paws, thick neck, he is just big.


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## codmaster

So how tall is your dog/ I think someone asked you before but I haven't seen any response to the question. Did I miss it or was it never answered? Knowing his height would go a long way to thinking if the dog might possibly be a little heavy. 

If he were say 30" or so then 115 would be a much better weight than if he were 26"/27", I would think.


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## Jessiewessie99

Germanshepherdlova said:


> There is no need to worry about him, he is not obese. I already posted his pic here, he is just a big dog, height included. Other commenters said that they thought he could loose 5 lbs or so. Vet checked him and said that his weight is fine. I will repost his pic for you.


I didn't say he was obese, I just said 115 is a big dog and that could mean anything. And I saw his pic and he could lose some pounds. And I would still worry not just for weight reasons.


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## k9ma

Just wanted to add this article to this already super informative thread. This is Purina's Life Span study being referenced. Dogs that were kept lean (fed measured amounts of food twice a day) *lived an average of 15% (2 years, in this case) longer* than dogs that were "free" fed (allowed to consume whatever amount they wanted in 15 minutes twice a day).

*Purina® Study Confirms Link Between Body Fat and Chronic Health Conditions*

Study Provides Clues to the Relationship Between Body Fat and Glucose Tolerance
9/30/2003

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (September 30, 2003) – Results from a Purina study confirm the link between body fat and the development of chronic health conditions. The article, published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition, also found a link between the length of time a subject was overweight and the subject's longevity and how early in life the subject's health conditions developed. The findings are additional results from the landmark Purina Life Span Study, the first completed lifelong canine diet restriction study.

Researchers discovered that excess body fat reduces insulin sensitivity, which impedes the ability of cells to absorb glucose. Glucose and insulin left in the bloodstream can hinder the ability of organs, tissues and body systems to function properly, which can result in the development of chronic health conditions.

"This study is significant because it sheds some light on why obesity can lead to disease. It shows that excess body fat is a factor in the early development of chronic health conditions and shortened life span," says Brian T. Larson, Ph.D., nutrition research scientist, and primary author of the study.
Even Moderate Weight Gain Can Be A Problem

Further analysis indicated that the impact of compromised glucose tolerance and insulin resistance on health appeared when the dogs were moderately overweight, not grossly obese.

The study showed that on average, insulin resistance began to appear in dogs that scored a 6-6.5 (overweight) on the 9-point Purina Body Condition System (BCS), with 4.5-5 being ideal body condition. A score of 6-6.5 is equivalent to 20-25 percent over ideal body weight. In human terms, this is comparable to a man that should weigh 180 pounds actually weighing 216-225 pounds.

Other Purina research found that most owners couldn't accurately assess their dogs' body conditions. When owner and expert scores were compared, only 28 percent of owners characterized their pets as above ideal body condition, while 79 percent of the experts scored those same animals to be above ideal body condition. Dr. Larson says this gap is serious because pet owners are not likely to recognize that their pets are overweight and even moderate excess body fat can lead to problems.
Public Health Message … Less is More

The study confirms that being at ideal body condition plays a vital role in our pets' overall health and well being. “What pet owners need to learn from this study is that weight gain – whether slight or considerable – can have an impact on health and may even shorten their pets' lives,” says Dan Christian, DVM, executive director of the Purina Pet Institute.

"Limiting weight gain and early intervention are powerful tools to help decrease the development and severity of chronic health conditions,” adds Dr. Christian. “Dog and cat owners should see their veterinarians for an accurate body condition score and receive guidance on how to check their pet's BCS at home. If the veterinarian discovers your pet is overweight, he or she will help you with a weight loss plan."

To maintain ideal body condition, Dr. Christian recommends:

* Check your pet's BCS monthly at minimum. Use the Purina Life Plan guidelines on the back of Purina dog food packages to help feed your dog to his ideal body condition.
* Measure the amount of food you feed, limit treats and do not feed your pet table scraps.
* Exercise with your pet, as approved by your veterinarian.

Purina Life Span Study

These new findings are part of the Purina Lifespan Study, the first-ever completed lifelong canine diet restriction study. Concluded in 2002, this 14-year study proved that a dog's media life span can be extended by 15 percent – nearly two years for the Labrador Retrievers in the study – by restricting diet to maintain ideal body condition.

For more information on the findings and the Purina Lifespan Study, visit the Purina Pet Institute website at Pet Food: Premium, Healthy Dog Food and Cat Food for Pets | Purina.com. To request a copy of the Journal of Nutrition manuscript, contact Kerry Lyman at (314) 982-2094.

The Purina Pet Institute is the embodiment of Purina's commitment to achieve better nutrition for dogs and cats through scientific discovery and the enhancement of the pet/owner relationship.

Nestlé Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. One of the leading global players in the pet food industry, Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A. – the world's largest food company."


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## Germanshepherdlova

codmaster said:


> So how tall is your dog/ I think someone asked you before but I haven't seen any response to the question. Did I miss it or was it never answered? Knowing his height would go a long way to thinking if the dog might possibly be a little heavy.
> 
> If he were say 30" or so then 115 would be a much better weight than if he were 26"/27", I would think.


He is 28". He could stand to lose just a few pounds, but he is not obese. I actually think he looks great at his weight, and so do many people that have seen him in real life. But I can agree that 5 lbs won't hurt him. I answered the question earlier, but it was probably missed because of the numerous posts. Did you see his picture?


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## LaRen616

Germanshepherdlova said:


> He is 28". He could stand to lose just a few pounds, but he is not obese. I actually think he looks great at his weight, and so do many people that have seen him in real life. But I can agree that 5 lbs won't hurt him. I answered the question earlier, but it was probably missed because of the numerous posts. Did you see his picture?


Wow.

My boy is 28" and he only weighs 80 pounds.


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## codmaster

Sounds a little chunky! Maybe he is very long as well?


Mine is about 27" and on a heavy day goes about 82.


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## Whiteshepherds

k9ma said:


> Just wanted to add this article to this already super informative thread. This is Purina's Life Span study being referenced. Dogs that were kept lean (fed measured amounts of food twice a day) lived an average of 15% (2 years, in this case)* longer than dogs that were "free" fed (allowed to consume whatever amount they wanted in 15 minutes twice a day).*


I've never seen free feeding described that way. Normally it's where you put the food (dry) in the dogs dish and they eat it throughout the day...sort of like a cat. The food is measured each day.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Brutus is down 2 pounds! Just wanted to give an update!


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## TitonsDad

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Brutus is down 2 pounds! Just wanted to give an update!


 
How does he look now?


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## Germanshepherdlova

TitonsDad said:


> How does he look now?


He looks a little bit slimmer, I will post pictures when he loses a few more and see what everyone thinks.


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## delkhouri

My girl just turned one year old on 4/22 and she is 26" tall, and somewhere between 75-80lbs. She just now got to the point where you can't see her ribs, but she still looks like dog #2 from the top view. I attached a pic but its not from above


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## Liesje

How much do you think he weighs? Male, intact, 2.5 yrs, standard height. Sorry the pics are kinda odd, just grabbing the most recent pics that show the most body.


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## robinhuerta

My dog Ando is 65.5cm at the wither and weighs 89lbs. (good, show weight).
But he is a masculine, strong male....not tall...just all male.


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## Liesje

Pan is 8 months, weighs about 55lbs. Not a very good example since he's so young. Kenya is 7 years, 51lbs.


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## robinhuerta

Pan is a handsome pup.....best wishes to you Lies!


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## Liesje

Thanks! I should say, he may be on the small side. His brother is about 10lbs heavier (and not fat or exceptionally large). But at this age, anything can happen! I prefer compact dogs for agility and my personal rule, which is not to own a dog I couldn't carry to safety if I had to.


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## robinhuerta

OMG...then I am in trouble.....the boys are a little "heavy" for me to throw over my back and run!


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## Germanshepherdlova

robinhuerta said:


> OMG...then I am in trouble.....the boys are a little "heavy" for me to throw over my back and run!


LOL, I am counting on my dog carrying me on HIS back and running to safety if the need should arise! Because I sure couldn't carry him.


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## Lin

Adrenaline does some crazy things! I'm a short, weak woman and physically disabled... I can't really pick up a 35 lb bag of dog food without help, at least not more than a few seconds or so. But when Logan had his seizure (70lb male) I scooped him up and ran him to my car all by myself. When I got to the vet hospital, it took 2 vet techs to carry him in. 

A friend of mine showed up later for support. She asked me how I got him to my car... I sort of blinked and stared, then said I don't know I just scooped and ran. I barely remembered it. She exclaimed "its like those mothers who lift cars off their babies!"


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## Germanshepherdlova

Lin said:


> Adrenaline does some crazy things! I'm a short, weak woman and physically disabled... I can't really pick up a 35 lb bag of dog food without help, at least not more than a few seconds or so. But when Logan had his seizure (70lb male) I scooped him up and ran him to my car all by myself. When I got to the vet hospital, it took 2 vet techs to carry him in.
> 
> A friend of mine showed up later for support. She asked me how I got him to my car... I sort of blinked and stared, then said I don't know I just scooped and ran. I barely remembered it. She exclaimed "its like those mothers who lift cars off their babies!"


Wow, that is so true, I guess it's amazing what we can do if our "baby" has an emergency. Wonderful story, thanks for sharing it.


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## Germanshepherdlova

Since Brutus was neutered several months ago (also the time when I originated this post) I cut down on his food portions. Unfortunately he has gained another pound and now weighs 116. I am inclined to believe that his metabolism slowed down after he was neutered. He is still physically active. I just wanted to give an update.


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## Lucy Dog

I wouldn't be too worried about a 1 pound weight gain in several months. 

If it was 10-15 pounds, maybe, but what's a pound? That <1% of his entire body weight. 

I'd say it's more coincidental than due to metabolism being slowed by being neutered.


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## codmaster

116 lbs. = Big dog!


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## Germanshepherdlova

Lucy Dog said:


> I wouldn't be too worried about a 1 pound weight gain in several months.
> 
> If it was 10-15 pounds, maybe, but what's a pound? That <1% of his entire body weight.
> 
> I'd say it's more coincidental than due to metabolism being slowed by being neutered.


I am going to just keep monitoring it, because I am trying to adjust his food portions so that he doesn't gain anymore weight. I attributed it to his metabolism because he weighed 115 for a whole year before he was neutered and after he was neutered I reduced his food portions by 2 cups per day, and he still gained a pound. Something is up.


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## brembo

Banjo is 27.5 inches tall, he weighs ~88 pounds right now. I keep him on the skinny side of things in the summer/fall and fatten him up a skosh in the winter. He's bouncy for an 8 y/o. His intake has dropped over the years as he's less active, he was off the hook at 2 y/o. 5-7 cups of dense calorie kibble a day and I was fighting to keep weight on him. Now it's 4-ish a day with a good mixture of treats and acceptable human food (that being steak trimmings and the like).


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## Germanshepherdlova

Speaking of treats, it must be the treats that my kid's are always sneaking him!


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## Zenny

My little girls just turned 7 months old and we weighed her yesterday. She weighs 65 lbs and is 25" tall. She is extremely skinny when you look at her though, and she needs to put on alot of weight to fill out her little body. Of course I know she still has alot of growing to do. It's like she is at that "skinny gauky teenager phase." I have another 3 year old female who is about 28" tall and weighs between 85-90 lbs. She is NOT overweight at all even though I know she is WAY above the charts for a female. She is extremely athletic, has lots of energy and spunk, and I want to get her involved in Schutzhund because she has alot of SCHII and SCHIII in her pedigree, and I would hate for them to deny her because of her "size". The way I look at it is everyone (including animals and people) come in all shapes and sizes. If all young black males were between 6'2 - 6'6" and weighed between 180 - 220 lbs (I'm thinking of basketball), all young white males between 5'11" - 6'2" and weighed between 175 - 210 lbs. and say all hispanice males were 5'8" - 5'11 and weighed between 145 and 170 lbs. - things would be kinda boring... everybody in their culture looking the same basically... (sorry, not trying to offend any cultures, just using an example). My point being, everybody has a different build, some stockier than others - I have a beautiful friend, that is always wanting to be 'skinny', but she actually is prettier with some meat on her bones because of her bone structure. There is nothing wrong with having a general "base" to go by, and of course I understand if you are going to show them you have to be specific sizes, but who are we to say how big or small someones dog should be because it doesn't fit the norm? As long as it is healthy. Now if she doesn't trust the vet, I think I would go to one that is recommended by alot of GSD people or even breeders. Just my opinion...


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## Germanshepherdlova

Zenny said:


> I have another 3 year old female who is about 28" tall and weighs between 85-90 lbs. She is NOT overweight at all even though I know she is WAY above the charts for a female.... My point being, everybody has a different build, some stockier than others.....but who are we to say how big or small someones dog should be because it doesn't fit the norm? As long as it is healthy. Now if she doesn't trust the vet, I think I would go to one that is recommended by alot of GSD people or even breeders. Just my opinion...


:thumbup:

LOL. I do trust my vet, it is some commenters here who doubted her ability to determine if my dog is a healthy weight.

Do you mind posting a pic of your female (the 3 yr old)?


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## Zenny

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Since Brutus was neutered several months ago (also the time when I originated this post) I cut down on his food portions. Unfortunately he has gained another pound and now weighs 116. I am inclined to believe that his metabolism slowed down after he was neutered. He is still physically active. I just wanted to give an update.


That is something I have noticed - I have 2 labs also, one is neutered and the other is intact. They are both brothers and littermates. The one that is neutered turned in to a little butterball,  and the other one seems very muscular and healthy.  No change in diet or exercise for either one, just the one got neutered. To answer any questions going through anyones mind - I neutered him because he got hit by a car and needed surgery and the ver said he would fix him for free, so I did. I live in the country and don't like my males fixed because I think it wimpifys them, so that is why I have 1 intact and 1 fixed.


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## Zenny

The picture on the avatar is her at 3 1/2 months, so she's not skinny then, but then she started getting taller. I'll see if I can do it - I'm not real technical, so give me a minute to try.


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## Germanshepherdlova

I have noticed that fixed labs get really fat. I have a lab that is intact and he is also muscular. Here is a pic of him.


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## Zenny

I'm trying to figure out how to put a picture on here. It may take me awhile cuz my daughter also needs me. Sorry...


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## Germanshepherdlova

It's ok, no rush. Whenever you get around to it though right next to the post quick reply option to the right of it, it says Go Advanced, click there and then you will see a paper clip in the top ribbon (toward the center). Click on that paperclip and then you will be able to download a picture. Hope that helps.


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## Anja1Blue

LaRen616 said:


> I would just like to say that 2 of my cats are obese.


:laugh: Bet they are cute though!
_________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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## Scarlettsmom

Scarlett is 27.5 inches tall at the shoulder and weighs between 68-71 lbs. She is SO long in the back and pretty lean. When we rescued her, she only weighed 63 lbs and was SO skinny. Her weight now looks good and has been steady for a few years.


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## Benjaminb

Germanshepherdlova, What breeder/rescue did you get your GS from? I know that some breed for bigger dogs.


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## girardid

mine is about 26in tall and 78lb very lean and well muscled though


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## Cassidy's Mom

Benjaminb said:


> Germanshepherdlova, What breeder/rescue did you get your GS from? I know that some breed for bigger dogs.


This person has not been active on the board in 3 years, so will probably not see your question.


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## Thecowboysgirl

I've had 2 males who were about 75lb healthy weight. My current two, the female is 67lb but at times in her adulthood was more like 65. My current male is a big beefcake, he is between 88/89 at any given time, and not overweight. He is very long.


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## tim_s_adams

My female puppy is 8 months old, 27.5" at the withers, and weighs 74 lbs. I'm expecting her ro be somewhere in the 80s when full grown.


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## cheffjapman

Arrow (female) is 22" and 55 lbs
General (male) is 27.5" and 75 lbs (when we got him he weight 50).


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## Richard_WrightWells

40kg/88lb since about 3, he is 6 now and has stayed within 1kg.
You can easily feel his ribs. 
He 25" to the top of his shoulders. 

I always thought he was small  

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


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## Leon big boy

Leon, male, 11 months today, 98 lbs
Lady, female, 11 months today (not brothers), 56 lbs.


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## Mat93Snipe

We've got a german shepherd female 27" tall and weights 90.4 lbs


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