# Question about German Shepherd Pup Weight



## Spectrum (Jan 14, 2016)

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and figured that this community would help me sift through the misinformation I've been getting through various sources. 

Me and my partner have recently become owners of a German Shepherd Pup on the third of January. He was a little over 9 weeks at the time of adoption and weighed slightly under 14 pounds. As of today, he turned 11 weeks old and was weighed before getting his breakfast. He came in at 18.8lbs.For those of you interested in the math, that's about 4.8 pounds in 11 days. 

He looks healthy, is very active and his paws are the biggest I've ever seen on a pup. They're about the size of the paws on my three year old female pitbull. I was a bit concerned as he's my first German Shepherd and he's my partner's first German Shepherd Pup, so we didn't know the guidelines in terms of expected weight. 

I went ahead and Google'd these questions, and found a chart which shows averages based on age of the pup. 









Based off of those trajectories, my pup should be close to 28.5lbs, effectively making him critically underweight. In our concern, we sent him to a vet to be examined and they immediately debunked the expected weight and considered it to be unrealistic. I was told his weight was fine and that we had nothing to be worried about. 

Trusting our vet's input, we stopped focusing on that chart, but that leads me to wonder if there is a reliable way of charting expected weights. I noticed that the chart listed had the full average weight being achieved at twelve months, but I thought GSDs didn't really fully mature until about 18 months? Would that be the reason behind the accelerated weight gain expectations? 

I'm just trying to make sure our pup will grow healthy and to something close to the average. He was one of 11 in his litter, but the breeder seemed to be convinced he was big for his age, so I'm just seeking some clarification. 

*** Humungous pic removed by ADMIN ***


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

When I first got my pup and posted a similar question I was told to look to the parents for what to expect at full growth. That ended up being good advise - she weighs exactly what her mother does.

Another source is a rather large older thread here - I think you can search size & weight and find it. 

The 3rd source I used was a silly little calculator online where you plug in your dog's breed,weight at say 3 mos or whatever and it will give you anticipated weight at full growth. That also was right on the money once my pup was 5 months on in age.

Hope this helps Take tons of pictures - the first year is a whirlwind


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## LuckyMe2G (Nov 19, 2015)

I don't have any advice but I just wanted to say that your pup is absolutely adorable :wub:


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## Spectrum (Jan 14, 2016)

Stonevintage said:


> When I first got my pup and posted a similar question I was told to look to the parents for what to expect at full growth. That ended up being good advise - she weighs exactly what her mother does.
> 
> Another source is a rather large older thread here - I think you can search size & weight and find it.
> 
> ...



Thank you for the reply. I just sent out a text to the breeder, so hopefully I'll have a better idea of what to expect. 

I know it doesn't mean much, but would you happen to remember her weight around this age and where she ended up? I tried one of those calculators and it's shooting me to 59lbs, which still doesn't seem to be a realistic number, considering its under the lower end of average. 

The last thing is regarding from 12-24 months of age. How much does the average GSD grow during this period? I know it's not supposed to be much, but even something like ~5-10lbs could help me get a better understanding. 

Thank you, once again for all your help.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Spectrum said:


> Thank you for the reply. I just sent out a text to the breeder, so hopefully I'll have a better idea of what to expect.
> 
> I know it doesn't mean much, but would you happen to remember her weight around this age and where she ended up? I tried one of those calculators and it's shooting me to 59lbs, which still doesn't seem to be a realistic number, considering its under the lower end of average.
> 
> ...


Mine picked up 8 lbs from 12-18 mos and it looks like a lot of good muscle was that that turned into. Honestly, at one point when she was about 7 mos, I thought she was getting a little overweight but it was just the growth process for her- she shot up 2 inches in 2 months (end of looking overweight fast lol). 

Mine was a big pup 35lbs at 11 weeks weighed at the vet's office (but she's oversize which is not a great way to be) Her dad was around 130 and mom 80. She followed the male growth chart progressions and slowed way down at 9-10 months. But, that's when things got interesting she looked like a peanut on long legs but then and during the next 5 mos she started gaining muscle definition and really streamlined. I quit measuring height at 11 mos but now she's 1.5 yrs and she picked up another inch in height somewhere along the line. 

I think they continue to gain (but not at a perceptible rate) and "fill out". Their body restructures and the waist narrows and the leg,back and shoulder muscles really start to show. They actually come to fit their ears and tail

Many of the charts you will come across measure not only weight but height also (see withers - how to measure). This is important because there is a strong belief that you should judge the proper amount to feed and weigh as to the proper proportions (height & weight) or body "condition" that your GSD should have. The breed standards explain this and there are charts there as well. Many people want their GSD to "grow faster" and overfeed which can cause some real problems. Patience is key here

Another thing I don't see much of is also measuring a growing pup for body length (say from the withers to the tail base) My pup had growth periods where she got longer and it was very noticeable. I wish I had tracked that also just for the fun of it.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Personally I would judge more by activity and body shape than weight on a chart. My boy was one of a litter of 4. He was a big baby. He gained about ten pounds a month until 6 months when he gain weight slow and steady. At two years old he is slim and his weight is in the mid 80s. Since he is long haired I have to check his weight by feel since he looks heavier than he is.
My 4 month female, on the other hand, was the smallest of a litter of 11. She is only 32 lbs, a bit small according to the chart. But she plays, eats and sleeps well. She is a good shape and the vet says she looks fine. I suspect at two years old she'll be smaller than usual. But if she is lively and happy it's all good.
Your pup looks adorable.


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## Spectrum (Jan 14, 2016)

Thank you all for the information and compliments. I personally don't have a need for him to be massive, but my first concern was that he was getting the adequate nutrition. Since we didn't schedule the vet visit to happen until about 5 days after we received him, I was only going off of the website recommendations. You can imagine the concern we had when he was already about 6 pounds underweight from when we received him. Now, the information I've seen us more pushing me away from any real concern. 

Thank you all for the help. It was very much appreciated


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## Jameson23 (Oct 27, 2015)

no advice but he is a good looking pup !! best of luck !


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Mine weighed the same at that age. He is on the skinny side but I assume he will fill out eventually. He is four months and eating four cups a day, and right around 30 lbs. That growth chart is on the high side. You won't find it here, but in the offline world I see a lot of fat German Shepherds.


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