# Size and Ears. . . .



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

One thing I've noticed in my years on this board is that first-time GSD puppy owners seem positively obsessed with two things: 1) How big will he get and 2) When/if his ears will stand. I'm not bashing or criticizing; when I brought Rocky home nearly 9 years ago I was worried about those too. It turned out that his ears didn't stand until he was over 6 months old and, at 25 inches and 75lb, he's a smallish male Shepherd. 

Now I'm on my 3rd GSD (2nd puppy) and I find that I don't care in the slightest how big he gets or when/if his ears stand. From looking at his parents and grandparents and great-grandparents I figure he'll be somewhere in the 80-90lb range and the ears probably will stand. . . . but I just don't care. At all. Looking back I can't figure out why I ever did. 

How about the rest of you? How important is it that your GSD reach a certain size and that his ears stand? And if you care. . . . why? Because I just can't remember why it was so important.


----------



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I actually perfer a smaller GSD...lol.. and wouldn't mind in the least bit if his ears stood or not.. lol. I actually kinda like the floppy ear look.. 

I often flop Stark's ears forward and baby talk to him.. I think he looks so adorable!


----------



## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

As a new owner it wasn't so much how big is he going to be? it was is he normal? Am I keeping him at a good weight? 

His ears I were obsessed about. I thought they were fragile little things and had a strict no ear touching rule. They went up at 10wks and now looking back I wish he had wonky ear stage.

Being more experienced and knowledgeable I don't think I will worry about those things with future pup.


----------



## RazinKain (Sep 13, 2010)

I am a first time shepherd owner. I will admit, I got Kain for a family protector and I chose the German Shepherd because of the intimidation factor (everyone knows that the GSD is the most evil and furocious beast on the planet ). His (Kain's) size and erect ears both play a major role in that charade. I don't know about everyone else, but these were my personal reasons for wanting erect ears and decent size.


----------



## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

This is my 3rd puppy, I do care about his ears standing and I do care about how big he'll get. If his ears don't stand up, even though his parents/grandparents/ggparents have all perfect ears, then it's a sign that I "might" be doing something wrong, or maybe my kid might be putting something in his ears, who knows?  

As far as size, my Zeus ended up at around 120 at one time, totally my fault (too much drama). Thankfully, he lost the 20 lbs and stayed around 98-100 until his passing. I will not make that mistake again.


----------



## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

First time PB owner (SPCA x's in the past) and I have always been a bit obsessed with her ears...nearly 16 months and they are floppy! She is also small(ish) 55 pounds. I never wanted a huge hulk of a thing but she is about the size of BC. I love her more than anything but same old story...when I look for another one when she is older I will RESEARCH breeders.

As to why, not really sure, I guess when I think of a 'typical' GSD, they have upright ears.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I have had gsd's 'forever' I don't obsess over ears/size but I do want those ears to stand and so far, knock on wood, I've never had an ear problem. Size doesnt matter to me, altho I do like a leggy dog.


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Stosh is my 3rd gsd and I've never obsessed about size, except to make sure they were growing steadily. As far as the ears, I certainly wanted them to stand up because it's the classic look and it's fun to watch the 'ear dance' over the months. My husband was hoping Stosh's one ear stayed down because he thought it looked cool but alas, it stood. I understand your comment though- once you get past the initial 'obsession' of wanting the perfect specimen, all that really matters is that you have the gsd that's on the inside not what it looks like on the outside. I wouldn't trade Stosh if he had one eye, floppy ears and walked with a limp


----------



## ZebsMommy (Dec 4, 2010)

I was obsessed with Zeb's weight. He was the smallest of his litter (I didn't know until later) and I thought I wasn't feeding him enough or he wasn't eating enough, or what am I doing wrong...I was a wreck. I went through almost every food out there to try to get him to be the "right weight" It wasn't till he was 1.5 years that I realized it was just him and to not worry. Looking back I was so silly, but I didn't know. I never really cared bout the ears though. It didn't matter to me either way.


----------



## lanaw13 (Jan 8, 2011)

Only obsession is with her gaining *too much* weight too fast. Her appetite knows no bounds……
Having owned a flop ear shep before I find that doesn't matter…..


----------



## Whitedog404 (Mar 25, 2010)

Funny thing is, I'm on my fourth or fifth GSD, depending how I choose to count and I've never given the ears a bit of thought. Until now. Ignorance was bliss, clearly. Nowadays, with all of the information so readily available, I see that people worry about ears, and so do I. But it depends. If I get a rescue or byb, then I'm not going to be surprised if the dog is under/oversized or if the ears aren't firm. However, the only dog I have ever had ear issues with (and I've mentioned it too many time on the board) is with my year-old German import. And, frankly, it caused me a lot of angst because I LOVE the noble look of the GSD, and that's why I wanted -- and was willing to spend several thousands of dollars -- a very specific look (and temperament and good health). So, for that reason, I am disappointed that he has one floppy ear that goes up for a few minutes a few times a week, and on a lesser note, there's that overbite and I suspect he's cow hocked a bit, but I'm not sure because he's still gangly. I suspect he'll be the correct size and if he were way too small, that would be disappointing, too, because there are specific traits I expect when getting a pure bred dog. And I did my research before purchasing, and I looked at photos of his parents, grandparents and they range -- currently and in the past -- from VA1 through VA7. I was new to the whole WGSL and figured that those dogs should have netted me one that looked like them, and that's what I wanted look-wise. Like I said somewhere else, he just turned one in Feb., so maybe there's time for him to turn into the fabled swan. Having said that, he's a fabulous dog and I love him dearly. I doubt I'll ever go the puppy route again, though. Oh, and my rescue was drop-dead gorgeous, and the two white GSDs I've had (still have one from byb and the other that passed away a few years ago was from the humane society) also are stunning. Go figure.  (But I will say that my pup has the most sound temperament. That's worth the money in many ways.)


----------



## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

I didn't worry about Raven's size or ears when I got her. I was just happy to have her. I actually don't even remember when her ears started standing.



Emoore said:


> It turned out that his ears didn't stand until he was over 6 months old and, at 25 inches and 75lb, he's a smallish male Shepherd.


Raven is very tall and lean (27 inches and 78lbs) and my favorite foster is the same size as her. I thought I liked tall and leggy until I got Kaiser. He's about 24 inches and 66lbs and I also love his compact size.


----------



## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

I totally get it Emily. I was the same way....many many years ago. Something about being young and dumb and thinking bigger is better (many men never seem to get past this, a big dog makes them feel like a bigger man). With age and wisdom I learned size does not matter and I don't find the oversized dogs nearly as attractive.
Moses is too big, he's not overweight, he's a stealth 99.5lbs and he's a very handsome dog but is just so big. He turned out bigger than his sire.

As for the ears I want them up but I don't obsessed as I've been doing this long enough to know when to intervene.


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

lanaw13 said:


> Only obsession is with her gaining *too much* weight too fast. Her appetite knows no bounds……
> Having owned a flop ear shep before I find that doesn't matter…..


That was my concern about the weight. Both my pups ended up a bit bigger than normal.
I also had a soft eared black GSD and everyone thought Stomper was a lab mix because of them. They stood if he was excited but otherwise had a friendly flop to them.
I think the ears are very expressive and I prefer them to stand because that is one way their emotions show thru.
Both Onyx and Karlo had ears up by 10 weeks, Onyx's were(still are) large.
From what I always have seen it is the showlines that have problems going up and usually later than WL's...not sure I've ever seen a WL needing help with ears to stand.


----------



## Kris10 (Aug 26, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> I think the ears are very expressive and I prefer them to stand because that is one way their emotions show thru.


This is how I feel too---


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

onyx'girl said:


> I think the ears are very expressive and I prefer them to stand because that is one way their emotions show thru.


Awww, how can you say that?


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Look at that expression!! :wub: There also goes my theory about WL's with soft ears....


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

onyx'girl said:


> Look at that expression!! :wub: There also goes my theory about WL's with soft ears....


He's the only one I ever saw.


----------



## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I was "obsessed" with weight and ears because I felt that proper weight gain and upright ears were a reflection on how well I was taking care of him. 

I think you missed one obsession we all share: the elusive and sought after well-formed poop.


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Thats one thing I'm not obsessed about! I scooped a couple buckets worth last weekend when we finally had a thaw. Karlo loves to eat the bird seed I found out....and corn does NOT digest.
All my dogs have their own spots in the yard so I know who is doing what, but don't scoop daily in the winter.


----------



## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

sagelfn said:


> Am I keeping him at a good weight?


I was obsessed with this!! I had only raised Lab puppies and had actually never even been around a Shepherd puppy - he was so lean and skinny - I thought for sure he was starving and pestered my trainers, my behaviorist and my vet about if he was a healthy weight lol Labs are roly-poly, chubby puppies - Madix, not so much!

I never even knew there was a possibility his ears might not stand until this board. Never crossed my mind. I wanted a smaller shepherd to be able to do a variety of things with and he's the smallest male from his litter by quite a bit. I love his size


----------



## RogueRed26 (Jul 15, 2010)

I had a family GSD growing up. I never worried about his ears or weight. He was 24 inches and weighed 65 lbs, on the small side for a male I have now learned. But, in all honesty, it never bothered me. 

Fast forward into the future. Majority of my canine pals were small dogs. After they passed or were stolen, I decided to adopt a medium to large breed. I chose a shepherd puppy from the shelter. She was extremely emaciated, she weighed 19 lbs at almost 5 months. People would give me harsh remarks when I walked her. They thought I had starved her. She would not eat for the life of her. two vets and managers and employees at petsmart were trying to help me find the right food for her. Managers would open dog food bags for me and give her taste samples. She even hated treats. it was not until a combination of authority can food and iams puppy that got her eating. It was a weird combination, but it worked. Unfortunately, she passed two months later. Then, I got Texas. In my opinion, I think she is going to be a petite girl, which is ok. But recently, people will see her and tell me to feed her more cause she looks skinny. All if a sudden, now I am concerned again.

Some people say her coat is beautiful and healthy, very shiny. But, I guess people say mean things cause she has a bit of a waist. It is just giving me flashbacks I suppose. Everyone wants or expect to see a very large GSD. When they see Texas, she doesn't fall under the big bone category. So people also start to question if she is purebred, which she is (she is registered, part byb lines and part good working lines but nonetheless a shepherd).

I want to say weight is somewhat of a concern now. She currently weighs 44 lbs at 8 months old. But, I really want her to fall under the healthy weight range like 60 lbs that would be good for her as an adult.


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I was obsessed with weight because he had parvo at 8 weeks and was super skinny compared to the beasts we saw in his puppy classes at around 3 months. Some of the 2 month olds were bigger then he was. But every one at the club assured me that they all mature at different times and I shouldn't worry that he was going to be stunted or anything like that. Sure enough I now have a 65 pound 7 month old that doesn't look like he weighs more than 50. And its true, I'm a guy, I wanted a huge german shepherd, his mother was small and I was worried he would be like that, but he's already bigger than she was lol.

It's my first GSD and I wanted so bad to have a full size one as soon as possible, I always wondered how my little guy was going to turn into some of the beasts I saw at the club. Well now its quite clear, and I wish they would stay little and cute for longer! 5 months have passed and I'm already jealous over all the people posting their new puppy pictures on the forum.

As for the ears thing, I just wanted everyone to know I had a GSD and not a mix of some sort. He's sable, which means half the world already doesn't think he's PB, and when he was little and his ears were down he definately looked like a mix. Ears went up at 3 months, and haven't come down since, I'm proud of my GSD!


----------



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

I do want the ears to go up because the breed is supposed to have erect ears, but I've never had a pup whose ears took too long to go up so it was never an obsession. When we got Cassidy at 20 weeks old she had one floppy ear and we did ask the breeder about it. She said both had been up prior to teething so they should go back up by the time she was done. We accepted that, and she was right. 

Sneaker had ears so up at 16 weeks when we got her that they came to a point at the top of her head - we called her conehead, lol! Sometimes the tips even crossed. All the others we got younger, at 9/10 weeks old, and within a few weeks the ears were up. Halo went through the most wonky ear phases on the way there compared to Dena and Keefer, but none of them had an ear go down during teething. Keefer and Halo's ears are fully up but softer at the tip than Dena's were, which I'm pretty sure is because she was an only dog until she was 13 months old and the other two had an older sibling chewing on their heads constantly! :rofl: 

I've never been a bit concerned about size, which is why it mystifies me so much when so people obsess over if their puppy is big enough or too big if they don't match the charts EXACTLY at any stage of development - it's an average, people, nothing more! Keefer is my first male, and at 80 pounds, the biggest GSD I've ever had too, although I've had oversized females who were within a few pounds of that - Cassidy was around 78 pounds, big for a girl, and Dena was a couple pounds over the standard at around 72 pounds. I LOVE Halo's smaller size, she's almost exactly at the midpoint of the standard at just under 60 pounds, and by far the smallest GSD we've had. It always surprises me when I'm out with her and people comment about her being a "big dog". She looks so little to me!


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

RogueRed26 said:


> People would give me harsh remarks when I walked her. They thought I had starved her.


Oh man, that is the absolute _worst_ thing about rescue. I'll be out walking this bedraggled-looking, half-starved animal and people are looking at me like I'm some kind of monster. I want to have a sign made that says, "He just came from the shelter a few days ago."


----------



## RazinKain (Sep 13, 2010)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> I do want the ears to go up because the breed is supposed to have erect ears, but I've never had a pup whose ears took too long to go up so it was never an obsession. When we got Cassidy at 20 weeks old she had one floppy ear and we did ask the breeder about it. She said both had been up prior to teething so they should go back up by the time she was done. We accepted that, and she was right.
> 
> Sneaker had ears so up at 16 weeks when we got her that they came to a point at the top of her head - we called her conehead, lol! Sometimes the tips even crossed. All the others we got younger, at 9/10 weeks old, and within a few weeks the ears were up. Halo went through the most wonky ear phases on the way there compared to Dena and Keefer, but none of them had an ear go down during teething. Keefer and Halo's ears are fully up but softer at the tip than Dena's were, which I'm pretty sure is because she was an only dog until she was 13 months old and the other two had an older sibling chewing on their heads constantly! :rofl:
> 
> I've never been a bit concerned about size, which is why it mystifies me so much when so people obsess over if their puppy is big enough or too big if they don't match the charts EXACTLY at any stage of development - it's an average, people, nothing more! Keefer is my first male, and at 80 pounds, the biggest GSD I've ever had too, although I've had oversized females who were within a few pounds of that - Cassidy was around 78 pounds, big for a girl, and Dena was a couple pounds over the standard at around 72 pounds. I LOVE Halo's smaller size, she's almost exactly at the midpoint of the standard at just under 60 pounds, and by far the smallest GSD we've had. *It always surprises me when I'm out with her and people comment about her being a "big dog". She looks so little to me*!


Exactly! Everytime we meet someone new, they're always so taken aback by Kain's appearance, and they always comment on how big he is (he's only 75 lbs at last weigh-in). I was just telling the wife how 'smallish' Kain looks to me and nothing like the 'huge dog' that everyone keeps telling me he is. I honestly think it's the 'command presence' of the GSD that makes it look so much larger to strangers than what it actually is.


----------



## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

RazinKain said:


> Exactly! Everytime we meet someone new, they're always so taken aback by Kain's appearance, and they always comment on how big he is (he's only 75 lbs at last weigh-in). I was just telling the wife how 'smallish' Kain looks to me and nothing like the 'huge dog' that everyone keeps telling me he is. I honestly think it's the 'command presence' of the GSD that makes it look so much larger to strangers than what it actually is.


I get told this all the time too! Frequently with, "He must weigh around 80 lbs?" - which, nope. He's a whopping 65...


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Well, people say that about Karlo and they are right....:blush:
He is a big one!


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

I obsessed over ears. Ill admit it. The reason I did is because that is the single part of the gsd's appearance that I love the most. The ears just give them an alert look. I also questioned if my pup was purebred so I didnt know if they would stand or not. They stood 2 days ago and are getting more firm daily. Size doesnt really matter to me though. I know she's going to be a big dog even if she ends up smaller than the standard. Pretty sure my pup is going to be huge though!! lol


----------



## BluePaws (Aug 19, 2010)

Logan is my third shepherd, and I've just wanted him to be healthy (the stitches came out yesterday, he can now be a normal, happy, healthy 4 month old pup!!) ... I could really care less about size or ears. He's running on the small side of the standard at the moment, which I'm fine with. 

My first shepherd was an adult rescue .. so I didnt need to worry about either with her. My second shepherd ... I had too many OTHER worries, so I guess it didnt matter - my only goal was to give her a good quality of life and try to extend the quantity. 

But you're right ... those are definitely the primary questions GSD puppy owners want to know about! 
Those, and "What will he/she look like?" (color and markings)


----------



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I don't obsess... but it was important to me that her ears stand. I just like that look. But if they turned out floppy of course I'd love her the same. Even when she had cute wonky puppy ears (see avatar) someone came up and said to me, "Did you get a discount for the broken ear?" @@

As far as size I will be happy with her being anywhere in the standard. I know a lot of people want huge GSDs but I think she will be about 65 lbs at adulthood.


----------



## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

I too prefer a smaller GSD as I am small, but I keep getting these dogs that go just a tad over standard. Lucky was 24 inches and 75 pounds, Wolf was 30 inches and 130 pounds, Max was 27.5 and 90 pounds but he was rescue. 

Of the 2 I have now Kayos is right on the money at 23.5, she is 70 pounds. Havoc is 26.5 and he is about 80 pounds. 

I do like the ears to stand but if they don't not much I can do about it. Of my 5 GSD's all the ears have stood and I have done nothing special.


----------



## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Ears and size, yup. Guess I'm normal. Glad she's not too big and has ears up.


----------

