# Up 10 pounds in 4 weeks



## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

Took Apollo to the vet today, he weighed in at 26 pounds at 11 weeks old. That's up from 16 pounds at 7 weeks... this boy is getting big fast! The vet said he would have guessed him at around 4 months if it wasn't for his baby teeth. How much did your pup weigh around that age?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I think mine was about 12-14 pounds at that age. I remember he was 9 pounds at almost 9 weeks. He's 16 weeks now and about 30 pounds.

Don't get too hung up on weight though. You don't want a fat dog. Slow and steady growth is best for their development.

What are you feeding and how much daily?


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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

Lucy Dog said:


> I think mine was about 12-14 pounds at that age. I remember he was 9 pounds at almost 9 weeks. He's 16 weeks now and about 30 pounds.
> 
> Don't get too hung up on weight though. You don't want a fat dog. Slow and steady growth is best for their development.
> 
> What are you feeding and how much daily?


He's nowhere near fat. He will be a big boy regardless, his mom was 100 pounds and his dad was 130+. He eats about 2 cups in the morning and about 2 cups in the evening of ProPack large breed puppy food. He spills about a cup of that total for both feedings, that I have to clean.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Yeah... he's going to be a big boy when fully grown. Sounds like he's definitely got the genetics for it.


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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

Here are a few pics... he's healthy, but I don't think he's fat... plus he's up to walking about 8 blocks now, so he gets his exercise.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Hes stocky so its hard to tell but he does look like hes a bit on the thicker side. I would personally want my pup a bit leaner. 

100-130lbs??? 

No way would I want a dog that big haha. Just a nightmare on the jointa

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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

Anubis_Star said:


> Hes stocky so its hard to tell but he does look like hes a bit on the thicker side. I would personally want my pup a bit leaner.
> 
> 100-130lbs???
> 
> ...


He may have some baby fat, but the vet did say he was pretty muscular. Both parents are OFA certified so hopefully that lowers his chances of having any joint problems. I will definitely watch his weight, feedings, and give him plenty of exercise to keep him healthy. I just LOVE big dogs!!


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Just be careful of that love it can easily lead to an overweight dog or oversized dogs being bred when it can cause problems. Not saying anything negative will happen with your boy and he sure is cute  you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders about maintaining a healthy ideal body weight  

but realistically GSDs were meant to be medium-large dogs in the 60-80lb range, athletic and agile. When you start breeding dogs in the 130lb + range you can easily run into joint problems, especially when size alone is a driving factor behind the breeding.

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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Shoot for only five pounds a month.
You need to see a definite tuck at the waist of your puppy.


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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

Anubis_Star said:


> Just be careful of that love it can easily lead to an overweight dog or oversized dogs being bred when it can cause problems. Not saying anything negative will happen with your boy and he sure is cute  you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders about maintaining a healthy ideal body weight
> 
> but realistically GSDs were meant to be medium-large dogs in the 60-80lb range, athletic and agile. When you start breeding dogs in the 130lb + range you can easily run into joint problems, especially when size alone is a driving factor behind the breeding.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thank you for the kind words...They were breed for #1 health...elbows, hips, DM, cardiac... testing goes back for generations, #2 temperament, and #3 to be large straight -back german shepherds.
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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

Sunflowers said:


> Shoot for only five pounds a month.
> You need to see a definite tuck at the waist of your puppy.


Thanks, I will keep an eye on his waistline. 

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## jafo220 (Mar 16, 2013)

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He is a large pup! I can't remember what Cruz weighed at 11 weeks, but I don't think it wasn't 26 lbs! I love big dogs too, but just be careful not to fall into the trap of over feeding. It's easy to do when they're pups cause they just want more and more food. 

I feed Blue Buffalo. Cruz is almost 9 months and is almost 80 lbs now and they recommend just over 4 cups a day. So be careful how much your feeding. Cruz is adding around 10 lbs a month. To me thats almost too quick, but genetics come into the equation too. I'd have to echo the others sentiments on joint problems with big dogs. I don't want to be critical either, just be careful with over feeding though. 

Nice looking pup though.


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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

jafo220 said:


> Sent from Petguide.com Free App
> 
> He is a large pup! I can't remember what Cruz weighed at 11 weeks, but I don't think it wasn't 26 lbs! I love big dogs too, but just be careful not to fall into the trap of over feeding. It's easy to do when they're pups cause they just want more and more food.
> 
> ...


Thank you... Sounds like your boy will be pretty big too. I'm sure he still has some filling out to do. Apollo will be my walking buddy when he gets old enough to make the 5 miles 3-4 times a week. So hopefully that and him chasing and wrestling the 12 pound shih tzu around the yard, plus his training.. will keep him in pretty good condition. 

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Tucker was 13.5 @ 7wks and 26.9 @ 11wks and 47 @ 15wks. He is tall and lanky. Most people think he's older and they comment that he is too thin and needs weight...










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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Delgado was 20.6 lbs at 12 weeks and 30.6 lbs at 16 weeks on the vet scale, so exactly 10 lbs in two weeks lol. He was always very lean and both parents are within standard. He was 66 lbs in November and 67 lbs in June so his growth did slow down pretty quickly

As others have said, keep a eye on his waistline and strive to keep him lean to reduce stress on his joints as he grows


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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

belladonnalily said:


> Tucker was 13.5 @ 7wks and 26.9 @ 11wks and 47 @ 15wks. He is tall and lanky. Most people think he's older and they comment that he is too thin and needs weight...
> 
> View attachment 103745
> 
> ...


Wow 47 pounds at 15 weeks?! Yep that's one big boy. He is very handsome ... and I can tell he is tall

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## shugarhey (Jul 29, 2013)

Shade said:


> Delgado was 20.6 lbs at 12 weeks and 30.6 lbs at 16 weeks on the vet scale, so exactly 10 lbs in two weeks lol. He was always very lean and both parents are within standard. He was 66 lbs in November and 67 lbs in June so his growth did slow down pretty quickly
> 
> As others have said, keep a eye on his waistline and strive to keep him lean to reduce stress on his joints as he grows


10 pounds in two weeks....amazing  I think they just hit a growth spurt and eventually level out. They will be all shapes, sizes, and weights, frames at the end of the day.

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Thanks Shugar. Yep I was in shock at the last vet appt. I'm taking him by there next week to weigh him to see what he has done in the past 4 weeks. I'm hoping that the weight gain has slowed considerably! 

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