# Pinhead?



## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

When exactly is the pin head stage?

Just wondering..my dog's head seems a bit small for his age. It has been years and years since I have had a large breed pup since puppyhood . I adopted my last 4 dogs now , this GSD is the only one who was under 10 months to a year old when I brought him home..he was about 3 months old when I brought him home . So I forget maybe..

Anyway , he is just turning 10 months , is 70 pounds and 26 1/2 " at the withers so is in the long and lanky stage. His chest has not filled yet or anything. Mostly curiosity - is there some kind of head filling out stage o will he most likely be a GSD with a slender head? 

In any event I think he is awesome. Since I know nothing about his lineage I sit and wonder about these things when I am bored


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

bump


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## BellaLuna (Jan 27, 2013)

He's beautiful, I think his head looks just fine lol. Doesn't look small at all to me...


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## SummerGSDLover (Oct 20, 2013)

I don't think his head looks small but it does look too feminine for a male GSD. Just my opinion. 

*-*Summer*-*


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Your dog is very good looking! I think his head looks smaller because in the winter because they get that big ruff around their neck like a lion! :laugh: He is definitely not a pin head and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the way he looks.


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

Hopefully he doesn't read this thread. He will be disappointed LOL Your boy looks great!


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

His head is beautiful. But he has a narrow chest. Throw the ball down the hill for him, swimming or pulling a sledge would be a good exercise.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

I think picture number 2 makes his head look smaller but it is the coloring that does that, not the actual size. Lots of black on face and all that tan ruff...just looks smaller when it really is not.
If his ruff was black or darker you would never think such.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Thanks for the input all 

I would expect his chest to still be unfilled yet at 10 months?

I meant his head seems a bit slender to me ( yes , a bit fem lol ) 

We had GSDs my entire childhood and I had my own briefly when I was 19 and 20 ( bloat :/) ..the males I remembered having had broader blockier heads than my dog now..but I di not remember if they got that way with maturity or if they started out with that blockier look. It was the 70s , they all came from hobby breeders I'm sure , and I vaguely remember " large boned GSDs " being all the rage 

More of a curious lineage/type of GSD question I guess. I love the way he looks now , he gets tons of compliments. I just remember a different type of head on my childhood dogs.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

My showline GSD had a much longer and narrow head in comparison to my now working line GSD.
I definately don't think your boy looks feminine and yes his chest and overall body should fill out with age and maturity.


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

I think he looks really really handsome.  You should post more pics


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i've never heard of the "pin head stage". lol. i
don't have much faith in the "stages". your
dog looks good and there's nothing feminine
looking about him. don't worry about his size.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

*collar*

flip your dogs collar over. that ring should be on top.
when there's no pressure on the collar the collar
will loosen with the ring on top. put the collar around
your arm and you'll see what i mean.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

He's looking good !

SuperG


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

doggiedad said:


> flip your dogs collar over. that ring should be on top.
> when there's no pressure on the collar the collar
> will loosen with the ring on top. put the collar around
> your arm and you'll see what i mean.


Thanks all  I am happy with his size..well , would be happy no matter what size he was I should say. I am personally not a fan of the oversize over 100 pounders ( just as a matter of taste) Like I said , I beleive that was the trend back i the 70s around here..I remember all the ads for "big bones GSDs" . My dad's friend and his wife were hobby breeders ( read - loving BYBs) and we had several of their dogs over life. I think , if memory serves me , they were all broad oversized dogs. I remember their forelegs being very very thick. Then again , I was very very small so who knows lol

As for the collar -he is kind of between links. When I take one off it is way too tight. I think maybe I need to get the one with smaller actual links anyway , I feel that collar may be too thick and heavy period. This is the thickest largest link set they have..was planning to order next link size down anyway , will go ahead and do that now since I am on the computer


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

He is gorgeous!!!!


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

I can't see the picture but he's still a young male & will look increasingly masculine as he matures. An 18 yr old male doesn't look like a 35 yr old male. Dogs development is compressed into a shorter time span but they too have developmental changes throughout their lives. I called Djibouti my little bitch head or sliver head for months.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Pencil nose is what we call it =)


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

He just had another height spurt. Thought he was done! You know how you notice it..all the sudden they have a better view of the kitchen table lol 

I was thinking Baracuda head lol

Neko - you hit the nail on the head..it is his nose that I feel is a bit...emm..long and thin. I guess at just turning 11 months it could fill out. He is such a pretty dog , people are always stopping and complimenting him. He is still in a clowning stage , he is lots of fun. 

I say this a lot , but I can't beleive someone tossed him out on the street at 3 months old. Their loss. Here is is when I picked him up back in June when he was 4 months old or so :


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## KathrynApril (Oct 3, 2013)

Oisin's Aoire said:


> He just had another height spurt. Thought he was done! You know how you notice it..all the sudden they have a better view of the kitchen table lol
> 
> I was thinking Baracuda head lol
> 
> ...


Omg so sad that someone did that. He looks like he lucked out & got a great family. : D



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## MyHans-someBoy (Feb 23, 2013)

If you had showed me these pictures and asked me to guess his gender, MALE is the first thing I think of. Nothing feminine that I can see.

Oh, and that third picture? 

Well, you had me at "woof", lol.

It is hard to believe that someone could just toss aside a great looking puppy. He's exactly where he needs to be now.


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## warpwr (Jan 13, 2011)

I think your head is perfect big boy.
_Signed, Miss Molly._


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## Darthvader (Jan 24, 2014)

That's a great looking male reminds me of my Shepherd when he was that age .


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

We lucked out  

He has a retained testicle and had panos when we got him. Either he was dumped by a Newark NJ BYB who figured they could not sell this one that way ..or he was stolen then dumped.

That is actually how I found this forum. We went scouring through all possible venues to see if he was stolen. So it was probably the first reason .No microchip or tattoo ..and a reasonable nice purebred ( with one jangly bit instead of two lol )


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

and thanks for all the kind words everybody


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I think your dog looks beautiful! GSDs should have a longer snout and should not have heads like Rottweilers and Akitas. I'm not into this obsession with huge, broad, cheeky heads on GSDs. To me a "pinhead" is a *very* narrow head with no stop, like a show type Belgian Shepherd (but maybe I have the wrong idea of a pinhead).

FWIW I have a male WGSL and he matured physically until he was 4.5 years. It took a loooooong time.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Thanks  

His head actually did grow a bit lately..I just went downstairs to put a load of laundry on..he usually sticks his head through the cat door and waits for me. Well , it does not fit easily anymore lol. I closed it and locked it now..don't want him to get stuck!


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

> GSDs should have a longer snout and should not have heads like Rottweilers and Akitas. I'm not into this obsession with huge, broad, cheeky heads on GSDs.


I agree. I dislike the 'bearish' heads. *shrug*However they're fully functional, so while I don't like 'em, I don't really object to them.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Well his head grew lately , so


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

Keep in mind GSDs are not really done filling out till around 2 years old.


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