# My Guy Too Skinny?



## Bochy_The_GamerDog (Oct 7, 2015)

Hello all.. 
I have a 9 month old GSD male named Bochy. 
We have been feeding him Hills science puppy for the first 3 months, and have been feeding him Blue Buffalo Puppy for 2 months after that, and BB Large Breed Dog food for the last 2 months. We have been switching it up because we have been trying to get him to gain some weight. We feed him 2 cups in AM and 2 Cups in PM plus treats during day/training and carrots when we leave him for work. But still seems skinny to me. Hips look wide, and his ribs are very tangible when you pet him. 
He has had shots and checked for worms at 4 months. So I don't know what else it could be. If I haven't listed something that you might be helpful in your analysis, please let me know and I will respond. Photos are here too.


----------



## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

He looks fine to me.


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

^ ditto! he's 9 months old after all, looks great! appears out of proportion now but his head and rear can give you an idea of his frame and how much filling out he has left - in most cases it happens naturally over the next couple years.


----------



## d4mmo (Mar 27, 2013)

Agreed, he doesn't look skinny at all for a 9month old. 
he should be lean, lanky and bony. My boy is 25 months and still filling out.

Take it nice and slow.


----------



## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

Mine is 9 months old now and he looks very close to yours, and just now he started adding a bit volume around the waste. He is now at about 76 pounds.

He didn't like the kibble though at all. He would eat just enough not to starve but not enough to gain much weight. Also I was giving him treats throughout the day and he wasn't really THAT hungry. He also had horrible diarrhea from all the switching of food (of course). I just didn't know what to do with him and the same way I checked with the vet and he was healthy as far as they are concerned. 

hen our obedience trainer suggested to put him on raw diet. He is now on Carnivora, 10 frozen .5 pound patties in the bag. I now feed him 2 patties in the morning, and 1 in the evening plus a meaty neck bone after the one patty. He absolutely loves it, eats every single meal, his poop is like the rabbit's one - small dry and tiny most of the time and slightly softer when i switch the flavor.

I get the dinner kind that has 10% of fruits and vegetables added. It's all natural, ground carcasses with meat and tiny cartilages and pieces of bones - very close to their natural eating habits. The only thing is of course kibble is handy and easy to get anywhere, unlike raw food. 

The other point to it is that dog's stomach is naturally acidic (-2 level or something like that) and it's designed to digest bones. There is nothing like that in kibble and there is nothing for the acids to process. Now he is eating on schedule and no skipped meals. The piece of neck bone with evening meal keep the teeth clean, strengthens the jaw, good workout, keeps him busy for a bit). Since all the good is natural comparing to processed kibble, poop is also tiny and completely disintegrates if left not picked.

Of course if the dog is happy on kibble, it's a choice of food for sure.

I might try switching mine back to kibble closer to 2 y/o, but for now I'm happy that I found a way to put some meat on those skinny bones.

One of the positive things I found about a skinny dog - especially for a gsd or any large-boned dog - there is less weight on the bones until they are naturally strong, and less chances of damaging them in their younger months of living. I would be more worried if your and mine were overweight.

But yours is gorgeous! He will fill up for sure.


----------



## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

lanky is normal at this age. just make sure he is playing and sleeping and drinking water as usual. Make sure his poo is normal. Don't give too much variety in food. It MIGHT be part of the cause of them becoming picky eaters. And as always, check with your vet to make sure.


----------



## Strikker (Dec 2, 2015)

He looks just fine to me, both my 11 month and year old look the same. My 28 month has just filled out. Good looking young man!


----------



## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

Please keep on mind that a GSD takes a while to mature physically, usually around 2 - 3 years old. A GSD is a medium sized dog, or at least should be. I realize that American line dogs may be bigger than WG dogs, but they are still a medium sized dogs. A male GSD, full grown should be around 80 - 85 lbs. Lean, with a visible waist line when looking down from above the dog. Yo should be able to easily run your fingers down your dogs side and feel each rib. You should be able to see the last two ribs when the dog is standing. A 9 month old puppy at 76 lbs is very likely a few pounds overweight. Carry too much weight causes many health issues and strain on joints. 

Don't listen to your friends and especially your vet who says "your dog is skinny" or "your dog is small for a GSD." Most people are fat and have obese dogs, do your own research to see what an athletic animal should look like. Vets rarely see dogs that are in top shape and often have no clue what a fit dog should look like. How many fat olympic sprinters have you ever seen, or are they always lean, athletic and muscular? 

My patrol dog is about 76 lbs at 10 years old, his top weight at 2 1/2 was 82 lbs. He is not a small dog, but he is incredibly fit, fast and athletic. At 10 years old he still runs at around 28 mph, slowed down form his top speed of 32mph. He can still climb ladders, jump a 4' fence with ease and take a person down.

The picture on the steps was taken at 9 1/2 years old. 

Please don't get hung up on weight, it is really bad. Avoid people that say your dog is "skinny" or small. That is a real clue that they are not knowledgeable about GSD's. I simply monitor my dogs weight everyday by looking at them. I only weigh my dogs when I go to the vet, and I really don't care what my dogs weigh. I care about how they look, feel, move and work. I care about their health and not their weight and overweight dogs are not healthy, especially puppies.


----------



## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

Slamdunc said:


> You should be able to see the last two ribs when the dog is standing. A 9 month old puppy at 76 lbs is very likely a few pounds overweight. Carry too much weight causes many health issues and strain on joints.
> 
> Don't listen to your friends and especially your vet who says "your dog is skinny" or "your dog is small for a GSD."


Slamdunc, I'm totally on your side about the weight. Since he is my first one, naturally I was concerned at first. And hearing people say that he is too skinny didn't help. But the key point is - as long as he eats on schedule, active and energetic - lower weight is only beneficial for joints and hips. 
My little guy is FAR from overweight (I'll try to attach a pic, but there are a couple in my album). I can see the last few ribs and feel them all while they are not visible. I also walk him 4-5 times a day averaging 2-3 hours of walking alone. Then we play "tag you are it" around the kitchen island (running around and chasing each other). We go to dog parks, walks by the river on weekends, training classes. He seems to be a bit longer than some and his dad is around 95-100 pounds - a title holder. His mom is much smaller of course. They go throw growth spurs though and watch his weight to exercise/activity/rest ratio like a hawk. Based on his behavior he is finally pretty happy with the current schedule.


----------



## Mudypoz (Mar 3, 2016)

As long as he's been dewormed, is energetic, and eating well I'd much rather have a lanky than chunky dog at that age. I think he looks great.
Go Giants!


----------

