# Thor is 16 weeks and only 25 lbs



## Acarpenter19 (Oct 23, 2017)

He has been on diamond puppy food his entire life and is up on his worming and all his shots.. any suggestions?


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I think he's doing fine. Your Thor is bigger than my Baron who at 9.5 weeks weighed only 14.8 lbs at the vets. There's no way he'll reach 25 lbs. when he is 16 weeks. But it doesn't matter to me as long as he is healthy. The vet also stressed to me that it is important for the puppy's joints to keep him lean - be able to feel the ribs but not see them and to see a waist. He was pleased with the way Baron looked. If you know how big your Thor's parents are, that can give you an idea. And also some lines are slower to mature.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Kaylee is 22lbs at 14 weeks. And she is a big girl. Numbers don't mean much. Go by body condition.


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## Trix (Jun 22, 2017)

Mary Beth said:


> I think he's doing fine. Your Thor is bigger than my Baron who at 9.5 weeks weighed only 14.8 lbs at the vets. There's no way he'll reach 25 lbs. when he is 16 weeks. But it doesn't matter to me as long as he is healthy. The vet also stressed to me that it is important for the puppy's joints to keep him lean - be able to feel the ribs but not see them and to see a waist. He was pleased with the way Baron looked. If you know how big your Thor's parents are, that can give you an idea. And also some lines are slower to mature.



You’d be surprised. At about 8.5 weeks my pup was 18.5 lbs. by about 16 weeks he was 38 lbs. Now at about 5.5 months he’s around 58 lbs. 

OP - how much are you feeding your pup? Looks are most important but they do typically require a lot of food while they’re young and growing and then cut back. 


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Op don't worry too much about it. If he's a healthy condition that's all that matters. My pup was a slow grower up until about 6 months and he had a big growth spurt. Your pup has predetermined genetical potential for size and he'll reach his max as long as you feed him right and keep him healthy. A lot of people seem to be enamored and like to brag about their big dogs but trust me there's nothing that 100 lbs dog can do that a 70/80 lb dog can't. I'm hoping mine slows down at this point. He's 71 (very lean) lbs at 7 months and I think that's a little oversized, especially compared to his littermates. Some dogs hit their growth spurts earlier and some later.


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## Trix (Jun 22, 2017)

thegooseman90 said:


> Op don't worry too much about it. If he's a healthy condition that's all that matters. My pup was a slow grower up until about 6 months and he had a big growth spurt. Your pup has predetermined genetical potential for size and he'll reach his max as long as you feed him right and keep him healthy. A lot of people seem to be enamored and like to brag about their big dogs but trust me there's nothing that 100 lbs dog can do that a 70/80 lb dog can't. I'm hoping mine slows down at this point. He's 71 (very lean) lbs at 7 months and I think that's a little oversized, especially compared to his littermates. Some dogs hit their growth spurts earlier and some later.




While I agree completely, it seems some members are completely unaware of how much they should feed a puppy. In another thread a member’s dog was way underweight, and it turned out she was feeding the pup about 1/3 what is often recommended. 


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Trix said:


> While I agree completely, it seems some members are completely unaware of how much they should feed a puppy. In another thread a member?s dog was way underweight, and it turned out she was feeding the pup about 1/3 what is often recommended.


If it's the one I'm thinking of, I recall it and I posted in there too. But actually if that op had followed the same rule "as long as he's a healthy condition" his dog wouldn't have been underfed. You can guarantee the dog was emaciated at that point. But, along the same lines, a lot of the posters here have no clue what a healthy dog in good shape should look like. I see it all the time where someone comments and says "op your dog is skinny feed him more!" And the dog is in great shape. People also get too hung up on charts and bragging about their "very large wonderful specimen" to realize the dog is fat. So, in my opinion, the best bet is still numbers don't matter - it's the condition of the dog that's important.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Feeding or training, it's always best to forget comparisons and focus on the dog in front of you!


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

tim_s_adams said:


> Feeding or training, it's always best to forget comparisons and focus on the dog in front of you!


This. So many times this. 

My _male_ was a whopping 5.2 lbs at 8 weeks. 

Five. Pounds. 

Could have driven myself CRAZY with those stupid weight charts. 

He was in good condition. He even had a little pudge. We just fed appropriate amounts of good food, watching his body condition, and he turned out fine. He even matured into the standard (He is on the smaller end of the spectrum for the boys but he is in the normal range now :grin2


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## GandalfTheShepherd (May 1, 2017)

Yep... don't worry about the weight. My guy was super sick and beyond skinny, fixed the health issues and now he is all caught up :wink2:. As long as your pup is healthy, forget about it!


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## Trix (Jun 22, 2017)

thegooseman90 said:


> If it's the one I'm thinking of, I recall it and I posted in there too. But actually if that op had followed the same rule "as long as he's a healthy condition" his dog wouldn't have been underfed. You can guarantee the dog was emaciated at that point. But, along the same lines, a lot of the posters here have no clue what a healthy dog in good shape should look like. I see it all the time where someone comments and says "op your dog is skinny feed him more!" And the dog is in great shape. People also get too hung up on charts and bragging about their "very large wonderful specimen" to realize the dog is fat. So, in my opinion, the best bet is still numbers don't matter - it's the condition of the dog that's important.


Again - I agree with all of this. I just wonder if even though the dog may not look “emaciated,” if not feeding the dog enough still may not be great for the dogs health/growth? Food is the most anabolic substance in existence. The testosterone in growing pups (and humans) does nothing if it doesn’t have enough food to build muscle. 

I.e. you take a 14 year old teenager and feed him a decent diet, and he may be 130lbs and look fine. Or, you add in a solid exercise regimen and diet(key) and he may be 150lbs? 

I have read enough threads to see that many people are proud of there large dogs. While my dog had been a beast growing, I’d love for him to be 75 lbs, though his father is 85lbs. 

For reference, here’s my GSD at 15 weeks and around 34lbs. He doesn’t look fat to me? But I’m not an expert. Seems like a healthy growing puppy. (If you think he’s overweight let me know, I have thick skin, and could easily slow down his food) 










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## camperbc (Sep 19, 2017)

Sheba is 30 lbs at just under 3 months, and stands 18 inches at the withers. According to "the charts", this places her well above average size for her age. Interesting thing is that she is actually very lean. (her nickname is String Bean) Sheba might just be one of those early sprouters... or she may be _humongous_ as an adult. Either way, we love her so much, and as long as she is healthy it's all good!

Glen
Focus On Newfoundland

_*Sheba at 11-12 weeks old*_


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Trix a malnourished pup won't look anything but emaciated. Now I get the gist but it's two different things. Yes an underfed pup may not reach his full genetic potential. But he won't die from starvation either. What you're looking for is the fine line between optimal and not quite enough, or overdoing it. Now some will say if you see ribs the dog is underweight but that's not necessarily true in my opinion. You have to take the whole picture in consideration. My pup doe example you can see ribs. But his stomach is full and muscular, not bloated and not sunk in. Actually all around he's very well muscled, thanks in part to diet but more so genetics I'd say. His ribs aren't sticking out from his body they're just visible. This is also just my opinion as I like to keep my dogs, especially as they're growing, nice and lean to save their joints. Even more so with active working dogs. Your pup looks fine for now. As he grows, starting around 6 months or so, I'd lean him out even more (if it was me) but it's hard to say based just on that one pic. But I know how hard it is to get them to stand still at that age lol 

Camper it's hard to see how lean she is with the head on pic. A side profile would be better. She could be an early sprouter or if her parents were huge maybe she'll be huge. Her feet and head don't look very big in that picture so it's hard to guesstimate which it is.


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## camperbc (Sep 19, 2017)

thegooseman90 said:


> Camper it's hard to see how lean she is with the head on pic. A side profile would be better. She could be an early sprouter or if her parents were huge maybe she'll be huge. Her feet and head don't look very big in that picture so it's hard to guesstimate which it is.


Yes, I'll have to try to take some better shots of Sheba, but as I said, she is quite lean, without being overly so, just very healthy-looking. She in fact does have quite large feet, (perhaps better illustrated in these pics?) and stands very tall (at less than 3 months, Sheba is already 18" at the withers and weighs 30 lbs) on long, thick, muscular legs, with a long body. Her Mom is 75 lbs and her Dad is 90 lbs, and both of them have quite lean builds also. 

Glen
Focus On Newfoundland 

_*Sheba at 9 weeks*_



_*Sheba at 10 weeks*_



_*Sheba at 11 weeks*_


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

I️ think an underfed pup is better than an over fed pup in this breed. For health reasons, but that is just my opinion, and you probably do better listening to the majority of posters.


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## LetaD (Sep 18, 2017)

Whittaker was about 30 lbs at 15 weeks but is happy and healthy so I don't worry about his weight. He is not food motivated and takes forever to eat his food so sometimes I worry that he's getting enough. This is him squirrel watching at 16 weeks


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## LetaD (Sep 18, 2017)

Finally got picture to work


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

I’m with Cliff on this one - I’d rather my girl be a touch scrawny than over weight, especially considering her size. This is my girl at 16 weeks:










And this is her at 7 1/2 months, just under 70lbs:










She is currently leaner than the above photo, because personally I like to see the last two ribs. She has a nice tuck and looks good from above. Looking at her, you’d never guess her weight though.

It’s not really about the numbers on the scale, but body condition. I don’t care how big/little she is, so long as she’s healthy and lean and able to build muscle. Base it off the dog you have in front of you.


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Femfa said:


> And this is her at 7 1/2 months, just under 70lbs:


 good lookin girl! She's the same size and age as my boy. Is she still on puppy food? I switched mine to adult food and that seems to have slowed him down some thankfully. 

Here's how I like for them to look.


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

thegooseman90 said:


> good lookin girl! She's the same size and age as my boy. Is she still on puppy food? I switched mine to adult food and that seems to have slowed him down some thankfully.




Your boy is mighty fine! He’s right at where Ryka is now too, though I find with her colour it can be hard to see the ribs depending on the lighting in photos. But I can see them in person and she feels really good, too. We switched to adult food at 6 months. I wish it had slowed, but her weight gain stayed steady until just recently. It’s finally started to be a bit more gradual. She’s a pretty big girl... currently 26.5” at the shoulder. And I wanted a small female, too! Instead I got a tall and lanky teenager with lots of sass haha.


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

yea she's a big girl. I can't even imagine what she's going to mature into. Probably close to 90 lbs I'd bet. She's got a very similar build to my pup. Big head/feet, although he may be a little bit shorter. I haven't measured his height in a while.


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

thegooseman90 said:


> yea she's a big girl. I can't even imagine what she's going to mature into. Probably close to 90 lbs I'd bet. She's got a very similar build to my pup. Big head/feet, although he may be a little bit shorter. I haven't measured his height in a while.



Dear god I hope not. I was talking to someone who was asking about her the other day - I mentioned she’s a Navar granddaughter on her dam’s side and he immediately said, “ah, she must be a large dark sable”. Yep. Apparently he throws pretty big dogs. She’s also a Kery granddaughter, who also has substantial bone. So I think I’m stuck with a biggun’. 

Our pups definitely look similar. Every time I see photos of yours I think it’s mine, hahaha.


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

I was always worried about kona?s weight too.... finally just realized she?s a smaller framed female! Lol


58lbs


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## MillerMyBoy (Nov 9, 2017)

What I've come to notice with this breed is weight worrying is generally unnecessary in the puppy stages, as it seems that cautioning on the slightly lighter side until about 9-12 months due to hip/elbow/joints is really the better way to go. 

This is coming from a guy who's owned mostly Mastiff type breeds in the last almost 20 years and played the "pack as much weight on early" game. My last Cane Corso ended up weighing 145 lbs, was in amazing working condition but ended up with bad knees and other joints as well.

I just got back into Shepherds for the first time since I was 18 and I'm enjoying a completely different approach as I'm letting my boy Miller gradually put on weight with a proper diet and just the right amount of exercise. He just recently turned 9 weeks and is 15-16 lbs. My vet is a long time Shepherd owner and trainer and says the weight is about perfect as he likes to see very gradual weight gain with this type of dog as opposed to rapid and irregular weight gaining stages. Every dog is gonna be different but in the end it seems putting the weight on at a nice gradual pace is usually the better route to go long term wise.


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## Chst4698 (Sep 10, 2017)

One thing that is not reported in the weight averages, which would be nice, is the standard deviation. This piece of info alone would settle many folks down as they used those charts.


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