# GSDs over 100lbs... How many ppl have one?



## Jd414

Just curious how many ppl have GSDs weighing over 100lbs....


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## Smith3

I feel our girl is going to be around 90#, she is at 50# @ 6m old


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## codmaster

not me! Too big!

my 5yo male is about 26 1/2" and about 85 lbs.

Good size for a GSD.

100+ is too big in my opinion (and according to the standard as well)


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## Anuk

*Me!*

My male is 104 lbs - he is European  My new little girl is 4.5 months old and already weighing 40 lbs - she was bred in Germany!


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## hunterisgreat

Anuk said:


> My male is 104 lbs - he is European  My new little girl is 4.5 months old and already weighing 40 lbs - she was bred in Germany!


My male and both females are one generation off all european blood. they are 84, 70, and 62.


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## Balto

My Male GSD, Balto only weighs around 68-70 pounds.
However, I rescued him after watching a friends dog for a little.
He was an 115 pound german shepherd,...a very sweet but big dog. 
My rescue looks very similar to his dog except for the fact that Balto is a patterned sable.


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## Whizzler

Our male is 110, he weighed 100lbs at 9 months, we also have a female who's 90lbs.


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## elisabeth_00117

My male is 26" at the withers and 84lbs. Honestly, perfect size for a working dog.

My female is 24" at the withers and 64lbs. Nice and compact and a great agility working dog. 

100lbs is huge, and I would wonder about structure and weight issues...


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## Franksmom

Frank is 28 inches and 83 pounds, at 2.5 years old he still has some filling out to do through his chest and body, but I don't think he'll get any heavier then maybe 88 pounds. 
Still a big boy and alot of people guess him at being way over 100 pounds because of his height.


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## Jd414

My 6 month old male is around 65 lbs right now. Both sire and dam are both over 100 lbs so I'm assuming he will be as well. 


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## qbchottu

GSD is a medium-large sized breed. They are not a giant breed or mastiffs. Females should range 50-75lbs while males should range 65-88lbs. There are oversized anomalies that can pop up in normal litters, but I do not understand breeding for weight and size. Odd.


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## Jd414

Here's his dad...








Here's mom...








Both OFA'd Good. His Grandpa on his mothers side is OFA'd Excellent


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## Courtney

My boy is a small guy... 2.5 years, 25" and 71 pounds.

I have had several people compliment me on him and guess that he weighs at least 95 pounds...they are shocked when I tell them his actual weight.

I also think some people really don't know how much their dog weighs.

My SIL has a GSD as well, he's tall and 110 pounds....I personally don't like his "look".

I have seen another GSD who weighed a little over 100 and thought he looked good...he was proportioned.

My boy is the perfect size for everything we do together, he's light on his feet. And if I absolutely had to I could lift and carry him.


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## juliejujubean

My Female is at 61-63 pounds, 24 inches at the withers. Perfect in EVERYWAY 
My male is only 3.5 months old. he weighs right at 32ish pounds.. he will be a big boy, hopefully no more than 90. 
I am a firm believer that a gsd over 100 pounds is not something impressive. most of the time it just means they are overweight... This one person on the facebook group I am a member of was like, "this is my 160lb baby"... poor thing had no tuck on it's tummy. it literally looked like a marshmallow with toothpicks for legs. I was sad for the dog...

That being said, I do understand there are cases where the dog is just so tall that 100lbs is what is needed for the frame.. in that case i just say keep the dog lean.


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## qbchottu

That is fine. But I do not understand breeding for oversized dogs. OFA is nice, but the minimum requirement for breeding. Lots of OFA'd and a stamped dogs out there that I wouldn't dream of breeding. I will stop now before this becomes one of "those" threads


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## Jd414

qbchottu said:


> GSD is a medium-large sized breed. They are not a giant breed or mastiffs. Females should range 50-75lbs while males should range 65-88lbs. There are oversized anomalies that can pop up in normal litters, but I do not understand breeding for weight and size. Odd.


Thanks for the info... I'm aware of the "breed standard" but my question was regarding how many ppl have GSDs over 100lbs. And I agree breeding for weight and size alone is odd.


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## Jd414

qbchottu said:


> That is fine. But I do not understand breeding for oversized dogs. OFA is nice, but the minimum requirement for breeding. Lots of OFA'd and a stamped dogs out there that I wouldn't dream of breeding. I will stop now before this becomes one of "those" threads


I hear ya lol 


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## Jd414

juliejujubean said:


> My Female is at 61-63 pounds, 24 inches at the withers. Perfect in EVERYWAY
> My male is only 3.5 months old. he weighs right at 32ish pounds.. he will be a big boy, hopefully no more than 90.
> I am a firm believer that a gsd over 100 pounds is not something impressive. most of the time it just means they are overweight... This one person on the facebook group I am a member of was like, "this is my 160lb baby"... poor thing had no tuck on it's tummy. it literally looked like a marshmallow with toothpicks for legs. I was sad for the dog...
> 
> That being said, I do understand there are cases where the dog is just so tall that 100lbs is what is needed for the frame.. in that case i just say keep the dog lean.


Right I'm not talking about fat dogs lol I meant a lean 100+ lbs and healthy.


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## robk

Some people like big dogs and that's OK. I really have no problem with big dogs. However, size must not compromise the function the dog was bred to do. A Germain shepherd was bred to work for long periods of time. On its feet. Its body should be able to withstand the punishment of working with out breaking down due to carrying extra weight around. My boy is only 66lbs. Small by all standards for a male, but he can go all day if needed with no stress on his joints or back. Some times I do wish he was a little bigger just because everyone who sees him has to tell me about their bigger (meaning better) dog. Remember a German Shepherd Dog was developed as a tending dog. A tending dog is a fence with teeth. They are not suppose to lay down in the middle of the field and keep "watch" over the flocks. They are suppose to run a perimeter for long periods of time. Some breeders have purposely increased the size of the dogs by selectively breeding for larger dogs because the pet market is really impressed with large dogs. The question is does increasing the size of the dog compromise the working ability or longevity of the dog.


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## Sunflowers

robk said:


> A tending dog is a fence with teeth. .



:wild:

Ah, how I love this forum!


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## jang

Sib got up to 104 lbs...and I noticed she was not very active--due to the encouragement of this board I put her on a diet and she is now around 80lbs..Now I know most of you think that is still too heavy..but I don't..she looks slim, has lots of energy.


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## sitstay

Well, my husband _thought _we had a 100+ lb. dog. He told everyone that looked even remotely interested that Jackson weighed "close to 105 lb.". This went of on for years.

Keep in mind that he never weighed the dog himself. He never went along to the vet for check ups. He had no idea what a scale would say. He just looked at this dog and thought, "He weighs close to 105 lbs.". And the people he passed his opinion on to took it as gospel truth.

I am the one who took Jackson to his check-ups and I knew how much he officially weighed. He fluctuated between 82 and 85 lbs. for all of his adult life.

I wonder how many people use Jackson's supposed weight of 105 lbs. as proof that a giant GSD can be healthy. Because despite his cancer death at 8.5 years of age, Jackson had excellent hips and a cast iron stomach. Up until his collapse and death, he never had a sick moment in his life.

And I wonder how many "super sized" GSDs are no where near as heavy as the people think they are.
Sheilah


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## Yoschi's_Pet_Human

My pup is 16 weeks and 40lbs.. he's gonna be big. My breeder said to not let him get over 90lbs if I can. Anything more will screw his joints up. I saw a five year old at the park that was huge, at least 110lbs. I felt so sad for him... you could tell by the way he walked that he wasn't at his best. He looked stressed for sure.


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## Chris Wild

I've had at least 20 GSDs over the years and not a single one over 100lbs. Largest male was low 90s and largest female was 80. Most males 80-85 and females 60-70.

A lot of people do overestimate weight. More than once we've been out and about with 80lb dogs and had people swear they must be 110, 120, etc... Likewise I've encountered many people who swore their own dog was well over 100, but seeing the dog myself I knew they were overestimating by at least 20lbs.


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## Liesje

Mine is 4 years old 24.5" and 70-75lbs (depending on what time of year and what we're training for). His Koer report calls him "medium" size, I do not even consider him a small male at 70lbs. Most people look at his photo and guess 80-85lbs, lol.


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## tds73

Our last boy that we lost in February was 120 lbs . He was not a show dog, just a friend and a darn good one. He was 2 months away from 15 years when he passed. He looked great and was proportional (don't have a pic on this computer to post). I honestly do not think his size or weight had any ill effect on him. Sure his last year his rear end was deteriorating slowly and he slowed down greatly, but remember at that point he was around 14 years old, adequan injections helped tremendously. I think he was just kind of a freak, being his dad was 90 lbs and his mom was about 75 lbs. 
I often wonder if it had anything to do with the foods we fed him throughout his life. Maybe we used foods too high in calcium, etc and just got lucky that it did not affect his health. 
He was kind of a mix of long hair and short hair. Definitely not a "breed standard", but we feel he may be that one dog that you have in your life that will always stand out to you more than any dog and he will be the one we compare every other dog to. 
I understand that a lot of people get mad about breeding dogs that do not meet standards and feel that it is ruining the breed. I agree to a point, but for a dog as a pet, maybe someone likes a bigger dog, likes the look of a shepherd, and wants a shepherd because of there temperment and extreme intelligence. I do not know a lot about GSD standards and such, but isn't the reason for "american lines", kind of there to allow such dogs?
Not trying to start anything, just curious. So be gentle with replies.


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## jang

You shouldn't have to be afraid to state your point...this size business on this forum gets ugly at times..I am the PROUD owner of an over sized , byb GSD...though I never again will go to a byb I am sure not sorry i have Sib..she is my heart dog..Also, I think I shall never say never..At my age shelters will not adopt to me...and a puppy would be out of the question...


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## Jd414

tds73 said:


> Our last boy that we lost in February was 120 lbs . He was not a show dog, just a friend and a darn good one. He was 2 months away from 15 years when he passed. He looked great and was proportional (don't have a pic on this computer to post). I honestly do not think his size or weight had any ill effect on him. Sure his last year his rear end was deteriorating slowly and he slowed down greatly, but remember at that point he was around 14 years old, adequan injections helped tremendously. I think he was just kind of a freak, being his dad was 90 lbs and his mom was about 75 lbs.
> I often wonder if it had anything to do with the foods we fed him throughout his life. Maybe we used foods too high in calcium, etc and just got lucky that it did not affect his health.
> He was kind of a mix of long hair and short hair. Definitely not a "breed standard", but we feel he may be that one dog that you have in your life that will always stand out to you more than any dog and he will be the one we compare every other dog to.
> I understand that a lot of people get mad about breeding dogs that do not meet standards and feel that it is ruining the breed. I agree to a point, but for a dog as a pet, maybe someone likes a bigger dog, likes the look of a shepherd, and wants a shepherd because of there temperment and extreme intelligence. I do not know a lot about GSD standards and such, but isn't the reason for "american lines", kind of there to allow such dogs?
> Not trying to start anything, just curious. So be gentle with replies.


I agree some ppl want larger GSDs and that's ok. As long as they're healthy and have a solid temperament what's the big deal really? They are still German Shepherds... Maybe the breed standard needs to be rewritten (yea I said it lol). It's not fair to larger GSDs everyone is always bashing them like they're bad dogs. Ppl on here are funny...


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## Jd414

jang said:


> You shouldn't have to be afraid to state your point...this size business on this forum gets ugly at times..I am the PROUD owner of an over sized , byb GSD...though I never again will go to a byb I am sure not sorry i have Sib..she is my heart dog..Also, I think I shall never say never..At my age shelters will not adopt to me...and a puppy would be out of the question...


Yes it does lol but I have large gsd also... No issues with him at all


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## Typhoon

> And I wonder how many "super sized" GSDs are no where near as heavy as the people think they are.
> Sheilah


Most of them would be my guess.


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## Jd414

So what about white GSDs? They're not within the breed standard right? 


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## qbchottu

tds73 said:


> I do not know a lot about GSD standards and such, but isn't the reason for "american lines", kind of there to allow such dogs?


No. If by American lines you mean American showlines that are built for the AKC conformation venue, then they DO have a standard and oversized dogs are considered faults. Weight is not explicitly mentioned, but you will not see extremely large or oversized dogs showing in AKC conformation ring. 

German Shepherd Dog Page
*Size, Proportion, Substance*
The desired _height_ for males at the top of the highest point of the shoulder blade is 24 to 26 inches; and for bitches, 22 to 24 inches.
The German Shepherd Dog is longer than tall, with the most desirable _proportion _ as 10 to 8½. The length is measured from the point of the prosternum or breastbone to the rear edge of the pelvis, the ischial tuberosity. The desirable long proportion is not derived from a long back, but from overall length with relation to height, which is achieved by length of forequarter and length of withers and hindquarter, viewed from the side.


There is nothing wrong with the dog you have. Enjoy it and be happy with it. But before the next one, it would be beneficial to browse through the "picking a breeder" threads to gain insight into supporting the right kind of breeder.


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## FrankieC

Jd414 said:


> I agree some ppl want larger GSDs and that's ok. As long as they're healthy and have a solid temperament what's the big deal really? They are still German Shepherds... Maybe the breed standard needs to be rewritten (yea I said it lol). It's not fair to larger GSDs everyone is always bashing them like they're bad dogs. Ppl on here are funny...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Well said!


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## Muneraven

Oh dear. I saw this thread and, gosh, my poodle-mix is over 80 lbs . . .Jaeger is growing so fast . . .I'm going to have two huge dogs, aren't I? 

Okay. I am going to have to promise my partner that the next someday dog will be a lap dog that she can hold and breathe at the same time.


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## Jax08

I pulled a boy that was 100# and underweight by about 10# from my local shelter for rescue. The rescue called him the Shetland Pony dog. He was gorgeous. But I much prefer a dog that is within range. My girl is 24 1/2" and 65#. She's a great size.


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## GusGus

Jd414 said:


> I agree some ppl want larger GSDs and that's ok. As long as they're healthy and have a solid temperament what's the big deal really? They are still German Shepherds... Maybe the breed standard needs to be rewritten (yea I said it lol). It's not fair to larger GSDs everyone is always bashing them like they're bad dogs. Ppl on here are funny...


I agree with you completely. I prefer bigger dogs, and love my large GSD. He doesn't meet breed standards because I'm sure he's too big and just because he's silver.


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## Lilie

Jd414 said:


> I agree some ppl want larger GSDs and that's ok. As long as they're healthy and have a solid temperament what's the big deal really? They are still German Shepherds... Maybe the breed standard needs to be rewritten (yea I said it lol). It's not fair to larger GSDs everyone is always bashing them like they're bad dogs. Ppl on here are funny...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


That makes absolutely no sense to me at all. I want a German Shepherd. AKC states this what the 'standard' shepherd is supposed to be. Because people choose to deviate from that standard, certainly doesn't mean the standard should be rewritten. 

If I wanted a 'large' dog, I would look for a breed whose standard is large. If I wanted a small dog, I'd look for a breed whose standard is small. 

Also be aware that size isn't the only charecteristic that defines a GSD. What else should be rewritten so that people who's dogs don't fit the standard aren't offended? 

Breeding (anything) doesn't produce cookie cutter results. You are going to have above or below standard dogs. Period. Certainly doesn't mean the standard should be rewritten. 

And btw, I have a over sized, long haired, soft eared, washed out colored, AKC registered GSD. He does not meet the standard. I don't find those breeders who work hard to produce the best GSDs they possibly can within the standard 'funny' at all.


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## Jd414

Lilie said:


> That makes absolutely no sense to me at all. I want a German Shepherd. AKC states this what the 'standard' shepherd is supposed to be. Because people choose to deviate from that standard, certainly doesn't mean the standard should be rewritten.
> 
> If I wanted a 'large' dog, I would look for a breed whose standard is large. If I wanted a small dog, I'd look for a breed whose standard is small.
> 
> Also be aware that size isn't the only charecteristic that defines a GSD. What else should be rewritten so that people who's dogs don't fit the standard aren't offended?
> 
> Breeding (anything) doesn't produce cookie cutter results. You are going to have above or below standard dogs. Period. Certainly doesn't mean the standard should be rewritten.
> 
> And btw, I have a over sized, long haired, soft eared, washed out colored, AKC registered GSD. He does not meet the standard. I don't find those breeders who work hard to produce the best GSDs they possibly can within the standard 'funny' at all.


That's your opinion just as my post was my opinion...

I'm not offended that my dog won't meet some standard I could honestly care less... But when I post something about my large gsd on a GSD FORUM and ppl start talkin down on large GSDs because of a standard then yea I'm gonna say something... If you don't like large GSDs then why even look at this post in the first place


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## Jd414

Lilie said:


> I want a German Shepherd.


Both of my dogs parents are DNA confirmed GSDs and they're both 100+ lbs



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## Syaoransbear

I do, but not intentionally. I like him best around 95 actually, but he's around 115 at the moment.









This is a cruddy picture making him look even chunkier than he is, but it does show his height in comparison to a dining room table. So he's pretty tall.

He's pretty fat right now because he's been busting into the garage and opening the cupboard that contains the dog food container(which itself is supposed to be unable to be opened by a dog) and then eating until he's practically comatose. We thought someone was leaving the cupboard open because it's 5 feet up but he was the one opening it himself and pulling out the container, and then somehow twisting the lid off.


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## hunterisgreat

Chris Wild said:


> I've had at least 20 GSDs over the years and not a single one over 100lbs. Largest male was low 90s and largest female was 80. Most males 80-85 and females 60-70.
> 
> A lot of people do overestimate weight. More than once we've been out and about with 80lb dogs and had people swear they must be 110, 120, etc... Likewise I've encountered many people who swore their own dog was well over 100, but seeing the dog myself I knew they were overestimating by at least 20lbs.


Yeah I have the same happen all the time with Jäger. I just laugh when someone says "what is he, about 120?"


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## Jd414

Syaoransbear said:


> I do, but not intentionally. I like him best around 95 actually, but he's around 115 at the moment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is a cruddy picture making him look even chunkier than he is, but it does show his height in comparison to a dining room table. So he's pretty tall.
> 
> He's pretty fat right now because he's been busting into the garage and opening the cupboard that contains the dog food container(which itself is supposed to be unable to be opened by a dog) and then eating until he's practically comatose. We thought someone was leaving the cupboard open because it's 5 feet up but he was the one opening it himself and pulling out the container, and then somehow twisting the lid off.


He is a big boy... 


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## Lilie

Jd414 said:


> That's your opinion just as my post was my opinion...
> 
> I'm not offended that my dog won't meet some standard I could honestly care less... But when I post something about my large gsd on a GSD FORUM and ppl start talkin down on large GSDs because of a standard then yea I'm gonna say something... If you don't like large GSDs then why even look at this post in the first place
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Oh, my bad. I thought you were talking about rewritting the standard...which I'm pretty sure that was what my post was about.


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## Gharrissc

I hear a lot about European GSD's being bigger,and from what I've seen they usually are. Is this standard for them or something that is being bred into them? I've seen this a lot with Harrison K9.I met him once a few years ago and he told me that his males that he imports are usually between 90-120lbs,and that they can work all day if need be. I didn't ask for vet verified weights because I wasn't there to buy a dog and wanted to tour his kennel because I was in the area anyway.


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## Judahsmom

*GSD's over 100 lbs*

Someone asked about the WGSD and since I have 2, thought I'd speak up. My first, Judah, who is pure breed, is 31.5" at the withers and weighs 85 lbs. He is very tall. He is 28 months and still has some filling out to do. He does not look skinny. My other WGSD is a rescue who also is extremely tall for the standard at 27.5" and female. She only weighs 64 lbs and needs to gain weight. That's difficult because she is skiddish. She has changed a lot since I got her in March but still has room to become more secure. The vet guesstimated her at 2 years old. I have no information on the rescue as far as her parents and their sizes. Judah's dad was 120 lbs. and his mom was 75 lbs. I did not pick either of them because of size. Judah has been in training as my service dog. He detects my fluctuating blood sugars as I am type 1 diabetic.


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## GSDElsa

I think a more appropriate question was, out of those of you that have GSD's over 100 pounds, how many of them are morbidly obese? And I'm sure the numbers would dwindle quite quickly.


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## KayleeGSD

Tori on the right grew to be well over 100lbs. In the picture she was 8-9 months old. She was unusually large and the biggest dog out of the litter. She was not obese, she was not over fed, and was extremely active. I personally think Tori got the short stick due to her unusual size. She had leg problems that became so bad around 7-8 years of age. Before I hear people claim that this is a result of bad breeding this is not. Other dogs from the breeder were normal large breed pure bred GSD. They were healthy animals with a wonderful temperament. Some became working dogs, and others companion dogs. I saw Tori's sister and brother they were around 80-100lbs and were healthy. They lived longer than Tori did. There is nothing wrong with large GSDs as long as they are bred responsibly by the breeder. I would love to have another large GSD. Once Kaylee is trained we will be getting another big boned GSD.


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## JPF

Our Male at just under 2 years is 73 pounds. He still has some filling out to do. I would guess he will top out at 80 pounds max. Sire was around 85, Dam 75.


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## onyx'girl

Chris Wild said:


> A lot of people do overestimate weight. More than once we've been out and about with 80lb dogs and had people swear they must be 110, 120, etc... Likewise I've encountered many people who swore their own dog was well over 100, but seeing the dog myself I knew they were overestimating by at least 20lbs.


Most people I encounter ask 'how much does he weigh' first thing. I think it is the presence not the weight that gives people the impression the dog is larger than life!


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## gaia_bear

onyx'girl said:


> Most people I encounter ask 'how much does he weigh' first thing. I think it is the presence not the weight that gives people the impression the dog is larger than life!


You couldn't have said it better, my boyfriend could have sworn Gaia weighed at least 80lbs and she hardly tips the scale at 60. 


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## deldridge72

My boy averages between 99-100# per digital sacle in the vet office and has the frame and structure to support it-he's quite active with five females to boss him about and five acres to run.
The Standard is but a guideline determined by people in what they would like to see within a breed/species-but regardless there will always be a wide variation in sizes and conformation.


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## Chicagocanine

Bianca was only 70 pounds at 26" tall and I could pick her up but not carry her very far, I am wondering what I would do if I had a larger or giant type dog if they were sick or injured and had to be carried... I may be getting a larger dog in the future (non GSD) so I am trying to figure that out. Or what if we were hiking and something happened? No way could I "pack out" a 100+ pound dog...


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## Freestep

sit said:


> Keep in mind that he never weighed the dog himself. He never went along to the vet for check ups. He had no idea what a scale would say. He just looked at this dog and thought, "He weighs close to 105 lbs.". And the people he passed his opinion on to took it as gospel truth.
> 
> I am the one who took Jackson to his check-ups and I knew how much he officially weighed. He fluctuated between 82 and 85 lbs. for all of his adult life.





Chris Wild said:


> A lot of people do overestimate weight. More than once we've been out and about with 80lb dogs and had people swear they must be 110, 120, etc... Likewise I've encountered many people who swore their own dog was well over 100, but seeing the dog myself I knew they were overestimating by at least 20lbs.


Yep. The thing I have noticed is that men tend to overestimate weight, and women tend to underestimate. Whenever I get an inquiry about grooming for a large breed, I ask the owner how much their dog weighs. If a man, he will say "About 100 pounds". If a woman, she'll say "About 65" The truth lies somewhere in the middle; I mentally add 15 pounds if I talk to a woman, and subtract 15 if I'm talking to a man...fortunately, I have a scale in my lobby so I can test my own intuitions, and I'm rarely wrong. 

Personally, I don't want my dogs over standard size or weight, and it's always perplexing to me when people brag about how big or heavy their dogs are. It seems to be mainly an American phenomenon--the "bigger is better" mentality. 

I had a giant breed, an Akbash Dog weighing about 130 lb. lean. I loved that dog dearly, but his size was often an inconvenience. You have to buy a bigger crate, a bigger car, bigger everything... and grooming him was a nightmare! I often wish his breed came in a more managable size.


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## k9carrie

My male is at 100 lbs now, however I like him about 95 lbs. When I have had him thinner he gets too hungry between meals. He is very active & sound so I've kept him heavier for his happiness! Next month he'll be 13!


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## KayleeGSD

I never estimate the weight. Every time we go to the vet I have them weighed on the scale. I like keeping track and adjust the amount of food intake the dogs get per day according to their individual weight. This may also include treat changes as well. I am not big on giving treats. I would rather give healthy cooked meat in small amounts such as chicken or beef. Kaylee is a small little girl and her last weigh in was 53 lbs. Speaking of weight I need to bring her in for another weigh in.

When we had Tori I could not believe she was 121 lbs when a family member brought her in for a check up. I took her back up to the vet's office just to re-weigh her I was  So our vet suggested to have her shed some weight the least she ever weighed was 110-113lbs. There was a change in diet and a specific food just for her. Too big is not always a good thing. The animal can have a lot of stress on the elbows, knees, joints, spine and hips


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## Mary Beth

Sting is 130 lbs. according to the vet's scale at his last visit in Nov. He is very tall. The avator is a his picture at 2 yrs old. His weight has stayed fairly stable at 130. His parents were 85 and 90 lbs. Both OFA good. Out of the litter of 14, he was twice as big as the others. His brother & sister that the breeder kept are around 80 lbs. and not as tall. The breeder warned me that Sting would weigh over a 100 lbs. His size doesn't matter to me (and yes he outweighs me ) what matters is his temperament. Sting is bold, good drive, not fearful, friendly, but formidable when need be. Here is a current photo taken in Sept. He is 6 yrs old. Click to enlarge.


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## robk

Mary Beth said:


> Sting is 130 lbs. according to the vet's scale at his last visit in Nov. He is very tall. The avator is a his picture at 2 yrs old. His weight has stayed fairly stable at 130. His parents were 85 and 90 lbs. Both OFA good. Out of the litter of 14, he was twice as big as the others. His brother & sister that the breeder kept are around 80 lbs. and not as tall. The breeder warned me that Sting would weigh over a 100 lbs. His size doesn't matter to me (and yes he outweighs me ) what matters is his temperament. Sting is bold, good drive, not fearful, friendly, but formidable when need be. Here is a current photo taken in Sept. He is 6 yrs old. Click to enlarge.


Wow!! That is a big dog! I think Ruger would look like a squirrel next to Sting!


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## onyx'girl

Mary Beth said:


> Sting is 130 lbs. according to the vet's scale at his last visit in Nov. He is very tall. The avator is a his picture at 2 yrs old. His weight has stayed fairly stable at 130. His parents were 85 and 90 lbs. Both OFA good. Out of the litter of 14, he was twice as big as the others. His brother & sister that the breeder kept are around 80 lbs. and not as tall. The breeder warned me that Sting would weigh over a 100 lbs. He is 6 yrs old. *Click to enlarge.*


So you clicker train with him? 
Wow that is one big boy how tall is he? What activities do you do with him? Is he agile and is he neutered(at what age if so)?


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## Jd414

Mary Beth said:


> Sting is 130 lbs. according to the vet's scale at his last visit in Nov. He is very tall. The avator is a his picture at 2 yrs old. His weight has stayed fairly stable at 130. His parents were 85 and 90 lbs. Both OFA good. Out of the litter of 14, he was twice as big as the others. His brother & sister that the breeder kept are around 80 lbs. and not as tall. The breeder warned me that Sting would weigh over a 100 lbs. His size doesn't matter to me (and yes he outweighs me ) what matters is his temperament. Sting is bold, good drive, not fearful, friendly, but formidable when need be. Here is a current photo taken in Sept. He is 6 yrs old. Click to enlarge.


Nice




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## Jd414

deldridge72 said:


> My boy averages between 99-100# per digital sacle in the vet office and has the frame and structure to support it-he's quite active with five females to boss him about and five acres to run.
> The Standard is but a guideline determined by people in what they would like to see within a breed/species-but regardless there will always be a wide variation in sizes and conformation.


Agreed... 


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## KayleeGSD

Mary Beth said:


> Sting is 130 lbs. according to the vet's scale at his last visit in Nov. He is very tall. The avator is a his picture at 2 yrs old. His weight has stayed fairly stable at 130. His parents were 85 and 90 lbs. Both OFA good. Out of the litter of 14, he was twice as big as the others. His brother & sister that the breeder kept are around 80 lbs. and not as tall. The breeder warned me that Sting would weigh over a 100 lbs. His size doesn't matter to me (and yes he outweighs me ) what matters is his temperament. Sting is bold, good drive, not fearful, friendly, but formidable when need be. Here is a current photo taken in Sept. He is 6 yrs old. Click to enlarge.


He is beautiful!


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## KayleeGSD

I know the picture quality is not very good. I had to dig around the photo albums.


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## Jd414

KayleeGSD said:


> I know the picture quality is not very good. I had to dig around the photo albums.


She's a beautiful dog... 


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## KanesCash

Judahsmom said:


> Someone asked about the WGSD and since I have 2, thought I'd speak up. My first, Judah, who is pure breed, is 31.5" at the withers and weighs 85 lbs. He is very tall. He is 28 months and still has some filling out to do. He does not look skinny. My other WGSD is a rescue who also is extremely tall for the standard at 27.5" and female. She only weighs 64 lbs and needs to gain weight. That's difficult because she is skiddish. She has changed a lot since I got her in March but still has room to become more secure. The vet guesstimated her at 2 years old. I have no information on the rescue as far as her parents and their sizes. Judah's dad was 120 lbs. and his mom was 75 lbs. I did not pick either of them because of size. Judah has been in training as my service dog. He detects my fluctuating blood sugars as I am type 1 diabetic.


I really like your cover picture, your dogs look great. I have a wgsd and he weighed 88lbs when i took him to the vet for his annual check up a few months ago, the vet told me that he needed to lose a few pounds especially since we run quite a bit, my other gsd is black and silver (wgsd dad) and he's 80lbs and the vet told me that he's weight was perfect, although he still has some filling up to do, he's barely a year and a half


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## Chicagocanine

I think it's always good to keep them lean, keep any extra weight off their joints. It's also good for health/longevity.


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## NoVAGSDGuy

I think because a byb was breeding for size, is how I came about my dog. The story was she spent her first 8 months in a kennel in some farmers backyard (I think he had 3 or 4 female dogs). The guy also had "his" dog which was a large male. 

I think Abby just never got big enough for what he wanted and he sold her for 200 bucks with no papers to some hispanic kid who lived in a small apt, with his mom and a bunch of siblings. Well they were moving out of the ghetto and couldn't take her with them.

Anyway long story short, she was only 51 pounds at a year old when I got her, and about 24.5-25 inches tall at the shoulder. Now at almost 3 she has filled out to about 75 pounds (vet scale)....I think she is a perfect size, lol


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## Jo_in_TX

sit said:


> I wonder how many people use Jackson's supposed weight of 105 lbs. as proof that a giant GSD can be healthy. Because despite his cancer death at 8.5 years of age, Jackson had excellent hips and a cast iron stomach. Up until his collapse and death, he never had a sick moment in his life.
> 
> And I wonder how many "super sized" GSDs are no where near as heavy as the people think they are.
> Sheilah


This. 

I meet folks with GSDs and other large dogs all the time at the dog park. _"My dog weighs 95 pounds." _

_"Yeah. Right. Your dog is standing next to Teddy who weighs in at 63 pounds_ (ll months old) _and your dog does not weigh 50% more than Teddy!"_

Well, that's what I think to myself, while I'm hoping that Teddy doesn't get more than about 70 pounds.


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## TommyB681

Abbi at one pint was 103. Shes now 95. Was at the dog park yesterday with a guys whose shep Max was 140


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## Castlemaid

TommyB681 said:


> Abbi at one pint was 103. Shes now 95. Was at the dog park yesterday with a guys whose shep *Max was 140*


Really!!!  Was the dog known to be that heavy, or was it a number that was thrown around and just accepted as fact? 

Gryff is about 82 lbs - normal weight, but tall and long-bodied for a GSD, over the standard. I often get compliments on him from the general public, but then they throw in a comment like "I used to have a GSD, but a 'real' one, he weighed 120 (or 130 or 140) lbs!)

So I just smile and nod my head, didn't know my GSD was fake! :wild:


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## Nigel

Both my girls are over breed standard. Zoey is 87 lbs (vet scale) and looks good where she is. Tuke is 104lbs (vet & work scales), she needs to lose some of this. I've been trying to convince DW to cut down on her breakfast, (I've already reduced dinner) but she thought Tuke looked fine and it wasn't necessary. DW finally agreed after seeing some recent pictures of her. I don't know how her weight issues could be more evident in a photograph vs real life, but oh well, at least were both on board in getting her weight where it should be.


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## JakodaCD OA

I had a gsd born in 91, Kodi, that was quite large, the breeder was mortified and never repeated the two since parents were both within standard. Kodi ended up being 32" at the shoulders and 125lbs of lean bod. I kept him lean because of his size. We called him the mutant You could land a lear jet on his nose..will have to dig up a picture of him. 

He was an 'ok' dog, but couldn't get out of his own way, a super couch warmer, unfortunately he ended up with spondylosis and I had to put him down at 9 years of age.

Would I want another that big? no thanks..I do like big dogs, but I don't like the issues that they can tend to end up with. IF I wanted one as big as Kodi I'd get a st bernard

My other males have always topped out at 26" and around 80lbs, my females have always been on the larger over standard sized also at 26" and anywhere from 70-75lbs.

I DO keep my dogs lean which I think keeps them in much better shape plus they get alot of physical activity ...


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## Freestep

Mary Beth said:


> Sting is 130 lbs. according to the vet's scale at his last visit in Nov. He is very tall. The avator is a his picture at 2 yrs old. His weight has stayed fairly stable at 130.


Am I the only one who thinks this dog is overweight? Maybe it's just the picture, but it appears he has a fat pad over his chest, ribs, and rear end. He just looks overall a little pudgy and his head looks proportionately small to his body.

Please don't be offended, I only mean this as some objective feedback... especially with very large-framed dogs, I hate to see them even a little bit overweight, as it's hard on their joints.


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## arycrest

Years ago there used to be a WGSD breeder who advertised his stud dog at 150lbs and judging from the photo he wasn't far off ... I have NEVER seen a fatter dog in my life ... I swear he wsa almost as wide as he was long, it was disgraceful ... he was so fat I honestly don't think Mr. Stud could have mounted a bitch to breed her.


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## Mary Beth

onyx'girl said:


> So you clicker train with him?
> Wow that is one big boy how tall is he? What activities do you do with him? Is he agile and is he neutered(at what age if so)?


Sting is 32 inches at the withers. He was neutered at 5 months at his vet's recommendation. He is very agile. He has caught & killed rabbits in the backyard. A quick clean kill one bit to the neck and can't understand why I get upset and refuse to cook it for his supper. He will sit then very quickly lunge if he hears/sees/senses something to chase. That made leash training a challenge. Training - positive and also natural dog training (the tug part). I don't use a clicker - I whistle instead. Sting likes to go for walks - different places. I walk Sting 1/2 miles for his brisk morning walk. In the afternoon, I walk him on leash around the neighborhood or take him out to a different part of town for about 1/2 mile. His favorite activity is tug. I use it as a reward after his short afternoon obedience session. Since he loves to chase and pounce, I use 2 tugs - each on 6 ft. leashes. He has to wait on the down/stay while I walk out about 25 ft. (I have a big back yard). Then when I give the signal - he comes charging right at the tug - I scoot it along the ground and also make it "jump" so he jumps up to grab it- he grabs - I tug - he pulls - I hold on - he bites down and so on then I let go - and quick scoot the other one. And so on - tug - drop - grab. After about 10 minutes - I really hold on longer -he bites down harder- he pulls and of course it is easy for him to win. I act defeated and slink away. I then turn and praise him and he brings his 2 tugs to me - he drops them and gets a reward. That game helps to satisfy his prey drive and I've gotten stronger to his surpise Here's a photo of Sting winning tug. Click to enlarge.


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## Mary Beth

Freestep said:


> Am I the only one who thinks this dog is overweight? Maybe it's just the picture, but it appears he has a fat pad over his chest, ribs, and rear end. He just looks overall a little pudgy and his head looks proportionately small to his body.
> 
> Please don't be offended, I only mean this as some objective feedback... especially with very large-framed dogs, I hate to see them even a little bit overweight, as it's hard on their joints.


 Not according to his vet for his size - bone structure - height.


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## Mary Beth

KayleeGSD said:


> I know the picture quality is not very good. I had to dig around the photo albums.


 Thank you and so was yours. Beautiful markings. PM me if you'd like some suggestions on breeders.


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## Mary Beth

Chicagocanine said:


> Bianca was only 70 pounds at 26" tall and I could pick her up but not carry her very far, I am wondering what I would do if I had a larger or giant type dog if they were sick or injured and had to be carried... I may be getting a larger dog in the future (non GSD) so I am trying to figure that out. Or what if we were hiking and something happened? No way could I "pack out" a 100+ pound dog...


 The vet will come to your house - they have stretchers to help transport the big guys. When my Husky got too old to jump into the car and I couldn't lift her , the vet made a housecall for her annual checkup and vaccines. When my Aussie (a big one 85 lbs) - when that sad day came when he was 12 1/2 and sick and in pain and all I could do was let him go. The vet came to my house. He was very understanding, I held Chance and said "rabies shots early" - I held him right up to the end so he knew I was with him.The vet took his body away. For out hiking, well, the same as if you were with another person and you couldn't carry the person. Call for help. Also a stretcher that you could drag can be made out of tent poles and a blanket. In my view, the issues involving the size of the dog can be managed.


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## longhairshepmom

Here we go...
This is my absolute biggest pet peeve when it comes to german shepherds !
The "oversize"
98% of them are simply overweight and look really wrong proportion wise. They will have "lab bodies" with a narrow small (for the body) looking heads and skinny legs. Shepherds should look somewhat "rangy" and have a very narrow body. They should never look thick or roly poly. 

And I do agree that Sting looks overweight. That is NOT meant as an offense. His head looks very small compared to the rest of the body. Their is hardly a tuck-up and the back/hips/loin/chest are to "filled out" looking compared to the legs. Again, no offense meant. I'm sure he is a wonderful boy and he does look pretty !! I just don't think the weight he carries is in proportion to his body. I know the Vet said it is, but having grown up in Germany and being around countless german shepherds I have to say, the body doesn't fit the head/legs. He does have a GORGEOUS head though and is a attractive boy. 

Then there is the countless times I've heard something along the lines of "my pup is 30 pounds at 2 month old, he's gonna be a monster", "my pup only weighs 25 pounds at 3 month old, what can I feed that he will be heavier/bigger", "My pup is 80 pounds at 6 month old", etc etc etc
Really ?? Do those people (the ones that are proud of the fact their pups are overweight) honestly think that their puppy will get larger/taller/bigger if they grotesquely overfeed it ??? How does that work ? So...if my mom would have pushed way more food/protein/etc into me as a kid, would I have ended up 4 inches taller, heavier and still in proportion ?? Would I have surpassed my genetically predisposed size ? NO, I would have been fatter, though.

Not only that, but there are SO many issues with bones/joint disease that are DIRECTLY related to people overfeeding their puppies. It is a human made problem. Sad thing is, many people have realized it, yet they still obsess over their puppy being as "big" as it can be for its age...SAD !! 

They will grow to their genetically predisposed size even if you feed them appropriately (which is a lot less then most people think) and let them grow up SLOWLY !! I'm not saying to let them starve, but don't push the weight/food. Lots of people do, sadly.

Also, many of the digestion problems in puppies (runny poo) are also directly related to over feeding ! Many times when people say "this premium food is to rich for my pup" its simply that they are feeding TO MUCH of it !!! Even the recommended amount on the bags is often to much , esp. for Shepherd puppies. 

My 1 year old male weighs 75 pounds. He looks wonderful. I assume he will top out at around 85 pounds, and I don't want him any heavier then that. He eats 1 3/4 cup of Orijen 6 Fish twice the day. Thats it. He is in perfect condition. He has always done great with that food, but yes, if fed the recommended amount on the bag, he would get the runs. It was just to much. They aren't meant to be roly poly lab pups.

I don't know what the fascination is with people wanting "the extreme". Bigger then normal, or extremely smaller then normal (giant/teacup). 

If I wanted a giant dog I would get a great dane. They look "right"' at their size. Even they look bad overweight.

This is not meant as an offense at anyone having a oversized or overweight german shepherd, or one that is in any other way not up to "standard". I'm sure they are all lovely dogs and deserve the love and a good home.
My beef is with the people that are looking to create oversized in the dogs they breed or buy, or the ones that overfeed their pups/dogs because they want to brag about the how much their dog weighs.

Isn't it so much more important to worry about their joints/bones/tendons ? Who cares in 5 years what your pup weighed at 4 month old ? Noone. But you (generalizing) will care when your dog is painful and crippled at 6 years old and there isn't much to be done about it...
Growing bones aren't meant to carry all that excess weight, they aren't meant to receive all the excess minerals/vitamins that will mess up growth.

Ok. rant over ...


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## longhairshepmom

and here is the normal sized boy 





































he was about 8 month to 10 month old in the pics...


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## Cassidy's Mom

Chris Wild said:


> A lot of people do overestimate weight. More than once we've been out and about with 80lb dogs and had people swear they must be 110, 120, etc...


I get that with Keefer all the time - one guy guessed him at 115 pounds. He's 80 pounds. He may vary a pound or two on either side of that, but 80 pounds is his perfect weight and I'll adjust his food as necessary if I think he's looking a little thick or he's got some padding on his ribs.


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## Jd414

longhairshepmom said:


> Here we go...
> This is my absolute biggest pet peeve when it comes to german shepherds !
> The "oversize"
> 98% of them are simply overweight and look really wrong proportion wise. They will have "lab bodies" with a narrow small (for the body) looking heads and skinny legs. Shepherds should look somewhat "rangy" and have a very narrow body. They should never look thick or roly poly.
> 
> And I do agree that Sting looks overweight. That is NOT meant as an offense. His head looks very small compared to the rest of the body. Their is hardly a tuck-up and the back/hips/loin/chest are to "filled out" looking compared to the legs. Again, no offense meant. I'm sure he is a wonderful boy and he does look pretty !! I just don't think the weight he carries is in proportion to his body. I know the Vet said it is, but having grown up in Germany and being around countless german shepherds I have to say, the body doesn't fit the head/legs. He does have a GORGEOUS head though and is a attractive boy.
> 
> Then there is the countless times I've heard something along the lines of "my pup is 30 pounds at 2 month old, he's gonna be a monster", "my pup only weighs 25 pounds at 3 month old, what can I feed that he will be heavier/bigger", "My pup is 80 pounds at 6 month old", etc etc etc
> Really ?? Do those people (the ones that are proud of the fact their pups are overweight) honestly think that their puppy will get larger/taller/bigger if they grotesquely overfeed it ??? How does that work ? So...if my mom would have pushed way more food/protein/etc into me as a kid, would I have ended up 4 inches taller, heavier and still in proportion ?? Would I have surpassed my genetically predisposed size ? NO, I would have been fatter, though.
> 
> Not only that, but there are SO many issues with bones/joint disease that are DIRECTLY related to people overfeeding their puppies. It is a human made problem. Sad thing is, many people have realized it, yet they still obsess over their puppy being as "big" as it can be for its age...SAD !!
> 
> They will grow to their genetically predisposed size even if you feed them appropriately (which is a lot less then most people think) and let them grow up SLOWLY !! I'm not saying to let them starve, but don't push the weight/food. Lots of people do, sadly.
> 
> Also, many of the digestion problems in puppies (runny poo) are also directly related to over feeding ! Many times when people say "this premium food is to rich for my pup" its simply that they are feeding TO MUCH of it !!! Even the recommended amount on the bags is often to much , esp. for Shepherd puppies.
> 
> My 1 year old male weighs 75 pounds. He looks wonderful. I assume he will top out at around 85 pounds, and I don't want him any heavier then that. He eats 1 3/4 cup of Orijen 6 Fish twice the day. Thats it. He is in perfect condition. He has always done great with that food, but yes, if fed the recommended amount on the bag, he would get the runs. It was just to much. They aren't meant to be roly poly lab pups.
> 
> I don't know what the fascination is with people wanting "the extreme". Bigger then normal, or extremely smaller then normal (giant/teacup).
> 
> If I wanted a giant dog I would get a great dane. They look "right"' at their size. Even they look bad overweight.
> 
> This is not meant as an offense at anyone having a oversized or overweight german shepherd, or one that is in any other way not up to "standard". I'm sure they are all lovely dogs and deserve the love and a good home.
> My beef is with the people that are looking to create oversized in the dogs they breed or buy, or the ones that overfeed their pups/dogs because they want to brag about the how much their dog weighs.
> 
> Isn't it so much more important to worry about their joints/bones/tendons ? Who cares in 5 years what your pup weighed at 4 month old ? Noone. But you (generalizing) will care when your dog is painful and crippled at 6 years old and there isn't much to be done about it...
> Growing bones aren't meant to carry all that excess weight, they aren't meant to receive all the excess minerals/vitamins that will mess up growth.
> 
> Ok. rant over ...


Not all of them are overweight... 

And are you talking about fat GSDs or large GSDs? I could've swore we were talking about large LEAN dogs...


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## Jo Ellen

Spirit weighed 81lbs at 7 months. I can definitely see him gaining 20 more lbs as he matures. I will not let him get overweight, I know how bad that is for dogs, and too much weight looks awful on a German shepherd especially. 

Spirit is lean as can be, and I don't see him as over-sized either. I'm not sure what's in that body of his that adds up to all his weight LOL.


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## Jd414

Jo Ellen said:


> Spirit weighed 81lbs at 7 months. I can definitely see him gaining 20 more lbs as he matures. I will not let him get overweight, I know how bad that is for dogs, and too much weight looks awful on a German shepherd especially.
> 
> Spirit is lean as can be, and I don't see him as over-sized either. I'm not sure what's in that body of his that adds up to all his weight LOL.


As long as he's healthy that's all that matters... To me it shouldn't matter if a GSD is 60 lbs or 110 lbs.. Health is what matters 


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## JakodaCD OA

here's a head shot of "Kodi" my "mutant" dog









This is an old xmas photo, on the left is Sami, Jake, Kodi,, Sami & Jake were 26" at the shoulders I think you can see the difference in size ..Have to find a standing body shot


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## TaraM1285

I met a GSD at a dog park that was easily 125-130 lbs. He was not overweight, just huge. Tara was dwarfed standing next to him and she's about 23.5" at the withers and 65 lbs.


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## Kaasuti

I'm curious about what weight my pup will get too as his Dam was 85lbs and his Sire 110lbs. My pup is only 45lbs at 5months though.​


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## Freestep

Mary Beth said:


> Not according to his vet for his size - bone structure - height.


I have heard this from people so many times--that their vet tells them their pet is at a good weight, when they are actually overweight by a good bit. I have heard it so often that I have to conclude one of two things:

1. Vets don't get very much training in this area, and they don't see enough lean dogs to know what optimal weight looks like.

2. This seems really cynical, but vets will make a lot more money off you if your dog is overweight, so it's in their best interest to keep their clients' dogs fat.

I am used to seeing my own dogs, I keep them on the lean side, as that is best for their joints and overall health. Everyone thinks my dogs are too skinny, because they are used to looking at fat dogs and thinking it's normal. I suppose that what seems "normal" has been skewed. People see a rib or a hip bone and they think the dog is starving... but you're actually supposed to be able to see the last rib or two, as well as the hip bones. Along with muscle tone, of course.


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## Catu

Mary Beth said:


> Not according to his vet for his size - bone structure - height.


Yes he is. Not obese, but overweight.

as a vet student and vet tech... veterinarians are too used to see obese dogs every day, so most would not mention about the weight of your dog, but he's not on his ideal body condition nonetheless.


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## Jd414

Catu said:


> Yes he is. Not obese, but overweight.
> 
> as a vet student and vet tech... veterinarians are too used to see obese dogs every day, so most would not mention about the weight of your dog, but he's not on his ideal body condition nonetheless.


If he's 32" at the withers what do you think his weight should be? I would think 120-130 lbs would be ok...


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## Mary Beth

A big large boned tall GSD is not necessarily fat nor sick. The only health problem Sting has (and he will be 7 years old in 3 months), thanks be, is pannus in his right eye which developed last year. For the fat remarks, it is like comparing a racing Quarter Horse to a western pleasure Quarter Horse . Both are Quarter Horses, both look different. Joint & other health problems also occur in working line lean GSDs. Irrresponsible breeders are also in the working line GSDs. With the rants and so on that has been posted on this thread, it made me wonder why? Alas, that would be a topic for another thread. Right now, I would prefer to see more replies from people who have large GSDs over a 100 lbs on this thread.


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## Catu

Jd414 said:


> If he's 32" at the withers what do you think his weight should be? I would think 120-130 lbs would be ok...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


No idea nor I care, I use the metric system and I've not taken the time to converse. In that picture posted he looks overweight. Perhaps a different picture could help, my own male looks overweight from the front because of his chest and more than once I've shown to people other pictures to show how his waist IS tucked.


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## Dainerra

I don't ever go by numbers. I go by the condition of the dog. Can you feel his ribs (without pressing in)? Does he have a nice tuck at the waist?


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## NewbieShepherdGirl

I have found that people are incredibly bad at guessing weight. I had an overstand golden retriever growing up. He was incredibly tall and when he was at a healthy, lean weight, he was over 100 pounds (I don't remember exactly but I think somewhere around 115-120) but people would guess him at incredible weights, some guessing as much as 150lbs. With Sasha she fluctuates between 65 and 70. I like her at 68, but if we're doing a lot of activity and she puts on more muscle she tends to get up to closer to 70. As long as it's from muscle I don't mind. When I got her from the rescue she was too big. She was about 75ish lbs and it looked bad. 

I had originally thought I wanted a bigger dog (having only had my oversized golden, and a Pyrenees I was accustom to bigger dogs) but I'm glad she's not 100lbs. I can lift her into the tub if I need to. I've had to carry her into the vet office before, and managed that with little trouble. Yet she's big enough that I feel safe. I think a lot of people want big GSDs because they think they'll be a better deterrent because they look intimidating. They do look intimidating, but so does my girl. When we're out people give her a wide berth. It's not because I have some crazy dog who's snapping and snarling all over the place, she conducts herself like a lady (albiet a serious lady), but it's because the breed commands respect regardless of the size of the individual dog.


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## KanesCash

Dainerra said:


> I don't ever go by numbers. I go by the condition of the dog. Can you feel his ribs (without pressing in)? Does he have a nice tuck at the waist?


this is exactly what my vet told me, so about every two weeks i check to see if i can feel their ribs and adjust their food intake


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## Chicagocanine

Yes you should be able to easily feel their ribs, without having to press hard or feel around a lot to find them. However this can depend on the coat also, some dogs with very thick coats you might not be able to feel them quite as easily. When you look from above the dog should have a visible waist, there should be a part where the waist curves inward a little behind the rib cage. Same thing from the side, where the rib cage ends the waist should curve upwards. 

Although again this can somewhat depend, if the dog has long fur it could hide this somewhat, but if that is the case you can usually see if when they are wet. It can also sometimes be different or absent if they have a medical condition, for example my Golden Retriever had severe bridging spondylosis and due to that she could not curve her spine much at all in many areas which meant she did not use her stomach muscles either, which resulted in her stomach having no muscle tone, and the nice tuck-up 'waist' she had when she was younger completely disappeared, so from the side it would look like she was fat because there was no visible waist anymore, even when she was actually underweight (she has issue with being too thin/problems keeping weight on when she was older) and when she had cancer cachexia and wasn't eating much so was very skinny she still looked fat from the side due to the stomach having no tuck up.


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## Suka

Sorry about my oversized pictures. I thought I had resized them okay but apparently not. I will repost it now so a mod can remove my earlier post. If I could edit it, I would.

-----------------------
I've always loved my West German Showline- I mean, look at how his head is bigger than my room mates - and his paws are the size of her hands or bigger. 



















He looks almost exactly like his father with his big head and substantial bone:












Here is is looking a lot sleeker, before his super plush mature older gentleman coat came in, so you can see what's under all the plush and it's not fat. This guy is just big:











People have always thought he was upwards of 140 lbs but egads no. He was around 100 , but I have brought his weight down to around 95 due to his ataxia. 

Speaking of structural soundness, when I'm crying over how bad his back legs are getting as he's falling and tripping himself with his uncoordinated gait, I'm also swearing to myself I won't ever have a GSD this big again. Not that I meant to; but I don't think I understood just how big he would get and I will go with a smaller or working line next time. Here's a picture with his new harness that we must use to help him up and down just a 1-2 steps now and to keep him from falling when he gets excited over a squirrel. He doesn't feel a thing but I'm already getting the rude questions like "is that dog ok?" "is he in pain?" as if they are prepared to point out that I should put him down because I'm cruelly keeping him alive. He's not in any pain whatsoever and his gait actually looks great in this picture. once he gets going in a trot, he is pretty good. He is 9 years old. As you can see, he is still not fat. 











My entire point behind this is that my dog is not fat - he is over-sized and he is paying for it now and it's sad. Don't go for over-sized GSDs. I know that will be a big concern of mine for my next puppy. An huge GSD is noble, majestic and intimidating; but he won't be when he's falling all over the place.


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## Jo Ellen

I've heard anything over 75lbs is very stressful on the joints, especially the knees. So if you have a larger dog, you need to be more careful with the jumping and walk more often on soft surfaces.


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## Jd414

Catu said:


> No idea nor I care, I use the metric system and I've not taken the time to converse. In that picture posted he looks overweight. Perhaps a different picture could help, my own male looks overweight from the front because of his chest and more than once I've shown to people other pictures to show how his waist IS tucked.


So ur making assumptions that he's overweight?


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## Jd414

Mary Beth said:


> A big large boned tall GSD is not necessarily fat nor sick. The only health problem Sting has (and he will be 7 years old in 3 months), thanks be, is pannus in his right eye which developed last year. For the fat remarks, it is like comparing a racing Quarter Horse to a western pleasure Quarter Horse . Both are Quarter Horses, both look different. Joint & other health problems also occur in working line lean GSDs. Irrresponsible breeders are also in the working line GSDs. With the rants and so on that has been posted on this thread, it made me wonder why? Alas, that would be a topic for another thread. Right now, I would prefer to see more replies from people who have large GSDs over a 100 lbs on this thread.


I agree I started this thread asking for replies from people who have large GSDs over a 100 lbs


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## ChancetheGSD

The problem is, it's not the standard so most people DON'T have Great Dane sized German Shepherds.

I too think that some of the dogs posted are overweight. I don't feel that just because a dog is house pet that it's health should be put at risk and the dog kept "soft". I also think that there are cases of over the standard dog who can be lean...Just not many that I've seen. This isn't just an issue in our breed, it's an issue in ALL breeds.

Certain dogs just aren't suppose to be a certain size, if you want that size dog you should seek out a breed that is already that size. Of course sometimes people get a puppy and the dog just doesn't seem to stop growing, that's ok. But to breed out of standard to have these massive dogs isn't ok imo. Would you guys think it was ok if someone started breeding German Shepherds down to Chihuahua size? Of course not because that's not what a German Shepherd is. However, there are cases of German Shepherds naturally being under 30lb due to a genetic problem that causes dwarfism. (So the opposite of a dog who's natural genetics out of normal sized parents throw an unnaturally large dog of that breed) Doesn't mean they should be bred for though!

I also think that people do often misjudge a dogs size. Gretchen is just over 23" and 61lb at 8mo as of today and I don't expect her to get past 65lb tops. I've had people tell me I'm going to have a "huge dog" and that she's going to top out at "at least 90lb". Even when she was a smaller size people often guessed her a good 10+lb over what she actually was.


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## KayleeGSD

Jo Ellen said:


> I've heard anything over 75lbs is very stressful on the joints, especially the knees. So if you have a larger dog, you need to be more careful with the jumping and walk more often on soft surfaces.


This is very true. We actually built a ramp and covered the steps out back. In the car I trained Tori to not jump up to get in and no jumping to get out. If we were going in the Jeep I had a system to make it easier on her. Also, I trained her just like our other dogs to go up and down the stairs in a nice slow manner so they would not jump down, up, or off the steps. Same thing when I would take Tori to swim I would pick areas easy to access so she could go in and out of the water with ease.

I almost forgot to mention this. When you have a big dog who is meant to be big you may have some problems depending on what you are doing with them. If you have a dog who is actually over weight that is when the stress becomes bad on the joints. It does not matter what breed of dog. For example when my father died his girlfriend kept his Pugs. She over fed them and both of the dogs are over weight and can barely walk due to the weight gain. So on a good note my family members who live close to the Pugs took them and had them get rid of the extra weight and the dogs became much more healthy. Harley the male Pug still has joint issues.


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## codmaster

Catu said:


> No idea nor I care, I use the metric system and I've not taken the time to *converse*. In that picture posted he looks overweight. Perhaps a different picture could help, my own male looks overweight from the front because of his chest and more than once I've shown to people other pictures to show how his waist IS tucked.


 "converse" with who? isn't that what you are doing on this forum?


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## Freestep

Mary Beth said:


> For the fat remarks, it is like comparing a racing Quarter Horse to a western pleasure Quarter Horse . Both are Quarter Horses, both look different.


Yes, but the GSD standard asks for a dog that is about 90 pounds maximum. Granted, your dog would probably look thin at 90 pounds, simply because he is taller than standard. But at this point, just 10 pounds off him could make a huge difference in how long he lives, and whether he has any troubles in his old age. Big dogs are already prone to joint problems, you don't want to make it any worse than it has to be.

This isn't meant to be an insult or offense; it's meant to be helpful information for the well-being of your dog. If we didn't care, we'd just sit here and say nothing. 

I understand that people get angry and defensive when we say their dogs are overweight, but I don't understand why. It's not an insult to the dog, or to you, nor is it saying that you are a bad owner. Weight loss for dogs is a very simple thing to do, and does a world of good for the dog, it's just that most people don't recognize it when their dog has become a bit overweight. 

If I told you there was a miracle cure that would extend your dog's lifespan by 2 years, and greatly reduce the incidence of joint problems, fatty tumors, heart problems, muscle strains, metabolic disorders, etc... and that it's FREE... scratch that, actually pays you money back? You'd probably say "Thank you!"


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## robk

Freestep said:


> Yes, but the GSD standard asks for a dog that is about 90 pounds maximum. Granted, your dog would probably look thin at 90 pounds, simply because he is taller than standard. But at this point, just 10 pounds off him could make a huge difference in how long he lives, and whether he has any troubles in his old age. Big dogs are already prone to joint problems, you don't want to make it any worse than it has to be.
> 
> This isn't meant to be an insult or offense; it's meant to be helpful information for the well-being of your dog. If we didn't care, we'd just sit here and say nothing.
> 
> I understand that people get angry and defensive when we say their dogs are overweight, but I don't understand why. It's not an insult to the dog, or to you, nor is it saying that you are a bad owner. Weight loss for dogs is a very simple thing to do, and does a world of good for the dog, it's just that *most people don't recognize it when their dog has become a bit overweight*.
> 
> If I told you there was a miracle cure that would extend your dog's lifespan by 2 years, and greatly reduce the incidence of joint problems, fatty tumors, heart problems, muscle strains, metabolic disorders, etc... and that it's FREE... scratch that, actually pays you money back? You'd probably say "Thank you!"


Here is a picture of my old girl Jasmine at 12 years old. Now, I knew that she was over weight. I think that she was around 95lbs here. However, I never recognized just how over weight she was until looking at her photos later. We ended up having to put her down because of osteosarcoma maybe 6 months after this photo was taken. I don't really know if she would have lived longer if she was kept at a healthier weight. What I do know is that she would have had a better quality of life and been able to move around with much more ease for much longer if she was not carrying around so much weight.


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## KayleeGSD

Freestep said:


> Yes, but the GSD standard asks for a dog that is about 90 pounds maximum. Granted, your dog would probably look thin at 90 pounds, simply because he is taller than standard. But at this point, just 10 pounds off him could make a huge difference in how long he lives, and whether he has any troubles in his old age. Big dogs are already prone to joint problems, you don't want to make it any worse than it has to be.
> 
> This isn't meant to be an insult or offense; it's meant to be helpful information for the well-being of your dog. If we didn't care, we'd just sit here and say nothing.
> 
> I understand that people get angry and defensive when we say their dogs are overweight, but I don't understand why. It's not an insult to the dog, or to you, nor is it saying that you are a bad owner. Weight loss for dogs is a very simple thing to do, and does a world of good for the dog, it's just that most people don't recognize it when their dog has become a bit overweight.
> 
> If I told you there was a miracle cure that would extend your dog's lifespan by 2 years, and greatly reduce the incidence of joint problems, fatty tumors, heart problems, muscle strains, metabolic disorders, etc... and that it's FREE... scratch that, actually pays you money back? You'd probably say "Thank you!"


I completely understand where you are coming from. I would tell anyone to please make sure you are doing everything you can to stay on top of your dog's health. Keep track of the weight regardless of size or breed and take them to the vet for proper check ups. 

When our vet suggested that Tori should drop weight we designed a special diet just for her. She was monitored very closely and brought back to the vet often for check ups when we did this. As our dogs age we know health issues can pop up. There are many things we can do to keep our pets healthy and actually avoid possible health problems. If there is something you can prevent you should. I always say check with the vet and go from there...


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## mygsdgypsy

Gypsy is 24" at withers 68 lbs - she was weedy thing til' around 3-4 thereafter lean but muscular.. fast fast fast and so maneuverable lol

at 10.5 here ...she slowin down a bit now


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## Freestep

robk said:


> Here is a picture of my old girl Jasmine at 12 years old. Now, I knew that she was over weight. I think that she was around 95lbs here. However, I never recognized just how over weight she was until looking at her photos later. We ended up having to put her down because of osteosarcoma maybe 6 months after this photo was taken. I don't really know if she would have lived longer if she was kept at a healthier weight. What I do know is that she would have had a better quality of life and been able to move around with much more ease for much longer if she was not carrying around so much weight.


You're so right. And yes, the dog in this photo is quite obese! Osteosarcoma is one of those things that can strike no matter if the dog is fat or thin, so getting weight off her may not have extended her life, but it surely would have made her more comfortable. 










Not knocking you or your care, this is a perfect example of someone who loves and cares for their dog, but does not recognize what overweight looks like. It's extremely common--I'd say at least half of the pet dogs I see are overweight to some degree, and the owners are clueless about it. I always bring it up when I see it... "Hey, you know, Sparky is getting a little heavy..." and half the time the owner is surprised to hear it. The other half of the time they are totally in denial, and that's when it starts to bother me, because I want to help the dog and I can't.

I have some clients with a Sheltie, this poor little dog only about 12" tall at the withers, and I think she was 31 pounds last I weighed her. She is so fat she can't clean her own behind. The owners don't believe me when I tell them she needs to lose weight... "But she hardly eats anything!" ...as though saying that makes her magically thin.  They just fill her bowl and let her eat what she wants... oh, and sometimes she won't eat her food and they have to mix some boiled chicken in with it. 

And I guarantee that some people will look at this little dog and think she looks just fine. Again illustrating my point. People (and especially vets) need to be better educated in what a dog is supposed to look like.


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## Gharrissc

I've never heard of a vet being clueless about whether animals are obese or not,but I guess there is a first time for everything. My vet has always been great with being able to tell when the animals I bring in are overweight or not.I guess I got lucky.




Freestep said:


> People (and especially vets) need to be better educated in what a dog is supposed to look like.


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## Jd414

This thread isn't meant to talk about FAT over weight dogs... Just large, lean, and HEALTHY GSDs...


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## Freestep

Jd414 said:


> This thread isn't meant to talk about FAT over weight dogs... Just large, lean, and HEALTHY GSDs...


Well, the title of the thread is "*GSDs over 100lbs... How many ppl have one? "*

It doesn't specify lean and healthy.

Since the standard tops out at 90 lb, a GSD over 100 lbs is either oversize or overweight... and I'll bet you a dollar that the majority are simply overweight. Granted, there are a lot of oversize (tall) GSDs out there that are over 100 pounds and lean, and I would LOVE to see pictures of those dogs!

This isn't a GSD, he's an Akbash dog, but he is probably about 135-140 lb. in this photo. This was taken shortly after I got him, and he was a good bit overweight at that time, so I was still working on getting his weight down. 










Here is a photo of him taken last spring, at ideal weight of about 130.


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## Jd414

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## Jd414

Freestep said:


> Well, the title of the thread is "*GSDs over 100lbs... How many ppl have one? "*
> 
> It doesn't specify lean and healthy.
> 
> Since the standard tops out at 90 lb, a GSD over 100 lbs is either oversize or overweight... and I'll bet you a dollar that the majority are simply overweight. Granted, there are a lot of oversize (tall) GSDs out there that are over 100 pounds and lean, and I would LOVE to see pictures of those dogs!
> 
> This isn't a GSD, he's an Akbash dog, but he is probably about 135-140 lb. in this photo. This was taken shortly after I got him, and he was a good bit overweight at that time, so I was still working on getting his weight down.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a photo of him taken last spring, at ideal weight of about 130.


Well it was meant for healthy dogs


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## Jd414

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## Freestep

Is this your dog? What does he weigh? He doesn't look overweight, and actually IS big boned.


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## Sarayer

Cooper is about 120. I say about because he was last weighed when he was only 1.5 yrs and came in at 116. The vet was a bit surprised too, especially when he was going to tell me that he looked a little lean (but healthy) from growing. Also this was not exactly planned his parent were both average size. Many Shepard people give me a woah did you give him steroids jokes.


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## doggiedad

Shepard people will say anything not like the other Shepherd people.



Sarayer said:


> Cooper is about 120. I say about because he was last weighed when he was only 1.5 yrs and came in at 116. The vet was a bit surprised too, especially when he was going to tell me that he looked a little lean (but healthy) from growing. Also this was not exactly planned his parent were both average size.
> 
> >>> Many Shepard people <<<
> 
> give me a woah did you give him steroids jokes.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## Jd414

Freestep said:


> Is this your dog? What does he weigh? He doesn't look overweight, and actually IS big boned.


He's my dogs sire... He weighs 125lbs


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## Jd414

Jd414 said:


> He's my dogs sire... He weighs 125lbs
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Sorry... Typo... Actually 115lbs


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## Mary Beth

k9carrie said:


> My male is at 100 lbs now, however I like him about 95 lbs. When I have had him thinner he gets too hungry between meals. He is very active & sound so I've kept him heavier for his happiness! Next month he'll be 13!


 Congratulations he'll be in the 13 Club Do you have a picture to post of the almost 13 birthday boy? I agree with you also about the weight and I've done the same with my Sting.


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## Syaoransbear

Here's a better picture of Chrono from the fall next to my mom and a table for reference to his height(the table is a bit tall at 32"). I think he's at 110 here, so 5 pounds lighter.









But the bigger difference isn't the 5 pounds, it's that in this picture he's in his summer coat and in the other picture he's in his winter coat. I live in Canada and right now Chrono lives outside, so it's very thick. I don't think one picture is a very accurate way to determine how overweight a dog is.


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## Chicagocanine

Jd414 said:


> He's my dogs sire... He weighs 125lbs


Is your dog from Royalair? That looks a lot like one of their dogs. They have some handsome dogs and their faces are distinctive.


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## Mr. Aero

This is Mister Aero, he is a year and a half today!! He was 99lbs in the beginning of October. 


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## Chicagocanine

Syaoransbear said:


> But the bigger difference isn't the 5 pounds, it's that in this picture he's in his summer coat and in the other picture he's in his winter coat. I live in Canada and right now Chrono lives outside, so it's very thick. I don't think one picture is a very accurate way to determine how overweight a dog is.


I agree, a photo can look different depending on the angle, the lighting, etc... Also things like the coat or the dog's muscle conditioning can make them look to weigh more or less and without actually seeing them from all angles or having your hands on them you really can't always tell for sure...

For example these two dogs were both actually a little underweight when these photos were taken--


This was when I first got Bianca, she weighed about 60-62 pounds and my vet felt she could gain at least 6-8 pounds (keep in mind she was an "oversized" female at 26" tall.) You could feel all the knobs in her spine and her hip bones when you ran your hand over her back... 









It's hard to tell it from photos but she actually had a lot of fur, especially under her chest/stomach. You can kinda tell in this photo linked below, if you look where the backpack's red strap ends can see the difference between where her fur hangs down to and where her actual stomach is: 
http://www.chicagocanine.com/bianca/palisadesbianca.jpg (the red part is the strap, the grey stuff is stones in the background)


Ginger below, in this photo she was a little underweight:











She was the one I mentioned earlier in the thread who had spondylosis and so her stomach lost muscle definition and she lost the tuck-up she used to have at a younger age... She had a lot of trouble keeping weight on as she got older though so she was often thin.

This shows the difference between a back view and side view on the same dog-- this photo was taken the same time as that one, this is looking down from above (her head would be to the left, sorry about the bad cropping job):












Here's a photo from when she was younger, in this photo she is in good shape, at a healthy weight so actually weighed MORE than in the ones above, but since this was before her spondylosis she has a visible tuck-up which makes her look leaner (also I believe she may have been to the groomer recently here, so she is sleeker looking):


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## Freestep

Actually Chicagocanine, both the GSD and the Golden look to be at perfect weight. Dogs are supposed to have a waist!


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## LoveEcho

This is an interesting thread. I will admit, it really grinds my gears when people brag about their "HUGE" 100+ lb GSD's, and how big they are... about 90% of those dogs, as previously stated, are obese.

There is the exception of the unusually and accidentally large GSD-- I have one. He is 31" at the shoulder. However, he is LEAN-- he weighs in at about 80 lbs (good weight, good tuck, feeling the ribs but not pronounced)....the same people who gawk at how "scrawny" he is tell me they think he weighs 90+ lbs. Both of his parents and all of his siblings that I know of are on the smaller side of standard...someone fooled around with a giraffe. He's very, very leggy.... and he's also just two (I also had him neutered at 6 months, before I knew better and I suspect that may play a role). I ALWAYS get "he's so small, my shepherd is 130 lbs!" and I've come to the conclusion that most people have NO idea how small a German Shepherd is supposed to be due to the onslaught of "bigger is better" (at least in the US) and "old-fashioned" GSD's... i.e. obese. I'm not talking about naturally tall or big boned that happened as a fluke...I'm talking about porking up a dog and then breeding way outside the standard intentionally because 'big dogs are tough'. There is an epidemic of that here. I think most people would be shocked to learn that their over-sized GSD is obese, sadly....


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## Syaoransbear

Yeah I kind of think the US must have a higher percentage of oversized german shepherds from the way a lot of people on here talk about their dogs being called small by others. I've never had someone call Chrono average where I live. I get remarks comparing his size to a horse/pony whenever I walk him.

But in my dictionary, over-sized always means taller than average, not heavier than average. Weight is a pretty insignificant size measurement since it can change and since it depends so much on bone and muscle mass.


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## TaZoR

Tazor was 88lbs when he turned 8mos. In this photo he was 9mos. he has since gotten much taller and I imagine he is around 100 at 13mos


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## Chicagocanine

Freestep said:


> Actually Chicagocanine, both the GSD and the Golden look to be at perfect weight. Dogs are supposed to have a waist!


That is my point about how pictures can be misleading-- those dogs were actually both underweight at the times those photos were taken, but you can't tell that from their photos.
It's not just my opinion either, it was also my vet (or in my Golden's case, more than one vet) who agreed that they were were, in fact I have a vet report from that time that lists my Golden's body condition as underweight, she had several tests to try to figure out why she was losing weight, although we never found an underlying cause.


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## Jd414

Chicagocanine said:


> Is your dog from Royalair? That looks a lot like one of their dogs. They have some handsome dogs and their faces are distinctive.


Yes


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## sparra

Freestep said:


> Am I the only one who thinks this dog is overweight? Maybe it's just the picture, but it appears he has a fat pad over his chest, ribs, and rear end. He just looks overall a little pudgy and his head looks proportionately small to his body.
> 
> Please don't be offended, I only mean this as some objective feedback... especially with very large-framed dogs, I hate to see them even a little bit overweight, as it's hard on their joints.


IMO you cannot tell from this photo. The dog has his hind legs positioned in such a way that is makes him look "hunched" and therefore chubbier than what he probably is.....and no.....his head IMO does not look small for his body.....even is this dog shed a couple pounds which is all he would need to IF he was a bit over weight he would still be a very large (and beautiful) dog.


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## SueDoNimm

Jerry could probably weigh over 100 pounds and still be a good weight. He's 30-31 inches at the shoulder and big-boned. He's been hovering at 86 pounds for a while now and I'd like to see him at a little over 90. He's still a little bony - you can feel his hip bones and spine and see all his ribs when he's panting and people sometimes say he looks very skinny, but most people are used to fat dogs. He seems to have gained a lot of muscle in the past 5 months and his coat is much shinier. If he stays under 90 pounds, I'll be fine with that. I like him lean.




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## ChiliD

Mine is a little over 80 lean lbs at 9 months. His father was 100, & his mother was 70ish.


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## KayleeGSD

sparra said:


> IMO you cannot tell from this photo. The dog has his hind legs positioned in such a way that is makes him look "hunched" and therefore chubbier than what he probably is.....and no.....his head IMO does not look small for his body.....even is this dog shed a couple pounds which is all he would need to IF he was a bit over weight he would still be a very large (and beautiful) dog.


I agree with you! You can not tell from the photo.


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## Otus

*Big Pup*

Reno is 18 months old and 105 pounds. He's close to outweighing me & I hope he's done gaining weight. (his sire was 100#)


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## Jd414

Otus said:


> Reno is 18 months old and 105 pounds. He's close to outweighing me & I hope he's done gaining weight. (his sire was 100#)


I like his color... He's a big boy for sure


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## Josie/Zeus

My old dog Zeus, he was 110 lbs. he was not fat nor overweight. He was a tad too tall for for a GSD, he just grew a little bigger than normal GSDs. What killed him was cancer, his hips were fine.










A month just before he died from hemagiosarcoma. He did gain weight because we didn't take him on long walks anymore.


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## Judahsmom

Thanks KaneCash. I enjoyed looking through your pics of your 2. They are both beautiful. you don't say how tall they are but they are soooo cute!


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## GSgrrrl

I know that this thread is old but what the heck. My dog Jack is a 1.5 y/o male GSD. His sire and dam are both of East German lines, his sire being first gen born in the US and dam was imported. When I weighed him a month ago he was 100.4 lbs. Six months prior to that he was 90 lbs and everyone remarked about how he looked too skinny (he is a tall dog and can fully rest his head on my kitchen table). I am satisfied to keep him between 95 and 105 because he has a clearly defined waist and just a little bit of flesh around the ribs. I now use the rib and birds-eye-view tests (plus weigh-ins every three months) to determine whether or not he needs to lose weight. He gets lots of exercise every day (1.5 hours of jogging/running with no breaks, plus a few hours chasing squirrels in my half-acre back yard) and with basic training he has become the best dog I could ever want. 

In my opinion, size does not matter as much as fitness level when determining the greatness of a dog. The AKC requires that GSD males be a max of 85 lbs and many people argue it is because the frame of a larger dog cannot support the weight. However, hip dysplasia among AKC standard dogs is abhorrent. The Schutzhund also requires male GSDs to be no more than 85 lbs but that is because many do not think a large dog can have the same level of endurance as a smaller dog. There is also some flawed thinking in this because one might then think that a jack russell would have greater endurance than a GSD. My point is that consistent physical training of a dog is a much more accurate predictor of future health and performance than the size of a dog's frame.


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## GSgrrrl

Attached are some pictures of Jack:
1.5 y/o male GSD @ 100.4 lbs


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## Wodinaz

Good lookin dog. Looks as if he's gonna be big. He looks similar to my boy...and he's no 85 lbs Shepherd lol.

He's 5 years old and as of his vet check on Jan 3 14, he's 136.5 lbs of meat and muscle. Vet says, which I already knew, he's not one bit overweight. Just a very large Shepherd.


With my better half, so you get an idea of his size.


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## misslesleedavis1

GSgrrrl said:


> Attached are some pictures of Jack:
> 1.5 y/o male GSD @ 100.4 lbs


He looks like mine, only mine has a bit of a different face and we are working to put on some weight, hes a skinny mini recently adopted boy.


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## SoCal Rebell

My European bred GSD is 105 lbs. large head, big bones not an ounce of fat even at 8 and a half he can hustle for a long time.


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## huntergreen

those are some big good looking gsd.


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## Kdorko5

*Magnus*

Our GSD is 100lbs. And not fat at all. Kind of lanky actually. You can feel his ribs and backbone easily. I had no idea they got this big.


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## Subdolus

Bear was 105 when we got him, and is down to 103.

Vet would like to see him around 90-95 if possible.


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## ken k

my max is 100lbs, very tall and long, muscular, European lines, his father was 115lbs


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## Doc

My biggest males weigh 99, 93, and 90 pounds. All are over 26 inches and all are unrelated. My biggest females weigh 98 pounds (28 inches tall) and 85 pounds ( 25 inches tall but predominately Swabian bloodlines). Both gals are unrelated. And I get hammered in here because my dogs are over the standard ��
They are all healthy. I visit a group of vets and have never been told any of them are fat. It seems like most folks hear the word oversized and they automatically say they are fat, lazy, and couch potatoes. 
If you look back at the Champions before 1925 and the ensuing band of registering male German shepherds that were taller than the original Standard ( which Max himself expanded to push the male height up to 26 inches + or - 1 inch) you will see that Stephanitz crowned many Champions that were over the standard in both height and weight.
Like someone said, size is not determine factor if a German shepherd is healthy or in shape.


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## SoCal Rebell

Jd414 said:


> This thread isn't meant to talk about FAT over weight dogs... Just large, lean, and HEALTHY GSDs...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


My German import maxed out at 105 lbs. never had any kind of joint problem passed at 8.5 years from cancer.


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## moonie2

Kodiak is 4 yrs old. 27" tall and approx. 101 lbs. and the love of my life


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## Hineni7

My 7mos female is a very lean 75lbs and 25.5" she is exceptionally fast and agile and is a freaking energizer bunny... I think some dogs can handle their weight and size and not lose any athletic ability (just like people - think of football players and their foot work, basketball players, etc) or agility. I also believe that if you just breed for size (and health) it is likely the athleticism will be diminished at some point... But if athletic healthy large, discriminately paired dogs are bred at times I don't see a problem... Just as long as the personality, athleticism, health etc don't get lost.. It would take a very contentious breeder. Just my opinion


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## Hineni7

Forgot pix, sorry.. Pix are today with snow and yesterday..


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## My3Royals

My big man is 1 -1/2. Weighed in at 90 lbs










Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## shantinath1000

Our first dog (rescue GSD) was 105 (vet scale) and very fit. as he aged he gained a few pounds and ended up at 110 or so. until he was PTS following two strokes he never had any problems walking or running (except when we got rid of the carpet and put in wood floors! LOL).


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## GSDlover143

I have a 1 Year old male German Shepherd named Zeus who is exactly 100# and is still soooo thin. I imagine he will be about 105 to 110 filled out.


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## GSDlover143

codmaster said:


> not me! Too big!
> 
> my 5yo male is about 26 1/2" and about 85 lbs.
> 
> Good size for a GSD.
> 
> 100+ is too big in my opinion (and according to the standard as well)
> 
> 100+ is quite large. My boy is over the standard at exactly 100#..love him to death


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## Ace GSD

GSDlover143 said:


> codmaster said:
> 
> 
> 
> not me! Too big!
> 
> my 5yo male is about 26 1/2" and about 85 lbs.
> 
> Good size for a GSD.
> 
> 100+ is too big in my opinion (and according to the standard as well)
> Hm im confused
> 
> 100+ is quite large. My boy is over the standard at exactly 100#..love him to death
Click to expand...


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## Hineni7

I think she's referring to the standard of the breeds which is up to 80lbs.


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## ALDABRAMAN

I have had three German Shepherds in my life so far and my first two exceeded 100 pounds. My current and third is only seven months old and should easily exceed 100 pounds based on his parents.

~ This picture was my first, Duke!


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## onyxena

I like these big guys!!! My GSD boy is right around 90 depending on how much activity he's been up to. He is 7 and a half years, not overweight at all. Sasha is usually right at 84, lean but solid. Same age, athletic. So a bit on the larger side according to standard but I like them at their size. Very pleased with their builds and how 
My Shiloh( not a GSD I know!, but closely related) pup is nine months and over 100 for a while now but is surprisingly agile and active for a dog of that size. He seems very light on his feet for his size. I was expecting him to be more lumbering but he really isn't at all. I am really enjoying his size combined with energy level and looks. No indications of his size being detrimental based on his relatives including parents and I didn't buy a shiloh expecting to ever be able to carry him under any circumstances!


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## Hineni7

I would love to see pics of your Shiloh and your gsd


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## pyratemom

Pyrate was a big boy. He was 115 at 4 years old before I started working on having him lose weight to help his hips. His parents were 115 and 120 each. All the pups got over 100 pounds but they all had health problems. Pyrate was a rescue from an abandoned litter when the owners got arrested for selling crack.


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## Axel13

My baby Axel is 105 pounds and 30" tall at 20 months old! He is long and lean with lanky legs. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that he is not "breed standard", he is happy and healthy and that's all that matters to me


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## JoeyG

My first dog Max got to 125 and he was not fat. He was actually bigger then his parents so who knows . Bo's dad was 127 and his mom was 90 something he's been stuck in the 80s for some time now. I'm okay with either size as long as they're healthy. Max did eat more than Bo though


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## Hineni7

Pix please


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## GSDhistorian

My mother's working line male German shepherd is 28" at the shoulder and 119lbs. NO, he isn;t fat.. matter of fact, he is very fast and agile for his size


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## Hineni7

I say again, pics please


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## Argus

Not me. We have one male and two females and all three are bred to standard both height and weight wise so nothing close to 100 pounds.


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## Waffle Iron

My 10 month old male weighs 67 pounds.

My 3.5 year old female weighs 80 pounds.


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## Jd414

Weighed my 16 month old female yesterday... She is a lean 97 lbs


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## Zeusthegsd143

This is Zeus my 100# healthy GSD


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## Jd414

That one ear just won't stay up lol


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## Leiahg2007

Hi there! I just got back from the vet with my 5 year old female AKC German Shepherd named Sota. I'm trying to research... She came in at 119.8 lbs! No fat on her! I can't find anyone else online with a female this size. Should I be calling Guinness??


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## RZZNSTR

My last 3 males were all over 100 lbs. I expect Valor to be near or at 100 lbs like his daddy.


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## NormanF

Leiahg2007 said:


> Hi there! I just got back from the vet with my 5 year old female AKC German Shepherd named Sota. I'm trying to research... She came in at 119.8 lbs! No fat on her! I can't find anyone else online with a female this size. Should I be calling Guinness??


My late girl was 77-85 lbs. 120 lbs is seriously overweight.

If you want a big dog, a Shiloh or King Shepherd is more for people who're looking for one.


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## Jax08

Leiahg2007 said:


> Hi there! I just got back from the vet with my 5 year old female AKC German Shepherd named Sota. I'm trying to research... She came in at 119.8 lbs! No fat on her! I can't find anyone else online with a female this size. Should I be calling Guinness??


How tall is she? Do you have pictures?


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## NormanF

A GSD is supposed to be a medium-sized dog.

While its strong, its not going to feel like a big dog.


----------



## Jax08

NormanF said:


> A GSD is supposed to be a medium-sized dog.
> 
> While its strong, its not going to feel like a big dog.


Yes Norman. We all know that. Thank you.


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## Stonevintage

Seems like we get many reports of females over 100lbs but never proper photos or height atw when we ask.... Mine is now 80lbs and 27"atw and she could certainly stand to lose 5 to 8 lbs (which she will once winter's over). I cannot imagine how a female GSD that is not at least 30" atw is not overweight when well over 100 lbs. Males are different because some carry a lot in the chest area.... but females??? have yet to see it....


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## MineAreWorkingline

Stonevintage said:


> Seems like we get many reports of females over 100lbs but never proper photos or height atw when we ask.... Mine is now 80lbs and 27"atw and she could certainly stand to lose 5 to 8 lbs (which she will once winter's over). I cannot imagine how a female GSD that is not at least 30" atw is not overweight when well over 100 lbs. Males are different because some carry a lot in the chest area.... but females??? have yet to see it....


It would be a good idea to point out that your dog is intact as well, it gives somebody a better reference point.


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## WateryTart

I wonder if part of it is that people have a terrible eye for size and weight.

I met someone last week who was sure my dog was 130 lb. He made a comment about his 160 lb shepherd and how "he must outweigh your dog by 30 lb." Uhhhh, try closer to 90 lb, my dog weighs 72. Yes, she's a big female, I'll grant you that. Tall and substantial. But she isn't THAT big!


----------



## WateryTart

Stonevintage said:


> Seems like we get many reports of females over 100lbs but never proper photos or height atw when we ask.... Mine is now 80lbs and 27"atw and she could certainly stand to lose 5 to 8 lbs (which she will once winter's over). I cannot imagine how a female GSD that is not at least 30" atw is not overweight when well over 100 lbs. Males are different because some carry a lot in the chest area.... but females??? have yet to see it....


I have a female who is 24" atw and about 72 lb (down from 75). She carries a lot in the chest area. Most people think she is male until they see the undercarriage. 

She is no longer intact, though, and was spayed somewhat early (15 months). I think she looks feminine, but maybe not as much as I thought.


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## jafo220

Cruz is between 95 and 100 lbs. 3yrs old and active. He gets 4 cups of dry kibble once a day.


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## Stonevintage

MineAreWorkingline said:


> It would be a good idea to point out that your dog is intact as well, it gives somebody a better reference point.


Oh, does that make a difference? I didn't know.


----------



## MineAreWorkingline

Stonevintage said:


> Oh, does that make a difference? I didn't know.


Early speutering delays the closing of the growth plates. This results in a taller dog, and in some dogs, the impact can be quite significant.

Another factor is a good deal of the hormones necessary to maintain proper body weight and muscle to fat ratios are gone after speutering, often, but not always, resulting in a heavier dog with a higher percentage of fat. Think about those post menopausal women we all have seen with "fat back", where not only is there a higher percentage of fat to muscle but the distribution can be very different as well.

Odd thing is that with pediatric speuters, the dogs tend to get even taller, but those dogs don't tend to gain weight. They don't tend to be very muscular either, not as much fat.

When you go out among where there are dogs, talk to people, especially those with medium to large breeds, ask if their dogs are speutered and if they are, at what age, take a good look at those dogs. It won't be long until you find yourself fairly proficient in determining whether a dog is speutered and at what approximate age.


----------



## arycrest

My Yukon was a tad over 115 lbs when he came to live with me. He was 30" at the shoulder and solid muscle BUT ... he had bad hips so I took him down to around 95lbs which my vet felt was a good weight considering his bad HD. I always called him "my gentle giant" ... he was a fantastic dog!!!


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## yuriy

My girl was spayed at 6 months, so that likely affected things:

She's 28" at the withers, and topped out at 107lbs at one point. Since slimming her down, she weighed in at 78lbs, and I'm guessing she's around there now, too.



WateryTart said:


> I wonder if part of it is that people have a terrible eye for size and weight.
> 
> I met someone last week who was sure my dog was 130 lb. He made a comment about his 160 lb shepherd and how "he must outweigh your dog by 30 lb." Uhhhh, try closer to 90 lb, my dog weighs 72. Yes, she's a big female, I'll grant you that. Tall and substantial. But she isn't THAT big!


The other day I met a fella who claimed to have once owned a 170lb Belgian Shepherd that lived to be 17 years old. Seemed quite unlikely, but who knows...


----------



## NormanF

yuriy said:


> My girl was spayed at 6 months, so that likely affected things:
> 
> She's 28" at the withers, and topped out at 107lbs at one point. Since slimming her down, she weighed in at 78lbs, and I'm guessing she's around there now, too.
> 
> 
> 
> The other day I met a fella who claimed to have once owned a 170lb Belgian Shepherd that lived to be 17 years old. Seemed quite unlikely, but who knows...



78 lbs is about the norm for a female GSD. Males will weigh somewhat more, in the 80-90 lb range.


----------



## dogfaeries

WateryTart said:


> I wonder if part of it is that people have a terrible eye for size and weight.



Absolutely! 
People think Russell is at least 100 lbs (he's big, yes), but he only weighed 83 lbs last month when he went in for his neuter. I don't want a 100 lb dog!!!


----------



## Stonevintage

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Early speutering delays the closing of the growth plates. This results in a taller dog, and in some dogs, the impact can be quite significant.
> 
> Another factor is a good deal of the hormones necessary to maintain proper body weight and muscle to fat ratios are gone after speutering, often, but not always, resulting in a heavier dog with a higher percentage of fat.
> 
> Odd thing is that with pediatric speuters, the dogs tend to get even taller, but those dogs don't tend to gain weight. They don't tend to be very muscular either, not as much fat. Quote
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder what part the differences here play with instances of minor HD becoming more of a problem in later years? It seems the early spay females that are taller than they normally would have been and the later spay females that are heavier they they would have been would be a factor in aggravating this condition? One is joint and one is muscle but the muscles support the joints and the hormones tie it all together - so if one is out of wack.......? Have you seen anything on this?


----------



## MineAreWorkingline

Stonevintage said:


> MineAreWorkingline said:
> 
> 
> 
> Early speutering delays the closing of the growth plates. This results in a taller dog, and in some dogs, the impact can be quite significant.
> 
> Another factor is a good deal of the hormones necessary to maintain proper body weight and muscle to fat ratios are gone after speutering, often, but not always, resulting in a heavier dog with a higher percentage of fat.
> 
> Odd thing is that with pediatric speuters, the dogs tend to get even taller, but those dogs don't tend to gain weight. They don't tend to be very muscular either, not as much fat. Quote
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder what part the differences here play with instances of minor HD becoming more of a problem in later years? It seems the early spay females that are taller than they normally would have been and the later spay females that are heavier they they would have been would be a factor in aggravating this condition? One is joint and one is muscle but the muscles support the joints and the hormones tie it all together - so if one is out of wack.......? Have you seen anything on this?
> 
> 
> 
> I really don't know the specifics, but early speuter is tied to HD in many studies, as well as ACL/CCL tears.
> 
> I once read an interesting article about how not all bones stop growing on the same time table, such as the long bones. When this is exacerbated by early speuter, and some bones grow to an abnormal length, the adjoining bones will be forced into an artificial angle with them creating new pressure points in the joints that the body was not designed to accommodate vs the natural joint. This results in excessive wear and tear due the abnormal positioning of the bones. It is similar to what happens to a woman's joints when she wears high heels, but that is greatly exaggerated.
Click to expand...


----------



## Cassidy's Mom

NormanF said:


> 78 lbs is about the norm for a female GSD.


Actually no, that's oversized. Up until Halo all of our females have been in the 72-78 pound range, but the German standard for a female is approximately 48-1/2 pounds to 70-1/2 pounds (converted from kgs). Halo is usually around 55, pounds, so she's our first that's within standard.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom

Leiahg2007 said:


> Hi there! I just got back from the vet with my 5 year old female AKC German Shepherd named Sota. I'm trying to research... She came in at 119.8 lbs! No fat on her!


That's quite large for a female. Can you easily feel all her ribs and see the last one or two? When looking down on her from above, can you see a "waist"? When viewing her from the side, can you see a tuck up at the abdomen? If not, she might be overweight, regardless of what your vet says.


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## newlie

My Newlie is tall, I believe 29 inches, and he weighs 83 pounds. He is not overweight, but certainly is not thin either. I have just started cutting back his food from 4 cups to three as the vet says his hips are bothering him and prescribed a ten day anti-inflammatory. I am going to try to get him down to 75.


----------



## WateryTart

NormanF said:


> 78 lbs is about the norm for a female GSD. Males will weigh somewhat more, in the 80-90 lb range.


I have heard more like 71 for a female.


----------



## WateryTart

dogfaeries said:


> Absolutely!
> People think Russell is at least 100 lbs (he's big, yes), but he only weighed 83 lbs last month when he went in for his neuter. I don't want a 100 lb dog!!!


If I wanted a 100 lb pet, I'd get a St. Bernard. Or a Shetland pony.

I think my "what are you smoking" must have showed on my face as I looked at the guy and then at my dog. There is no way my dog is 130 lb!


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## wyoung2153

When Titan was younger he weighed about 105 pretty consistently. He looked good to me and the vets but when I moved here he ended dropping to 85-90 and looks the same to me.. nice waist, can feel ribs, all that, not sure the why the drop or what but I am happy with his lighter weight. Less on the joints and now that I'm more knowledgeable, 105 is pretty large for a GSD of any gender.


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## Cassidy's Mom

WateryTart said:


> I have heard more like 71 for a female.


71 pounds is the top end of the standard for a female. It's 22 kgs to 32 kgs, which converts to 48.5 to 70.55 pounds. 

The female height standard is 55 cm to 60 cm, which converts to 21.65 inches - 23.62 inches.


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## WateryTart

Cassidy's Mom said:


> 71 pounds is the top end of the standard for a female. It's 22 kgs to 32 kgs, which converts to 48.5 to 70.55 pounds.
> 
> The female height standard is 55 cm to 60 cm, which converts to 21.65 inches - 23.62 inches.


My dog is huge. I think she's relatively light for her frame at that 72 lb I'm estimating. Vet said she was good (though at the top end of good) at 75-76 lb.

She's also been 24" atw since age 11 months.


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## [email protected]

*will he hit 100 lbs*

our gsd sarge got neutered on tuesday,he turned 8 months old on feb 1.He weighed 85 lbs at his surgery .from what i have read he will still grow approx. another 20 %.putting him around 105-110 lbs.he is very lean and active,today on our walk i was asked how old he is,once i told the lady she said his feet are so big he still has a lot of growing to do.by what age does a healthy gsd stop growing.


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## rmitchom

My boy Medic weighed in at 107.6 lbs and stood 28.75" at the withers when he turned 16 months. His father was 112 lbs and his mother was 93 lbs.


----------



## Coleen

Tasha 13 months old and just hit 98lbs!


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## milaneechan

My vet guesses that Baymax will get over 100 pounds easily. At 5 months old, he was 67 pounds, so I can only imagine what he weighs now. I'll be taking him for his year checkup in a couple of weeks, so he will get weighed and everything. My guess is he is probably about 90 pounds now, and he still has growing and filling out to do. 

Wasn't my plan to get a dog so big, but oh well. Life happens like that sometimes, haha.


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## RayMahalo

wow, these dogs look incredible, I can't wait till I get one.


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## Slamdunc

I'm sorry, but a GSD is a medium sized dog. I have only seen one GSD that was truly a lean, working machine at 100lbs. A national level IPO dog. If you can not see your dogs last two ribs, you have an overweight dog. If you can not run your fingers down your dog's side and feel each and every rib distinctly, your dog is FAT!!!!!. Fat and overweight dogs, especially GSD's are a big pet peeve of mine. If you look down at your dog and do not see a waistline, then your dog is overweight. 

I'll say this; a 100 + lb GSD is not desirable, not to be envied or encouraged. Except for the very rare, large dog that is agile, athletic and healthy. A dog that can run at 28+mph's and scale a 4' jump or fence with ease. A dog that can run 5 - 7 miles with little effort and barely breath heavy. If your dog can do that and weighs 100+ lbs, then ok. If not, start exercising him / her and put them on a diet. 

I have owned GSD's since the 80's the largest was a female American SL dog that got to 90+ lbs and she was too heavy. A large dog that ended up being 80lbs. 

Once I learned that weight is not an indication of quality in a GSD. And bigger is definitely not better with GSD's. Size is the last thing to look for and a big, meaning HUGE red flag when a breeder brags about how much their dogs weigh. Run, don't walk, away from a breeder that sells dogs based on size. When their major accomplishment is breeding oversized dogs and brag about 100+lb studs, you need to find a better breeder. Again, size is not an indication of quality with GSD's and is really only discussed by novices.

Here are some pics of Boomer, a very in shape GSD. He was 82lbs at his highest weight. I actually never weigh my dogs. I look at them every day and asses their weight and shape, I have no need to put them on a scale. Their weight is really not a factor and inconsequential to me. What is important to me is how well my dogs work, how fast they run, how long can they work for and how agile they are. Not how much they weigh. When I describe my dogs, I don't think their weight is even a topic of conversation. 

I apologize if some members who have 100+lb dogs are offended by my opinions and experience. A GSD should be a working dog and you do your dog a huge disservice by allowing it to become obese. A GSD is a medium sized dog and males should be in the 75 - 85 lb range. Bigger is not better and nothing to brag about. >


----------



## Slamdunc

The pic on the steps is at 9 1/2 years old. I'm trying to find pics that show his shape and condition. The one on the roof of the car is probably best. Here is another one:


----------



## milaneechan

Uh.....German shepherds are large dogs, and while 100+ is not the "AKC breed standard" there are several that are over 100 and not fat - it's all bone structure. Not saying there are fat GSD's out there, but to generalize and say that all GSDs over 100 are fat is completely wrong. 

at 11 months, my boy is probs around 90 pounds, and still has growing to do, and he is not in any way fat. In fact, we have a hard time keeping weight on him! We keep increasing his food, but we can still see his ribs. He must have come from a large line (didn't get to meet the parents).


----------



## Slamdunc

Please look at the breed standard, a GSD is not a large sized dog. The GSD was never designed to be a large dog. I do not go by the AKC standard as I believe that the AKC has little to no standards. 

As I said and I stand by what I said, few GSD's are athletic, strong, agile and able to run for miles at 100+lbs. It is the rare Gsd that can still work and be healthy at over 100 lbs. Please monitor your dogs weight and do not let him get too oversized, It will negatively impact his hips, elbows and spine. If you can see his ribs that is great, no need to keep trying to put weight on him. He is only 11 months after all. I'm into true working line GSD's and not SL dogs these days. Sure, you can find plenty of American dogs or American SL dogs that are "large" or oversized, doesn't make it correct or beneficial. 

Best of luck with your dog.


----------



## onyx'girl

rmitchom said:


> My boy Medic weighed in at 107.6 lbs and stood 28.75" at the withers when he turned 16 months. His father was 112 lbs and his mother was 93 lbs.


This dog is overweight, I can't see any muscle/tone in this structure.


----------



## Slamdunc

Onyx'girl,
That is a beautiful dog in the picture you referenced. But, I agree the dog needs to lose some serious weight.


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## Hineni7

My working line female is oversized for a female.. She is 26" and 88-90lbs (weighed St vet) 2.5yrs old.. She is a certified trailing SAR dog and working on HRD.. She can trail miles and miles and is wicked fast and agile... I can only imagine if she had another 10lbs on her how limiting it would become... She is very lean and well muscled... But additional weight to her would definitely inhibit her athleticism... I know she is a rarity in athleticism in an oversized frame, although not grossly oversized... At the last IPWDA workshop she was the envy of several officers. 

This is not to disparage against the anomaly oversized GSD's... These dogs can be amazing dogs and should never be put down or belittled... Overweight GSD's is a sad sad thing to see... German Shepherds are bred to work and move with agility, too large, too heavy (especially due to obesity) and you are looking at potential trouble..


----------



## LittleBear

Slamdunc said:


> I'm sorry, but a GSD is a medium sized dog. I have only seen one GSD that was truly a lean, working machine at 100lbs. A national level IPO dog. If you can not see your dogs last two ribs, you have an overweight dog. If you can not run your fingers down your dog's side and feel each and every rib distinctly, your dog is FAT!!!!!. Fat and overweight dogs, especially GSD's are a big pet peeve of mine. If you look down at your dog and do not see a waistline, then your dog is overweight.
> 
> Here are some pics of Boomer, a very in shape GSD. He was 82lbs at his highest weight. I actually never weigh my dogs. I look at them every day and asses their weight and shape, I have no need to put them on a scale. Their weight is really not a factor and inconsequential to me. What is important to me is how well my dogs work, how fast they run, how long can they work for and how agile they are. Not how much they weigh. When I describe my dogs, I don't think their weight is even a topic of conversation.


Love, love, love, the pics of Boomer  and I specifically quoted Jim regarding the work, agility and how they run, and not focused on the weight. Weight doesn't matter :wink2:


----------



## Slamdunc

LittleBear said:


> Love, love, love, the pics of Boomer  and I specifically quoted Jim regarding the work, agility and how they run, and not focused on the weight. Weight doesn't matter :wink2:


Thank you for the nice comments on Boomer's pics. 

To be clear, I am not saying that every 100lb GSD is overweight. I'm sure there are some very nice, large GSD's with good working ability. I just believe they are the exception and not the norm. I love dogs and I really love GSD's and I hate to see a canine athlete that is allowed to become obese. I'm sure that there has never been a fat olympic sprinter or world class marathon runner. Too much weight on our dogs causes some severe health problems and the dog's are the victims. It is out of the dog's control to limit it's feeding and snacks. Too many people with good intentions wind up killing their dogs with their perceived kindness. 

I was at a friends house last night that owns a female GSD. I haven't seen the dog in a couple of years and asked to see it. The dog was obese, fat as an Alabama tick. This beautiful 8 year old GSD that could barely move, waddled into the house. I told the owner as I glanced at the largest treat jar that I have ever seen, which was empty but the way, that the dog was obese. They replied "I know, we have her on a special kangaroo diet from the vet." (Vets know very little about dog nutrition or what a healthy in shape GSD should look like.) I said that diet must cost a fortune and I was told "yes, it does." Then the owners said "we have cut back her food, but she is still heavy?" I said "what about the treats, your treat bowl is empty!" The response was "she loves her treats. I'm definitely going to stop the treats with the next dog!" :surprise: "I said how about stopping the treats with this dog, she's not dead yet!" As I left my friend was petting his dog and said "she always looks so unhappy." He then pointed to the big bear skin rug of a dog laying on a dog bed and said " this is all she does." I couldn't leave fast enough, some people just don't get it and never will. At least they know their dog is obese, and are somewhat aware. 

Regarding vets and a dog's weight, vets rarely see truly in shape dogs and will tell people with 95lb 9 month old GSD's that their dog is at a good weight. I suppose telling a client that their dog is fat is bad for business. :frown2: It is like calling some one's kid ugly. Vets also know little about nutrition and make a lot of money selling prescription diets. I am not trying to bash vets, if my dog is sick or injured that is where I go and rely on their expertise. For nutritional advice I go elsewhere. I feed raw and have never seen a fat raw fed dog. Boomer eats 2 1/2 lbs of meat a day and he is in excellent shape at almost 11 years old.


----------



## cloudpump

Slamdunc said:


> Thank you for the nice comments on Boomer's pics.
> 
> To be clear, I am not saying that every 100lb GSD is overweight. I'm sure there are some very nice, large GSD's with good working ability. I just believe they are the exception and not the norm. I love dogs and I really love GSD's and I hate to see a canine athlete that is allowed to become obese. I'm sure that there has never been a fat olympic sprinter or world class marathon runner. Too much weight on our dogs causes some severe health problems and the dog's are the victims. It is out of the dog's control to limit it's feeding and snacks. Too many people with good intentions wind up killing their dogs with their perceived kindness.
> 
> I was at a friends house last night that owns a female GSD. I haven't seen the dog in a couple of years and asked to see it. The dog was obese, fat as an Alabama tick. This beautiful 8 year old GSD that could barely move, waddled into the house. I told the owner as I glanced at the largest treat jar that I have ever seen, which was empty but the way, that the dog was obese. They replied "I know, we have her on a special kangaroo diet from the vet." (Vets know very little about dog nutrition or what a healthy in shape GSD should look like.) I said that diet must cost a fortune and I was told "yes, it does." Then the owners said "we have cut back her food, but she is still heavy?" I said "what about the treats, your treat bowl is empty!" The response was "she loves her treats. I'm definitely going to stop the treats with the next dog!" :surprise: "I said how about stopping the treats with this dog, she's not dead yet!" As I left my friend was petting his dog and said "she always looks so unhappy." He then pointed to the big bear skin rug of a dog laying on a dog bed and said " this is all she does." I couldn't leave fast enough, some people just don't get it and never will. At least they know their dog is obese, and are somewhat aware.
> 
> Regarding vets and a dog's weight, vets rarely see truly in shape dogs and will tell people with 95lb 9 month old GSD's that their dog is at a good weight. I suppose telling a client that their dog is fat is bad for business. :frown2: It is like calling some one's kid ugly. Vets also know little about nutrition and make a lot of money selling prescription diets. I am not trying to bash vets, if my dog is sick or injured that is where I go and rely on their expertise. For nutritional advice I go elsewhere. I feed raw and have never seen a fat raw fed dog. Boomer eats 2 1/2 lbs of meat a day and he is in excellent shape at almost 11 years old.


Unfortunately, people struggle to take advice well enough to actually hear it. 
Some people view their dogs as children. Its akin to saying your child is overweight, unruly, misbehaving, rude, and/or an actually not giving a good representation of the parents. I'm sure vets have become somewhat sensitive and mindful of the ramifications of criticizing a customers "furbabies". 
Not only that, how many dogs do they see that are soft, so they become desensitized to chubby dogs?


----------



## milaneechan

I absolutely believe it's wrong to let dogs get overweight. My previous dog, a Black Labarador, was in great shape and didn't start getting overweight until she was very old and developed arthririts and cancer, so couldn't move much. (Please make sure you read that correctly, she didn't get heavy until AFTER she couldn't move much, not the other way around)

We are very against scrap feeding, and my boy only gets his meals, and a few treats specifically for training (which are not the average junky treats - he has lots of allergies, so we have to buy him special food and treats) He gets a bone once a week, and he is quite slim and good looking. I've always read that you should be able to feel the ribs but not see them when it comes to eye-balling weight. We can see his ribs, so if that's the standard for a german shepherd, I guess he is in fantastic shape. 

I wish I had a good standing pic of him. Most of my pics of him are when he is laying down or sleeping bc It's so cute, haha. And also, easy to get a pic of ;P

My profile pic is probably the best standing pic I have of him, but it doesn't show from the side. He's about 8 months in this photo


----------



## Deb

Twenty years ago when I first moved out here I had a ton of trouble with drunk poachers coming through in the middle of the night and cutting my fences. I belonged to a forum of dog people and one day I get a message to be at the airport the next day at three. The next morning I get a call that I have a puppy on the way who was 4 months old. I'm thrilled and so thankful for wonderful friends. That was my Stryker, my first WL GSD. He came from a working dog kennel in the East, but I don't remember which one anymore. People had bought him and then wanted some training done. Something happened and they couldn't take him.


My first hint was when I got there and they told me I would have to go into the back and get him myself. No one would go near him. He's a four month old puppy, whatever could the problem be? I walk back there and there's this huge crate. It's dead silent and all these men and women are standing around looking at it. First thing they say is I'm too small. Huh? The crate is up on a table about four foot tall. I walk around to the front and look in. There stands a beautiful black and tan shepherd puppy, head down, eyes almost slitted, looking very warily out. He was the size of a small pony. Literally, he was the size of most adult GSDs you see and he was only four months! I wish I still had the pictures but lost all in my house fire. They had the security guy come before they would let me take him out. Really? I guess they thought he was going to eat me or them. He was probably close to 70 pounds or more. And he wasn't fat, you could feel every rib. He was just huge. I almost landed on my *** taking him out of the crate and putting him on the floor because I didn't want him to jump down. 


He grew up to average around 120 pounds. He was gorgeous and went everywhere with me that I could take him. I wish I had pictures, but lost them all in my house fire. Ironically, it was about two weeks after getting him that my son sent Shiloh, my Doberman, after the poachers. He stood framed in the doorway with Stryker on a lead. I think maturity had finally set in for Shiloh as she went after them. She'd never done that before. They never came back. 


Every evening Stryker would go out and run the full perimeter of the property before coming in for the night. I wish I could go back in time to have him again. My vet recommended I keep him lean because of his size and worried about HD. His hips came out as good and he never had any problems.


Enya will be much smaller, a toy size shepherd I think. Her mother is small as well. But I'm fine with that. And the smaller ones are much easier to travel with. Stryker took up half my SUV.


----------



## RZZNSTR

Jim,


He looks great! Well done!


----------



## TwoBigEars

Agreed with Slamdunc. A good 90-95% of the 100-120lb+ "tall, big-boned" GSDs are overweight or obese. It seems very hard for people to recognize or acknowledge that their dog is actually overweight. And sadly no, many vets will NOT tell you that your dog needs to lose weight. Regardless of whether your dog is a companion pet or competes in sports, keeping them at a healthy weight is important.


----------



## Nigel

Shortly after coming on this forum I discovered my girls were in need of loosing some weight. I didn't know what "healthy" was supposed to look like and i didn't see the ramifications of them carrying those extra pounds. My previous dogs were relatively healthy and long lived, none were ever obese, but not as fit as they should be.

Since then I've changed things up and started monitoring their intake and ensuring proper exercise. It's paid off, they look great. Our older male is a WL coatie and his appearance is deceiving, he looks much bigger than he is. Get him wet and you wonder where all that dog went. One of our females is still over weight. We seemed to have hit a plateau with her. She acts healthy and is surprisingly able to move that big body around well. Recently a squirrel was taunting her from a lower branch, maybe 7-8' off the ground. I thought no way she'd reach it, but I was amazed she did, lucky for the squirrel she had a hold of the branch too and kept her from seriously injuring it.


----------



## sobstocks

Some GSD's are just big. My Angus has just turned 3 in October and a recent trip to the vet for his checkup revealed that he was in perfect health. He is 112 lbs and 29 inches tall behind his shoulders. His abdomine is tucked up like it should be for a dog in good health. He runs all the time on the farm and is full of energy despite his owners lack of it! He wears me out!


----------



## Jax08

sobstocks said:


> Some GSD's are just big. My Angus has just turned 3 in October and a recent trip to the vet for his checkup revealed that he was in perfect health. He is 112 lbs and 29 inches tall behind his shoulders. His abdomine is tucked up like it should be for a dog in good health. He runs all the time on the farm and is full of energy despite his owners lack of it! He wears me out!


At 29", his weight is proportional to his frame. I fostered a dog that was that height and skinny at 102#. 112# would have been perfect for him.


----------



## holland

I have a regular vet and also go to a vet for rehab -both will comment if they feel the dog needs to loose weight. When I went for Rorie initial visit for therapy they gave me what they felt her ideal weight should be which I think was around 62 pounds. She has back issues so being overweight would not be good for her


----------



## Arathorn II

*Previous GSD got to 120*

but when we controlled his diet better as an older dog he did not look fat at 100-105

He's around 100 lbs here at about 5 years old


----------



## Bentwings1

My Sch dog was 96 pounds working weight. No fat. He could do the AD test with out the breaks any time. He was two inches over size height. Bred from import Sch dam and sire. The sire was 105 pounds working weight , dam was 90. 
He was on the training field nearly every day of his life. He was a great dog, very easy with the kids. In fact they were his " flock". When my ex wife yelled at them he would pace back and forth between them never growling or barking but very watch full. When I would come out to settle things he would look to me and look to the kids like " I need a little help here". Great dog.

I see many chubby GSD at classes, as well as other breeds. Most are so structurally so bad they can hardly walk let alone do any thing that takes much effort. Many will just lay down and sack out in the class down times. I guess I'm just a weird old man. All of my dogs have been physically fit right up to their end. We go on daily walks regardless of weather. Most days we get out in the fields on a very long leash. I like to practice recalls as it gives the dog run time over rough ground. It really strengthens the feet and legs and let's them twist and turn around obsticals. 

My Aussie gets just 1 cup of dog food per day and lunch time left overs of what ever we are having. At most another cup. She gets plenty of treats during the day training too. She is very solid at 58 pounds.


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## GypsyGhost

MOD WARNING:

No bickering. Warnings have been sent and if it continues suspensions will be handed out.


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## dogma13

....Time to stop sniping at each other....


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## voodoolamb

> Quoted post was deleted


I think you are failing to take geographical differences into consideration as well... I believe the two posters you quoted are both American... The GSDCA and AKC GSD standard actually do NOT have an official weight range. Just wither height and length proportions, actually the american stand even calls for a taller dog. AKC requires 22-24 inches for bitches, FCI is 55-60cm the conversion differences calls for American dogs to be 1/2 an inch taller.

https://gsdca.org/german-shepherd-dogs/education

Americans do tend to prefer their dogs towards the larger end of the breed spectrum. I can easily see the bitches in American breedings to average closer to 70lbs than 60 without being over weight and out of condition.


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## Castlemaid

I deleted a bunch of posts that was just bickering and chest beating.


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## thegooseman90

I'll be honest, I came here for the bickering, BUT those pics of boomer from 2016 were even better. What an excellent representation of a gsd IMO. That dog was in perfect shape


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## hoytn

Athena max weight was 101. She was solid when she weight that, vet was shocked she was not overweight. Now she is older and leaner.


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## Nurse Bishop

I go by the original standard. This is the “SV” standard originally set up by Max Von Stephanitz 
German Shepherds » SV Standard


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## IronhideKennels

My male is 97 lbs in working condition. He was not bred to be oversized, in fact, I wish he were smaller. I love a more medium size dog. But he has absolutely everything I love in a GSD otherwise, so his size is what it is  He is 3.5 years old currently.


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## thegooseman90

IronhideKennels said:


> My male is 97 lbs in working condition. He was not bred to be oversized, in fact, I wish he were smaller. I love a more medium size dog. But he has absolutely everything I love in a GSD otherwise, so his size is what it is
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He is 3.5 years old currently.


 this dog looks amazing. One of the few who's an actual 97 lean, ripped pounds. Well done!


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## InControlK9

My female is pretty large.. but highly doubt she is 100.. my guess would be 75


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## pashana

Male, 7months 71pounds.fattie.


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## thegooseman90

Gsds over 100 lbs..... close enough for me share too! Male, 4 lbs


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## VickyNero

Nero is currently 79lb at 18 months, but most think he is bigger but hes really lanky and its all fluff.

He has started growing a bit more so no idea what he might get to at the moment.


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## Katanya

My 9 year old female is 86 pounds. She's reasonably active, and healthy
My new puppy might be over 100 pounds or around there since her dad was 130. he's healthy and not overweight. I purposefully looked for a breeder that produced the body type I liked, and did testing on their breeder dogs hips and elbows.


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## Kyrielle

Last time we weighed Jack, he was 92 lbs at 18 months. He'll probably just hit 100 when he's full grown. He's on the lean side and I can see all of his ribs when he sniffs at something or stretches out, so he's in no way fat--I actually think he could use a tiny bit more weight. He also has the shoulders and hindquarters of an Olympic swimmer... Dog is ripped. Very active.

His sire clocked in at 135 lbs, and the dam at 95. I think he takes after the dam.


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## Dunkirk

My boy ended up oversized and just over 100lbs. He will be four years old in February. He is lean and well muscled. If I could change him, I'd have him on the low end of the german shepherd height and weight range. In an emergency, he is too big and heavy for me to carry him.


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## KaiserAus

thegooseman90 said:


> Gsds over 100 lbs..... close enough for me share too! Male, 4 lbs


Careful, your sarcasm is showing :grin2::grin2::grin2:


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## thegooseman90

KaiserAus said:


> Careful, your sarcasm is showing :grin2::grin2::grin2:


Whoops


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## Cj cliff

My GSD mix is 140lbs. 
Meet my







9 yr old Mr. Duke


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## BigOzzy2018

Any GSD over 85 lbs is oversized.


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## Bentwings1

qbchottu said:


> GSD is a medium-large sized breed. They are not a giant breed or mastiffs. Females should range 50-75lbs while males should range 65-88lbs. There are oversized anomalies that can pop up in normal litters, but I do not understand breeding for weight and size. Odd.


My schutzhund and patrol dog was 95/pounds working weight. No fat rock solid. From European breeding. We trained and exercise nearly every day. He loved working even if it was trotting along side the bike. All of the dogs in his liter became K9 dogs. The smallest became a bomb and area search dog. He could not be fooled. You could drop a 9mm brass case in the middle of nowhere and he would find it. Never bark or touch it just sit quietly and wait for handler to arrive. Very good tracker too. He was fhe first to be taught hard pavement tracking.he scored a bank robber who got in a car and drove away. The car was spotted and stopped the dog picked out the perp with no help. Again just sat and waited for the handler Watching the perp in the line up.


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## Bentwings1

Sunflowers said:


> :wild:
> 
> Ah, how I love this forum!


If you like big GSD CHECK OUT King shepherds or Shilo shepherds. These guys are really big. I’ve only seen one up close If I have to get a medical service dog I’ll try for one of these.


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## Sunflowers

Bentwings, I like my GSDs to be within the standard.


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## Chip Blasiole

My dog is 100% working lines out of West German, Czech, and Slovak lines and is back massed on some old, strong DDR lines and is 26” and 105 pounds. That was not my goal, but despite his size, it only contributes to his working ability. His entries are fast and strong with big grips and aggression


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## tim_s_adams

My previous dog, a female, weighed 90 lbs with no fat on her. I never measured her height, but she was ROCK SOLID in any situation! 

Out of standard in weight yes, but spot on in every other way! Good, solid dog!


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## Stuckey

Not me. But it may just be the bloodline your dog is from. Some GSD’s are bred bigger than others. As long as he’s not overweight it’s fine.


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## Buckelke

I agree about larger dogs being bred for size is a mistake. Jake was 35 lbs when we got him as a puppy from a shelter. (they said he came from CA). He grew to 140 lbs. but his legs were genetically from another dog and were not right for his size. When he reached full size his rear legs had to be re-aligned. He could no longer walk and was in a lot of pain. When he was 7 his heart gave out. Some breeder did not pay much attention to anything but size and my best friend suffered for it. In that he had floppy ears and a curly tail I tend to think there was a Great Pyrenees in their somewhere. (that's his little buddy with him in the pic). Some garbage about a King Shepherd.


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## Fodder

Buckelke said:


> I agree about larger dogs being bred for size is a mistake. Jake was 35 lbs when we got him as a puppy from a shelter. (they said he came from CA). He grew to 140 lbs. but his legs were genetically from another dog and were not right for his size. When he reached full size his rear legs had to be re-aligned. He could no longer walk and was in a lot of pain. When he was 7 his heart gave out. Some breeder did not pay much attention to anything but size and my best friend suffered for it. In that he had floppy ears and a curly tail I tend to think there was a Great Pyrenees in their somewhere. (that's his little buddy with him in the pic). Some garbage about a King Shepherd.


Are you acknowledging that Jake was severely overweight in this photo? Or is this him at the referenced “full size”?


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## CactusWren

Jupiter is 80 lbs at 16 months. Oddly, his brother Bear is 100 and his father is 120 (the breeder, who owns both dogs, has told me).


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## Buckelke

Fodder said:


> Are you acknowledging that Jake was severely overweight in this photo? Or is this him at the referenced “full size”?


He was a little overweight which the vet said would have been okay except he needed to lose some to aide in his recovery with legs held together with brackets and screws. He did lost some between cutting his food back and the surgery. He looks a lot bigger laying on the floor like that.


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## ShedHunter

Hey guys new to the site. Just wanted to say my boy Zeke is 2 years and weighed over 100, but now we have him down to 92. He's a Black and Tan and Best dog ever! You can tell him what you want or go look for mom or get your toys, or where's your babies and this dog will go to them. I've trained Zeke, to protect our home, so he will attack on command, but is friendly when he sees nobody as a threat. Zeke also is trained to shed hunt when the Deers horns fall off we go out in the woods and fields hiking all day looking for horns to sell or make crafts with them.
My female is 1 year and 3 months and weighs 105, she is a sable! We got Zeke at 10 weeks and started his training from day one. We got Stella at 4 mths old, she is smart but she tries to set the other dogs we rescued in place all the time. Zeke will will put up with it for a little bit until he's had enough, then he shows his dominance. We bought Zeke and Stella, from the same breeder. Zekes mom was solid black American Shepard and his dad was Black and Tan with German blood. 
Stella her mom was a sable and her dad was solid black. He was the biggest German Shepard I've ever came across. Both of our Shepards have papers, but I told my wife Stella's dad looks like a wolf. Anyway they just had their first and last set of puppies. We had 2 males. One looks like Zeke (which we sold) and the other looks like Stella, with more black and silver. We decided to keep him, and he is 4 weeks old and weighs 10.4 ounces. So we named him Diesel. The other pup that looks like his dad weighs 10.8ounces. He will be leaving us in 2 more weeks (gonna be sad for him to leave) but I think these pups will be over a hundred pounds. Just by how big they are now.


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## wolfy dog

Deja at 60 pounds is enough dog for me.


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## Chuck94!

Rollo is over 100lbs but he is dang tall & lanky!


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## Sabis mom

ShedHunter said:


> Hey guys new to the site. Just wanted to say my boy Zeke is 2 years and weighed over 100, but now we have him down to 92. He's a Black and Tan and Best dog ever! You can tell him what you want or go look for mom or get your toys, or where's your babies and this dog will go to them. I've trained Zeke, to protect our home, so he will attack on command, but is friendly when he sees nobody as a threat. Zeke also is trained to shed hunt when the Deers horns fall off we go out in the woods and fields hiking all day looking for horns to sell or make crafts with them.
> My female is 1 year and 3 months and weighs 105, she is a sable! We got Zeke at 10 weeks and started his training from day one. We got Stella at 4 mths old, she is smart but she tries to set the other dogs we rescued in place all the time. Zeke will will put up with it for a little bit until he's had enough, then he shows his dominance. We bought Zeke and Stella, from the same breeder. Zekes mom was solid black American Shepard and his dad was Black and Tan with German blood.
> Stella her mom was a sable and her dad was solid black. He was the biggest German Shepard I've ever came across. Both of our Shepards have papers, but I told my wife Stella's dad looks like a wolf. Anyway they just had their first and last set of puppies. We had 2 males. One looks like Zeke (which we sold) and the other looks like Stella, with more black and silver. We decided to keep him, and he is 4 weeks old and weighs 10.4 ounces. So we named him Diesel. The other pup that looks like his dad weighs 10.8ounces. He will be leaving us in 2 more weeks (gonna be sad for him to leave) but I think these pups will be over a hundred pounds. Just by how big they are now.


You are aware that German Shepherds are only supposed to be around 60-80lbs right? And 1 year old is very young to be having pups.
Anyway, welcome and we would love to see pics.


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## Korican10

2 1/2 yrs old Shadow weight 106 last week. Very active with his husky pals


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## Chuck94!

This is Rollo who is around 108-110lbs
rollo snow by charlie marquardt, on Flickr


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## Sabis mom

Rollo looking handsome as ever.
On occasion a big GSD comes along, Bud was mid 90's and kept very lean. I like to see a couple of ribs on my dogs. Neither of his parents were over size. In truth I have met a good many males that hit very near to the 100lb mark and were lean and fit. But nearly every time someone TELLS me their dog is over 100lbs, what it is is overweight. This whole thread kind of proves that.


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## Chuck94!

Sabis mom said:


> Rollo looking handsome as ever.
> On occasion a big GSD comes along, Bud was mid 90's and kept very lean. I like to see a couple of ribs on my dogs. Neither of his parents were over size. In truth I have met a good many males that hit very near to the 100lb mark and were lean and fit. But nearly every time someone TELLS me their dog is over 100lbs, what it is is overweight. This whole thread kind of proves that.


Thanks for the kind words. And I would generally agree with that!


----------



## Sabis mom

Chuck94! said:


> Thanks for the kind words. And I would generally agree with that!


Rollo is a good looking dog. I love his face and you clearly keep him fit and active. 
I had the biggest dog on our team with Sabs and having carried her every month to meet or fitness testing I can tell you I am NOT in the market for a dog much over standard. Lol. I will keep my 60lb "purse dog" thanks!


----------



## Chuck94!

Sabis mom said:


> Rollo is a good looking dog. I love his face and you clearly keep him fit and active.
> I had the biggest dog on our team with Sabs and having carried her every month to meet or fitness testing I can tell you I am NOT in the market for a dog much over standard. Lol. I will keep my 60lb "purse dog" thanks!


It definitely is a lot lol - 60lbs sounds like the perfect size!


----------



## Malakhi

NormanF said:


> My late girl was 77-85 lbs. 120 lbs is seriously overweight.
> 
> If you want a big dog, a Shiloh or King Shepherd is more for people who're looking for one.


----------



## Malakhi

I think it’s fine because a normal German shepherd is 75 to 85 or 90 pounds but a big German shepherd is at least 100 to 120 pounds and that not bad my dogs weigh about 120 and very lean and tall


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## Malakhi

dogfaeries said:


> Absolutely!
> People think Russell is at least 100 lbs (he's big, yes), but he only weighed 83 lbs last month when he went in for his neuter. I don't want a 100 lb dog!!!


----------



## Malakhi

I think a 100 pound dog for a male is good because u don’t want your dog very slim and small and they get big from there tallness and not fat


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## Malakhi

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Actually no, that's oversized. Up until Halo all of our females have been in the 72-78 pound range, but the German standard for a female is approximately 48-1/2 pounds to 70-1/2 pounds (converted from kgs). Halo is usually around 55, pounds, so she's our first that's within standard.



A standard female is between 50 to 70 pounds 78 isn’t oversized but 55 pounds is good unless she is a baby and not fully grown


----------



## Malakhi

milaneechan said:


> My vet guesses that Baymax will get over 100 pounds easily. At 5 months old, he was 67 pounds, so I can only imagine what he weighs now. I'll be taking him for his year checkup in a couple of weeks, so he will get weighed and everything. My guess is he is probably about 90 pounds now, and he still has growing and filling out to do.
> 
> Wasn't my plan to get a dog so big, but oh well. Life happens like that sometimes, haha.


----------



## Malakhi

Thank you because people think that there dog have to be on the right scale but your dog is healthy and a little oversized then normal it’s fine as long as your dog walk and run fine then ever thing is good


----------



## Malakhi

Bentwings1 said:


> My Sch dog was 96 pounds working weight. No fat. He could do the AD test with out the breaks any time. He was two inches over size height. Bred from import Sch dam and sire. The sire was 105 pounds working weight , dam was 90.
> He was on the training field nearly every day of his life. He was a great dog, very easy with the kids. In fact they were his " flock". When my ex wife yelled at them he would pace back and forth between them never growling or barking but very watch full. When I would come out to settle things he would look to me and look to the kids like " I need a little help here". Great dog.
> 
> I see many chubby GSD at classes, as well as other breeds. Most are so structurally so bad they can hardly walk let alone do any thing that takes much effort. Many will just lay down and sack out in the class down times. I guess I'm just a weird old man. All of my dogs have been physically fit right up to their end. We go on daily walks regardless of weather. Most days we get out in the fields on a very long leash. I like to practice recalls as it gives the dog run time over rough ground. It really strengthens the feet and legs and let's them twist and turn around obsticals.
> 
> My Aussie gets just 1 cup of dog food per day and lunch time left overs of what ever we are having. At most another cup. She gets plenty of treats during the day training too. She is very solid at 58 pounds.


I have a question is she a baby or just small not to be rude but do have pictures and not to be rude but isn’t that almost to like a underweight dog


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## Cassidy's Mom

Malakhi said:


> A standard female is between 50 to 70 pounds 78 isn’t oversized but 55 pounds is good unless she is a baby and not fully grown


Huh? If the standard specifies a certain weight range, a dog over that range is by definition, oversized.


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## Sabis mom

Malakhi said:


> I think it’s fine because a normal German shepherd is 75 to 85 or 90 pounds but a big German shepherd is at least 100 to 120 pounds and that not bad my dogs weigh about 120 and very lean and tall


Post pictures of your dogs, we like dogs. 
Yes some get big, but it is not the norm and should not be the goal.


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## dogfaeries

I groomed Russ the other day, and it almost killed me. OMG he’s gotten fat. I swear he’s close to 100 lbs. The kids changed his food and he’s been getting more calories in this new food. So, that big boy is now on a diet. I hope that the next time I see him he’s lost 10 lbs!


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## markhenley

qbchottu said:


> GSD is a medium-large sized breed. They are not a giant breed or mastiffs. Females should range 50-75lbs while males should range 65-88lbs. There are oversized anomalies that can pop up in normal litters, but I do not understand breeding for weight and size. Odd.


I have a 85lb girl GSD that looks like her lines are Eastern Germany. She is big boned, big headed, big teeth, nerves of steel and a HUGE kind and sweet heart, but she is BIG. Most of my GSDs have been about 70 lbs. 

I have an 11 month old girl that is from German working lines and she weights 55 lbs. Two things: Don't let her size fool you. She is the most intense dog that I have every been around -- she is extreme in everything she does. Second: She is a GREAT size for me. She's about 23" tall and is so much easier to get in and out of cars, etc. 

I am not a fan of really large GSDs because of the potential health issues. I spend money each month on Extend Joint Supplement ($40/Month) for my big girl to help counteract the inevitable problems I will have due to her size. If you have a 100 lb GSD you should start them on supplements as soon as you can, IMHO.


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## Muhanadshawa

Jd414 said:


> Just curious how many ppl have GSDs weighing over 100lbs....
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


I have a German Shepherd puppy got him weighed today and the vet told me he is 100 my little horse as I call him is not even 9 months old yet ,so I'm assuming he will reach atleast 110 or 115 when fully grown maybe more.


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## WNGD

I had 3 female GSD in a row that were 90 - over 100 lbs and lean. My current male 6 year old is smallish 25" at the withers and ~80 pounds. My other near 6 month old male is close to 70 pounds and will be oversized for sure. He was 62 pounds at 5 months, now eating 2 1/2 cups kibble 3X per day and looks emaciated, all ribs; his father was one of the largest GSD I have ever seen - full jar head and massive chest. 

Breed standard or not, I happen to like 90 -100 lb dogs that can still be lean, athletic and impressive.


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## MineAreWorkingline

markhenley said:


> I have a 85lb girl GSD that looks like her lines are Eastern Germany. She is big boned, big headed, big teeth, nerves of steel and a HUGE kind and sweet heart, but she is BIG. Most of my GSDs have been about 70 lbs.
> 
> I have an 11 month old girl that is from German working lines and she weights 55 lbs. Two things: Don't let her size fool you. She is the most intense dog that I have every been around -- she is extreme in everything she does. Second: She is a GREAT size for me. She's about 23" tall and is so much easier to get in and out of cars, etc.
> 
> I am not a fan of really large GSDs because of the potential health issues. *I spend money each month on Extend Joint Supplement ($40/Month) for my big girl to help counteract the inevitable problems I will have due to her size.* If you have a 100 lb GSD you should start them on supplements as soon as you can, IMHO.


Inevitable problems? Does your dog have a family history of joint problems, health condition, spayed or poor conformation?


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## Sabis mom

WNGD said:


> I had 3 female GSD in a row that were 90 - over 100 lbs and lean. My current male 6 year old is smallish 25" at the withers and ~80 pounds. My other near 6 month old male is close to 70 pounds and will be oversized for sure. He was 62 pounds at 5 months, now eating 2 1/2 cups kibble 3X per day and looks emaciated, all ribs; his father was one of the largest GSD I have ever seen - full jar head and massive chest.
> 
> Breed standard or not, I happen to like 90 -100 lb dogs that can still be lean, athletic and impressive.


You will not prefer them if you have to carry them!
The issue is that most often people who brag that their GSD is over 100 lbs have fat dogs. Large specimens do occur in litters from parents of standard size, but it should never be a goal of a breeder.


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## John23

Jd414 said:


> Just curious how many ppl have GSDs weighing over 100lbs....
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


My female German shepherds weigh 102 Lbs and 93 and a half pounds. Our vet said was muscle not fat and our dogs were some of the biggest they have ever seen for a female


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## WNGD

Sabis mom said:


> You will not prefer them if you have to carry them!
> The issue is that most often people who brag that their GSD is over 100 lbs have fat dogs. Large specimens do occur in litters from parents of standard size, but it should never be a goal of a breeder.


No doubt, but how often do you have to carry a German Shepherd?
I pick up my boy now and again just to mess with him because it gives him the zoomies but even my vet examines him on the floor or has a lift table if necessary and they jump in the back of the SUV easily until they are very old.

Like it or not, even very reputable breeders are breeding larger dogs these days since that's what people want. Breeding just for size at the expense of overall health obviously would be a problem but there are a ton of "oversized" to breed standard dogs that are terrific examples of the breed and healthy. I do agree that you see a lot of over weight GSD mainly from a lack of required exercise and over feeding of "treats" imo. Even more so in labs but that's a people problem not breeding for size.

btw, as far as I know, the AKC official breed standard doesn't even include a weight range standard.


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## Sabis mom

WNGD said:


> No doubt, but how often do you have to carry a German Shepherd?
> I pick up my boy now and again just to mess with him because it gives him the zoomies but even my vet examines him on the floor or has a lift table if necessary and they jump in the back of the SUV easily until they are very old.
> 
> Like it or not, even very reputable breeders are breeding larger dogs these days since that's what people want. Breeding just for size at the expense of overall health obviously would be a problem but there are a ton of "oversized" to breed standard dogs that are terrific examples of the breed and healthy. I do agree that you see a lot of over weight GSD mainly from a lack of required exercise and over feeding of "treats" imo. Even more so in labs but that's a people problem not breeding for size.
> 
> btw, as far as I know, the AKC official breed standard doesn't even include a weight range standard.


I had to be able to lift and carry my dog, 50 yards, once a month, every month if I was to continue working. All 82lbs of the big witch. Lol. Bud was somewhere around 96lbs. I also routinely needed to lift into or over things in the course of our patrols. If one is an avid back country hiker it is worth considering as well. Military handlers also must be able to lift and carry their dogs. LE lift their dogs and there may be a need to carry them, I don't know if it is a qualification or not. 
This is a working breed. And a breed that was intended as a partner for a human. 
Bud was a lovely example of the breed, biased here lol, moderately over but not extreme from standard parents. I kept him on the thinner side on purpose since he was injured as a pup and there was concern there.


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## Memememe

codmaster said:


> not me! Too big!
> 
> my 5yo male is about 26 1/2" and about 85 lbs.
> 
> Good size for a GSD.
> 
> 100+ is too big in my opinion (and according to the standard as well)


100 pounds is not to big. My gsd was breed to big big and is now all muscle and 120 lbs


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## SuperG

Memememe said:


> 100 pounds is not to big. My gsd was breed to big big and is now all muscle and 120 lbs


So is mine.


SuperG


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## Cadfael

This is Molly. She was a big boned girl, and carried her weight well. She averaged 135 lbs. During the later stage of life, I had to rig a ramp to get her into the Jeep. She was worth it. Fantastic GSD.


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## WNGD

We just got a scale recently, haven't had one for a few years.

Rogan is 7 months and weighs 82-85 pounds (scale jumps around a little because I'm carrying him, scale is accurate to my doctors) and 27.5" at the withers. He's about the same weight as my 6 yo GSD (80 pounds) but markedly taller. At 5 months old, he was 58 pounds iirc.

When he fills out, he'll be a big boy, his paws are not just large but tall heavy pads. I admit to being biased towards larger GSD (80+ pounds) but health is paramount. Rogan will likely tip the scales at ~90-100, his father was the largest GSD I have ever personally seen. I have had 3 females that were 90+ and all beautiful healthy lean dogs


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## WNGD

Note this is a huge 42" round dog bed and he overflows it at 7 months and 82 pounds. Very tall, very long dog already


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## WNGD

This is my pups father. One of the largest GSD I have ever personally seen (not pictures).
I never asked what he weighed but he had to be 120-130, not fat at all.


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## Nigel

Sabis mom said:


> I had to be able to lift and carry my dog, 50 yards, once a month, every month if I was to continue working. All 82lbs of the big witch. Lol. Bud was somewhere around 96lbs. I also routinely needed to lift into or over things in the course of our patrols. *If one is an avid back country hiker it is worth considering as well*. Military handlers also must be able to lift and carry their dogs. LE lift their dogs and there may be a need to carry them, I don't know if it is a qualification or not.
> This is a working breed. And a breed that was intended as a partner for a human.
> Bud was a lovely example of the breed, biased here lol, moderately over but not extreme from standard parents. I kept him on the thinner side on purpose since he was injured as a pup and there was concern there.


Yup! currently on the search for a smaller female for this reason.


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## angiedollar

I was just looking for a good watch dog/family dog for inside with us. I figured it would be in the standard weight range. I wasn’t looking for something larger than normal. I’ve had great GS before. So, I’m very attracted to the breed.

The sweetest/family orientated/best GS I found is a rescued female that is 103 lb, 26 inches. She looks full blood GS. She’s 6. The vet said if I hadn’t walked in with records dating back to when she was four months old, her hips, eyes, and everything else would cause him to think she was only 3. He said didn’t detect any triggers to pay attention to: aggression, guarding, shyness, etc.


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## SloansMom14

Jd414 said:


> Just curious how many ppl have GSDs weighing over 100lbs....
> 
> My white GSD is 114lbs but he is such a mommas boy. I rescued him when he was 75lbs and I don’t know how old he was but he definitely got bigger.
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## SloansMom14




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## WNGD

Good looking boy!


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## WNGD

Waiting for someone to tell me my 9 month old 100 pound boy is over weight. Considering so many people on this thread said "98% of them are obese" .... I'm waiting .... I guess I have the 2% and have had previously too ..... 

Ideally,I admit that I'd like slightly taller, 90 pound males, just over breed standard. As long as they can do some agility type work and multi hour hikes and chase rabbits and squirrels all day, I'm good.

Here's all legs and all ribs fat boy


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## Fodder

Gia made it to 102lbs before. Here’s a photo from around that time. She was 27”. Far from obese but larger than i would have liked....85 was nice and where she was most of her life.


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## Shadow Shep

WNGD said:


> Waiting for someone to tell me my 9 month old 100 pound boy is over weight. Considering so many people on this thread said "98% of them are obese" .... I'm waiting .... I guess I have the 2% and have had previously too .....
> 
> Ideally,I admit that I'd like slightly taller, 90 pound males, just over breed standard. As long as they can do some agility type work and multi hour hikes and chase rabbits and squirrels all day, I'm good.
> 
> Here's all legs and all ribs fat boy
> View attachment 562783
> 
> 
> View attachment 562784


Where did you get your boy from?


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## WNGD

Shadow Shep said:


> Where did you get your boy from?


Breeder a few hours from me, working farm. His sire was bigger than I'd like so I hope he fills out without putting a ton more weight on.


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## CEMC

I think I lucked into this thread at precisely the right moment. I just arrived from weighing my nearly 6.75 month old male pup and he tipped the scales at 73 lbs. I was not expecting that much weight since he is bred from working lines and he is not overweight at all. His mother is on the small side and his sire is not a particularly large dog (estimate at 80 lbs). I wanted a GSD that fit the working line breed characteristics and now I am a bit concerned that he may exceed working line size guidelines. 
Will his height along with his weight at this stage provide a fairly reliable estimate of his ultimate size?


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## WNGD

Just like people, dogs stop and start at all different levels and proceed at different stop and start rates of growth. Parents are a reasonably good estimation of average offspring but I have seen 100 pound pups come from an 80 pound sire /w a 60 pound dam.

Put up a pic or two from your pup, he sounds fabulous. My pup was over 80 pounds at 7 months, now over 100 at 10 months (yesterday) and still very lean. I'm hoping he stops around here and just fills out a little.


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## Chip Blasiole

CEMC,
Be more concerned that your dog meets the "working line breed characteristics" in terms of drives and temperament and if he does, size is a non issue.


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## CEMC

Picture of "Bruno" at almost 7 months of age. He weighed 74 lbs with his collar and leash this week so I say he's 73 lbs w/o the hardware. Not a great picture but I think his overall condition as far as weight goes can be evaluated. Like I said we do not have a scale we can accurately weigh him with so I went to Petland and they were kind enough to let me weigh him there. I was convinced he was in the mid to high 60's but never imagined he was over 70 lbs. Based on growth charts he should be somewhere in the 85 to 90 lb range when fully grown. I'm OK with that and to be honest it didn't matter if he was too big or too small we love him just the same but we obviously prefer that he fall within the standard. .


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## CactusWren

Jupiter was weighed at 84 pounds at 8 months and generally was always on pace to be 90 at a year. His brother Bear was 100 pounds at the same time, and his Dad was 120.

At about 20 months, Jupiter had shrunk to 79 pounds. How does that happen!? He's probably a little over 80 now at 23 months, that I've upped his rations. It looks like he'll end up the runt!


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## WNGD

He's certainly not over weight from what I can see there, I'd like to see pics of his father at 120 though @CactusWren


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## Banksymarxx

I have an all white German Shepard and he is every bit of 125 pounds . He’s a big boy


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## CactusWren

WNGD said:


> He's certainly not over weight from what I can see there, I'd like to see pics of his father at 120 though @CactusWren


I happen to have a picture of his parents. It looks to be at least several years old--when I met his dad, he had some stray white hairs. Doesn't really look 120 in the pic. Definitely has the same goofy face, though.


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## Kyle_Lee

My neighbors dog that I train is 110lbs! He is a little chunky and _could _stand to lose about 5lbs. His name Is Bentley! He is the sweetest, old guy out there!


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## Roscoe618

My last imported WL gsd male was 109 lbs the week he passed away at 12 years old. He was lean and mean, and until the day before he passed he was out running with my on my mountain bike. Every day since he was 8 months old, he was either staying with me on my dirtbike or my mountain bike...8-12 miles (no rest) when on mountain bike and up to 30 miles when on dirtbike with rest stops. He never saw a leash since 3 years old and he went everywhere with me. He was full protection trained. Even with all that running, he never had hip or any other bone issues. He did fracture his left front foot on one of our outings at a young age but recovered and was running with me again in a few weeks. 
He was an athlete in every sense of the word, and that extra 15 lbs of weight above the "breed standard" meant nothing for him. If anything, all that muscle from his fitness kept his body intact and 100% functional until the day before he passed (a ruptured tumor he had that we were not aware he even had). 
My current WL male is 12 months today and weighs around 88 lbs and is an athlete already...hikes 4-5 miles daily (I built his stamina up starting at 9 weeks and by 30 weeks he was walking 5 miles a day. I do not let him run yet, but in another 12 months he will be running and staying with me on my dirtbike.
I can't stand it when people think big gsd's are overweight.
I am an athlete by profession and I expect my gsd to be one as well!


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## Deedeej45

Jd414 said:


> Just curious how many ppl have GSDs weighing over 100lbs....
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Omg I do my Karma is only 2yrs an she is over 100lbs vet said at 6months she had never seen such a big female. She weight 87lbs at 6.mths. but the hair omg an the neediness is so bad . An the last few weeks . She has stopped listening to commands. Not sure why .😛


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## Clipper

My male is 101 lbs. I'm working to get him down to 95 lbs. He is a tall gsd.


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## dogma13

Samson is 105 lbs according to the vet's scale last week. I thought he would be closer to 90 + since he looks on the edge of being too lean to me right now.I can see a hint of hip bone and was thinking another few lbs wouldn't hurt. He's heavy boned and 28.5 "


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## WNGD

I see from my own comments 10 months ago that I guessed Rogan would end up 90-100 pounds. 

Now at 18 months, he's about 105 pounds and still very much on the lean side which I'm fine with. He keeps up with my other 80 pound male easily and terrorizes the squirrels, rabbits and coyotes around here. I don't know if he's quick but I can assure you he's fast and jumps all the trees and boulders and obstacles I set up for them just fine. This is a 3 foot vertical that he covers 8 feet horizontal for fun. There's 3 in a row here and them a walk along the length of a 40 foot balance beam log after our daily afternoon hour hike in the ravine.

Energy to burn, he can go hours per day and we do. Show me the fat


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## Deedeej45

Jd414 said:


> Just curious how many ppl have GSDs weighing over 100lbs....
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App





Deedeej45 said:


> Omg I do my Karma is only 2yrs an she is over 100lbs vet said at 6months she had never seen such a big female. She weight 87lbs at 6.mths. but the hair omg an the neediness is so bad . An the last few weeks . She has stopped listening to commands. Not sure why .😛










karma at age 7 months an was already at 90lbs she is huge but weight is good vet said she is 2 now


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## Deedeej45

This is Karma . Her mom,dad and brother ,sisters in group pic .


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## Jimmyboy51

Jd414 said:


> Just curious how many ppl have GSDs weighing over 100lbs....
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


My pup jack @6 months 101lbs had him at the vet this morning.


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## Roscoe618

Jimmyboy51 said:


> My pup jack @6 months 101lbs had him at the vet this morning.


Wow..that is a big pup. How is his agility/movement with all that weight and the lack of muscles?


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## dogma13

Jimmyboy51 said:


> My pup jack @6 months 101lbs had him at the vet this morning.


Show us some photos of your big boy


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## Jimmyboy51

dogma13 said:


> Show us some photos of your big boy


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## Jimmyboy51

Jimmyboy51 said:


> View attachment 578319
> View attachment 578319


The last pic was 1week ago


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## Jimmyboy51

dogma13 said:


> Show us some photos of your big boy


Photos are up


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## dogma13

Handsome! He doesn't look like he weighs 101.Sure you didn't have your foot on the scale? 🤣 Then again I was quite surprised to find out Samson is105 when he was weighed last spring. I was sure he was closer to 90.🤷‍♀️


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## WNGD

I second that he doesn't look 101 pounds although he looks a little heavy in the 2nd pic; keep him lean for at least the first 18 months. That's a VERY big pup for that age.


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## CEMC

Update on Bruno. He weighed a little over 70lbs at 7 months but he leveled off. He's now 18 months and I haven't weighed him since but my guess is that he's about 85 lbs.


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## SalteeChick

codmaster said:


> not me! Too big!
> 
> my 5yo male is about 26 1/2" and about 85 lbs.
> 
> Good size for a GSD.
> 
> 100+ is too big in my opinion (and according to the standard as well)


What standard? American standard? Not considered the standard for anyone but Americans. My boy is 11-years old, is European, and in excellent health. Even his hips are great, but those hips are the American standard, eh?


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## Head Tilt for 2

Our first GSD - male was 118 pounds. Healthy. He was just a big boy. Brings back memories of him being scared every 4th of July and he would literally jump up on my lap - my husband would have to get him off me 🥰


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## johnathonvogel

I thought for sure mine would be over 100lbs, his dad was 110. But, he took more after his mom and is just 77lbs!


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## Wunderwhy6

More often then not, the dog is either: inaccurately weighed or overweight


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## Sabis mom

SalteeChick said:


> What standard? American standard? Not considered the standard for anyone but Americans. My boy is 11-years old, is European, and in excellent health. Even his hips are great, but those hips are the American standard, eh?


From the FCI breed standard -*Dogs are 60-65 cm (23.6 to 25.6 inches) and 30-40 kg (66-88 lbs.); bitches 55-60 cm (21.6 to 23.6 inches) and 22-32 kg (481/2 to 701/2 lbs.).

From the AKC breed standard- The desired height for males at the top of the highest point of the shoulder blade is 24 to 26 inches; and for bitches, 22 to 24 inches. The German Shepherd Dog is longer than tall, with the most desirable proportion as 10 to 8½. The length is measured from the point of the prosternum or breastbone to the rear edge of the pelvis, the ischial tuberosity. The desirable long proportion is not derived from a long back, but from overall length with relation to height, which is achieved by length of forequarter and length of withers and hindquarter, viewed from the side 
Note there is no weight, however as a working, athletic breed it should be of appropriate weight for the size. 

From the CKC breed standard-The ideal height for dogs is 25 inches (64 cm), and for bitches, 23 inches (58 cm) at the shoulder. This height is established by taking a perpendicular line from the top of the shoulder blade to the ground with the coat parted or so pushed down that this measurement will show the only actual height of the frame or structure of the dog. The working value of dogs above or below the indicated height is proportionately lessened, although variations of an inch (3 cm) above or below the ideal height are acceptable, while greater variations must be considered as faults. Weights of dogs of desirable size in proper flesh and condition average between 75 and 85 lb. (34 and 39 kg); and of bitches, between 60 and 70 lb. (27 and 32 kg). 
Note the weights are not fixed but an average for a dog of the correct size in condition.

So the only standard that actually states a weight range is the German standard. So much for your theory.


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## kakowaljr

Mine just weighed in at the vet appointment at 103lbs. He's for sure a big boy and even the vet is amazed especially that he's not overweight and it's pure muscle.


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## CEMC

I do not doubt that GSD's can reach weights of well over 100 lbs even when in mean, lean condition. However my personal preference is for a smaller dog that falls within the original size and weight standards for several reasons. 

Bigger dogs often have shorter lives. I don't know why but there are many breeds that often reach and surpass the 100 lb mark but they seem to age faster and there is a correlation between size of dogs and longevity. I would never intentionally seek ownership of a Great Dane because by the time they reach 7 or 8 years they are finished. 

but aside from the issue of longevity German Shepherds are known for their performance in police, military and protection. I do not believe that the role of a protection dog is to confront people without a handler. 

I have a friend that believes that a protection dog needs to weigh at least 120 lbs to be effective in bringing a man down. He breeds Rotties that reach that size and no doubt they can do that in certain circumstances. However bad men are armed with technology that can win a fight with any dog regardless of the size. The protection, police an military dog is best suited as a partner in a team with a good handler. A dog all by himself is at great disadvantage when in direct conflict with a man. In the dog + man team the dog brings superior speed and agility so it can overtake and stop the suspect long enough for the handler to catch up and take over the situation. Therefore in my opinion it is better to breed a dog that can that can outrun and aggressively grab (ie stop) a man long enough for the handler to reach the situation and take over not a dog that will try to overpower indefinitely without backup. This situation can end badly for the dog and get seriously hurt or killed. 

As technology advances and people develop increasingly more effective weapons the trend today is to breed protection dogs that are incredibly fast. agile and athletic. This why the Belgian Malinois, medium sized German Shepherds and smaller members of breeds like Rottweilers are preferred over the bigger, heavier specimens. 

I have nothing at all against big German Shepherds, I think they are beautiful, majestic and impressive. However I I want the German Shepherd is to stay at the top of the list of service dog breeds and in order to do that it needs to remain within the size and weight limits dictated by the original standard.


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## Nigel

55lb at sixteen months …… all muscle.


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## Jwp475

Mine at 6 1/2 months weighed 78.4 pounds


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## WYBNow

125


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## Wunderwhy6

WYBNow said:


> 125


125 lbs? Do you have a photo?


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