# Niko is a MONSTER!!! (pic heavy)



## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

He's turning two years old and got weighed today. He's a whopping 95 pounds!!! 28 inches at the whithers.

I'm obviously fishing for compliments here, but can anyone also tell me if they think he's gotten too heavy? I still feel his ribs just fine.










He gets plenty of exercise, at minimum a six mile run five days a week, plus more if my husband takes him for a run too. Lots of stick chasing a wrestling with Rosa.

He looks like he's sticking his tongue out at me. 










Whooops! How did that one get in here?  He's gonna kill me when he sees this online.










I won't even attempt to stack him. But here he is standing for me.










Surveying his domain...










This one is for the Rosa fans... "Can I please go in and play with my brother now???"










Niko is excited to play with his little big sister. :wub:










Rosa is not phased by the size difference!










For anyone who cares, here is Niko's pedigree.

His sire: Woodside Jubilate Eye of the Tyger TC CGC OFA H/E Cardiac Certified CERF (Major ptd)
"Tyger"










Niko's dam: CH Darby-Dan's Queen of Hearts CGC OFA
"Darby"










Thanks for checking out my boy. His birthday party is on Sunday, but he turns two on Monday. 

I would enjoy hearing what you guys think of him, positive and negatives both. I would ask for a critique but obviously I haven't stacked him properly. I am aware he's over standard.


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## idahospud49 (Jan 28, 2011)

He's beautiful!


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Add me to the list, I think he is very handsome. He also has a beautiful sister to keep him in line.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

I also think he is beautiful, I do not think he looks heavy, he looks fit! I love the last picture by the way


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

I think he's beautiful and his weight looks just fine


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

He is gorgeous. Looks very muscular to me.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

It's hard to tell if he could lose a few pounds; he's so FLUFFY!
I love him, he's gorgeous. 
When you look at him from the top down though can you see a waist? 
In the cute pic where he is sticking his tongue out at you (and the only with a pretty good top down view) he looks a little bulky, but I'm used to females. 
My MIL's shepherd is 80 lb. and has no waist like mine, nor does she have the curve in the underbelly, so I think she's heavy.


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## Scleropages (Jan 24, 2011)

Weight looks fine to me. Good lookin' guy.


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

Beautiful dark, black mask...good pigmentation...very noble, masculine head...his weight seems okay. Great looking boy!

Happy Birthday Niko!!!!!


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## christo0pher (Jun 14, 2011)

beautiful dog.


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## Silvermoon (Apr 2, 2011)

Very Handsome!!


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

He beautiful. He sounds very fit . I love your other pup,Rosa.


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## LukesMom (Jun 12, 2009)

Niko is gorgeous. I love the one where he is taking a wizz, he would be embarassed if he knew.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Tbarrios333 said:


> It's hard to tell if he could lose a few pounds; he's so FLUFFY!
> I love him, he's gorgeous.
> When you look at him from the top down though can you see a waist?
> In the cute pic where he is sticking his tongue out at you (and the only with a pretty good top down view) he looks a little bulky, but I'm used to females.
> My MIL's shepherd is 80 lb. and has no waist like mine, nor does she have the curve in the underbelly, so I think she's heavy.












:blush: Yeah, you can't see much of a waist. Maybe his ideal weight is more closer to 90 lbs. I swear he was 80 lbs for the last year and then in the past five or so months he must have had a growth spurt. My husband almost got a hernia lifting him up so he could step on our scale!:laugh:


And THANK YOU sooooo much for all the nice compliments! I'll be sure to tell Niko (and Rosa) everything you guys said.


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## Chowgal (Dec 21, 2009)

He and Rosa are gorgeous!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I think his weight looks fine. He is starting to fill out now and is looking good. He has a real nice pedigree. I recognise the German dog's sire or dam, and I recognize the kennels names for the American bred dogs. 

I love the one where Rosa is giving him the business -- don't mess wid da bitch! LOL! 

There is just a special place in my heart for Rosa.


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## aldrichg9 (May 18, 2011)

He reminds me very much of Bear who we lost last year.
His fluffy hair made him look overweight compared to short haired GSDs but he was also filled out just right at 95 pounds.

People used to make comments about how he must eat well but they didn't know that it was just the hair making him look fat.

You have an amazing looking friend there I wouldn't change a thing.


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## Vrettasta (Nov 23, 2010)

Beautiful GSD, he's a big boy! I am glad to see that mine isn't the only one that still pees like a girl


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

he's handsome and his weight seems perfect with his condition in the pictures. he's just a muscular guy!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Niko and Rosa!!!!

Happy birthday Niko (or soon to be happy birthday!)! I can NOT believe that he is already 2?!?!?!?!?!

And Miss Rosa, giving her "little" brother some attitude... LOVE it!

I think his weight looks good too, he is starting to fill out a bit, I would just monitor him. Stark was looking a little heavy for a few weeks but is now looking (and feeling) too thin. Gotta adjust the weights again.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

:wub: Niko!! Love that handsome boy! (Love Rosa too!)

Looks like he has a good tuck in the waist. 

By no means do I think he is overweight. Since he is so heavy(size and muscle) and active if I were you I would keep him as lean as possible. Maybe even 1-2 ribs showing (depending on how fluffy he really is). That may mean dropping 1-2lbs or staying where he's at.


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## schatzi14 (Sep 29, 2005)

He looks alot like my Nikko did. Beautiful boy.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

When I first glanced at Niko's pedigree.....I said to myself...."WOW...he doesn't resemble most American bloodlines, he looks like he's more West German..??!"......then I looked a little closer to his pedigree......."He does have West German bloodlines mixed within the pedigree."......ok...I feel better.....I'm not going crazy.
He is very, very handsome! Happy Birthday Niko!
BTW...Rosa has stolen my heart....


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## RazinKain (Sep 13, 2010)

30 miles of running per week? Am I reading that right? 

Great looking dog btw.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

Good_Karma said:


> :blush: Yeah, you can't see much of a waist. Maybe his ideal weight is more closer to 90 lbs. I swear he was 80 lbs for the last year and then in the past five or so months he must have had a growth spurt. My husband almost got a hernia lifting him up so he could step on our scale!:laugh:


I think he looks good, but like Brandi said he's such a big guy that it would help if he was kept lean.
My MIL's dog is nowhere near that. Her waist bulges out a bit; he is definitely leaner than she is.


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

:wub: Niko! He is a big fine strapping lad!!!! 

Rosa also has my heart too, there is something so special about the little muppet :wub:


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

robinhuerta said:


> When I first glanced at Niko's pedigree.....I said to myself...."WOW...he doesn't resemble most American bloodlines, he looks like he's more West German..??!"......then I looked a little closer to his pedigree......."He does have West German bloodlines mixed within the pedigree."......ok...I feel better.....I'm not going crazy.
> He is very, very handsome! Happy Birthday Niko!
> BTW...Rosa has stolen my heart....


Thanks for checking out his pedigree. It doesn't mean much to me other than I see some SCH titles on there.  Someone else had said the same thing, that she thought she saw West German in his looks. So, no you are not crazy! And don't feel bad, Rosa steals everyone's heart. :wub:




RazinKain said:


> 30 miles of running per week? Am I reading that right?
> 
> Great looking dog btw.



Yeah, 30 miles per week running with me, and then more if my husband runs with him too, but he's just getting back into running so he's not going very far or very fast yet. Maybe another 4 to 6 miles per week on top of the 30.

Thanks for all the compliments, and I will make sure we keep an eye on his weight. It sounds like he's at his ideal weight, any bigger would be too much. 

Time to get ready for his party tomorrow. I'm baking him a bacon chicken layer cake, and then he's getting a bath so he smells nice and feels super soft for all the guests to love on him. :wub:


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Beautiful dog. I'm jealous.


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## RazinKain (Sep 13, 2010)

Good_Karma said:


> Thanks for checking out his pedigree. It doesn't mean much to me other than I see some SCH titles on there.  Someone else had said the same thing, that she thought she saw West German in his looks. So, no you are not crazy! And don't feel bad, Rosa steals everyone's heart. :wub:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow! Post the recipe. That sounds like something I would enjoy also.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

RazinKain said:


> Wow! Post the recipe. That sounds like something I would enjoy also.


Bacon Chicken Layer Cake
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, soft
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup oil
2 jars chicken baby food (check ingredients list to make sure there is no onion powder)
2 cups shredded carrot
1 package of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled 
8 oz of cooked, cubed chicken breast

Grease and flour two 8" round pans. Combine flour and baking powder. Beat butter smooth, add eggs, oil, baby food, chicken and carrots. Add flour mixture. Pour into pans and bake at 325 for 60 minutes. Cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, room temp.
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all and beat until smooth.

Assemble like this:









Frost the first layer, add the bacon crumbles...










Ta-da!!!!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Oh man, I want to try that!!!

Is that for the whole family???

Or just the k-9 birthday guests?


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

He's beautiful!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I think he is stunning! Doesn't look overweight to me, he's proportioned good

Love the pics of him and Rosa, they look like they love each other

Happy Birthday gorgeous boy!


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

selzer said:


> Oh man, I want to try that!!!
> 
> Is that for the whole family???
> 
> Or just the k-9 birthday guests?


Hahahaha!!!! You know, I had planned on it just being for Niko and Rosa (they will eat a little bit of the cake every night for about a week until it's gone), but Don has been eyeing it a bit too closely every time he goes into the fridge, and now my mother in law saw it on Facebook and she said she has been having bacon cravings, AND at Rosa's birthday party my dad was snacking on her mesquite chicken treats so who the heck knows?? I guess if Niko feels like sharing he will. I heard a rumor that one of his grandmas is bringing him a brand new Jolly Ball, so he may be in an extra good mood. 


Thanks for the compliments and birthday wishes!!! Niko is quite excited for his birthday party.


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## SeriousConfusion (Aug 2, 2006)

I'll tell you what you don't want to hear, he is overweight. He does not have an hour glass shape from above. You cannot see his last two ribs. He is overweight. He's not obese, but he needs to lose a few lbs.
Just my opinion. I like my dog fit and trim.


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## RazinKain (Sep 13, 2010)

SeriousConfusion said:


> I'll tell you what you don't want to hear, he is overweight. He does not have an hour glass shape from above. You cannot see his last two ribs. He is overweight. He's not obese, but he needs to lose a few lbs.
> Just my opinion. I like my dog fit and trim.


I think it's just his natural build (big boned). No way can a dog run a minimum of 30 miles a week and be overweight, I don't see how.


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## Duce (Feb 25, 2011)

beautiful!!!


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## krisk (Oct 11, 2010)

He looks lovely to me. And congrats on his Daddy just finishing his Am.Championship today.

krisk


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

SeriousConfusion said:


> I'll tell you what you don't want to hear, he is overweight. He does not have an hour glass shape from above. You cannot see his last two ribs. He is overweight. He's not obese, but he needs to lose a few lbs.
> Just my opinion. I like my dog fit and trim.


Thanks for your opinion, I don't mind hearing it.  Of course the only way to really tell is to see the dog in person, and I'm the only one here who can do that.  Niko is big boned. BUT, I think he might be a pound or two heavy as well. And after he eats that cake, we may need to roll him for his daily run.  He's due for a wellness check at the vet in another couple of months. So we'll get the vet's opinion too. 

When the summer winds down and cools off we will be rocking the trails even more since we can pick up our running pace. Niko will be a lean, mean running machine.


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## aldrichg9 (May 18, 2011)

Would you be able to send a picture of him wet?
Seems that if you flatten down all that hair he WOULD have that hourglass shape.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ya know, I ALWAYS ask the vet, what they think of their weight. I try to keep them trim/ideal weight, but occasionally some are a little thin in my opinion, and some a little thick. They ALWAYS say they look good where they are. Well, I had a lot of trouble with Whitney, getting weight on her. Before she died, a week before she had her last set of vaccinations, they said that she could use 1 or 2 more pounds, no more. 

I had Babsy in last Monday. I thought she was FAT, my little 58 pound stick of dynamite is tipping the scale at 70. The vet says she is good where she is at. She will be six in August. 58 was back at 2 or under. 58 was thin. He said she looked awesome. I think she would look better at 67. 

I do hope that my vets are not just sensitive to that question because people will find new vets if they say what they do not want to hear. If I bring a little coffee table into the vet, I want them to say, she needs to lose 15 - 20 pounds.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

What a handsome boy!
And Rosa is adorable!


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Just an update, Niko was at the vet this week for his two year x-rays (they were fine) and he weighed in at 84 lbs, so either our rationing out the treats has made a big difference, or our scale at home isn't very accurate! Anyway, the vet said he looked fantastic and she could not be happier with his weight and musculature. So, yay!


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## steve350 (Apr 4, 2004)

Niko is simply a great big honker! My Oafums (passed) was a big honker too. He was just a big dog, with big structure, nothing fat about him at all. Everybody asked if he was a wolf. He was all black, very tall, athletic looking, but HUGE. He weighed in at an impressive 121lbs! He was magnificent! Teeth the size of a werewolf. He was a gentle giant and could read my mind. My currents fur kids, Big Moo (locally famous) and Sid (the village idiot) are big gsd's but small compared to the Great One. Your Niko looks just perfect. Bet he makes a **** of a lap dog!


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## HeyJude (Feb 2, 2011)

He is beautiful (handsome)! Oh, and HUGE compared to Harley.


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## CassieGSD (Oct 15, 2011)

He's a beautiful dog. He's big, but in proportion and balanced.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Good_Karma said:


> Just an update, Niko was at the vet this week for his two year x-rays (they were fine) and he weighed in at 84 lbs, so either our rationing out the treats has made a big difference, or our scale at home isn't very accurate! Anyway, the vet said he looked fantastic and she could not be happier with his weight and musculature. So, yay!


Well, 8 miles a day will surely keep him trim. My hat is off to the fact that he can manage that without breaking down. He is a great looking dog! A great representative of the breed.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

He looks good, I do not think he is overweight. With all the running he may be a bit more muscular, and muscles weigh more than fat. 

Love Rosa!


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Niko, slim and trim!


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

Hi Leah, Niko looks great! at 30 miles a week there is no way he could be overweight!!! im sure all 95 pounds is lean muscle 

Cody is 26 months and 100 pounds. they have very similar builds i think..


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Hey Josh, thanks!! Niko is actually only 85 lbs. We changed his diet a bit and he lost some extra weight. I like to play "air guitar" on his ribs since I can feel them again. 

I think I need to see some update Cody pics. Hint hint.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Niko looks great!


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

Good_Karma said:


> Hey Josh, thanks!! Niko is actually only 85 lbs. We changed his diet a bit and he lost some extra weight. I like to play "air guitar" on his ribs since I can feel them again.
> 
> I think I need to see some update Cody pics. Hint hint.


oh wow! what was the diet change?

I know.. i need to get some new Cody pics up. been wedding planning and that's taking up so much time.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

Niko looks fantastic!! That is exactly how Koda looks on your bird's eye pic. I will try and take pics tomorrow - got training tonight  

What a handsome dog.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

I love Niko and Rosa. :wub:

And we have some mutual dogs in our pups pedigree, on Niko's dam side.
Several dogs in common with both Gunner's dam and sire. 
They're related.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Nikko's looking good. You can definitely notice the weight loss. He's definitely not fat (or ugly!).


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

chicagojosh said:


> oh wow! what was the diet change?
> 
> I know.. i need to get some new Cody pics up. been wedding planning and that's taking up so much time.


We cut back on his kibble by about half a cup, gave fewer treats and stuffed Kongs less often, and I added 2 eggs per day to his cooked chicken dinner. We have chickens and get about ten eggs a day so I feed some of the extras to the pups. They seem to really enjoy that. 



Thanks everyone! I kinda like how he looks too.  He's the love of my life. Don't tell my husband I said that.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

GSDGunner said:


> I love Niko and Rosa. :wub:
> 
> And we have some mutual dogs in our pups pedigree, on Niko's dam side.
> Several dogs in common with both Gunner's dam and sire.
> They're related.


No WAY!!! That is very cool.


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## doggybyts89 (Mar 22, 2008)

What a handsome boy! His sister is very pretty too


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## evybear15 (Mar 28, 2011)

Oh, he is such a handsome boy!! Love him.  He looks absolutely fantastic! And Rosa's a cutie, too. :wub:


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