# How Big is Big?



## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

My dog is 4 months old as of today and everybody keeps saying my little girl will be big. I ask how do you know and they keep referring to the size of her feet. Ok, how can you tell by the size of the feet? I never have seen a GS with small feet. lol. To me, she looks in proportion.

Her weight on Monday was 38 pounds. She gained 10 pounds since Thanksgiving. Is this too much too fast?


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## doreenf (Nov 7, 2007)

Well I can only say that Izzy was 12 pounds when we got her(rescued from a puppy mill) and 4.5 months old. I would not be too concerned with your puppy she sounds right on track. Izzy was malnourished so her growth has been altered. But she is gaining weight, she is 28 pounds and 5 months old. Its been a struggle but she if finally coming around.


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## GSDextrodinaire (Dec 15, 2002)

It is not the size of the feet that are important it is the size of the growth plates above the feet that give you an idea of how big the pup will be, and even that isn't 100%. I have a LARGE female who has the tiniest petite tight feet I have ever seen on a GSD. Then I have a medium female with large tight feet. However, the majority of dogs you can predict to some degree the size of the dog by the growth plates.


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2007)

Frigga weighs 64 llbs and Odin weighs 125 llbs. Their feet are exactly the same size and they wear the same size dog boots from Ruff Wear. Makes things easier not having to worry who's boot is who's when it's time to go skijoring.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

The idea that you can tell a dog's adult size by how big his feet are as a pup is a common old wives tale with no real basis in fact.

38lbs at 4 months old is a perfectly normal size, neither big nor small. But as dogs tend to grown a differing rates, some slower than others, being normal now doesn't mean she'll be normal as an adult. She could end up maturing out large, or she could be on the smaller side. Best way to guess how big she'll be as an adult is to look at the size of her parents, but even that is just a guess. You'll have to wait and see.


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## Romance (Apr 16, 2007)

I think I have a mutant. at 5 months old he is 58lbs. Height 24 inches length 26 inches.


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## daviddrena (Dec 25, 2006)

What are the growth plates on their paws?


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

I can't answer that question because I don't know anything about growth plates. Would you please explain it to me and then I'll go from there.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Don't pay the comments any mind unless the people saying such things have actually raised a German shepherd or six. My girl Morgan had big feet, thick legs and HUGE knees as a puppy. All grown up, her feet are well proportioned and tight. She's tall-ish side at 24" because those thick legs turned long and skinny.

They go through weird growth stages. LOL, just wait until her ears are fully grown but her head isn't.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=218891&page=1#Post218891 is a great site to compare growth and size of our pups.


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## daviddrena (Dec 25, 2006)

I was asking the question based on GSDextra... comments


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Basset hound puppies have collossal paws-- and grow to be short dogs. Greyhound pups have tiny, petite paws-- and usually grow to be tall dogs.

"Big paws" only indicates the dog will have substantial bone, and does not indicate future height of the pup.


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## Kasey06 (Oct 16, 2007)

When I got Kasey at 8 weeks of age she was around 16 pounds. She gained a steady 10lb a month weighing 51 pounds at 5 months. Then the growth slowed slightly and she weighed 70lbs at 9 months of age. Her growth has now stopped and she is holding steady at 75 pounds and almost 2 years of age. She is tall for a female, above standard, and very thin although she is starting to fill out and gain some muscle.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I was always told the same thing about Onyx-big feet=big dog. She is large for a girl 90 lb and 27" at one year. Her knee knuckles and ears were huge and she went thru three bouts of Pano. So far she hasn't had it since early October and then it only lasted about 10 days. She still has to grow into those ears!


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## istie (Jul 18, 2007)

Is that size within the breed standard?
Because a dog at 125lb would be oversized in australia

Size/Weight

Males: Height at the wither 60 cm to 65 cm
Weight 30 kg to 40 kg.

Females: Height at the wither 55 cm to 60 cm
Weight 22 kg - 32 kg

That is over size according to this too. 125lb is around 56kg


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## Romance (Apr 16, 2007)

125 is over standard here as well.


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## istie (Jul 18, 2007)

Are these large dogs shown? If so ho do they go?
Over here some are about 70cm, not sure of inches i think about 30inches


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## Guest (Dec 29, 2007)

Oh yes, my Odin at 31" and 125 llbs is over "standard", however so am I at 6' and 225 llbs.









There are bigger dogs than others just as there are bigger people than others.


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## istie (Jul 18, 2007)

lol GSDad!
I am guessing he is a pet and not shown then.
I have seen big sheps but not Odins size. That is Great Dane size isnt it?


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: istieAre these large dogs shown? If so ho do they go?
> Over here some are about 70cm, not sure of inches i think about 30inches


Nope most of the over the standard dogs are not shown and many are not worked in any way "over here". Over the standard also generally means that their "working" career would be shorter as well as the GSD body just isnt designed to woro at that size.


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Amaruq
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: istieAre these large dogs shown? If so ho do they go?
> ...


Correct, Odin is not shown and he was neutered to ensure not passing on his oversize gene. It crops up from time to time in his bloodline and harkens back to the old days when large GSDs were the norm and not considered an aboration. He is directly decended from my father's original line that he started 60 years ago from a German import named, Trig. He bred for large GSDs right up until the early '80s when the goal was changed by then for lighter dogs. The large gene still pops up now and then as my dad's line continues now with another breeder here in Vermont which is where Odin came from.

He is, however, quite active Ruq. He was trained for a mix of many skills even some Schutzhund ones although I never focused him on any one particular path. It was my intention that he be my "display dog" for my work as a dog trainer so that clients could get a good idea of the range of things their dogs were capable of. He'll be 7 at the end of February but he still has an awesome amount of power. When we go skijoring it's he who is the vast majority of the strength on the other end of the harness. Frigga often is essentially along for the run.


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## istie (Jul 18, 2007)

Thanks for that. I should have said in Australia - over here. lol
Thanks for the explanations. I did not realise that until the early 80's there was a different size/standard.
Ho wonderful that you have a dog from your fathers lines - must be very special.
Has Odin had any health issues associated with his size? Or just the normal gsd ailments?


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## istie (Jul 18, 2007)

Happy New Year all


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## Guest (Jan 1, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: istieThanks for that. I should have said in Australia - over here. lol
> Thanks for the explanations. I did not realise that until the early 80's there was a different size/standard.
> Ho wonderful that you have a dog from your fathers lines - must be very special.
> Has Odin had any health issues associated with his size? Or just the normal gsd ailments?


My father turned over most of his dogs (he kept two) when he retired from breeding and training GSDs. The woman he turned them over to was the breeder he had most often matched his dogs up with in years previous so there's a long history there. When Odin was returned to that breeder by his first owners and suffered from that, she called me first to offer him to me knowing I would both have interest in him and the ability to train him and heal his psyche. It was among the best things that ever happened to me. I've had eight GSDs in my life thus far. Odin is tied with Max as my "heart dog" - that dog that usually comes once in a lifetime. I have been doubly blessed.

Odin has mild HD. It doesn't have anything to do with his size though. Since changing his diet to higher quality food and adding supplements such as Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Vitamin E, and Ester-C he has no sign of the stiffness he occasionally had before when getting up after sleeping. He's become alot bouncier too. While not a cure, the supplements do much to retain his quality of life. At 6 years and 10 months of age he's doing quite well indeed. He runs well and often and makes good jumps getting his frisbee. We don't do the hurdles over the fence anymore just to be safe as he is getting older and there's no need to take unnecessary risks. He pulls like a Clydesdale though when we go skijoring.


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## istie (Jul 18, 2007)

How old was he when you got him? Had he been abused?
He looks like a beautiful boy. 
I am glad he ended up with you, it was meant to be.


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## Guest (Jan 1, 2008)

He was 5 months old when I got him. He'd spent his first three months away from his mother with a young couple who he was a very bad match for. The husband had evidently had a GSD when he was a kid and that's what convinced the breeder that they could deal with a GSD puppy, but the mother was never exposed to dogs at all before and they had a 4 year old boy. The mother could deal with one and not two new lives. Odin (then named "Cylon"







) was locked up alone almost all the time and developed severe separation anxiety. Eventually they realized they couldn't handle him and returned him to the breeder. She called me knowing that I was both capable of curing him of his problem and would be interested in him all the more so as he was a direct descendant of my father's line and the great great grandson of my beloved Max. It was indeed meant to be. I never thought I'd have a dog again the equal of Max, but I do. One saved my life and the other saved my soul. Somebody was looking out for me even more than them.


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## istie (Jul 18, 2007)

THat is so sad for them, but so lucky for both you and Odin.
I am happy for you that he found his way to you


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