# I feel like my puppy is too small



## dhfitch (Oct 19, 2010)

He weighs 43lbs and is 19 weeks old. I want him to be as big as possible. He gets Science diet food and puppy vitamins, but he just seems small. He hasn't lost his milk teeth; but he doesn't look like a puppy, more like a mini shepherd with big feet and ears, sans the mane (which is starting). I just think he should be bigger by now. His mother was medium size and his father was large. He was big enough to rear up and look down on me (I'm six feet tall). I don't know what to think. I just want him to be big. He's 7lbs shy of the chats which is like 13 percent, that seems pretty significant to me.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

He is still a baby!!! *Bigger is not better*, GSD's should not be huge! 
Enjoy the puppy stage for as long as you can. 
I would transition him from the Science diet, it is not a good food. There are many threads here on nutrition worth reading...if you really want him to grow properly, get him on a good diet!!!
He won't be done teething til he is about 7 months, why are you in such a rush to have him be older? Cherish his wonky gangly stages, they go by waay too fast.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

What Jane said...^


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thirding (?) what Jane said..


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

dhfitch said:


> I want him to be as big as possible.


Why?  If you wanted a really big dog there are larger breeds out there. GSDs are supposed to be medium sized - about 48-1/2 to 70-1/2 pounds for a female and about 66 to 88 pounds for a male. 

The charts are averages, not absolutes. Puppies also grow at different rates so he could be a couple of pounds under the average size for his age now and in a few months be a couple of pounds over the average. It's really not anything to stress over. According the to chart I have, he's only about 2 or 3 pounds under the average for an approximately 4-1/2 month male. That's really not significant. 

Dena was 13 pounds over the average female at 6 months old, almost exactly the average weight for a 7 month old _male_! Her half sibling Keefer was 7 pounds less than she was, and a pound and a half under the male average at 6 months old. Guess what? At maturity he outweighed her by 12 pounds! So she grew faster earlier than he did, but he kept growing after she'd stopped.


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## nikkiscriv (Feb 10, 2010)

He is only 5 months old..he's still got a lot of growing to do! Even after he finishes growing he will still have several months of "filling out". Like Jane said, you will miss him being this little! You will look back and his puppy stage will be a blur. 

To me, GSD's typically look more "adult" like even when they're puppies because they have such a noble expression. Get him on a good diet and exercise routine and he will grow as big as he is meant to be. 

I do understand how you feel, though. My male Golden is 2 and 1/2 years old and only weighs 60 pounds, and I was disappointed with his size at first..but he can't help how big he is and I love him just the same


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## Montana Scout (Sep 27, 2010)

as long as he doesn't have a pot belly i would say just let him be a pup ~(c:
but i also 4th onyx


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## dhfitch (Oct 19, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> He is still a baby!!! *Bigger is not better*, GSD's should not be huge!
> Enjoy the puppy stage for as long as you can.
> I would transition him from the Science diet, it is not a good food. There are many threads here on nutrition worth reading...if you really want him to grow properly, get him on a good diet!!!
> He won't be done teething til he is about 7 months, why are you in such a rush to have him be older? Cherish his wonky gangly stages, they go by waay too fast.


I know, I know Shepherd aren't supposed to be huge, but I really want him to be. I don't really know why, I think it has more to do with hugs than anything else nothing. More importantly, I though I was feeding my pup good food!?? I'll have to do some reading.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I have two "huge" GSDs at 90# (one is a female 26" male is 27") I would rather have the smaller structure, though my male is very agile and stealth. My female is not as agile, but she is muscled. Once your pup matures you will see that he is just right for hugging(and all along the way)!


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## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

Trying to make him huge will only lead to heartbreak later. I have a client with 2 bulldogs, the first one they got was a bit above averge size (they got her as an adult). Then they got the second one, who you could tell was just from smaller stock and would be much smaller than the first. They got the second one as a 10week old puppy. Anyway, the husband really wanted her to be big like the first so he feeds her more and more thinking it will make her get to a size closer to her sister. She was basically a big fat ham on legs. Fast forward a year or so later and she had horrible back and knee issues already, can barely breathe most of the time, you get the picture. Finally the vet gave them the price for surgically repairing just one knee and suddenly the dog is on a diet. I told the husband that I was probably genetically programmed to be about 5'4", and if my parents would have fed me 50% more food growing up it wouldn't have made me any taller, just wider, and miserable!!!
And I'll just say it, Science Diet is crap. Feed the correct amount of a top quality food and you have the best chance of getting a structurally healthy dog who is hopefully within the size set forth in the standard for the German Shepherd.
Some of our favorite food brands are Instinct, Orijen, Acana and Wellness.
Check out this site, and find a good 5 star food.
Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

dhfitch said:


> I know, I know Shepherd aren't supposed to be huge, but I really want him to be. I don't really know why, I think it has more to do with hugs than anything else nothing. More importantly, I though I was feeding my pup good food!?? I'll have to do some reading.


How big are mom and dad? Genetics are going to tell you how big he's going to be. 

Science diet is one of the worst foods out there. Dogs are carnivores and there's barely any meat in that kibble. It's very grain heavy. Get a better food and cut out the vitamins. What vitamins are you feeding and why? Did your vet or breeder recommend them?


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

I have to ditto everyone else. Stop feeding SD and get a better food. He is what he is, don't try to make him grow to big or fast. He will have problems later on. You may be amazed at what he turns into.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

Brocan couldn't have put it any clearer:

_" I told the husband that I was probably genetically programmed to be about 5'4", and if my parents would have fed me 50% more food growing up it wouldn't have made me any taller, just wider, and miserable!!!"

__ 
_


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## dhfitch (Oct 19, 2010)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Why?  If you wanted a really big dog there are larger breeds out there. GSDs are supposed to be medium sized - about 48-1/2 to 70-1/2 pounds for a female and about 66 to 88 pounds for a male.
> 
> The charts are averages, not absolutes. Puppies also grow at different rates so he could be a couple of pounds under the average size for his age now and in a few months be a couple of pounds over the average. It's really not anything to stress over. According the to chart I have, he's only about 2 or 3 pounds under the average for an approximately 4-1/2 month male. That's really not significant.
> 
> Dena was 13 pounds over the average female at 6 months old, almost exactly the average weight for a 7 month old _male_! Her half sibling Keefer was 7 pounds less than she was, and a pound and a half under the male average at 6 months old. Guess what? At maturity he outweighed her by 12 pounds! So she grew faster earlier than he did, but he kept growing after she'd stopped.


I don't really know why I want him to be so large. i have no intention of using him for personal protection or anything else where size would give him any advantage. After looking at a few breeders I picked his litter partly because the father was huge. I guess I just like using him as a pillow to be honest, and who doesn't want a bigger pillow. I have no good reason for wanting a huge GSD, but I'm not showing him or breeding him. Reagan is just my pet and I will love him just as much even if he stays the size he is now for the rest of his life. I just like big animals, I have a 17lb cat!


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## dhfitch (Oct 19, 2010)

Lucy Dog said:


> How big are mom and dad? Genetics are going to tell you how big he's going to be.
> 
> Science diet is one of the worst foods out there. Dogs are carnivores and there's barely any meat in that kibble. It's very grain heavy. Get a better food and cut out the vitamins. What vitamins are you feeding and why? Did your vet or breeder recommend them?


The vet suggested the vitamins and the science diet food. Maybe I need a new vet. What food should I feed him?


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## Deuce (Oct 14, 2010)

dhfitch said:


> The vet suggested the vitamins and the science diet food. Maybe I need a new vet. What food should I feed him?


There are umpteen threads on "good" food here.


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## JazzNScout (Aug 2, 2008)

I had a huge female shepherd. She would have been healthier had she been smaller, I think. Your guy will fill out.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

What Jane said .


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

You can look at www.petfoodanalysis.com to find a better food than SD. And there are many threads about feeding puppies. The dog's gonna be the size he's gonna be, the only thing you can force him to be is overweight.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Your dog is not small for his age. He is not large, he is right on target for the 'standard'. My female was 38 pounds at 19 weeks and she is 66 now and 25".


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## mroutdoorsman (Oct 4, 2010)

43lbs @ 19 weeks is actually average... That is 4 months and like 1 week old. Well for a male it is average. For a female it is LARGE.

*Age Weight Male % of Weight Female
(mo)___lb.___Total___ lb.*

*4**_____*41.8___55_____36.2

*5_____*50.6___66.57__44.0

*6_____*57.4___75.52__50.1
*
7_____*62.6___82.36__54.4
*
8_____*66.4___87.36__57.5


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## dhfitch (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice, I've since got him on better (no grain) food and rechecked my math. He's just fine and on track to be a big healthy dog.


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## Lesley1905 (Aug 25, 2010)

My Brody is the same as your dog. He is 5 and a half months old and is 50-55lbs...so I'm guessing. At 4 and a half months he was about 46lbs. I was worried at first but then I thought about it, when he was really young he had Giardia which is a pain in the butt to clear up, he wasnt getting the nutrition he should of been getting because of the Giardia. So he was a little behind but he is starting to catch up. It's just like people, I swear my nephew grew a couple inches in 2 weeks. Everyone grows at their own pace...I wouldn't compare him to the charts!


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## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

Mine is 5 months and 42 pounds and he eats like a horse (premium food plus solid gold tripe). Remember GSDs are stretching and growing fast in all directions during this time.

Mine did a height thing and hit 24 inches the other day. Run your hands over ribs, if you feel them with a thin layer of fat he is fine (not bony). Lean is better when they are way young as it does not stress the bone growth.


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