German Shepherd Growth Chart: What To Expect As Your GSD Puppy Grows Up: [ Ссылка ]
Welcome back to Anything German Shepherd!
Bringing home your German Shepherd puppy can be an exciting time, but also an anxious one.
You may be wondering how fast your puppy will grow, how its needs will change over time, and what can be done to make sure your dog is as healthy as possible.
We’ll address these questions and more, but please keep in mind that we’re using general estimates, and that this won’t be a prediction of how fast your dog might grow or how big it may get.
It’s also worth mentioning that you should let your dog grow at its own pace, and check in with your dog’s breeder and veterinarian frequently if you have any questions or concerns.
Even though a German Shepherd puppy looks like a tiny furball in those first few weeks, it sure won’t stay that way!
It’s important to be prepared for your GSD’s inevitable growth spurt, although its growth may be quite different from that of your friend’s GSD puppy who lives down the street, and having a smaller German Shepherd that finishes growing quicker than what you see on these growth estimates doesn’t mean you did anything wrong!
In order to ‘guesstimate’ the size your puppy might reach, start with the dog breed standard.
The adult female typically stands between 22 and 24 inches tall, while the adult male will reach heights of 24 to 26 inches, and both typically measure between 8.5 to 10 inches from breastbone to pelvis.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) gives a weight range of 50 to 90 pounds, with about 10 pounds difference on average between adult females and males.
You’ll also want to look at the size of your puppy’s parents.
Ask the breeder for the exact height, weight, and length, and how long it took each parent dog to complete its growth.
The third part of this ‘guesstimate’ involves the puppy's gender and genes, and determining which parent dog your puppy most resembles.
Your breeder will be in the best position to weigh in on this, and you can also ask how your puppy compared to the rest of the litter.
If your puppy was in line with the average size of the litter, it’ll probably remain of average size in adulthood.
Let’s now take a look at growth chart timelines courtesy of Von Geliebten Haus GSD breeders, which use an average German Shepherd that weighs 64 pounds at one year of age.
For a male German Shepherd:
A one-month-old may weigh up to roughly 9 pounds, representing about 11 percent of total growth.
A three-month-old may weigh up to roughly 31 pounds, representing about 41 percent of total growth.
A six-month-old may weigh up to roughly 57 pounds, representing about 75 percent of total growth.
And a nine-month-old may weigh up to roughly 69 pounds, representing about 91 percent of total growth.
And for a female:
A one-month-old may weigh up to 7 pounds, representing about 11 percent of total growth.
A three-month-old may weigh up to 27 pounds, representing about 41 percent of total growth.
A six-month-old may weigh up to 50 pounds, representing about 75 percent of total growth.
And a nine-month-old may weigh up to 60 pounds, representing about 91 percent of total growth.
As we can see, puppies finish a healthy chunk of their growth during those first six months - at which point the typical German Shepherd puppy has reached about 75% of its eventual full size.
The average GSD puppy will finish most of their growth by the age of one, but they may continue to add weight for another 2 years!
Another thing to keep in mind is the timing of spay or neuter procedures, as these can affect puppy growth - a dog neutered or spayed too early is then at risk for certain health issues later in life, which includes continued growth past what the breed standard suggests is normal.
Hopefully you now have a better idea of what to expect as you nurture your German Shepherd puppy through this important period, and can begin planning ahead for staging food transitions, and adding more physical exercise.
This will give your puppy the best chance of living a long, healthy, and happy life by your side!
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