Is Shadow a runt?

Jmeade · 06-02-2011, 01:33 PM

Shadow turned 7 months old today. She weighs 45 lbs now. She is a very active dog...the vet told me to add half a can or half a cup of dry to her daily feedings. I feed her twice a day.

So my question is how do I know if she is right on track or a runt? The vet said she is healthy but that is all he would say. He told me having her spayed didn't stunt her growth...(I asked

)

Just for background information...her mother is 75 lbs and the father is around 85 lbs.

Should I be worried at this point? How long until she is the size of her mom or dad? I haven't had a big dog in the family for so long I don't really know what to look for.

Here are some pictures from today.

Elaine · 06-02-2011, 01:50 PM

She's not a runt, she's just small and most likely will stay small. She's going to get a little bigger and fill out, but it's unlikely she will be the size of her mother. This is not a bad thing as she won't cost as much to feed or take up so much room on your bed. She will be quicker and more agile, if you do agility, than a larger dog.

Stosh · 06-02-2011, 01:52 PM

She has quite a few months to go before she'll be adult size and weight. She'll probably be close to the size of her mother but maybe not. I had a female gsd that was only about 62 lbs when full grown. As long as Shadow is healthy and eating I wouldn't worry about it. She's very pretty!

Jmeade · 06-02-2011, 01:57 PM

Thank you ladies. She is healthy and the vet was not worried. Really 60 lbs is big enough...she is already a great gaurd dog. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't stunted or anything.
I guess I am reading through all these posts of people who have huge GSD's and wonder if there is something wrong with mine. Thanks for letting me know she is fine.

1sttimeforgsd · 06-02-2011, 02:46 PM

She is a very pretty young lady, just be glad that she is healthy and enjoy.

Rerun · 06-02-2011, 03:02 PM

Unless you know for sure that the parents were actually that size, I wouldn't worry. If you're just going by what the owner said, keep in mind that the vast majority of people overestimate their dogs weight by a significant amount in ADDITION to keeping them FAT. So you may have had a small dam who was 55 lbs at a proper weight, 65 because she was fat, and add another 10 lbs due to the owners overestimation of weight. Just a thought on why the parents were said to be those sizes vs the size of your pup.

45 lbs at 7 months - she isn't going to hit 75 lbs. I'd say 60 at best

Jmeade · 06-02-2011, 03:20 PM

Thank you Rerun. I did see the mother but I didn't weigh her or anything. LOL I was told the weights so you are right...maybe she is just a small GSD.
It seems the breed is getting bigger and bigger based on what I have read. I was hoping that Shadow was normal.

06-02-2011, 01:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jmeade Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 103	Is Shadow a runt? Shadow turned 7 months old today. She weighs 45 lbs now. She is a very active dog...the vet told me to add half a can or half a cup of dry to her daily feedings. I feed her twice a day. So my question is how do I know if she is right on track or a runt? The vet said she is healthy but that is all he would say. He told me having her spayed didn't stunt her growth...(I asked ) Just for background information...her mother is 75 lbs and the father is around 85 lbs. Should I be worried at this point? How long until she is the size of her mom or dad? I haven't had a big dog in the family for so long I don't really know what to look for. Here are some pictures from today. Attached Thumbnails

06-02-2011, 01:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
Elaine Crowned Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,784	She's not a runt, she's just small and most likely will stay small. She's going to get a little bigger and fill out, but it's unlikely she will be the size of her mother. This is not a bad thing as she won't cost as much to feed or take up so much room on your bed. She will be quicker and more agile, if you do agility, than a larger dog. __________________ Elaine and the herd

06-02-2011, 02:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
1sttimeforgsd Crowned Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: West Virginia Posts: 4,891	She is a very pretty young lady, just be glad that she is healthy and enjoy. __________________ karen, mom to: ace-gsd (bi-color) 6/14/2010 mandy-yellow lab 1/31/2009 baby-terrier mix 11/25/2000

06-02-2011, 01:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
Stosh Crowned Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: tyler texas Posts: 8,434	She has quite a few months to go before she'll be adult size and weight. She'll probably be close to the size of her mother but maybe not. I had a female gsd that was only about 62 lbs when full grown. As long as Shadow is healthy and eating I wouldn't worry about it. She's very pretty!

06-02-2011, 01:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jmeade Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 103	Thank you ladies. She is healthy and the vet was not worried. Really 60 lbs is big enough...she is already a great gaurd dog. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't stunted or anything. I guess I am reading through all these posts of people who have huge GSD's and wonder if there is something wrong with mine. Thanks for letting me know she is fine.

06-02-2011, 03:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
Rerun Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 5,608	Unless you know for sure that the parents were actually that size, I wouldn't worry. If you're just going by what the owner said, keep in mind that the vast majority of people overestimate their dogs weight by a significant amount in ADDITION to keeping them FAT. So you may have had a small dam who was 55 lbs at a proper weight, 65 because she was fat, and add another 10 lbs due to the owners overestimation of weight. Just a thought on why the parents were said to be those sizes vs the size of your pup. 45 lbs at 7 months - she isn't going to hit 75 lbs. I'd say 60 at best

06-02-2011, 03:20 PM	#7 (permalink)
Jmeade Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 103	Thank you Rerun. I did see the mother but I didn't weigh her or anything. LOL I was told the weights so you are right...maybe she is just a small GSD. It seems the breed is getting bigger and bigger based on what I have read. I was hoping that Shadow was normal.

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