:wub: I think your handsome Rex is doing fine! It is only 2.5 weeks since his last weigh-in. Puppies grow fast but not that fast

 

Thanks, he is precious
Yes I know, thought it could be slow but gradually, like 100 g day after going for a potty. Was googling like crazy and found lots of diseases/conditions that could be linked to stunt growth. Maybe I am crazy.

a lot of people will tell you that you don't want these Large breed dogs growing too quick. In fact lots of people on this board don't even feed those large breed puppy foods because they cause quick growth.

I considered this, in fact my vet was against me putting Rex on the raw because of him potentially growing too quickly

 

a lot of people will tell you that you don't want these Large breed dogs growing too quick. In fact lots of people on this board don't even feed those large breed puppy foods because they cause quick growth.

 

My puppy was similar. He's now five months and still on the smaller size for weight but is filling in nicely. If the vet isn't worried, enjoy him and don't worry. Watch his ribs. You want them to show but not too much.

 

What is your puppy weight now? Did he grow in sprouts, or was just nicely putting pound by pound but not too much every month?
We have a vet appointment this Saturday, I'll definitely ask her opinion, but wanted to know what the GSD community thinks..
I'm posting another pic, just took it right after feeding him.

 

Puppies grow in spurts - holding weight for a couple of weeks is no big deal. He seems very healthy and alert in the pics you post.

If he is eating, pooping, sleeping, playing, and just being a normal puppy, don't worry. He'll grow at whatever rate his genetics dictates. Don't try to force growth on him by feeding more. Slow and steady is best for pups.

 

Yes, he had one of them spurts, was lethargic for a day and the next morning his body grew, tail elongated, and he suddenly looked very leggy.
he is eating/pooping a lot, sleeping for hours, torturing the cat etc. I'll keep weighing him and hope there is absolutely nothing wrong with him, just a small sized GSD puppy

 

Just went through the weekly growth charts of my last 3 GSDs and the longest period of steady weight was 2 weeks up to 8 months old,so 2 1/2 weeks isn't bad. Mine ended up 90,96 and 100 pounds.

 

Thank you for sharing, will keep weighing him. He is my third dog (had a sheepdog and GSD/collie cross) but last time i had a puppy I was a pup myself, and can not remember whether they grow slow bit by bit or do the spurts

 

Another week and no weight gain whatsoever.. 19.6 pounds to be precise at 12 weeks and 2 days
Been to the vet last Saturday, she said my pup in not underweight and suggested he might be growing at a slow pace....thoughts anyone?

 

Has his height changed?

 

If the parents were not unusually small, the I'd say it's unlikely that he will be.

In fact if you want my opinion, I think you should stop worrying and just enjoy him. He's a puppy, let him be that. It doesn't last, and you'll probably have many days where you wish he were one again.

I'm told that American show line GSDs tend to be the tallest, while German working lines tend to be smaller in height. Yet there's little doubt that the German working line would leave the American show line gasping for air in his dust in any environment outside of a beauty pageant.

My Kyra was called smallish by those who only saw the American show dogs; she was about 75 pounds as an adult, not huge but solid. And in her head she was ten feet tall compared to other dogs.

As long as he's healthy and happy, be happy.


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I am enjoying him and he is absolutely adorable and playful puppy! But he seems to be stuck at 9 weeks of age and has not changed a bit since then. His ears went up tho, but that’s it. I’m not sure if it can be a case of pituitary dwarfism but read it is normally diagnosed in puppies between 2 and 6 months of age. So we fit the profile. His height is the same as at 9 weeks.
His dam is from German lines, not certain if German working lines or German show lines. Sire is English line GSD, looks very different to her, long haired and stocky, not exceptionally tall (from what I could tell from a pic), but normal sized.
Parents were not tested for pituitary dwarfism.

 

The vet can run your pups blood to check levels of growth hormone. At least that would give you a definitive answer if you're truly concerned about it.

Cute pup

 

if mom was 20-22" he's likely going to be on the smaller end of normal. worry if you may but there is nothing you can do. dwarfism is laughable, he is well proportioned.

why not contact the breeder and ask about the parents growth rates and/or littermates.

 

I'm not an expert by any means so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
He doesn't look like he has pituitary dwarfism. That genetic condition is marked by very specific physical features I don't see in your pup. An obvious sign is a very very small frame and size along with fox like head and face. I don't see those features.

How much is he eating? If he is very, very active then he may need a tad bit more food. My female is not huge (68 lbs @ almost 3) and she eats a lot for her size. She just burns more calories than the average gal. The feeding guidelines on the bag are just that...guidelines.

If his vet didn't seem concerned then I wouldn't worry to much.

 

My boy did not really put on much weight at that age. He actually weighed less than your pup, he was about 10lbs at 8 weeks. His big growth was closer to 5-6 months. He's about 75lbs now at a 14 months old.

 

Thank you everybody for the input. I contacted the breeder and he suggested me feeding the pup a bit more than it says on the pack, so I'm giving him 110 g three times a day (90 g is recommended). Dam is 22 inches, and the sire is "larger" according to the breeder. He wasn't contacted by other puppy's owners. I am the only pest
Also dewormed the pup again and we'll be starting on regular walks from tomorrow because our quarantine is finally over! Managed to measure him at the withers (least I think I did) and he did grow, he is 17 inches but incredibly skinny, so the food increase is a must.

 

walks will help put on muscle. You might want to try using something like Red Barn Beef Roll for training treats. They are a balanced food and can be cut into small bites. Some folks like to use it to help pups put on a bit of weight.

just my two cents.

 

So long as the vet has not raised any sort of underlying health concerns, i would not worry as much. But try feeding him different times of the day, throw in a treat in between the meals and as someone has said enjoy him. He'll grow before you even notice.

 

My boy Ruger is right around 12 weeks and I was just thinking the same thing. He's weighed 28ish lbs for the past two or so weeks. Probably just normal stuff, like everyone is saying.

 

smk5495, your boy looks big and sturdy! Massive ears, love them, best part of a GSD..

Mine is still scrawny, he did gain some weight and is 26 pounds at almost 14 weeks. After reading some posts from people telling their pups are close to 40 at this age makes me wonder whether Rex is aiming to be a model..lol.
As I said he is very light, 26 pounds but 18 inches at the withers.
Started walking him last week, poor thing is scared of almost everything and everybody - this dog, that car, those little humans running towards him and screaming - puuuupy...

 

El_rex, you can acclimate your pup to those; get him focused on you, start at a comfortable distance and give him high value treats for paying attention to you, start small and work up, if it gets to be too much for him then back off and try again. Use food that you know he loves (pre test by comparing at home). Have patience, good luck!


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El_rex, you can acclimate your pup to those; get him focused on you, start at a comfortable distance and give him high value treats for paying attention to you, start small and work up, if it gets to be too much for him then back off and try again. Use food that you know he loves (pre test by comparing at home). Have patience, good luck!

I'm working on it, so far he improved a bit and became more observant but still need to be reassured. typically use his kibble as treats, he absolutely loves it!
Yes, he was dewormed already twice since I got him from the breeder, actually think he has a light frame (hence the weight), especially the head looks "fragile" and not masculine (?), not sure what is the proper term for this. But he is a great pup.

 

Silly question, he was de-wormed, right?

PS: In his photos he look great.

 

He doesn't look fragile. Mine looked like that at 14 weeks. Your dog has solid legs, and is still very young. He will change drastically by 5-7 months.

 

I agree with LuvShepherds, he looks fine - he's still a baby! Give him time.

Look at the following photos of my Kyra, look how fragile she looks in the first photo. Now look at the second, she's a solid GSD. That's a child versus an adult, years apart.

Feed yours quality food (I mostly used Blue Buffalo large breed puppy food, occasional raw beef, yogurt, eggs, etc.), give him a reasonable amount of exercise over the coming years, without pushing him so hard that you hurt him, work with him mentally through training and and engaging activities, and you'll have a great dog.

Best of luck to you!
Bruce.

 

Your dog looks fine. Puppies grow in weird ways... first their legs, then their ears, then their bellies and then the tail and then the feet and then the... every one is different. Two things.. first remember that your dog will pick up on your anxiety and you could make him anxious. You do not want that. Two, you want a fit healthy dog not a fat one. There are lots of fat dogs out there. Calm down. More important to train him then to bulk him up right now.

 

Update: Rex is turning 16 weeks tomorrow, still underweight according to the chart. However he did grow like a weed , and is around 21 inches in height , but weighs only 28 pounds. Started giving him some raw in addition to Orejin kibble, 3 feeds on kibble and one raw.

He seems to be constantly hungry, instantly vacuuming almost everything he finds on the floor, gave me a huge scare last Friday ingesting a peach stone (wasn't on floor, found it near a supermarket), it was gone in a split second.. successfully evacuated it yesterday.

 

Thanks for the update. May Rex continue to do well. He looks like a bundle of energy. You might want to consider transitioning to two meals a day for Rex. That might let him have a full tummy and feel less "constantly hungry".
I hope others weigh in on this.
But glad Rex is doing well.

 

Thanks for the update. May Rex continue to do well. He looks like a bundle of energy. You might want to consider transitioning to two meals a day for Rex. That might let him have a full tummy and feel less "constantly hungry".
I hope others weigh in on this.
But glad Rex is doing well.

I don't transition to two times a day until they are six months old.

If he is hungry, and he is not overweight, you might want to try upping his food. He is a growing baby and may need the extra calories and vitamins right now.

Thank you, I opted for topping up his meals a bit and he gained some weight, 35 lbs as on today, 21 inches height. Turning 4 month in 6 days.
We started exercising him daily,doing short fast runs to build some muscles. His front paws worry me as he seems to have weaken pasterns but we are working on it.
I may swap him to adult food in a couple of weeks when ran out of Orijen large puppy stock

 

I don't transition to two times a day until they are six months old.

If he is hungry, and he is not overweight, you might want to try upping his food. He is a growing baby and may need the extra calories and vitamins right now.