Not sure where this thread should go...

I'm a little worried. I bought a female pup specifically for Schutzhund work and she came from a great pedigree. Her parents looked "normal" but now she's 6 mos. and 10 days old and only weighs 42 pounds. She hasn't really grown in a month. She was on the "normal" size of the weight/ht. chart up til 5 mos. but she hasn't grown at all and I'm freaking out about it. I've put a ton of work into this dog already and she's got awesome drives and looks really promising.
Is there a chance she'll grow now? Should I feed her more? (I'm still giving her the same amount of food, as she's the same weight. She looks good for wt. btw...it's just that she's not growing.)

Oh ya - we were thinking of letting her have one heat before spaying. (She's long-haired so non-breeding). Will that help? The people at my Schutzhund club seem to think it helps them with defensive drive.

I should add that we're one-dog people and this girl lives in the house with us as a pet and I do the Schutzhund for sport/hobby. So don't even bother suggesting we take her back to the breeder and get another one!

Can she still do Schutzhund if she's small? She has a powerful run/jump/bite and a firm, deep grip so far.

My Dutch Shepherd bitch Lyka is 40lbs and 2 years old. My friend who is a Dutch Shepherd breeder has 5 month old puppies that are bigger than her. But her work is fine, her grip is fine, and she'll do anything a bigger dog can do. So, even if your bitch does turn out to be small, don't worry about it. I've seen Jack Russels do Schutzhund...

However, 6 months old is nothing to go by. 10 months old and the dog is approaching adult size and will keep putting on weight/bulk till 3 years old. You have a whole 4 or 5 months more of growing before you will know anything. Dogs can grow in spurts and not at a consistent age, each dog is different.

Also weight doesn't really tell the whole story. My eldest male is about 63-65lbs and people all estimate he is approaching 80lbs. He is a normal size dog, but he has a more delicate frame. My other GSD's are only a tad taller than him, but they have big heads, thick paws and a heavy set build. They are right around 78lbs. Thats 15lbs extra (and they are perhaps on the too-lean side of lean) only because of their build, not their height or overall size.

Females will also normally be smaller anyway. If at 6 months she is 42lbs then she will quite possibly be a mid-60lb dog as an adult, which is about average. I prefer dogs with smaller builds anyway, they are quicker, more agile, and there's less weight to support on the hips.

I'm with Mike,

My bitch is barely 45 lbs soaking wet. Her Sire and Dam were 70lbs and 53lbs respectively.

At the age your pup is at I wouldn't worry about where she will be weightwise. As Mike said they will put on mass until they are 3 or there abouts.

Another thing is I wouldn't spay her exactly after her first heat. They still need their hormones for growth. The price of a spay done to early is dear for a working dog with the lost hormones.

On a side note my dog is a rocketsled on the field and her entries are to die for. Her size doesn't effect her working ability in the least bit. I love her just the way she is.

Oh! Thanks for pointing that out Geoff. I totally forgot to address the spaying issue.

I would wait till after (not immediately after, just, after) the 3rd heat cycle if you are spaying a working female.

Just to add another note about size... I'm hanging out with a very nice female mal that hits like a freight train. She is super fast, powerful, and at only 43-45 pounds is MR3 and has taken decoys down. She's an intense and serious little bundle that's for sure O_O

I like my dogs on the smaller side for athleticism. It depends on the breed but even a male AB I prefer not to be over 80 pounds and best in the 70s.

I'm so happy I could bear-hug you guys! (And I'm a 300-pound fella myself, so...I'd probably kill ya doin' it)

Anyway, I'm so glad to hear this. It's true that this little bitch is a beautiful working dog, and remarkably agile. My daughter has a 65-pound female - quite thin on a HUGE frame...so our bitch looks like "mini-me" in comparison. We know enough not to ask her to do jumps, etc. at her age but when she clears a little 6-inch-high chain to get onto the field she leaps into the air, paws tucked WAY up - and looks like a dream.

So I'm glad to know she can still do this work, cuz I'm lovin' this hobby more and more and I was just sick to think she might not be able to do it.

We'll see how we cope with this first heat if we want to tolerate any more! I live in the city, so we have to walk her and that could be a real challenge.

Thanks dudes! (R-R_R .. *sound of manly bear-hug as I lift y'all off the ground*)

Edited by Charles Bois (06/26/2008 05:39 PM)
Edit reason: adding the bit about spaying

Oh..oops...and you, too, Jennifer.
Don't sue me for harassment, lol.

Well, I'm just popping in to say this little bitch is 10 months old now...we endured the first heat cycle ok. She IS small...only 57 pounds and looks like a puppy next to our daughter's monster-bitch (nearly 80 pounds). But she's a beauty for Schutzhund...really hot on the bite all the time and tons of energy. She's just starting to show defensive drive and man can she run and jump. It's a real challenge stopping her from leaping over things cuz she's totally fearless.

I'm still a bit disappointed by her size, I have to say. As I said I'm a big guy myself and I feel like I've got some sort of miniature GS, not a "real" dog. My wife does a lot of the work with her now. I covet my daughter's dog...but then again she has almost no prey drive at all and can't do anything but obedience.

You can never have everything!