Melissa Hoyer Webboard User Reg: 05-09-2005
Posts: 1340
Loc: SE Michigan
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My 3 year old GSD (as of Feb 10)is just now starting to fill out and get that mature look to her. Her breeding is Czech & West Ger. working.
Is this typical of these lines?
She also only weighs 63 lbs. Her metabolism seems insanely fast (wish I had one like that!) She eats approximately 3-4 cups of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul & Innova Evo, along with a few supplements & fresh ingredients. It is just recent that she has started eating this much though and finally she is putting on a little weight. She has always been what I consider very thin, but with great muscle mass & activity level. I'm glad to see her start to fill out a little bit and get a nice layer of thin fat over those ribs of hers!
Anyone else have an experience like this with their dog?
Jenn Kavanaugh Webboard User Reg: 01-05-2004
Posts: 560
Loc: Bushkill, PA
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Robert's right, your dog sounds normal and watch the amount of weight she puts on. My bitch did fill out around 3 years, but NOT because I upped her food, she just did. She's also about 65 pounds and only eats 2 cups of food a day. BUT she's not super high energy (just normal high LOL) so your dog could need a bit more.
Intelligent dogs rarely want to please people whom they do not respect --- W.R. Koehler
Melissa Hoyer Webboard User Reg: 05-09-2005
Posts: 1340
Loc: SE Michigan
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Thanks and so you know, I'm not trying to make a fat dog here lol. I just would like to not be able to count all of her ribs...at this point I can see the last 3/4 which I am happy with. I guess I am just looking to see that this is right for shepherds and I'm a little touchy about her weight ever since my ex-trainer called her anorexic <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> and really ticked me off.
Jenn, it's funny about your dog upping it's own food. Mine did too if I think about it...just have to make sure she doesn't up it too much. But with the activity we do on a daily basis, we are good for now. And Robert - those three things you mentioned...we are good there too.
Thanks again <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Nancy Stinson Webboard User Reg: 12-26-2004
Posts: 164
Loc: Tennessee
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My female was the same way. She was so skinny as a young dog that the vet ran every imaginable test on her. Of course all the tests came back normal. People use to tell me to feed her more, she's too skinny. Or don't you feed her? She looks anorexic. She ate what she needed and no more. She just turned 5 and has filled out to a nice 75 lbs. It took her until around 3 years of age before she started gaining weight. If she is eating normaly and not losing, I wouldn't worry too much.
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005
Posts: 2784
Loc: Toronto, ON
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I think it's more of a breed trait than line-specific.
My vet technician told me GSD's typically stop growing at 10-12 months and after that they just get fat, but many many GSD owners I've spoken to have told me that they don't start to fill out till close to 3 years old. My dog was only 65.5lbs at 1 year old, I haven't had him weighed since then, but I am sure he's got another 10+lbs in him that'll show up in the next year or 2.
I find it most amusing that it's considered flat out RUDE to tell people they are fat or "did you gain weight?" type questions... yet, people find it perfectly acceptable to call me AND my dog skinny. I have a "Working Dog Do Not Pet" harness for him, perhaps I should also buy a "I'm not anorexic, your dog's just fat" patch for it?
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Feeding, Size, & Maturity of GSDs
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