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How Fast Do German Shepherds Grow

How Fast Will Your German Shepherd Grow

WATCH MY PUPPY GROW | GERMAN SHEPHERD

It may be difficult to believe, but at four weeks of age, your GSD was four to six inches tall at the withers. By the time you take him home, your German Shepherd will be seven to nine or ten inches tall at eight to ten weeks of age.

Your dog will reach 98% of his full size by 18 months. Some males will not fill out until they are three years old.

How Do You De Stress A German Shepherd

#1 Find The Trigger. First and foremost, you must figure out what is causing your German Shepherd to be anxious, afraid or stressed. #2 Remove The Trigger. At the beginning, you need to just remove the trigger for the well-being of your dog. #3 Dont Force Your German Shepherd To Confront Her Fears. #4 Train Him.

Impact Of Nutrition On Breed Puppy Growth

The food you select is vital in managing your puppys growth rate.

However, for large breed dogs, it is essential to understand that the goal is not to maximize growth. Rapid growth increases the risk of serious health problems relating to the bones and joints.

Always select a prepared food or recipe specifically designed for a large breed puppy or specifically for German Shepherd puppies. And ensure that it was developed by a veterinary nutritionist or another appropriately trained expert.

Avoid modifying the diet with vitamins or supplements unless these are recommended by a veterinarian.

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Do German Shepherds Shed A Lot

Yes, it is true. German shepherds tend to shed all year. Especially during spring when they shed their winter coat for about 2 to 3 weeks. Also, they can have either short coarse or long hair. Most long haired German Shepherds tend to shed less than the short haired ones. It is because long haired GSD does not have an undercoat while the short haired ones do.When it comes to their dental care, daily brushing is required all year round. You can brush GSD’s teeth while bathing.

Tip: Bathe your GSD only once per month for their coat to keep clean and healthy. You may also look for different pet dental care products and other pet care supplies available in the market today.

How To Know For Sure That Your German Shepherd Puppy Is Done Growing

WATCH MY PUPPY GROW

As Von Rothaus German Shepherds breeder explains, the only way to know for sure that your puppy has gotten as tall as its going to get is to have your veterinarian do X-rays.

What can X-rays tell you about your dogs growth?

The X-rays are looking for one particular thing: the status of the growth plates at the top of each of your dogs long leg bones.

These growth plates are made up of softer cartilage. They send out signals to the leg bones to start growing, keep growing, and stop growing.

When they are done sending out signals, the growth plates will harden. The X-rays will be able to detect whether the growth plates are still soft or if they have hardened.

This is important for a number of reasons, including the amount and intensity of exercise you allow your German Shepherd puppy to enjoy.

You want to wait until the growth plates are closed to let your dog do any sustained or vigorous athletic activity.

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Improper Breeding And Usual Health Issues

For instance, hip and elbow dysplasia is a prevalent illness among German Shepherds because of inbreeding. This condition would gradually cause pain and discomfort to your dog since the joints from the hips or elbows are incorrectly formed; in this case, it would affect more of your dogs quality of life as it would eventually disable it.

For large dogs like German Shepherds, they are also prone to developing arthritis and decreased mobility. You might be wondering why this condition is most commonly found in large dogs, and this is simply because big dogs have a greater mass that can put a lot of stress on their joints and cartilages, which progressively leads to severe inflammation and dysfunction.;

Unfortunately, arthritis worsens over time and would heavily manifest when your dog reaches its seniority. The severity of both dysplasia and arthritis might not directly cause a German Shepherds fatality, but when the pain has become evidently unbearable, most dog owners choose to euthanize their dogs to save them from prolonged suffering.

Parasites Or Worm Infection

Some GSD dogs may experience stunted growth due to parasites. For example, dogs with hookworms or roundworms will have a poor coat or diarrhea, but once you get them on a dewormer, they should perk right up.

The dangers lie in accelerated growth caused by overfeeding and spaying or neutering at an early age.

Growing too quickly can put pressure on your GSD dogs joints and increase the risk of hip dysplasia, especially in breeds with a predisposition to weak joints.;

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How Getting Your Gsd Spayed Or Neutered Can Impact Puppy Growth

Another vitally important fact that many German Shepherd owners do not realize until it is too late is that the timing of spay or neuter procedures can greatly affect puppy growth.

As the Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Science explains, a dog that is neutered or spayed too early is then at risk for a whole range of health issues later in life.

This includes continued growth past what the breed standard suggests is normal or healthy for the German Shepherd dog breed.

Why does having your German Shepherd puppy spayed or neutered too early potentially cause your dog to grow larger than is normal for the breed?

The reason is that the spay or neuter surgery turns off important sex hormones that interact with the soft growth plates in the long leg bones.

When those hormones are removed from the dogs body through spay/neuter surgery, the growth plates will stay soft for longer and keep telling the long leg bones to grow more and more.

This can result in a very tall dog that has more issues with bones, joints, and tissues.

As the University of California at Davis points out, when the growth plates in a German Shepherds leg bones do not close on time, each of the following serious health issues can arise.

Cancer As A Major Problem

German Shepherds Grow Too Fast

German Shepherds most commonly diagnosed fatal diseases are hemangiosarcoma and osteosarcoma . Although the cause of hemangiosarcoma is still unknown, its believed to be genetic; the same goes for osteosarcoma, which can also be caused by other environmental factors.;

On one hand, hemangiosarcoma is a tumor developed mainly from a dogs blood vessels that would slowly spread in other parts of its body; the death rate of GSDs who were diagnosed with this disease is extremely high that even if dog owners were opting to have their dogs undergo surgery and chemotherapy, it would only have it survive for an expected maximum of 6-8 months.

On the other hand, osteosarcoma is a condition slightly similar to hemangiosarcoma except that the tumors growth would result in bone damage. For German Shepherds, their long bones, such as their arms and legs, are most commonly affected by osteosarcoma and can be treated through amputation, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, costly. Without any treatments, the average survival time for a GSD would only be for at least 2 months. Its a sad truth that both of these diseases are predisposed in German Shepherds and can indeed shorten their lifespan.;;

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How To Weigh Your German Shepherd Puppy

Weighing your German Shepherd is essential because it helps you to monitor their weight and ensure that they are in the right German Shepherd weight category for their age.

Generally, you should weigh your puppy once a year but weighing them twice per year will help you find any potential health issues at an early age.

However, if your puppy has a serious health condition, consider weighing them more frequently with the help of your vet.

You can use your bathroom scale to weigh your puppy. Ensure that the weighing machine reads zero and is placed on a hard, flat surface. First, weigh yourself and write down your weight. Then, pick up your German Shepherd puppy, step on the scale and record the weight.

To determine the weight of your puppy, subtract your weight from the combined weight of your puppy and you.;;

Months And Onward: Adulthood In German Shepherds

Although some female German Shepherds can reach full adulthood by 16 months, most only reach it by 18 months to 2 years. Male German Shepherds only reach full adulthood around the ages of 2.5-3 years.

Age
22 24 55 60

Here is a great video of just what you can expect from a German Shepherds growth in terms of size as well as personality from 7 weeks to 2 years old:

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How Big Is A 6

Puppies undergo massive growth spurts before five months. By the time they reach six months, their growth has slowed down considerably. The average male will weigh about 53 pounds, while females weigh 46 pounds. They have not reached their full adult weight yet, but they are very close. Because their growth has slowed down so much, though, they will continue to grow for a long time to come. It just wont be as fast as it has been.;

At this point, your dogs body is mostly focusing on the looming sexual maturity, which can hit anywhere between 6 months to 16 months. Because they arent growing quite as quickly, you may find that they put on more muscle and fat in the coming months. This is normal. It is also normal if your dog retains their somewhat skinny appearance for a few more months to come.;

Loss Of Appetite And Incontinence

German Shepherd Puppy growing up

When a dog is close to passing away, it tends to lose its appetite; it will eat or drink from almost none to completely nothing and result in a noticeable weight loss. This is because its digestive organs are slowly shutting down as death comes closer; your dog will no longer feel the need to eat nor drink at this time and would rather lie down to get some rest. Besides that, your dog may also lose control over its bladder, so it would typically urinate or defecate wherever it lies.;;

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A Typical German Shepherd Puppy Growth Chart And Timeline

Once youve gathered as much information as possible about your German Shepherd puppys parents, genes, and prior growth timeline, you can then plug this into the typical German Shepherd growth chart.

Lets now take a closer look at the typical growth chart for an average German Shepherd puppy. Just keep in mind that this is a template you can use, not a prediction of how fast your puppy might grow or how big your dog might get.

This is very important because you dont want to over-feed your dog too early in life. Let your dog grow at its own pace and check in with your dogs breeder and veterinarian frequently if you have any questions or concerns.

German Shepherd Puppy Growth Chart For Female Gsds

For a female German Shepherd puppy, the weight range in adulthood typically varies between 50 pounds and 80 pounds. Puppies will be between 22 to 24 inches tall on average.

This growth chart timeline is again courtesy of Von Geliebten Haus GSD breeders. It uses an average female German Shepherd that weighs 64 pounds at one year of age.

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A General Timeline Of German Shepherd Puppy Growth

If you watched the YouTube videos in the earlier section here, you already saw how quickly a German Shepherd puppy can go from looking like an adorable little teddy bear to a sleek and serious adult canine.

Here is a general timeline you can use for major growth benchmarks that may include upgrading your German Shepherds crate, kennel, dog bed, collar and leash, food, and toys.

What Is The Average Adult German Shepherd Size

German Shepherd Puppy Growing Up ! Watch cute puppy growing | 8 weeks to 1 year (part 1)

German Shepherd dogs will no longer grow in height after 36 months of age, or three years.

You should know theres about a 25 percent weight difference between males and females.

Just remember that the numbers weve given in this article are averages. Your dog may be under or over, and its fine if thats the case!

Dont feel the need to be exact. Dog individuals vary, just like human individuals do.

You can ask your vet for a weigh in and a check up to discuss any concerns.

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What Does A 4

Usually, 4-month-old German Shepherds weigh about 33-40 pounds if they are males and 31-35 pounds if they are females. The size differences between males and females will likely be obvious at this point if it already wasnt at birth. By four months, itll be easier to tell how big your particular dog might get.;

At birth, a puppys size is largely dependent on where they were in the mothers uterus, which plays a significant role in their nutrition. Once they are born, genetics tend to take over. At 4-months-old, the puppies have been growing according to genetics for long enough for you to guess what their adult size might be. A dog that is small at this age is likely to remain small.;

How Big Should A German Shepherd Be

The size that your German Shepherd should be will depend mostly on the dog himself. Looking at the size of his parents, you should have a general idea of how big you can expect him to get.

If you dont know how big his parents were, there are other factors to take into consideration.

When it comes down to it, you should be less focused on the averages and more focused on proportions. A German Shepherd should have a length-to-height ratio of 10:8.5 So if your German Shepherd is 28 inches long, he should be about 23.5 inches in height. You find this figure by multiplying his length by .85.

Weight-wise, you should be able to see his waist easily as well as find his ribs without trouble. If you cant see the waist, he is overweight. If his ribs and spine are jutted out, he is underweight.

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How Fast Do German Shepherd Puppies Grow

German Shepherds grow from about a pound at birth up to around 90 pounds. As with any breed, there are variations to their eventual adult size as every dog is unique.

But how big are German Shepherd puppies at 6 weeks? 6 months? And how fast do they grow? German Shepherds grow exponentially for the first few months and then start to slow down between 6 and 9 months old. I have a full guide on this topic here, When Do German Shepherds Stop Growing? GSD Growth Chart.

Check out this really cool video showing the growth of a German Shepherd puppy from 7-weeks old to 2 years:

Heres a helpful chart to help you visualize approximately how much GSD puppies will weigh at various stages of their lives:

Age of GSD Pup
79 to 90 Pounds

After the one-year mark, German Shepherds will vary more in weight once they are fully-grown. Depending on their genetics, diet, and environment, among a variety of other things, German Shepherds will be around 71 to 90 pounds.

Its a good idea to have your German Shepherd weighed regularly at the vets to ensure he remains healthy. I used to have my dog checked over every month as a puppy.

If you are looking to learn more about the best diet for German Shepherds, you can check out my monster article that contains loads of nutritional advice, different types of diet, and exactly what they can and cant eat.

According to the German Shepherd Dog Council of Australia, weight also varies considerably between German Shepherd sexes:;

Size And Weight Of German Shepherds

Does my pup grow too fast?

When do German Shepherds stop growing? Before we actually give you an answer to this question, we must explain and determine how big they can get. In general, male dogs will reach 5-5.4 feet in height while females are smaller and will reach 4.5-5 feet. So yes, in some rare cases a female can be as big as a male dog but this rarely happens with purebred dogs. The weight varies as well. Males will reach between 66 and 88 pounds of weight while females will reach 48-70 pounds. Most of these live between 9 and 12 years.;

An interesting fact is that there are more differences between genders. Male German Shepherds are stronger, bigger and they are also emotionally more stable. Female dogs are easier to train and they are more affectionate.;

Development stages

There is one important thing we would like to discuss here. German Shepherds have development stages. Each one is mandatory and each one has a huge role in the life of your dog. Below we will reveal all of them and see the differences, main characteristics of each one, and more.

Newborn stage

This stage will last only 14 days and consider it as a baby. Your dog will learn how to crawl and he will also make the first steps. His front teeth will start developing and after 7 weeks you can see his eyes and ears starting to open fully. During this time frame, his body temperature will be lower than an adult dog. This is probably the scariest stage for some owners and also the most rewarding.;

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