Start With The Dog Breed Standard
According to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, the German Shepherd as a breed typically stands between 22 and 24 inches tall for female adult dogs and 24 to 26 inches tall for male adult dogs.
No weight range is given for the official dog breed standard. However, the standard does say the dog typically measures between 8.5 and 10 inches from the dogs breastbone to pelvis .
So these can give you some good starting measurements.
The American Kennel Club gives a weight range of 50 to 90 pounds, with about 10 pounds difference between adult females and adult males.
Finding A German Shepherd Lab Mix Puppy
German Shepherd Lab puppies are advertised widely for sale across the country, and luckily dont command the same price premium as other more fashionable cross breeds. That said, its expensive to breed healthy pups, so be wary of improbably low prices. Besides the usual puppy matching websites, the increasing number of designer breed registries often keep directories of breeders specializing in German shepherd and lab mix matings.
If you have a particular coloring for your pet in mind, for example a chocolate Lab German Shepherd mix, then be prepared to wait a little longer for the right pup to come along. If rescuing is not for you, make sure you do your homework so that you are only buying a puppy from a reputable breeder.
How Quickly Do Puppies Grow
You may want to get a sense of how quickly your German Shepherd puppy will grow. The following lists give estimates for male and female puppies weight over their first year these are the higher ends of the range.
For a more in-depth correlation between height and weight, it is worth it to read the book: Your German Shepherd Puppy Month by Month, 2nd Edition: Everything You Need to Know at Each State to Ensure Your Cute and Playful Puppy by Liz Palika and Terry Albert.
The exact weight will vary between different breed types and for each individual dog, but the general pattern will remain the sameGerman Shepherd puppies grow explosively over the first few months and then start to slow down between 6 and 8 months old. Stay in touch with your vet about monitoring this growth and adjusting their food accordingly. To go from pounds to kilogram: 1 pound is 0.453592 kilogram.
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About The Breed: German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is a medium to large-sized working dog. Abbreviated as GSD, German Shepherds are one of the most popular dog breeds in the world, ranking second in our 2019 analysis of the top 50 dog breeds.
Originally bred to be herding dogs, the intelligence and agility of German Shepherds made them stand out and seen in many types of work today. Thanks to their strength, obedience, and trainability, German Shepherds make great working dogs as well as family pets.
In this edition of About The Breed, well look at the breed characteristics of the German Shepherd, examine the history of the breed, and answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
How To Help My German Shepherd Lose Weight If He Is Overweight
Excessive weight can lead to health complications in your German Shepherd puppy. If your German Shepherd is overweight, the following ways can help them lose weight:
- Reduce calories first, you need to know the right number of daily calories your German Shepherd should be eating according to their age. Reducing between 10% and 20% is recommended, but you should seek advice and help from your vet when reducing the numbers.
- Reduce meals if you are free-feeding your German Shepherd puppy, you should start feeding them at scheduled mealtimes. If you feed your puppy several times per day, ensure that you reduce the amount you are feeding them. Use measuring cups and evenly space mealtimes.
- Exercising ensure that your German Shepherd is getting at least 1 hour of exercise every day then progress to 2 hours. Walking and jogging are some of the good exercises for your German Shepherd.
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How Much Does It Cost To Own A German Shepherd
Adopting a German Shepherd is an important commitment. You need to be prepared to financially care for your dog for the entirety of his life, including food and visits to the vet. Adopting a dog from a breeder will also cost more than adopting your German Shepherd from a rescue or shelter.
Initial costs of a dog are higher because you need supplies. After that has been purchased, you can expect to pay about $1,000 a year for the best dog food for German Shepherds. Heartworm medicine is around $240 a year and a yearly visit of about $100, depending on the vet.
Additionally, you will need to factor in other costs for your dog. This means paying to have him microchipped if he wanders off as well as the spay/neutering surgery if that is what you would like to do.
You will also need to think about annual vaccinations, any tick medicine that you might want, as well as the cost of professional training if needed.
When Do German Shepherds Stop Growing In Height
German shepherds usually grow in stages, depending on their age. Male German shepherds stop growing in height when they turn 9 months old, while female GDs reach their maximum height when they are 8 months old. That being said, they may grow a half-inch or an inch more as they grow up, but they will fully stop growing once males are 2 to 2 ½ years old, and females are 2 ½ to 3 years old. Males typically reach a total height of 5 5.4 feet while females grow 4.5 5 feet tall.
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Training Your German Shepherd Husky Mix
Siberian Huskies and German Shepherds are both incredibly intelligent breeds, with strong working instincts.
Bored or cooped-up Shepskies are more likely to show unwanted behaviors. Chewing, digging and trying to escape can all be a problem.
The stimulation your German Shepherd x Husky needs will depend on their temperament. And on what motivates them.
Average Male German Shepherd Height And Weight
An adult male weighs, on average, between 66 and 88 pounds, or 30 and 40 kilograms. To measure a shepherds height, measure to the top of their withers or right at their shoulders. Males are typically between 24 and 26 inches, or 60 and 65 centimeters tall.
For the average person, a male German Shepherd will come up to at least their hip. If one of these dogs were to jump up, they would be at least as tall as the average person. They are not so large that they cannot also be fast. Their size supports their bite strength and gives them enough speed to effectively chase down criminals or fend off wolves and other predators.
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How To Increase A German Shepherds Weight
You must cross-reference your dogs size with the growth chart. If both size and weight are greater than what the growth chart indicates as the standard, then your dog is simply the bigger kind, and you can chalk up the additional weight to natural body size.
However, if your German Shepherd is the size that GSDs his age are supposed to be but is overweight, then chances are that hes putting on unhealthy weight that needs to be worked off.
In short, the healthy weight adds to the height and overall size, whereas unhealthy weight doesnt affect your dogs size. The key is to discover this sooner than later. If your GSD looks like Danny Devito, you dont need to be a canine biologist to know that he isnt predisposed to being a big dog he just needs to be in better shape.
Discovering early that your German Shepherd needs more exercise and better diet management means you have to go easy on him during physical training.
German Shepherds have growth plates made of soft tissue that leaves room for limb bone growth. And if your dog runs or even goes on enthusiastic long walks outdoors, his growth plates might be at risk. Thats why you need to be careful how you exercise your GSD puppy.
I have a post covering exercises for younger GSDs in detail but below are some principles that will help you decide your own exercises for German Shepherds whose growth plates are open.
Learn About The Measurements Of Your Puppys Parents
The next step to take in guesstimating your German Shepherd puppys adult height, weight, and size is to learn as much as you can about the mother and father dog.
Find out from your breeder what the exact height, weight, and length measurements are for each parent dog. You can also ask the breeder about how long it took each parent dog to complete its growth.
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Where Did The German Shepherd Originate
German Shepherd Dogs originated in Germany in the late 1800s. Originally, GSDs were not companions, rather they worked for farmers to herd sheep and protect them from predators.
After World War I, people realized how easy German Shepherds were to train, thus establishing them as a popular household pet.
How Much Do German Shepherds Weigh
If youre a German Shepherd owner or are thinking of adopting one, you want to know how much this breed should weigh. Although many people think of German Shepherds as large dogs, theyre actually of a medium build. Its important to their health that they arent overfed and that they stay trim.
In this article, we’ll look at:
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How Fast Will A German Shepherd Puppy Grow
At four weeks of age, a German Shepherd puppy will stand four to six inches between their shoulder blades or withers.
When a German Sheperd puppy goes home with their new owners at eight to ten weeks of age, they will be seven to ten inches tall at the withers.
A German Shepherd puppy will enter their largest growth spurt between six and ten months and end up around 70 pounds and 20 inches tall.
How Much Does A German Shepherd Puppy Cost
You will notice ads having seemingly similar dogs with price variations of anywhere from $50 to $1000 for a German Shepherd puppy depending on the breeder and the bloodline offered. You might assume that the cheap dogs are not as healthy or desirable, and the more expensive ones are a better]
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A Short History Of The German Shepherd
As the name of the breed suggests, the German Shepherd originates from Germany. The history of the breed dates back to the late 1800s. In the 1850s, German dog breeders were trying to standardize dog breeds to preserve the best traits that assisted their job of herding sheep. This was practiced within small communities of people in Germany where shepherds bred dogs.
German breeders wanted to have a dog that had the necessary skills for herding sheep such as intelligence, strength, speed, endurance, and a strong sense of smell. The breeders got results but the ability and the appearance of dogs differed from one community to another. As a result, the Phylax Society was formed in 1891 with the purpose of creating native dog breeds but it was disbanded in just a few of years due to internal disagreements on the traits of the dogs the organization should promote. Nevertheless, Germanys efforts to create a dog breed of the nations own continued.
In 1899, Max von Stephanitz, an ex-member of the Phylax Society and a former student of the Berlin Veterinary College, was shown a dog during one of his visits to a dog show named Hektor Linksrhein. The dog was agile, loyal, fast, intelligent, and appeared pleasing to the eye. The dog satisfied his beliefs of what a working dog should be, and he purchased him.
Socialization Period: 3 Weeks 12 Weeks
Now that puppies can interact with the world and creatures around them, they begin to do so. Its vital to begin socializing puppies at this point to become accustomed to humans.
Puppies should remain with their mother during this entire period even if theyre already weaned. There are dog social skills that the mother teaches her puppies during this stage. If they are taken from their mother too early, they may have trouble interacting with other dogs later in life.
Here are some of the milestones of this period:
- Walking well
- Begin playing with littermates and humans
- Have most if not all of their teeth
- Demonstrate adult behaviors including mounting and greeting by sniffing tails
- Fear response
- Can begin housebreaking
- Ears begin to stand upright
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Sexual Maturity And Reproductive Period
In this stage, German shepherds reach the period of sexual maturity. This lasts from the 7th month to until they are about 2 years old. Females typically become sexually mature when they have their first estrus period, which happens in the sixth month. However, males reach their sexual maturity when they are 7 months old.
In this period, the body of German shepherds becomes large, especially that of the male GSDs. While they are close to reaching full growth, the dog breed is still developing mentally and emotionally. In their adolescent age, German shepherds are full of energy and love to run and play around.
When Do Dogs Stop Growing A Summary
How much do full grown labs weigh. An adult male Lab generally weighs between 65 to 80 pounds 29-36 kg while a female can weigh 55 to 70 pounds 25-32 kg. Most Labradors will have completed much of their growth by their first birthday and will stop growing completely before. Known for their happy disposition and excellent rapport with children it is easy to understand why they.
According to its size the weight of the Labrador male at 3 months should be between 11 and 131 kg. The bigger breeds mature slower and dont reach maturity until much later. For example female Labradors tend to weigh between 55-70 pounds whereas males are larger weighing between 65-80 pounds.
Labradors Weight Varies. That said how much do Labs weigh. So average Labrador Retriever weight figures can be misleading.
Small 12 25 lbs. Male Labradors weigh between 60 80 lbs or 27 34 kg. Dogs that are bred to be working.
Labradors are the most popular dog to own in North America. As a very rough guide an adult female Labrador might. The size of an adult Labrador can be anywhere from 55-62 cm tall.
If youre asking yourself how much should a Labrador weigh in adulthood the answer depends on the sex of the animal. Large 50 100 lbs. Our Labrador Retriever weight chart predicts the growth of your puppy until they stop growing between 12 to 18 months old.
Toy up to 12 lbs. From these figures the size of an adult Labradoodle varies from 53-63 cm or 21-24 inches tall. Medium 25 50 lbs.
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How Much Do German Shepherds Grow After Six Months
German Shepherds tend to be at around 70% of their adult size and weight at six months, which means they dont have much more growing to do.
At this age, they are reaching the end of their rapid growth period, and you will notice their growth slows down significantly after this milestone.
If you are considering adding a larger breed dog to your family, its good to have an understanding of how big they could potentially get. With German Shepherd size, there is quite a bit of variation depending on the type you have and what they were initially bred for. All this information can help you to anticipate their adult size, and our calculator can get you the rest of the way there.
Can A Chow Shepherd And Sheprachow Mix Socialize
The Sheprachow can display dominant behaviors, especially towards dogs of the same sex. Early socialization is essential to make this mix comfortable with other dogs. However, its always safer to keep the Chow Shepherd on a leash in public areas and consider muzzle training if dominance issues start to emerge.
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German Shepherd Breed Characteristics
- German Shepherds stand around two feet tall. Males can reach 24 to 26 inches and females between 22 and 24 inches.
- A medium-to-large sized working dog, male German Shepherds weigh between 65 and 90 pounds and females between 50 and 70 pounds.
- German Shepherds have a double coat. The outer coat is dense and can be straight or a little wavy, whilst the undercoat is thick but soft.
- German Shepherds are one of the most common police dogs used for everyday duties. The trainability and intelligence of the breed make it the ideal candidate for police work.
- German Shepherds are considered one of the most intelligent dog breeds, along with the Border Collie and Poodle.
- Contrary to popular belief, German Shepherds are very loving and protective pets of their owners. However, they can display aggression if their aggressive tendencies arent kept in check.