Offer An Extra Meal To Their Normal Routine
Begin by feeding your dog a bitmore of their current food spread out over one more meal per day. Add a quarterto half a cup of extra food per meal.
You can also take their regularfeeding and the additional food and increase their feeding schedule to fourtimes per day, splitting the food equally at each feeding.
This routine allows your dog to space out their food more evenly, so they dont fill up too quickly and then ignore their later meals. Its also gentler on their stomachs and makes digestion easier since theres less food sitting in their belly at one time.
If you want to make a German Shepherd gain weight the right way, youre going to have to plan for multiple feedings and watch how much you feed them so they dont get fat, but build muscle.
Getting Your Dog To Eat More
First Two Weeks Of The German Shepherd Newborn Puppies
Learning to care for the puppies during the first two weeks of their lives is particularly important. The condition of a German shepherd puppy immediately after birth, already speaks volumes to the fact that he is absolutely helpless as babies are born blind and deaf.
However, despite this obstacle, their sense of smell is already quite developed and they perfectly feel the maternal scent and look for nipples of the mother by touch. Moreover, newborns instinctively know that the rear nipples contain more milk, so a struggle begins between them for the most advantageous places.
Hearing in newborns starts functioning three to four days after birth. In the first hours after birth, babies are susceptible to various kinds of infections and they are especially vulnerable in cases when the health condition of the mother is not good.
Real life experience shows that those who were born last have a much higher survival rate than those who came out first.
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A German Shepherd Grows So Fast In Just 6 Months
Its always fascinating to witness a little pup turning into a fully grown canine in only a couple of days. Dogs seem to grow up so fast! However, as not all pups grow at the same pace, you must stop comparing the growth of your dog with others. Remember that their speed of growth is dependent on their breed.
Although all puppies become adult dogs once they reach one-year-old, they continue to grow in size and height while their bones develop progressively. Their skeletal growth determines how tall they will become as adults. Keep in mind that your dogs will continue to build their fat and muscle even after their bones have completed their development.
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Monitoring Of German Shepherd Newborn Puppies
You will need to closely monitor the behavior of newborns, weigh them daily and record the results in a log book. In doing so, you can track the evolution of the babies and identify those that may have development issues. In the first week, babies suckle their mother about twelve times a day, then the frequency drops to eight and in the final days it will go down to four times.
At first, the mother stimulates the physiological functions of the puppies by licking them. Once the German Shepherd newborn puppies begin to eat a little solid food, the mother stops doing it. Keep in mind that from that point on you will have to take care of the cleanliness of the birthing area where the bitch lives with her puppies.
If you notice that the mother does not really care for the babies, you will need to massage their abdomens. You can do so with a cotton swab dipped in sunflower oil. When the babies are five days old, the dog owner should start changing the litter in the box on a daily basis.
Make sure the area where the litter is set up is warm but well ventilated and that nothing can contribute to suffocation of the puppies such as fabric, attachments, etc.
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German Shepherd Growth & Weight Chart
These numbers are estimates to give you an idea of how much a German Shepherd weighs month by month. Dont worry if your puppy is slightly behind or ahead just be sure to take your pet to regular vet appointments to ensure they are healthy and happy!
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How Big Is An 11 Week Old German Shepherd
Registered. 15 pounds at 11 weeks is light, generally for an 8 week old male you would want him around 13 to 19 pounds and a 12 week old male around 22 to 30 pounds. These are generalisations only and for showline GSDs, however a good guide to go by.4 Sept 2014
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Other Transitional Period Physical And Behavioral Developments
During the transitional period of German Shepherd development, their teeth will start to erupt, and puppies will become efficient crawlers and even start to walk and explore their surroundings.
They also become more independent and are able to urinate and excrete without assistance. At around 4 weeks, your German Shepherd puppy will change from grunting to barking and growling.
Seven To Twelve Months
Male dogs reach sexual maturity around seven months of age. The first signs of this are that your dog raises his leg when urinating, begins mounting any object he can find, and may even display more aggressive and domineering behaviors. Owners consider neutering male dogs at this age to reduce boisterous behaviors. Still, its also important to assert yourself as the alpha dog to ensure your puppy is aware of where he stands in terms of pack membership.
German shepherds continue to mature up until they are around 36 months old, and many do not consider a GSD an adult until they are two and a half or three years old if male, and over two years if female.
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Other Juvenile Period Physical And Behavioral Developments
During the juvenile or ranking period, German Shepherd puppies start to understand and learn about dominance and submission within a pack.
They can begin proper obedience training towards the end of this period, but you need to bear in mind that your puppys attention span is still quite short.
At around 4 months, they also go through a chewing phase as they start to lose their baby teeth, and they can enter another fear phase.
To 12 Weeks Old German Shepherd
Some GSD puppies have erect ears by this age, but some dogs retain their floppy puppy ears until they finish teething at 5 or 6 months old.
This age is known as the socialization period and should be handled frequently by their human family.
Exposing them to various sights and sounds will also help greatly by desensitizing them to things they would come across in their life.
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Average Adult German Shepherd Height
The height of a German Shepherd is always measured at what is known as the withers, which is the part of their back right above their shoulders at the base of the neck. This is the tallest point on the dogs body when theyre standing.
The head is never included in animal measurements because its too hard to get them to stay still with their head in a fully-upright position. For this reason, horses, dogs, and other animals are always measured to the shoulder.
Like with weight, males will typically be bigger than females, but its not always the case. Here are the average ranges of German Shepherds by gender as mentioned above:
- Males: 24 26 inches
- Females: 22 24 inches
Other Adolescent Period Physical And Behavioral Developments
During the adolescent period of German Shepherd development, you can expect your dog to challenge you more as they find their place in the pack and settle into their role. It is important at this stage that you reinforce your position as the pack leader or alpha.
They will also try to move up the ranks in your dog pack, so if you have more than one dog, your pack may temporarily destabilize, with more fighting and disagreements among your dogs. T
his is normal, but you will need to be careful and watchful to ensure that nothing gets out of control.
As adolescents, German Shepherds also start displaying sexual behavior if they are unsterilized. Females can go into heat from 6 months old. Males will begin cocking their legs while urinating and can start to mark around your property. You will need to stop marking behavior if they start trying to do this in the house.
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You need to watch out for your shoes and furniture because German Shepherds can enter a second chewing phase at 7-9 months old.
If you have not already started obedience training, it is important that you begin in earnest during this period. German Shepherds are large, active, and protective dogs it is important that you have rules in place and that they know what and when you are asking something of them.
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Offer Them The Right Mental Stimulation
Your dog may jump your fence because theyre bored and under-stimulated.
A well-behaved German Shepherd gets ample and mental stimulation.
They rarely have a reason or inclination to jump fences.
Dogs who lack stimulation mentally search for new experiences outside their fence, such as interesting people, animals, or places to explore.
Letting your dog in the backyard isnt a form of mental stimulation when this is their daily routine. Your active GSD still needs plenty of mental exercises to keep their highly intelligent minds satisfied.
Ask yourself:
- Are you meeting your dogs physical needs?
- Do you know what activities GSDs like?
- Is there enough variety of mental stimulation to keep your dogs mind happy?
- What ways do you meet their physical and mental demands that you can improve?
Its easier than you think to make the most of your GSDs intelligent brain using the right information.
Average Female German Shepherd Height And Weight
An average female weighs between 48 and 70 pounds, or 22 and 32 kilogramsa little less than the average male. At the shoulder, the average female German Shepherd is 22 to 24 inches, or 55 to 60 centimeters tall.
While your dog might appear to be fully grown at one-year-old, the truth is that he or she will still be an adolescent dog at this point, and you might start to experience behavioral problems that you never saw when your dog was a puppy. Dont let your dogs size fool youat a year old, they are still fairly young and need discipline and structure in order to grow into well-adjusted adult dogs.
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What Food Should You Give Your German Shepherd
Typically, dog food will either be dry food or wet food, or you can also get semi-moist food. The general advice when asked what type of food you should feed a German Shepherd is a mixture of dry and wet food.
You should aim to feed them mostly dry food, with a smaller ratio of wet and semi-wet food. Your dog will certainly prefer wet food as this is by far the tastiest of the dog food options, after human food of course, but because your dog doesnt need to chew it, it doesnt have the benefit of keeping your dogs teeth clean, and its more expensive than other forms of dog food.
Semi-wet food is actually quite hard for dogs to digest, so this is not a great option for your German Shepherd. They are pretty high in sugars and often include food coloring and other preservatives, which dont offer your dog any nutritional benefits.
Change To Puppy Or High
Some adult and senior dogs benefit from a puppy or high-performance food. Both puppy and high-performance food is higher in calories to support complex energy needs and sustained growth.
Test out a mixture of half of your dogs regular food combined with half of the puppy or high-performance food to help with weight gain.
If you want quality high-performance or puppy food then go with Victor Active Dog & Puppy Grain-Free dog food for a healthy way to add fat to your German Shepherd.
Puppy foods generally have added nutrients to support puppy growth which can help your underweight German Shepherd gain weight and fatten up in a controlled manner which is what you want.
Mixing regular adult and puppy or high-performance food helps your GSD gain weight and fat in a regulated manner. But dogs with certain kidney problems shouldnt eat a high protein diet which is why its best to check with your vet first.
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What If My German Shepherd Is Over Weight
If your German Shepherd is overweight, he is at risk of developing serious health conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It will also put too much pressure on his joints, causing arthritis and immobility. The heavier he is, the harder it will be to move and to lose the weight.
Look at his food It should be high in lean protein, low in fillers and fat. Then, exercise your dog. Do not over-exercise or starve him to get him to lose weight. It will take time and patience to get him to a healthy weight.
Utilizing Data From Your German Shepherd Puppy Growth Chart
Take your growth data to all of your routine veterinary visits and wellness checks. You can ask your veterinarians advice about your puppys body condition and nutrition. They may contribute to health problems known to be in the Germans Shepherd lineage or that they have an increased risk of having.
Extreme deviations from the average should be investigated, particularly in very young puppies who do not appear healthy. While rare, several conditions can cause extremely poor growth and reduced adult size, such as various forms of dwarfism.
Keep in mind that any serious congenital problems will often be detected before the age of eight weeks when puppies begin to be adopted.
You should not be concerned about minor deviations from breed average or brief growth spurts if your puppy appears happy and healthy. If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian.
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German Shepherd Growth By Age
At about a month, German Shepherd puppies will weigh 4.5-9 lbs. females weigh less, and males will be at the top of the range.
At two months, you can expect them to weigh in at 11-20 lbs.
When they reach three months, your pup should be about 17.5-31 lbs. depending on gender.
At four months, your German Shepherd puppy will weight somewhere between 28.5-39.5 lbs. Thats pretty big! Its about half of the adult weight your dog will eventually reach.
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Large growth spurts will take place between 2-5 months, so keep a close eye on your puppys weight during this period especially.
At six months, the average male is 53 lbs., and the average female weighs about 46 lbs.
German Shepherd puppies generally stop growing significantly in height by nine months for males, eight months for females males may get an extra inch by 15 months and females slightly less than that by 12-15 months. They reach their adult weight at 36 months.
German Shepherds, like many larger breeds, are considered fully grown by about 18 months, when they have reached 98 percent of their growth.