The Development Stages And Growth Chart Of German Shepherds
German shepherds are athletic, muscular, herding dogs.; They are meant to be agile, quick, and have lots of endurance.; These high energy dogs excel at both work and play but need one or the other to be fulfilled.
From birth to old age, they go through many growth stages. Their health and temperament is influenced on their genetics as well as the love, care, nutrition, training, and socialization they receive.
Just as there are many colors of the German shepherd, it is common to see many sizes.; However, according to the American Kennel Club, the breed standard is 24-26 for males and 22-24 inches for females.; Once full grown, males should weigh between 65-90 pounds and females should weigh 50-70 pounds. Both sexes should be longer than they are tall.
What does the breed standard that they are idealized by mean?; According to the American Kennel Club, the definition of breed standard is the description of the ideal dog of each recognized breed, to serve as an ideal against which dogs are judged at shows, originally laid down by a parent breed club and accepted officially by national or international bodies.
Since there are several lines, such as German working lines and American show lines, and numerous breeders of German shepherds, this ideal is not always maintained.; Its not uncommon to see dogs larger than 100 or more pounds, and some owners actually seek out and prefer these larger dogs.
Neonatal Period
Birth to 2 weeks:
- Birth weight doubling by 2 weeks
German Shepherd Puppy Growth Chart For Male Gsds
For a male German Shepherd puppy, the weight range in adulthood typically varies between 65 pounds and 90 pounds. Puppies will be between 24 to 26 inches tall on average.
This growth chart timeline is courtesy of Von Geliebten Haus GSD breeders. It uses an average German Shepherd that weighs 64 pounds at one year of age.
What To Look For In Puppy Growth Charts
You should avoid charts available on the Internet that give no specific source for their data. Consider whether any chart you are offered is based on a published study or survey with a large sample of puppies.
Also, check if the puppies used to create the chart are comparable to your puppys breeding stock. If your dog is from an unusually large or small stock or is a mixed breed, you should use a growth chart based on their expected adult size rather than their breed.
Whenever possible, you should select a growth chart that gives a percentile range showing the area where most dogs of the breed should fall. This allows you to appreciate the normal range of sizes rather than focusing too much on the average.
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Is My Puppy Too Thin Or Fat
Body condition scores are developed with adult or near adult animals in mind.
Puppies will naturally go through periods of being a little fatter or leaner as they grow and develop. Keep in mind that growth charts are based on average data that doesnt represent the wobbles seen in individual growth rates.
If your puppy seems thin, or extremely overweight, and shows any other signs of poor health, you should consult your veterinarian.
Pointers For Feeding German Shepherds
Improper feeding practices can lead to serious health problems for German shepherds. Most of the time, these problems linger throughout the dogs lifetime.
You should remember this before doing something reckless, such as altering your German shepherd puppys feeding amount.
An owner is responsible for taking into consideration the age and weight of a German shepherd before feeding them. So here are some tips that can be applied according to your dogs age and weight.
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Bone And Joint Problems
A number of different musculoskeletal problems have been reported in German Shepherd Dogs. While it may seem overwhelming, each condition can be diagnosed and treated to prevent undue pain and suffering. With diligent observation at home and knowledge about the diseases that may affect your friend’s bones, joints, or muscles, you will be able to take great care of him throughout his life.
Now Is The Time For Ear Cleaning
Bath time is a great time to clean the ears.
There are many types of ear cleansers on the market, but all of them make my dog shake her head wildly. I keep my dog in the shower or outdoors when I do ear cleaning because she WILL shake the cleaner out and I dont want wax and dirt which all over my house.
Inspect their ears after the bath to wipe away any water. Use your ear cleaner with the directions provided.
Stick to liquid cleaners or wipes since theyre easier to use.
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Offer Them The Appropriate Chew Toys
As your Shepherds strength increases so do their desires to chew on increases.
Look for more indestructible toys to keep your GSD busy and continue to offer chew treats to work their jaws.
Dont buy just any chew toys, as German Shepherds have one of the most powerful bites.
Get a chew toy to reduce their boredom and bad behaviors from this list of approved, German Shepherd puppy chew toys.
Find larger chews so you minimize the potential for choking and their jaws get a good workout. Your puppys adult teeth are still pushing through and this can cause pain, but chewing helps to soothe their gums.
Chewing also helps your puppy to calm themselves.
Giving your puppy a chew toy when they are biting an unapproved item redirects their attention to the right item.
Does My German Shepherd Love Me
If youre wondering whether or not your German Shepherd loves you, this post will show you a number of ways that you can tell and what you can do to get it to love you more.
So, does my German Shepherd love me? Common ways that they will show their love for you will include wagging their tails when you come home, bringing you things, looking to you for direction or making eye contact with you.
There are actually many ways that a German Shepherd will show its love for you and I will show you 13 of them below.
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When Do Male German Shepherds Stop Growing
When I asked the opinion of German Shepherds parents in the forum, many said their male GSDs stop growing when they reached 2 1/2 to 3 years old of age.
Few even said that their GSDs filled out to 105 lbs!
So if you have male German Shepherds, you need to be prepared for all the extra costs that you may incur as he keeps growing.
Its vital during the growing period that you supply them with a well-balanced diet and arrange regular veterinary visits.
German Shepherds Are Energetic
Your German Shepherd requires a lot of exercise to keep them in good shape and prevent them from becoming bored and destructive.;
Their high energy level can cause them to have some clumsy moments as they attempt to use their high energy drive.
Dont be surprised to see your German Shepherd at full gallop only to stumble over their feet and fall!
You may even see your pup run too fast and be unable to stop so that they run into something. But dont worry, their heads are hard enough to endure such mishaps!
Puppies are much like children. They get excited quickly, and it can be challenging to get them calmed down.
The more excited they get, the more clumsy they can become. Many dog parents document their puppys cute clumsiness for fond memories.;
They can chase a ball or jump in the pool without you having to worry or break out the camera for a photo op!
However, even though they will grow out of their clumsy phase, German Shepherds keep their nosy nature.
They will continue to demand staying in the middle of anything going on with you or other family members.;
Consider a Playpen
One solution to keeping your German Shepherd puppys clumsiness in check and minimizing destruction is a puppy playpen.
Using a playpen will help to secure your pup while you are doing the things that you have to do like cooking and tending to household chores without worrying about what your pup may be getting into.
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Possible Reasons Why Your Puppy Isnt Gaining Weight
There are several possible causes of why your puppy is not gaining weight. The first and common causes are poor nutrition and underfeeding.
Much like human children during their growth period, your GSD puppy also needs a variety of nutrients to gain and maintain a healthy weight.
Underfeeding can be another possible cause too. Medium to large dog breeds, such as German Shepherds, need more feedings than the average dog breeds.
Make sure to follow the recommended feeding portion from your vet or from the bag of food to ensure you are not underfeeding or overfeeding your puppy.
The other common causes include gum disease, parasites, disease, and diabetes.
How To Get It To Mellow Out Sooner
Training
If you want to get your German Shepherd to mellow out then it will be necessary for you to give it lots of training.
The act of training it itself will actually use up a lot of its excess energy and it will also make it a lot more responsive to your command. It will also help to get it to look to you for direction before doing something that goes against what it thinks you might want.
There are many things that you can train your German Shepherd to do but the things that you should prioritize on at first are the basics and to not do things that you dont want it to. For example, you could teach it to sit, stay and to not bolt out the door when you open it.
When youre training it, its important to train it in multiple environments. The reason for this is that German Shepherds and other dogs do not typically carry their training over well into new environments. This is mainly due to all of the stimulating things going on around it.
You can watch the video below to see advice on how to train an unfocused dog.
You can look at the book Training Your German Shepherd on Amazon to get more tips about how you can train your GSD.
Exercise
Its important to give your German Shepherd a lot of exercise in order to get it to mellow out. Youll likely be surprised at just how much exercise it takes to get your German Shepherd to get rid of all of its excess energy.
Distractions
You could also give it lots of things to be distracted with by giving it lots of toys to play with.
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Forza10 Dry Dog Food Best Dog Food For Gsd
Forza10 Legend;is a grain-free dry food suitable for adult dogs of all breeds and sizes. This daily diet is designed to solve the various skin issues like stop scratching, redness, hot spots, tear stains, dry and dull fur, paw licking, and constant fur loss of the dogs. The First five vital Ingredients of this recipe are
- Whole Anchovy Meal
- Fish Oil
- Pea Starch
This Legend dry food recipe also has anchovy meal as its primary source of protein and is very easy to digest. It is also highly palatable for dogs.
Fish such as the wild-caught anchovies used by the brand are plentiful for dogs with sensitive skin because they are naturally rich in omega fatty acids.
One of the differences between this Legend dry food formula and the Sensitive Skin Plus recipe is that it only contains single-source protein.
It contains no other animal ingredients aside from an anchovy meal that makes it ideal for susceptible pups. It gets its extra protein from pea and potato proteins.
The Forza10 dry dog food formula contains sweet potato as the primary carb source. It also contains pea protein and pea starch. Dried kelp is another plant-based ingredient that is included in this recipe. Kelp has 60 different vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, as well as 21 amino acids.
It is rich in iodine, which helps to support your dogs glandular system as well as his metabolism.
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.
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How Many Puppies Do German Shepherds Have
While it can vary greatly from dog to dog, on average, German Shepherds have about 8 puppies at a time. 8 is a common amount for large breeds, but your dog could have less or more than that.
Beyond 8, you run the risk of puppies being too small or less healthy, since nutrient was being distributed thinly during gestation.
Generally, if you have kept your German Shepherd healthy and well-fed, you are likely to get more puppies. The number is also smaller if your dog gets pregnant on her first or second heat cycle.
Newborn German Shepherd Puppies:
On average German Shepherds will have a litter of 8. For the first several weeks of your newborn puppys life they will be developing rapidly. Newborn puppies are born at around 58-64 days after fertilization. Thats an approximate gestational period of just 9 weeks. This is a very short gestational period which means a lot of the puppys critical organs including the brain are not fully formed at birth.
Newborn puppies are born with their ears and eyes tightly sealed. As with their brain puppys eyes and ears are underdeveloped and will need time outside the womb to continue to develop and mature.
The reason eyelids are sealed shut is to form a protective barrier for the fragile developing eye. This helps to protect them from any foreign object, bright lights, bacteria or any other microorganism that can cause disease or damage. In the same way puppies ear canals are closed at birth to make them effectively deaf. This is a protective barrier to protect the fragile underdeveloped machinery needed to hear. In a mature ear the pressure caused by sound will mechanically move structures in the ear. If the pups ears respond to sound before the fragile auditory machinery is fully developed this could cause long term damage.
German Shepherd puppies are highly dependent upon their noses. Puppies navigate by smell from the moment they are born. This helps them to identify their mom, the very important milk supply, siblings and surroundings.
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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.
Why German Shepherd Food Requirements Are Different From Other Dogs
German shepherd dogs have large chests and are very active breeding dogs. These traits make their dietary requirements unique from other breed dogs.
Because of their high-calorie requirements, they are high-energy and hard-working animals.
Unfortunately, German shepherds are susceptible to bloat, a life-threatening disease. Foods rich in fillers, chemicals, and low-quality ingredients, such as those made with too much maize, wheat, oats, or rice, might accelerate the disease and affect the growth of your dog.
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Meet Their Exercise Needs
Begin adding in more exercise and intensity, but dont run or jog on any hard surfaces until around 18-months to be sure your GSDs growth plates fuse properly.
Increase exercise slowly to avoid an injury that comes from too much impact on unfused joints and bones. Fetch-type toys can be a good release of energy and help build endurance and stamina.
Want to know how to exercise your GSD properly? Need ideas on proven ways to burn your dogs energy safely?
Read this German Shepherd puppy safe and healthy exercise routine for the advice you need to get a happy, healthy puppy.
A German Shepherd at 6 months old is active and needs you to help them find the right activities to keep them healthy and out of trouble.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach
Purina Pro Plan focuses on advanced nutrition. That is why this formula can support healthy aging. Adult Dry Dog Food & Wet Dog Food without Corn, Wheat, or Soy contains prebiotic fiber to ensure healthy digestion even for sensitive stomach Dogs.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dog Food comes in 4 flavors. Lamb, Lamb & Oat Meal, Salmon , and Salmon & Rice .;
Salmon is the first and primary protein source in dog food. The salmon fish contains nutrients that will help to protect the dog from several diseases and helps to maintain muscle mass, and promote the dogs overall growth and development.
;Salmon is also a good source of taking essential fatty acids , EPA, and DHA. This will assist in protecting your dog from cancer and keep the skin and coat healthy.;
Fish Meal is another beneficial ingredient in the Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Rice Formula. This ingredient is included cooked fresh fish powder. The fish meal in this formula provides your dog with some protein and Glucosamine to keep your German shepherds bones and joints strong and healthy.
The canola meal is also another vital ingredient of that formula that helps to develop healthy skin and coat. Additionally, it contains essential vitamins and minerals for a powerful immune system and building amino acids.
Brewers Rice is also a good source of carbohydrates for a canine. Brewers rice is used in this recipe because of its high digestibility and makes this meal safe for sensitive stomach dogs.
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