Weight Chart

What's the Weight Of Your German Shepherd Dog? 

(If you arrived directly at this page, click on the link to the Home Page ,where you will find access to Free Training Tips and other useful information to help you to train and care for your German Shepherd.


Guide For German Shepherds
The following information is for any breed of dog but if you look at the column for a "Large Dog" it gives the information relevant to a German Shepherd.
How heavy is your dog and what weight should it be anyway? Well, weight is very important but the breed of dog obviously makes a difference. We need to know a puppy's weight so as a to get an idea if it is feeding properly and doing well. We need to know an adult dog's weight to ensure that it stays healthy and that we are feeding it a correct balanced diet - and not too little or not too much.

The chart below gives an idea of the adult weight of a dog classified by the rough designation of toy/small/medium/ large etc. (Actually this is a bit crude and you will get a more accurate result by contacting the breed society for your particular dog) The bottom row indicates the average weight an adult dog should achieve and the vertical columns indicate the expected weight gain of a puppy during it's first eighteen months of life.


 Weight Guide Chart For Puppies and Adult Dogs
Age Of Dog
 Small
toy		 Medium
toy		 Larger
toy		 Very small Dog Small Dog Medium Dog Large Dog
(including GS)		 Giant Dog
4 weeks of Age 7 oz 13 oz 21 oz     7 lb    
8 weeks of Age 11 oz 21.5 oz 33 oz 35.2 oz 5 lb 17 lb 17 lb 30 lb
12 weeks of Age 15 oz 30 oz 2 lb 13 oz 4 lb 3 oz 7 lb 8 oz 27 lb 29 lb 57 lb
4 months old 1 lb 5 oz 2 lb 9 oz 3 lb 14 oz 4 lb 13 oz 10 lb 8 oz 36 lb 37 lb 64 lb
5 months old 1 lb 9 oz 3 lb 1 oz 4 lb 11 oz 5 lb 2oz 13 lb 44 lb 44 lb 75 lb
6 months old 1 lb 13 oz 3 lb 5 oz 5 lb 5 lb 8 oz 14 lb 50 lb 48 lb 85 lb
7 months old 1 lb 13 oz 3 lb 8oz 5 lb 5oz 6 lb 8 oz 15 lb 8 oz 54 lb 53 lb 100 lb
8 months old 1 lb 14 oz 3 lb 10oz 5 lb 9oz 7 lb 17 lb 57 lb 57 lb 110 lb
9 months old 1 lb 14 oz 3 lb 12oz 5 lb 11oz 7 lb 10oz 18 lb 4oz 60 lb 62 lb 116 lb
10 months old 1 lb 15 oz 3 lb 13oz 5 lb 13oz 8 lb 2oz 19 lb 62 lb 66 lb 120 lb
11 mos 1 lb 15 oz 3 lb 14oz 5 lb 14oz 8 lb 14 oz 19 lb 10oz 63 lb 70 lb 125 lb
12 months old 2 lb 3 lb 15oz 5 lb 15oz 9 lb 12oz 20 lb 64 lb 75 lb 130 lb
18 months old and
Mature Dogs		 2 lb 4 lb 6 lb 10 lb 20 lb 68 lb 80 lb 135 lb

                                                         
 Weighing Your Dog
This task will always be difficult at home. With a small dog you can usually weigh it on a household scale. With a medium dog you can hold the dog whilst you step onto the bathroom scales, then weigh yourself separately, then subtracting your weight from the combined weight will give your dog's weight. With a large dog such as a German Shepherd, you may need to visit the local vet who will have a suitable scale and will be happy to weigh your dog - usually for free.
In addition to physically weighing a dog you can get some idea as to weight but comparing your dog's appearance with the chart below. Again this is only a judgement and ideally this is something a vet will do during routine examinations, however the chart is a useful guide to show if anything is starting to go wrong.

 

chart and information courtesy of Ralston Purina

 


Evaluating your dog's Condition        

How skinny is "pretty skinny"?  How heavy is "not as thin as he should be"?  The Purina body condition system provides a uniform way to describe a pet's weight, from "emaciated" to "grossly obese"

  1. EMACIATED
    Ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and any bony prominence evident from a distance.   No discernable body fat.  Obvious loss of muscle mass.
  2. VERY THIN
    Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible.  No palpable fat.  Some evidence of other bony prominence.  Minimal loss of muscle mass.
  3. THIN
    Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat.  Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible.  Pelvic bones becoming prominent.  Obvious waist and abdominal tuck
  4. UNDERWEIGHT
    Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering.  Waist easily noted, viewed form above.  Abdominal tuck evident.
  5. IDEAL
    Ribs palpable without excess fat covering.  Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above.  Abdomen tucked when viewed from the side.
  6. OVERWEIGHT 
    Ribs palpable with slight excess fat covering.  Waist is discernable viewed from above but is not prominent.  Abdominal tuck apparent.
  7. HEAVY
    Ribs palpable with difficulty, heavy fat cover.  Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent or barely visible.  Abdominal tuck may be absent.
  8. OBESE 
    Ribs not palpable under heavy fat cover, or palpable only with significant pressure.   Heavy fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail.  Waist absent.  No abdominal tuck.  Obvious abdominal distension may be present. 
  9. GROSSLY OBESE
    Generally as above (8) but dog has difficulty moving about - it waddles rather than walks and it gets out of breath with very little movement. This condition is very serious and       urgent action is called for.


    Please note that all the values given above are approximate. There will be
       variations depending on the breed and how a dog was nourished during
                        it's early years and individual characteristics.

Daily Feeding Guide:

Small Breeds and Toy dogs 5-12kg: 170-225gm
Medium Breeds 12-25kg: 225-335gm
Large Breeds 25-45kg: 335-650gm
Giant Breeds 45-70kg: 650-1100gm.

Please ensure that fresh clean drinking water is always available "24/7".


 
 

 

Back To Home Page

© N.P.S 2008