Slowing down in growing?

[Gibbe]

I think i read before here that there is at a certain age Rotties slows down and is not growing so much? And when do they start again? I mean if there is a general age for this?

Thanks

[Patty1231]

I can only speak from my own experience but I think it's been shared here with others. I've only had Rocco since puppyhood and he started drastically slowing down in growth between 6-8 months of age. Before that, it seems he was growing like a bad weed. This is a slow maturing breed and they will continue to fill out until around 3-4 years of age (Rocco's 3-1/2 and still filling out across the chest). But height and rapid weight growth do seem to slow down noticeably at a certain point.

[Gibbe]

Our pup is 8 months now and he has grown like bad weed like you said, and is 95 lbs and has finally started to slow down now as it seems, don't whant a monster so I hope he takes it easier in the future

The "filling out across the chest" untill 3-4 years, how much would one expect that to be in weight?

Thanks

[anna30]

I also have learned a lot from the educated people on this site and I am very grateful to them. Just from my own experience, I saw our puppy grow about 10 pounds per month until 10 or 11 months. Our pup is around 13 months now and is weighting in at 110. We have noticed he has been limping on his fron legs. It seems to shift from leg to leg. The vet told us it sounds like pano. Pano is basically growing pains. I am now feeding our pup low fat and lower protein to slow his growing so his legs can catch up to his body. We are also giving him Glucocamine (Sp?) to aid in his joint development. In summary, Puppies really grow fast until almost a year. After that, I'm told the mass, width and head size start developing.

[Patty1231]

Please keep in mind that bigger is not better in rotties. It is best to keep them on the lean side. At 25-1/2" and 112 pounds (weight Rocco got up to before I became fully aware of weight issues) he was grossly overweight. I've been able to trim him down to a weight ranging between 92-95 pounds and he could probably even stand a little less and maintain a healthy weight. There is more to weight than pounds - is it fat or is it muscle? Watch for a waist line and a good tuck in back.

[Gibbe]

I understand your point, but I wouldn't say that "the smaller the better" either. First off I'm not in the states so I cant say much about Rottweiler breed over there. But over here a Rottweiler Male should look masculine,big head and be around 110-130 lbs full grown, absolutely not fat, but with muscle and solid body. I see to many small males these days, and that is not the look of a Rottweiler male in my eyes.

Of course a fat puppy is not what we are looking for, but i don't see a problem with the weight if the puppy look slim and is not fat. Our pup is not fat, he is muscle and with a solid body and follow the weigth line just fine for pups over here.

Just my humble opinion.

[Patty1231]

Originally Posted by Gibbe

a Rottweiler Male should look masculine,big head and be around 110-130 lbs full grown, absolutely not fat, but with muscle and solid body.

Agree 100%. Rocco was neutered at 12 months so he doesn't have the muscle mass I believe he could have had. We also don't put in the physical exercise required to make up the difference. Here in the states, however, a lot of people like to brag about their "160+ pound rottweiler" and these dogs are either grossly overweight, over-estimated, or simply bred horribly out of standard. The type of male you describe is exactly the type I will be looking for in my next male (but I've already told Rocco he's never allowed to leave me. ).

[anna30]

I feel like you are both stating the correct point. My baby is 110 pound but is also tall at 26.5 inches. He has a tiny waist. Muscular weight is what you want not fat weight. I think the follwing facts is true for any dog. We all want nice healthy Rottys. As mentioned above 110-130 is the range the AKC says somewhere in the middle of that range is optimal. I sometimes here of Rotts going 160 pounds!!!

General rule of thumb for large vs small dogs:

-A smaller dog almost always lives longer than a larger dog
-A smaller dog will be healthier at an older age than his heavier counterpoint.
-A smaller dog will normally be more agile and atheletic than a larger dog.

The only advantage I can see for a larger dog is most people consider larger looks better.

[Gibbe]

I just have to say that I know a few 145-155 lbs males who are absolutely beautiful. Really muscle solid body,big head,big skeleton. And just got that big occasional while their siblings became "normal" size. So I think it's important to distinguish natural big rotties and fat rotties who just are fat and overweight and looks quite strange.

[al9072a]

I've heard that the fast height/weight growth spurts usually end around 8 months or so, and that height growth generally ends around one year. Filling out tends to be done by 2-3 yrs, though it varies, of course. A friend of mine had a male who didn't fill out till around 5 yrs.