Is my puppies weight too low?

[BLem23]

My puppy, Homer, is 4 1/2 months old and weighs 35 pounds on the nose. Is he growing at a normal weight for his age or is he too low? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Brian

[Trish]

BLem23,

Dont worry about the actuall pounds.

Stand back and look at your pup.
He should be lean, is actually better to be on the lean side than fat. You should be able to see the last rib. There are so many health problems surrounding fat puppies and dogs. If he gets to heavy the joints usually take the brunt. ie: Hip displasia, Elbow displasia, heart problems: the list goes on.

Does his fur shine? Are his eyes bright? Is he energetic?

IF you answer yes to the above questions. I wouldnt worry about the weight. His being healthy is the most important thing.

What does your vet say about it?

Trish http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[JonandMichelle]

For the first year of its life you want a lean puppy. After its bones are developed, then is the ideal time to worry about weight gain...This is healthier for the dog in general. I've seen people tring to "pack" on the pounds when the pup is less than a year and its just not healthy. These people are causing major health problems for their Rott. They are already big boned as it is, why put more weight on them while they are tring to grow.

[German Vanegas]

I personally look for good health and good conditioning on a pup, expecting that the pup comes from a "good genetic pool"... I don't worry much about the weight, UNLESS is under or over it... in most cases, people want their puppies to be bigger than in reality they should be... in my opinion, a Rottweiler starts to develop substance and size AFTER it reaches 24 months of age and until is about 36... People focus on the weight too much, perhaps confusing the Rottweiler with a Giant breed, when in fact it is not. Don't make that mistake, it sounds like your pup is OK... follow Michelle and Trish's advise http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[Trish]

BLem23,

Also wanted to let you know, it is very important for Rotties growth to be slow. Excessively fast growth leads to numerous problems.

There are so very many health problems that arise from oversized dogs. It is a misconception that Rottweilers are supposed to be HUGE.

I am very familiar with the oversized Rotties. I have two HUGE Rotties.
A 13 month old female 25" and 125 lbs. and a 11 Month old male 26" and 130 lbs.
Never a day goes by I dont worry about them having hip problems, heart problems, elbows eyes the list goes on.
I only have one that is in the standard. my year old female 23" and 80 lbs. and even she is pushing it.
So far I have been lucky, all three had their pre-lim Xrays and came out good. but we will not know for shure until they are two years old.
Dont worry about your pup being small or seeming not to be heavy enough. Like I mentioned before its the health of the pup that matters and keep them lean as you can.

Trish http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[BLem23]

I would like to say that his father was 185 pounds and his mother was 165 lbs. They were not fat. Thanks for anyone who has replied. Brian

[Trish]

Brian,

You might have to watch your pup very close, like I have to with my two BIG ONES.

the sire and dam you described are like my dogs parents Way out of the standard, way too big. and they have alot of health problems.

Try to keep your pup Lean, and cross your fingers like I do that he doesnt develop hip problems.

Good Luck,

Trish

[German Vanegas]

I doubt that the sire and the dam were actually THAT heavy. Is it an estimated weight, or an actual reading from a well-calibrated weight scale?

Many people over-estimate their dogs' real weight... if your pup's parents were really within those weights, take my word for what is worth: they were way out of breed and performance standards... top weight on a male shouldn't exceed 130 lbs (me favoring around the 100 pounder mark) and females shouldn't get over 110 lbs (me favoring sleeker "femmes").

I believe that you should take your pup to a qualified vet (experienced with Rotts) and ask him/er if the pup is healthy... let us know what the vet tells you http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[BLem23]

It was an estimated weight. I wanted a larger scaled Rot but didn't want the health problems. I have been around Rots for the last 2 years and I would say the father looked more like 145 and the mother around 115. Not real heavy but big muscular build. Doesn't the AKC have restrictions on what can be considered "Out of Breed Standards?" If not why? Thanks again,

Brian

[CarolineS]

The AKC gives standards for height, 22" - 25" at the shoulder for bitches, 24" - 27" for dogs. While there is nothing official for weight, the accepted range is that posted by German.

Proportion is very important and is gone into in great detail in the German standard. The AKC standard includes a briefer synopsis of it. If you think about it, if a dog is 27" at the shoulder and looks good and in correct proportion at 130 pounds, can you imagine how that same dog would look at 165 pounds. He would look like a sausage with legs. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif If a dog is truly 165 pounds, and really isn't fat, then you've got to come to the conclusion that dog is way out of the height range in the breed standard.

The AKC wouldn't be able to set standards for weight because there are just too many variables. Two dogs of the same height, with different bone, would have different weights, but could both be correct. A dog that competes in SchH would probably be a lot leaner than a dog that competes solely in the conformation ring. Some people may like their dogs a little plumper than others. If you don't know if the weight on your dog is correct, just ask the vet. He'll tell you what is healthy and it's probably a lot thinner than you'd think. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by CarolineS (edited October 08, 1999).]

[German Vanegas]

Caroline is quite right.

Brian,
I had one situation a couple of years ago, where a foreign neighbor from a land that seems like "dogs are evil", was telling all of my other neighbors that he "was afraid of my 200 pounds (!?) Rottweiler"... I never in my life have had a Rottie that heavy, ever. The heaviest Rott I have had was close to 120... that tells you how people have the tendency to over estimate weights. I believe that, in all probabilities, you still are over estimating your pup's parents weight. Like I said before, be concerned about good health and conditioning, your pup will grow to its genetic potential... you don't want your pup to over grow its natural genetic predisposition by overfeeding him with protein, fat and supplements... feed him with a proven premium dog food and love that puppy for what he is http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif