Everyone adores the lovable and diligent German Shepherd, but when do they stop growing? They are big working dogs that love their families and can be good guard dogs.
By the time a German Shepherd is one and a half years old, he or she is almost fully grown. They keep getting bigger until they are three years old, but their biggest growth spurt is between the ages of two and six months. The size of their parents, the size of their paws, and how big they are for their age can all give you an idea of how big they will get.
What is the maximum size of a German Shepherd?
Around 18 months, a German Shepherd is considered to be fully grown. Males can keep growing and filling out until they are about two and a half years old, but females usually do so by the time they are two years old. Since men are a bit bigger, it takes them longer to fill out their chest and stomach.
At 3 months, a male German Shepherd should be 9-11″ tall and weigh 22-30 pounds. At 6 months, he should be 16-18″ tall and weigh 49-57 pounds. At 1 year, he should be 22-24″ tall and weigh 71-79 pounds. At 1.5 years, he should be 23-25″ tall and weigh 71-79 pounds.
As you can see, there is a lot of change in the first six months and a lot of change between six months and a year. At six months, a male German Shepherd will have completed its first and greatest development spurt and will be around 17 inches tall and 53 pounds in weight.
At 3 months, a female German Shepherd should be between 8 and 10 inches tall and 17 to 26 pounds. 6 months is 15-17″ tall and 44-49 lbs. 1 year is 20-22″ tall and 60-64 lbs. 1.5 years is 21-22″ tall and 60-66 lbs.
At these ages, female German shepherds grow the same way males do, but their total numbers are a little lower. At six months, a female German Shepherd should be about 16 inches tall to the shoulder and weigh an average of 47 pounds. She will have finished her first and biggest growth spurt.
Both men and women can keep filling out until their third year. But if they’re still gaining weight after three years, you might want to talk to your vet about whether or not that’s a problem.
So, what are some other signs that your German Shepherd isn’t growing anymore?
A German Shepherd’s size and weight, as well as its age, are great ways to tell if it has stopped growing or not. If your German Shepherd is between 22 and 26 inches tall and should weigh between 50 and 90 pounds, it has probably reached its full size.
If you want to be even more specific, you can use a length-to-height ratio to figure out if your German shepherd is the right size. The ratio should be 10:8.5, where the length is measured from the chest to the base of the tail and the height is measured from the middle of the shoulder blades to the pad of the foot.
When the ratio of your German Shepherd is 10:8.5, you know that it is the right size.
And finally, if you want to know if your german has stopped growing, you can do this by knowing the different stages they go through as they grow.
How to Ensure Proper German Shepherd Growth
When your puppy grows, their bones and cartilage will be the first things to get bigger. So, when you take care of your puppy, you need to pay attention to their cartilage, bones, and growth plates.
The growth plates are the part that needs the most care out of the three. The growth plates are where cartilage and bone meet, and they are also where new bone tissue is made. So if the bone plates get broken or stop working, your dog will have trouble walking.
Why Do Some German Shepherds Get Bigger Or Smaller Than Others?
You can figure out how big a German Shepherd will get by looking at a few things. Their size is mostly determined by their genes, so the size and gender of their parents will be the most important factors in their overall size.
The first and easiest step is to find out how old and what kind of puppy it is, and then compare its size to the average for its age. If it is bigger than average, it is more likely to get bigger in the long run.
You can also look at the size of their paws. A puppy with big paws is still growing, and the bigger the paws are, the more the puppy will grow into them.
Lastly, knowing how big the German Shepherd’s parents are will also help you figure out how big the dog will be when it grows up. Dogs often grow to be the same size as their parents, so you’ll have an idea of your German Shepherd’s maximum development potential.
