[myrottie]

Hi all,

This is my first ever post here, so apologies if I'm not posting this in the right area.

I have a 8 month old Rottweiler boy who is our baby and gets a lot of love and attention. He didn't have the best start with food as we've had numerous tummy issues and soft poo problem and it's partly my fault for chopping and changing his food too much (part love and part panicking to find a solution). He's gone through a number of different food brands, types of food, many vet visits and finally settled now after a few months with great poop and home cooked meals that work really well for him. I have a couple of questions as I'm wondering if the food issues we've had affected his growth in anyway.

at 11 weeks he was 10 kilos (22lbs)
at 16 weeks 17.50 kilos (38.5lbs)
at 20 weeks 29 kilos (63.9lbs)
at 6.5 months 34 kilos (74.9lbs)
and now at around 8.5 months he is around 42 kilos (92.5lbs) (not much from his 7 month weight of around 40 kilos)

His dad is a bigger than medium dog with a nice head and mum is a leaner but very nice looking Rottie. He now eats around 2400 -3000 grams per day with around 50% + of that meat (mainly turkey and kangaroo) with veggies, bone mince, eggs, sardines, organs, turkey necks etc on the side.

1) Is this a good size for his age? have you personally had a pup that has been in his weight category at the same age? if so how big did they get at their adult weight size?
2) His head is still very puppy like most of the time (sometime he gives a very serious looks that makes it a lot bigger). Have you had a pup that started growing the block head at a later stage?
3) At the moment he doesn't look very stocky like most Rotties in his training group, but looks more lean (not skinny). People do comment and say he is a big boy and say he'd end up getting BIG when I tell them he is only a puppy still and 8 months. Do most puppies at this age grow/look very stocky? have any of you had puppies at this age looking very lean and then adding on thick muscle later on?

Thank you so much for reading my post and thanks in advance for any advice you can provide. He is not planning to be a show dog or anything fancy for us, he is our much loved family member and our little goofball puppy, but I'd love to know and get thoughts on this from owners who have seen and experienced it all

Thanks

 

[Jane]

I think that's a good size at his age there's nothing wrong about it! But to make sure ask your vet about this.

 

[kevin1959]

Use this as a guide ROTTWEILER GROWTH - ROTTWEILER WEIGHT CHART - HEIGHT CHART SERBIAN ROTTWEILERS - ROTTWEILER PUPPIES IN SERBIA

 

[myrottie]

Jane - Thanks for replying
Most Vets I speak to here have a good knowledge on health and well being of animals but not much breed specific knowledge. Other than the previous sensitive tummy issues he's had, now he has a clean health record.

One Vet actually said that most Rotties only grow up to around 27 kilos and I wouldn't have to worry about having worming tablets for dogs over 30kg's (Lucky I bought the other pack), :/ and another specialist Vet mentioned to me that some large male Rotties are around 80 kilos :/ ... so, in regards to the growth and size expectation based on his current weight etc, I would love to hear from owners who have experienced and seen the different stages of their own puppies.

Would also be awesome to see pictures of puppies at 8 months to "now" or older.


Thanks for sharing Kevin. I've seen that chart

 

[Sheera'smom]

Appearance is important, is he lean or chunky? You wouldn't want him to get too large too fast.

 

[Sabellesmom]

I have a 8 month old Rottweiler boy...
now at around 8.5 months he is around 42 kilos (92.5lbs)

1) Is this a good size for his age? have you personally had a pup that has been in his weight category at the same age? if so how big did they get at their adult weight size?
2) His head is still very puppy like most of the time (sometime he gives a very serious looks that makes it a lot bigger). Have you had a pup that started growing the block head at a later stage?
3) At the moment he doesn't look very stocky like most Rotties in his training group, but looks more lean (not skinny). People do comment and say he is a big boy and say he'd end up getting BIG when I tell them he is only a puppy still and 8 months. Do most puppies at this age grow/look very stocky? have any of you had puppies at this age looking very lean and then adding on thick muscle later on?

1) My rescue was close to 90 lbs at 8-9 months. He is now 7 yrs and weighs 115, which for his tall 27" at the shoulder frame has him looking healthy, strong and towards lean ~vs~ stocky or bulky. Weight without reference to height doesn't help. Your boy is very likely just fine. My boy is just fine. Were he not a rescue and I was able to show him, he would do just fine. I know... Been there. Your dog will be what he has in his genes. Keep giving him a good/great diet and be happy with what he becomes.
2) I've heard heads can broaden a bit with maturity... but I have yet to experience it. Stetson's head suits him. It goes with the healthy, powerfully strong, and slightly leaner build he has.
Raven, my show girl has the broad head, and the more show worthy body. Her head was always broad! It didn't change and become broad, it always was. So, my feeling is, the head ya got is the head he'll be sporting the rest of his life.
3) Well they do mature. Don't go by someone else's dog is doing. Remember that guys in HS? Some had a mature look at 16-18. Others? Well you should see the 2 guys who looked like they graduated at age 12! BOTH 6' and absolute HUNKS, compared to those who were done growing in HS.
Some lines develop more quickly and you have a good idea by 12-18 months. Other lines take as long as 2-4 years! Stets stayed a very powerful, muscular but 90-95 lbs f-o-r-e-v-e-r! The last 10 lbs came somewhere between 3-4... and I would not want him and heavier. He would look overweight, (fat!) and ridiculous. I prefer seeing some definition in those gorgeous muscles over fat any day.

Ultimately, you get what his DNA has in him to give. You facilitate/optimize that by what you feed, but you can't change his DNA.

 

[Martha Gierschick]

I saw you request for pictures. This is my boy named Captain at 7 months and within days of 2 years old. He weighs about 125 now and weighed about 90 at 7 months. He is 27 inches tall. I hope this helps.

 

[myrottie]

I saw you request for pictures. This is my boy named Captain at 7 months and within days of 2 years old. He weighs about 125 now and weighed about 90 at 7 months. He is 27 inches tall. I hope this helps.


View attachment 11290

View attachment 11298

Thanks Martha! he is beautiful and yes I would love to see more pics of other owners similar to this. Thanks again!

 

[myrottie]

1) My rescue was close to 90 lbs at 8-9 months. He is now 7 yrs and weighs 115, which for his tall 27" at the shoulder frame has him looking healthy, strong and towards lean ~vs~ stocky or bulky. Weight without reference to height doesn't help. Your boy is very likely just fine. My boy is just fine. Were he not a rescue and I was able to show him, he would do just fine. I know... Been there. Your dog will be what he has in his genes. Keep giving him a good/great diet and be happy with what he becomes.
2) I've heard heads can broaden a bit with maturity... but I have yet to experience it. Stetson's head suits him. It goes with the healthy, powerfully strong, and slightly leaner build he has.
Raven, my show girl has the broad head, and the more show worthy body. Her head was always broad! It didn't change and become broad, it always was. So, my feeling is, the head ya got is the head he'll be sporting the rest of his life.
3) Well they do mature. Don't go by someone else's dog is doing. Remember that guys in HS? Some had a mature look at 16-18. Others? Well you should see the 2 guys who looked like they graduated at age 12! BOTH 6' and absolute HUNKS, compared to those who were done growing in HS.
Some lines develop more quickly and you have a good idea by 12-18 months. Other lines take as long as 2-4 years! Stets stayed a very powerful, muscular but 90-95 lbs f-o-r-e-v-e-r! The last 10 lbs came somewhere between 3-4... and I would not want him and heavier. He would look overweight, (fat!) and ridiculous. I prefer seeing some definition in those gorgeous muscles over fat any day.

Ultimately, you get what his DNA has in him to give. You facilitate/optimize that by what you feed, but you can't change his DNA.

Thank you for the very detailed reply! much appreciated.

I just had a quick look and he is around 25 inches at withers. I'll see if I can also post a few of his recent pictures including one now. Yes, true haha I hope he matures nicely but I'll wait and see. Either way he will be our first baby

The Vet did say that the tummy issue he had at the start could have affected the weight a little at that time. I personally think he is a very healthy looking size for now, but yeah just loves to imagine how he'd grow up to be.

 

[myrottie]

A few pics of my boy

At around 8 -10 weeks


At 6 months



At 8 months (current)


I've attached a few pics at different stages for owners similar to me who would enjoy seeing different stages.

 

[Sheera'smom]

He looks lovely.

 

[ROttmann]

I am no expert but to be honest your pup looks in perfect shape and is definitely a handsome boy. He does not look skinny at all. I have had the same thoughts raising my puppy. He is around 13 months now. Changes his food several times as well. Was always concerned about his weight, months ago I wanted to get him stocky as quickly as possible, even though I had read several articles which discouraged to hype up such acts. My pooch has always been slightly under weight but now I think it is a positive thing. Since rottties are prone to joint issues. My advice would be to stop worrying about his weight. ☺

 

[myrottie]

Thank you and I agree. He is around 9.5 months now and he is looking great with a nice strong body and a head. The new diet might also be helping. Thanks again for all the replies

 

[myrottie]

Hi all,

A quick update on my pup:

1)He is 10 months now and 50kg's (110.2lbs) and turning into a nice looking goofball (see picture attached)
2)The past few days he's been a bit picky with his food (mainly with sardines and veggies), the typical bratty stage I guess, so we've had to go for the eat or stay hungry rule - and this morning he ate all his food (but I gave less veggie mix so it could be that too)
3)Also getting him a one on one trainer to work more on commands, staying home alone and be less protective of us so he learns to relax a little more when people get too close to us

To be honest, when he was a little pup I didn't think he'd become a such a beautiful dog and continue to grow into this very handsome big male the way he is growing now. My advice to anyone thinking the same things I did is to be patient, make the pups health your 100% goal enjoy how their beautiful personality just keeps growing into your family and not worry about how they look.

 

[Sabellesmom]

He's a good looking boy! He certainly looks like a bright intelligent lad, now doesn't he? At 10 months, he's a teen. Teens sometimes have ideas of their own. Is that why you're thinking about a one on one trainer ? Will it be with "someone else" training your dog? Or will the trainer be training you to train your dog? The latter is most certainly best option. Good luck with the training. Positive reinforcement works great with this brilliant breed. I train no other way, myself. Let s know how it goes!

 

[myrottie]

Hi Thank you!

We have been taking him to training school and it's been great and we've learnt a lot there, but some trainers we get during training lack breed specific knowledge. We've hired a trainer who has a lot of knowledge on Rottweilers, GSD's and similar breeds. Yes, the trainer will be training me to train my dog by observing my interactions and teaching new methods to improve the current training.

 

[Sabellesmom]

Sounds wonderful. Tho, perhaps I get a bit persistent (forgive me) about the "method". Some trainers who have the claim to specific knowledge on Rottie's and GSD's use what I call yank and crank over predominantly positive methods. My agility trainer uses zero yank and crank. At first, I still found myself sneaking in and using the older methods if I got frustrated. Then, with practice I got better. I could almost see the wheels turning in my then 9-10 month rescue. I could almost see the wheels turning inside his head. He was figuring out what I wanted and willingly gave it when he'd successfully sussed it out. It was wonderful! Today, it is the only method I use. It's a transition I'm glad I made.

It's much easier to show the dog (and reward) what you DO want over corrections. One day I'd decided to work on leash walking, which he had NO clue about! I had treats in both pockets so I could reward from either side. Every time he was by my side and the leash was loose, a treat was popped into his mouth. "Good job! Exactly right! Perfect you brilliant boy!" and we'd keep walking (and treat/praising). If he pulled or wanted to drag me down the street, the walk stopped. I shortened the lead so my hand could grasp the collar and he was immobile. As this is boring he was soon most willing to pay attention once more. So we began again. Treats and praise for what I wanted and he was stationary and essentially ignored for what was non compliance.

Within half a block he stopped in his tracks, looked me dead in the face as if he was saying "Is that what you want? Me next to you walking? Heck, I can do that!" Success! I had him! Only problem was at that moment, I knew this dog was so brilliant. He could no longer be just another foster. This boy would be my rescue. (just so you know, leash walking took some refining after that ~ but he had the concept)

Good luck with your training!! All the best to you in your endeavor. He's a lovely boy.

Oh. If you're looking for a book try Victoria Stillwell's "Train Your Dog Positively".

 

[Yoyo]

Hi there i have found this other chart but it seems that your rottie is a big one. Mine is 8 month and 79 pounds. I dont let him get to heavy because he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia

http://www.a-love-of-rottweilers.com/rottweiler-puppy-growth-chart.html