weight.

[batty4boxers]

My nine month old boxer is huge and is still growing. She is 68 pounds and 23 inches at her shoulders. She is not fat in the least. The vet says her weight is fine, shes just going to be a big girl. She gains 1 to 2 pounds per week right now. Her mom is 28 months old and weighs 52 pounds her daddy is about 70 pounds and 22 inches at the shoulders. He is 7. I'm wondering, since it appears she will be bigger than her dad, if this size is coming from a past generation. Any thoughts?

[BoxerWB]

What information do you have about the past generations? That would be the most telling. I know my girl is very similar to both her mom and her paternal grandmom, hitting right between their sizes. Her sister is somewhat larger and that is attributed to the sire. (Though in my case, the total difference is only 10lbs between all bitches is, not as extreme as 18lbs!)

Also, has she been spayed? Early (before 18 mos) spaying delays the closing of growth plates and causes more growth in the long bones, leading to a taller (and therefore at least somewhat heavier) dog.

[batty4boxers]

I dont have any information on her grand parents. I will have to look into that. We havent spayed her yet, I want her to have at least one heat cycle before we do that. Her size doesnt bother me at all im just suprised by it. It makes it a little difficult at times when she acts like a puppy but looks like a full grown dog. She is a big goof ball but I wouldnt have her any other way.

[Rubidawg]

1 to 2 pounds a week at 9 months old, seems like alot to me. From my experience, pups tend to slow down around that age and maybe gain a lb every couple of weeks. My latest pup is 17 mons old, 22 inches and has been sitting at 53 lbs for several months. His body is still changing, but he's not been putting on much weight since about 10 months old.

Dad sounds like a BIG boy! 22 inches is a bit shorter than the standard - the recommended standard starts at 23 inches for boxers, according to the ABC and AKC. And at 70lbs, he sounds HUGE! Just thinking of my pup at 22 inches and having an extra 20 inches added to him - would be ALOT of stress on his joints and bones. LOL - actually trying to picture my Bauer with all the extra weight kinda makes me giggle - you have to know Bauer to understand. lol

If she's gaining that rapidly, I'd wonder if she's getting too much food?? Some boxers are bigger than others, and some smaller than others - but to me, she's gaining weight too fast and should be slowing down. Boxers grow up the first year and out the 2nd year, so I wonder if she's not eating too much? Just a thought. Structure will play a lot to it, but genetics is also a factor. Really hard to tell what size they'll be when they get older....til they get older.