|
Post by nzelic01 on Jan 23, 2013 19:07:01 GMT -5
Hi everyone, Im wondering if someone could offer some opinion/expertise/knowledge.
I have tried talking to people and tried to find this information online but Im having a little bit of a difficult time getting consistent answers so I figure I'd post somewhere, where somebody has experience and knows first hand.
I have a friendly bet going with my hubby that Porscha will be smaller than Zeus, but he thinks otherwise - that she will be bigger or the same size - I stand to loose $200 bucks if im wrong lol
I know some dogs can vary as to when they stop growing, especially when you compare males and females...my question is, how old are females when they stop growing (approximately)? Personally I think females stop earlier than males. Ive also read this somewhere online. Is this true?
What were some of the experiences some of you have encountered?
|
|
|
Post by Andreina on Jan 23, 2013 21:20:48 GMT -5
I think if she is around the smaller size now .... 65 pounds or so I think you said? she probably won't get too much bigger, just fill out a bit more. I believe they stop growing around 18 months males and females. but i could be wrong... Scarlets been around the same weight since her first birthday, and she will be two soon. My tiny baby girl at 66 pounds... lol
|
|
|
Post by nzelic01 on Jan 23, 2013 22:42:20 GMT -5
She was 59 lbs two weeks ago snd 25.5" at the withers (not stacked) zeus was unfortunately 72lbs and underweight so we are trying to get him back up to 78lbs approx. He is a little too skinny at the moment. He is 28.5". I cant see her growing that much. Or could i be wrong? I hope not! Hahaha
|
|
|
Post by dobermoms on Jan 23, 2013 22:48:55 GMT -5
I believe that I remember Monica saying that females grow to around 18 months, up to 2 years of age. The males can grow up to 3 years of age, and in Dante's case, he still blossomed up to the ripe age of 3 1/2 years.
P.S. My tiny little girl is approximately 85 lbs, and our boy 95 lbs.
|
|
|
Post by Dobereich on Jan 24, 2013 1:21:33 GMT -5
American and European Dobes grown at different rates. So that will be my first question. Next would be to compare the size of the grandparents on both sides of the pedigree (if you have that information available to you). But as for each dog as an individual, the growth can vary drastically. As a practice, most Dobes top out in height by 10-14 months of age. There is usually less then an inch of height achieved between 10 months and 16 months with the slower growing pups. But its pretty safe to say that what you see by 10-12 months is what you get as far as height is concerned. Weight is an entirely different scenario. Females get their girth sooner then males, usually have their full body weight by 2 - 2 1/2 years of age. Males by 2 1/2 - 3 years of age. But they are pretty much close to mature by 2 years, and again, the American dogs are physically mature much sooner then the Euros, so they could reach full maturity by 18 months. I would doubt that your female will be taller then your male, but she definitely could become heavier depending on the breeding. Dobereich males are typically around the 90 pound range as mature adults, and females around the 70 pound mark. But there are huge variations that depend on the breeding. Like Barb and Kerrie's petite little Kazi...lol. All and all, its more unlikely that a female will be larger then a male within the same genetic pond. But I have had smaller males and larger females that come close to being around the same size. The standard (according to the CKC) is 24-26" for females, and 26-28" for males. So your boy is a touch over the standard height , which is not unusual. It would be a lot to think that your female would get taller then 28 1/2" though. So I think you might be paying up...lol.
|
|
|
Post by nzelic01 on Jan 24, 2013 11:33:50 GMT -5
They are both half german half american (zeus is n/a and porscha is s/a mixed with german lines). Oh monica!! You think ill be paying up? Crap...at 2 yrs is the cut off for the bet and its only general apperance becaise he is becoming a chicken about it...maybe i should stop increasing the amount because looks like i may lose haha ill keep willing her to stay small. Funny though she is generally built different than he is. I guess cause she is female too. Its gonna be close haha thank you for your tips monica because i was getting a little too confident and am increasing the amount haha i better stop
|
|
|
Post by nzelic01 on Jan 24, 2013 15:36:20 GMT -5
I should probably mention that she is just over a yr old
|
|
|
Post by junosbionictale on Jan 25, 2013 0:45:53 GMT -5
P.S. My tiny little girl is approximately 85 lbs, and our boy 95 lbs. She gets that from her father Rogun. Martin
|
|
|
Post by Dobereich on Jan 25, 2013 16:57:18 GMT -5
Oh no, sorry.. I read the bet wrong. If your money is on her remaining smaller then Zeus, then you can increase that bet with relative confidence. I wouldn't be betting on her being larger then the male.
When you say German lines, is that actual German lines, or European lines? I'm only aware of a few breeders that are mixing the Euros with NA/SA lines. Who's your dog's breeder... if you don't mind me asking. You can answer me in a PM if you prefer. But I'm only asking because I have a pretty good grip on who is breeding what, etc. I have no intentions of judging you or your breeder here on this forum.
|
|
|
Post by nzelic01 on Jan 25, 2013 18:02:33 GMT -5
oh yay! that means im gonna win hahahaha now i can bug my hubby again lol now im not sure if they are euro or german lines. for the female im not 100% sure but for my male im pretty sure the breeder said that his mom was a ch dobe imported from germany and his dad was n/a. my dogs arent reg so i dont know too much about their history. we went to see them and we kinda fell in love. the parents were both on site but they really just came from family homes where they were accidently bread. (or so they say it was an accident) unfortunately we dont know too much more. i wish i did
|
|
|
Post by Dobereich on Jan 25, 2013 23:33:17 GMT -5
oh yay! that means im gonna win hahahaha now i can bug my hubby again lol now im not sure if they are euro or german lines. for the female im not 100% sure but for my male im pretty sure the breeder said that his mom was a ch dobe imported from germany and his dad was n/a. my dogs arent reg so i dont know too much about their history. we went to see them and we kinda fell in love. the parents were both on site but they really just came from family homes where they were accidently bread. (or so they say it was an accident) unfortunately we dont know too much more. i wish i did Surgery that causes pain for cosmetic reasons has been ban in Germany for enough years now that nobody would have a docked import, that goes for most of Western Europe. So if the parent was docked that "might" give you an idea if they are from the east or west. Eastern European dobes tend to reach a larger size, but not always. Without really knowing the lineage behind the parents you can't be too sure where they will top out in their growth. Just going by the averages though, your still gonna win that bet.
|
|
|
Post by nzelic01 on Jan 26, 2013 1:26:01 GMT -5
Hmm that is a really good point you bring up. I knew that surgery like that was banned but i never actually put the two together. Good to know! Speaking of the ban, why did they ban it?
|
|
|
Post by Dobereich on Jan 26, 2013 2:22:45 GMT -5
The ban was put into place to protect dogs/pups from painful and unnecessary cosmetic procedures. Particularly when being performed unethically by pet owners/breeders. So the argument was that they should make it mandatory that only vets could perform these procedures, but it didn't fly. At least not yet.
|
|
|
Post by nzelic01 on Jan 27, 2013 18:31:44 GMT -5
I cant even imagine the surgery being performed unethically by owners. that makes me sick to my stomach thanks for filling me in on that. i did not know thats why they banned it.
|
|