lovemyrottie Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 hey there, this question's for rottie owners so i'm not sure what category i was meant to post this in but here it goes... my male rottie's 7 months old this month and i just weighed him today and he weighs in at 28.08kgs and a lot of people that i've spoken to that have owned rotties say that he's on the smaller side but the thing is his mum, dad and grandpa are huge! he's on artemis fresh mix medium and large breed puppy and i give him 1 cup 3/4 in the morning and at night which the vet recommended to feed when he was on advance so i've kind of stuck to that amount but on the artemis nutrition guide it says i should be feeding him 4-5 cups 1/2, so should i be strictly following his current food guide and feeding him that much instead? could that be the reason why he's on the smaller side or could he be just a smaller rottie? he's very fit and well proportioned, you cannot see his ribs but you can definately feel them. any opinions, suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated. cheers guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 You would prob get more breed specific advice in the rotti forum, under the general thread there is a sub forum called breed forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 You would prob get more breed specific advice in the rotti forum, under the general thread there is a sub forum called breed forums thanks, thought so! can this thread be moved there or do i have to restart it? not sure how it works, i'm still only new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I would probably leave this one and ask in there as well I would imagine bloodlines etc would play a part, is he from lines that mature more slowly? His breeder may be able to help you out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 hey there, this question's for rottie owners so i'm not sure what category i was meant to post this in but here it goes... my male rottie's 7 months old this month and i just weighed him today and he weighs in at 28.08kgs and a lot of people that i've spoken to that have owned rotties say that he's on the smaller side but the thing is his mum, dad and grandpa are huge! he's on artemis fresh mix medium and large breed puppy and i give him 1 cup 3/4 in the morning and at night which the vet recommended to feed when he was on advance so i've kind of stuck to that amount but on the artemis nutrition guide it says i should be feeding him 4-5 cups 1/2, so should i be strictly following his current food guide and feeding him that much instead? could that be the reason why he's on the smaller side or could he be just a smaller rottie? he's very fit and well proportioned, you cannot see his ribs but you can definately feel them. any opinions, suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated. cheers guys! I wouldn't get too hung up on size. The best Rotties I've had were ones that were on the smaller side He can take up to 3-4 years to really fill out. I'd just make sure he is in proportion, glossy coat, clear eyes etc Sounds like you know what you are doing in terms of him being the right weight so just keep going with that For a growing large breed it doesn't sound like a great deal of food though but, some dogs do well on a sniff of an old rag. Maybe try upping it a little and see how he goes. Don't compare your boy to other Rotties either, they are often overweight. FWIW People have always owned Rotties bigger than yours. Your plumbers best mates brother in law will have owned one who weighed 120 kgs and fathered pups no less than 100 kgs each :D The sizes some people come up with with Rotties is astounding, I learned to bite my tongue and just nod and smile while holding on to my 40 kg male Rotti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 If your dog is healthy, well muscled, not fat or too thin then leave him be. The worst thing you can do is get hung up on numbers. I dont weight my dogs unless the vet makes me do it I go by eye and by touch to see their body condition and that is a heck of a lot more useful in knowing what they need/dont need then plonking them on the scales. Considering how much growing he has to do why are you comparing him to adult dogs? I wouldnt be looking at it for at least another 2 years. Food guides always are simply that - a guide. A company will never underestimate how much food your dog will need due to legal reasons so they tend to be over the top. If your dog does fine on that amount then stick to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 ososwift, sadly i'm not in contact with his breeder anymore (which i'm bummed about) and i'm not really sure about the maturity in his bloodlines. and thanks clyde, he's definately a healthy boy and i just upped his food this morning but he didn't even eat it all, i'll stick to a cup more anyway. i don't mind him being on the smaller side of the scales anyway, it's probably even better for me considering how tiny i am! plus, the slower they grow the better it probably is on their bones too. yeah, everyday i hear of someone's "huge" rottie etc. but then i remember one rottie owner saying to me a while ago, the bigger the dog the shorter their life will probably be. anyway, thanks for your input! nekhbet, i wasn't comparing him to adult dogs but his age rotties that i've seen around or know of. i know they grow for quite some time! cheers everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 If he is a good weight don't change the amount of food you are feeding him. The guide on the bag is just that - a guide. How much a dog eats is not just based on weight, but also how active they are and these guide can't account for these other factor. I have a Rotty, and my vet gave me the best advice when she was a pup. He told me do not allow her to become overweight, even just a little bit. This is really important to help avoid any hip/elbow issues as they get older. I judge how much to feed my dogs by how they look. So this is sometimes trial and error - amount if he is looking to slim - up the amount or Vise Versa. Remember when he stops growing to will probably need to decrease the amount you are feeding him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 thanks buddy1, that's exactly what my vet told me aswell so i'm always monitoring his weight by looking at him etc. and as i said earlier on he's definately very well proportioned and lean so i'll definately keep it that way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 (edited) thanks buddy1, that's exactly what my vet told me aswell so i'm always monitoring his weight by looking at him etc. and as i said earlier on he's definately very well proportioned and lean so i'll definately keep it that way! Sounds like you should just keep doing that you are doing!! My Rotty is on the smaller side - but I prefer it that way as she is big and stong enough for me. Edited October 12, 2011 by buddy1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 My Belgian Shepherd was the runt of the litter, so she's smaller than most Belgians but she's still awesome Though all the hair she has makes up her lack of body size! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emery Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 luvmyrottie you have been given some good advice. if you pop into the rotti thread there are lots of breeders that would probably know the lines of your dog and be able to tell you whether or not they are slow maturing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 i love my boy to death and i'll love him no matter what size he grows up to be so it doesn't really bother me! i only questioned it to see whether it's normal but each and every dog is different in a way and it's what makes them that much more special. i'll post it on the rottie thread anyway, see what other rottie owners think! appreciate each and every one of your comments, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr R & NR Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Yep come say Hi in the rotty thread, only thing is you need to come with some photos.:D . Go to the General forum and then click on Breed Sub forms, look for 'Rotty owners' My rotty is a small girl, only 36kg but given the big personality that is big enough for me. You said yourself they grow for a couple of years so 7 months is a bit soon to judge whether he is going to be small or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Yep come say Hi in the rotty thread, only thing is you need to come with some photos.:D . Go to the General forum and then click on Breed Sub forms, look for 'Rotty owners' My rotty is a small girl, only 36kg but given the big personality that is big enough for me. You said yourself they grow for a couple of years so 7 months is a bit soon to judge whether he is going to be small or not. okay, done! posted it on there with a few pics too. and how old is your girl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 It depends on the lines in his breeding too. Some lines tend to really blow out at around 18 months-24 months. Others are almost done at 12 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 i just had a look at his parents' pedigree papers tonight and they both have mostly german, and american bloodlines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I'd agree and say he is on the small side. But depending on his lines, he might fill up later on. The American dogs tend to weigh less, so it could be that influence there. I wouldn't worry too much for now and even if he ends up small, at least he'll be agile and quick. This is a case of time will tell, but as it stands, it does seem he'll be on the small side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 that's cool, i'm really tiny so it'll be better for me anyway! what bloodlines do the rotties with those huge, wide heads consist of? cause i forgot to mention that mine has a slight overbite and my past vet told me (this was when he was much younger) that his head's not as wide as it should be due to it but then i've seen adult rotties with overbites and huge, wide heads so i wonder if what she says is true and whether it'll play a part in the size of his head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Most Rottweilers that are acquired from registered breeders in Aus will have that type of head, because it is essential in the show ring. So I'd say mainly German lines. I don't think I've seen many Rottweilers from the aforementioned breeders with narrow heads or bite issues. When it comes to headsize/bite, that's pretty much genetics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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