My 5-month GSD Lab mix puppy is lean. Is her growth on track?

Hello. Good care is all you can do for Kyra. At 2 months of age, she still has the potential to reach her potential maximum growth. Feed her the best large breed puppy food you can purchase. Do not supplement her with any vitamins or minerals. Deworm her based on a veterinarian's analysis of her stool & make sure she receives all appropriate vaccinations at the appropriate times. Treat her well & she will mature into a healthy, beautiful dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Tyson looks fine weight-wise for his age, although he is not the best quality German Shepherd Dog, which is why his head is so narrow and he is fine-boned and small. There is a good likelhood that he may not be a purebred GSD also. As for his greeting people, this is exactly what you want in your dog. I have done protection training with GSDs for 26 years, and one of the most important things potential trainees are tested for is their ability to tell threat from non-threat. The average person on the street is not a threat to you, so your dog should act exactly like a Labrador towards him. If someone were to attack you, it would be a good bet that you would see the reaction you are looking for. A dog who is mean all the time is a danger to his owner as well as others, and a lawsuit waiting to happen as well.

Hi there. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I think that based on the photos Bruno looks very characteristic of a 5 month old GSD. I am not really sure what you are worried about. I would not be overly concerned about anything related to his looks until he is full grown (about 18 months of age). You absolutely don't want a large breed puppy to grow too fast as that can cause joint abnormalities so be careful of this. He should be eating a large breed puppy food so I hope the Royal Canin you are feeding is this type of diet and not just a general puppy food. If you have specific concerns I suggest you take him to your vet for an exam. Again, I think he looks just fine from the photos. Best wishes.

She is a cutie. She likely is just a smaller framed GSD. Her weight looks appropriate for the breed here. You are feeding her a high quality food so you are doing what is needed to keep her weight ideal, which it is. As long as her stools are not soft, then there isn't much else to do about her smaller frame. It is just her genetics. It sounds like she is a timid dog. Take her to see more pets/people in smaller sessions. Take her to the dog park and to the pet store so that she is exposed to more people/pets. Also I would suggest enrolling her in doggy daycare so that she can learn how to be around other pets without being so timid and fearful. She will come around the more you expose her now while she is still a puppy and can be trained out of her fear. If push comes to shove, then its best to hire a dog trainer to work with her one-on-one. Here is more information on socializing puppies/kittens. --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8941891 Best of luck moving forward with your puppy Oggy and I hope that she gets over her fear soon! Take care.

I would recommend feeding a high quality large breed puppy food such as Purian Pro Plan large breed puppy or Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy or Royal Canin German Sheperd Puppy. These foods will have to correct balance of protein, calcium and phosphorus to allow the correct growth of muscle and bones in a large breed dog. The rest is up to genetics, as you cannot make a dog grow larger than their genetics have determined them to grow. Female dogs are often smaller than males, and there isn't really anything you can do to increase their height other than provide good nutrition.

A diet consisting of primarily boiled chicken is not balanced and is lacking in vitamins, fatty acids, fiber and minerals. Proper nutrition, prevention of parasites and disease and genetics are what affects the over-all adult size. She may not get much bigger due to her age (the window of growth closes). I recommend to feed her Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy until 15 months of age and then switch her to the adult version. German Shepherds can have some unique dietary needs and the diet is formulated specifically for them to address these needs. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It is possible that Cookie has not hit a growth spurt yet and will increase her growth rate in another month or so. I would recommend a good deworming to make sure parasites are not a reason for slow growth. Also, I would make sure she has a good balanced puppy food. If she does not seem to like the puppy food you can always change the brand or even mix in wet food to help stimulate her appetite. Some shepherds are born with congenital defects but these are pretty rare. IF you feel she is not improving I would recommend taking her to your vet for a good exam.