I have an English staffordshire bull terrier pup that seems on the large side compared to the "ideal" weight. He is 8 old months and weighs 25Kg. He looks great, fit, full of beanz, the vets have commented on how big and strong he is, no mention of putting him on a diet from them. He doesn't seem especially big compared to some full grown staffs, he's far skinnier than most adults.

We've always fed him to the guidelines from his food packet (science plan puppy) and walk him on and off the lead for an average of 2 hours a day as well as playing with him.

From what i've read though, no full grown staff, let alone an 8 month old pup, should weigh that much! He is a pedigree and we have the papers, his dad was a champ (harkline robbie the bruce) and his mum was on the large side. Shoud I worry or is he just at the top end of the scale? Any advice would be appriciated.

Thanks, Christo.

Yes, it sounds like he's on the large size.

An adult male Stafford should ideally weigh between 13-17kg, although of course this is only a guideline.

It's very hard to tell without seeing the dog in the flesh!  How big is he, as in - how tall to the withers is he?  Does he have a waistline?

At only 8 months old, but without knowing more about him, I'd be a little concerned at that weight.

Champions in the bloodline or not, that weight does seem a little concerning.  Have you spoken to your breeder?  He/she will be the one most familiar with the lines from which your dog descended.
Was his dam a KC registered Stafford also?

Does sound large for a registered Staffy but I have noticed that there is a tendency towards large Staffies particularly in the pet market although this is to be expected as those too big for the show ring will find there way to pet homes. There has also been a demanded for oversize Staffies so a few of the less ethical breeders may well have introduced other breeds to increase not only the size but the street cred of these dogs.

I see the OP says the dog is an English staffordshire bull terrier and I wonder if it is a Bull Terrier or a Stafforshire Bull Terrier? If an Bull Terrier then they are bigger than the Staffordshire.

His dad is definately an sbt

And is the puppy bigger than his sire?

The sire is a SBT that is within the breed standard.

The 8 month old pup described is certainly heavy for his age... but again, can't judge if we don't know weight in relation to height.

I thought that "lel" spoke as if she knew the stud and the puppy and if that is the case she would know if it was bigger or not otherwise we are speculating it could just be fat.

Lel may well know of the sire (and the sire's owners, I'm not sure)... but most people who are involved with the SBT show world knows the sire :)

>otherwise we are speculating it could just be fat.>

Heck no!  That's why I specifically said it depends on his height/weight, and that we cannot judge if he's overweight or not without actually seeing the 8 month old pup.  :)

Hi,

The dam is a KC regestered as is the pup. I stated it was an "English SBT" so not to be confused with an American SBT.

Not 100% where to measure his height from so assumed at the top of the shoulders just below the neck, he is 16.5 - 17 in.

There is a definite waist and he seems quite long too. The vet was happy with his weight at the start of Jan

Well the desirable hight is 14 to 16" so I would guess he is pushing to top of the acceptable size but may well have finished growing.

You guest right you do measure at the withers that is the shoulder where the neck joins the back - his adult weight should be between 13 & 17 kg so he probably will finish up about right, but if you are still using puppy food you could change to Junior or Adult.

For an adult staffy that would be big but by no means exceptional.   My last Staffy was about that size - not at 8 months old admittedly - and he was from show winning stock and was bred by a champ show judge.   I wouldn't worry too much unless you wanted to show  him - in which case I'm afraid he'd be considered way too big these days.  

When people talk about "desirable" or what he "should be" they obviously mean with regards the breed standard - but not being within the standard does not make him any less of a Stafford or any less desirable as a pet - only as a show dog.    If you were unsure of his parentage then it'd be understandable to be concerned there may be a bit of something else in him - possibly pit bull - but as you know he is from KC reg parents he's just a big staffy.   I remember seeing a Cradbury show bred dog which must have been a good 19 inches so you do get them.

My lad's 18", waaay to big to show, and his sire was a champ too, I wouldn't worry about it,just enjoy him, he'll love you just the same.

>There is a definite waist and he seems quite long too. The vet was happy with his weight at the start of Jan>

Good stuff.  As has already been said, providing he and his weight is healthy, then he's alright :)
I guess just watch that he doesn't get overweight, particularly being only 8 months old, too much weight on a pup that's still growing isn't always the best thing :)

Yes, of course, when one asks or considers the size or weight of any breed you can only judge it against the breed standard but it does not matter at all if your pet does not match that standard, it is not a problem if it has a big white patch where he should not or hanging down ears when they should be sticking up. However if you have paid for and bought a pup of a certain breed I think you have a right to expect the pup and later the dog to be recognisably the breed you bought and any deviation should not be more than a small difference, otherwise you do not have what you paid for.

I don't know enough about the breed to give helpful comments.  But I do know enough about puppies to know that 2 hours walk a day is totally wrong.  At 8 months of age, the guideline is 40 minutes a day.  That is - 20 minutes there, and 20 minutes back. 

2 hours for a pup?????

I've heard people say that before but noone can give me an answer other than "cos it's bad for them" What is? Exercise? I disagree.

The reason why too much excersise is bad for a pup is that the joints are not fully mature and they are easily damaged. A pup will never know when he has had enough and if you keep going so will he as he does not want to loose you. Pups need to sleep lots to grow and if you go on 2 hour walks when he gets tired he will have to go further than he wants in order to keep up with his Mummy (You) At home racing round in th garden he can stop whenever he wants and his body tells him too. Better to go steady at his age untill his bones have fully matured in order to have a dog that as an adult has the strong healthy bone/joint structure to do a whole days walk if you like. Rather than a dog that has joint problems and is unable to do too much because he overdid things as a pup.
Aileen

Bear in mind also, that many Staffords are prone to luxating patella's (slipping knee cap essentially) and the fact that the bones are still soft and developing at that young age, then no - extensive and prolonged exercise is not good for any young developing dog.

Building excess muscle on a developing skeleton is likely to distort and damage the growing bones - this is why young children aren't allowed to run marathons, for example. Exercise there must be, but it must be done gradually.

> "cos it's bad for them" What is? Exercise?

This link has a good explanation.

> I've heard people say that before but noone can give me an answer other than "cos it's bad for them" What is? Exercise? I disagree.

But now you know that you are wrong, and hopefully will learn something from the excellent advice that you have received.