i have a ckcs who is 5 months she weighs 5.6kg and i am wanting to know what weight i would expect her to be when she is fully grown. i have read somewhere that at 6 months old puppys are 75% fully grown. is this true? as i am hoping she will get to at least 7 kg.

on the growth chart that i have it looks as tho she will be around 8 kg. this is a rough estimate tho. i am sure she will get to 7kg

The ideal weight for a Cavalier(dog or bitch)is between 11 & 18 lbs which is 5 to 8.18 kgs when they are full grown. Most are way over the upper weight(not mine BTW)

my other cav is 13kg i don't want her to be as big as him but i don't want her to be so small that when they play he hurts her, and we are also getting a cocker spaniel soon which will be a bit bigger. the main reason why i want her to be on the higher weight range is so that she does not get hurt.

My JD weighs 7 kgs & he plays far rougher than the bigger dogs He's as tough as old boots & mega fit(I reckon he does secret canine bodybuilding on a night :D )

Some people mistake him for a bitch(even though he has a very "doggy"head in proportion to his body) I like them in mid range myself

If you look on the dogs website on my profile you will see JD in the "flesh"so to speak :D

>the main reason why i want her to be on the higher weight range is so that she does not get hurt.

With respect, do you have any choice in the matter? Unless you plan to feed her Desperate Dan sized meals to put some lard on her ribs and get an obese but admittedly chunky dog! Only she'll presumably grow to her intended growth or am I being totally thick here?

I wouldn't be worried about small equalling delicate little flower either! :D

PS. JD is divine, btw, Moonmaiden!

you're right i know there is nothing i can do to make her bigger and it does not matter what size she is i am wanting to prepare myself for when i get my cocker. at the moment i take both my dogs out for a walk together but when my coker comes if my cav does not get much bigger i will have to take her out seperate as i do not want them getting excited and hurting her so i am just wanting a rough idea to prepare myself as we are also going on holiday in may and taking all 3 dogs. she is fine with my male as he is a big wimp my main concern is the new dog as i don't know what she will be like or if it will effect sam having a dog who is more his size to play with.

I wouldn't worry about the puppy She'll soon put him in his place as only a Cavalier can ;) when she wants to :D

You might find it better to take them out in parts until they are trained & used to each other JD often puts my BC puppy in his place & he weighs 20+ kilos !

She sounds like a nicely sized bitch & growing up along the right lines

Hi Guys

Whilst we are on the subject of weight, can anyone tell me if it is likely that my gsd has stopped growing, he will be 18 months next week and weighs in at 52kgs, he has maintained this weight for a couple of months now although my vet tells me that he has not yet started the 'filling out stage' yet

He will probably stopped growing height wise but might still be putting on muscle & maturing bodywise Depending on the breeding some lines can be three before they are anything near mature bodily

My God! I have only heard of one stud male that big in terms of friends I know with dogs, and he is fully grown!

I should edit that to say friends I know with German Shepherds. Were his parents big, and does he come from big lines?

Hiya, yes his father was HUGE  and looking back i can remember our breeder saying that he looked quite 'gangly' til he was about 2 and that is exactly how i would describe my boy, his long coat makes him look a lot bigger as well. Wish we could post piccies on here, he's an absolute beauty  We are still in contact with the breeder and she kept one of the bitches who is also a big girl and weighs in at 45 kgs. Can anyone tell me is there any truth in the 'castration makes them put on weight' theory. My boy has already been done because of 2 retained testicles and i wonder if this has any bearing on his size

Castration before maturity increases height, because it delays the closure of growth plates, so your dog is likely to be somewhat taller than he would otherwise. The same phenomenon is found in farm animals, and was remarked upon in the days of castrati singers. They too were renowned for being unusually tall. It also alters the pattern in which body fat is laid down.

Ram lambs, for example, are less likely to be castrated because of this. Although the animal is bigger (more carcass weight = good) there is more fat, which nowadays is unwanted, so the overall value at slaughter is less.

That is exactly what i was told by the vet. We don't want to risk having my german shepherd girl payed too early because she is already just 7 months (two days in) and is weighing 32 kilos. The vet warned of a risk of her getting too big if she is done too early so we have decided to wait and let her have two seasons or wait until she is a year and a half, whatever works out best for time.