# Appropriate Weight Gain for a Large Breed Puppy



## Sako (Apr 15, 2013)

I'm curious as to what the target weight gain each week/month for my pup should be? I had read somewhere that 9-12 pounds a month would be normal but I can't find the source where I found this to double-check and investigate those numbers a bit more. He is in no way chubby, but this past week he gained 4 pounds which was a bit higher than I had anticipated seeing that the previous 2 weeks before that he gained 2 & 2.5 pounds respectively. He gets minimal treats, is fed a combination of wet and dry food 3 times a day and finishes each meal 95% of the time. He is also very active when he's awake either playing with my other dogs and cats or playing with me and going on short hikes and walks. As of Friday he was 20 pounds at 9 weeks old. He'll be seeing his vet at 12 weeks so I'm just poking around for others' input and experiences with their growing pups. He is a Lab/Boxer/Husky/Malamute cross. TIA


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

I was told by my vet to expect about a pound a week for my Berner pup-- the first 3 months at least.....
They have a nice growth chart on the Bernese Mt dog homepage for California-- I am betting there is a lab page out there with a similar chart for that breed...


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## WonderBreadDots (Jun 26, 2012)

20# at 9 weeks. Holy cow! My Berner weighed 10# at 9 weeks and gained an average of three pounds a week for the first 3 months, it slowed down and now she weighs 100# at just over a year old. 

Take a weekly picture, it's amazing watching how much they grow their first year when you put it in a slide show.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

WonderBreadDots said:


> 20# at 9 weeks. Holy cow! My Berner weighed 10# at 9 weeks and gained an average of three pounds a week for the first 3 months, it slowed down and now she weighs 100# at just over a year old.
> 
> Take a weekly picture, it's amazing watching how much they grow their first year when you put it in a slide show.



I did miss that.. my boy is well over 100 lbs at about 18 mpnths... but his weight gain was pretty even and steady--- I find it odd that that this mix would be so heavy at such a young age.. maybe some Dane or Mastiff is in the mix?


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## Sako (Apr 15, 2013)

Thank you both. Yes, he is a big boy but not fat at all. I am taking tons of pictures, WonderBreadDots, so I can watch him grow-up again when he's older.  He is such an awesome pup and I'm having so much fun with him. Just trying to watch how he develops and make sure he becomes a healthy adult dog. BernerMax, I'm not aware of any other breed in his 'cocktail' of genetics, lol, but I do know his dad was 120# so he's possibly got that chromosome floating around in him!


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

Just like human children, puppies grow at their own rate. 20lbs at 9 weeks leaves me suspecting something bigger in his mix as well. Buster was 20lbs at that age and now weighs 144lbs as a 4 year old. 5lbs per week wasnt uncommon while Bus was a "little" guy and that slowly tapered off as he got closer to his first birthday.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Sako said:


> Thank you both. Yes, he is a big boy but not fat at all. I am taking tons of pictures, WonderBreadDots, so I can watch him grow-up again when he's older.  He is such an awesome pup and I'm having so much fun with him. Just trying to watch how he develops and make sure he becomes a healthy adult dog. BernerMax, I'm not aware of any other breed in his 'cocktail' of genetics, lol, but I do know his dad was 120# so he's possibly got that chromosome floating around in him!


Yup per LuvmyAngels info above, sounds like they may have gotten "lab" confused with "St Bernard" in his mix! Hahaha, we want those pics!!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Thud was 15lbs at about 8 weeks, 35lbs at 4 months, and then 65lbs at 6 months. So, about 10lbs a month? I think that breaks down to roughly 2lbs a week for most months.


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## Sako (Apr 15, 2013)

Here are some recent ones of the boy in action.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

He looks like Sam-- check out Packetsmom's Sams photo thread-- she just got him a few weeks ago.... And hes a St bernard mix!!! ( advertised as St Bernard- Lab actually) She got him from the owner of the mom-- and mom was a St Bernard!!!!
AND adorable of course!!!!


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## Sako (Apr 15, 2013)

Yes, I had seen that comparison back on another thread, along with Cptjack's Thud! I wonder how Sam's coming along? I haven't noticed any updates but I have been surfing the forum much lately either.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Sako said:


> Yes, I had seen that comparison back on another thread, along with Cptjack's Thud! I wonder how Sam's coming along? I haven't noticed any updates but I have been surfing the forum much lately either.


What's striking me is they all seem to have (or in Thud's case had) that black triangle on their tail. What *is* that? Thud's is gone now with his puppy coat, but his whole tail is darker than the rest of his body.

And your boy is just adorable.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Wait, found something on another board:



> The black triangle is a hallmark of sable GSD puppies. It seems to be the first place that the black hair comes in.


That seems accurate enough, since Thud's tail is now overall darker.

You can sort of see it here:









and what it looks like now:









I don't think he's going to get much, if any, more sable overall, though. He's REALLY blonde, now, in spite of starting out pretty danged dark.


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## Sako (Apr 15, 2013)

I saw Sam's thread and now Thud's picture above, isn't it funny how they have that black hair?! I love Sako's 'pig hair' as I call it because its bristly, more like pig hair than puppy fur, lol. I hope he keeps the definition in markings as it's so unique looking. The second picture of Thud is awesome! Sako loves the water too so I'm sure I could snap a similar picture in a few months, lol! I have another swamp video of Sako from the other day that I'll try and upload soon and I'll put the link here. He makes me laugh so much when he runs and growls through the muddy water. Wish I knew what he was thinking while he did it...


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Sako said:


> I saw Sam's thread and now Thud's picture above, isn't it funny how they have that black hair?! I love Sako's 'pig hair' as I call it because its bristly, more like pig hair than puppy fur, lol. I hope he keeps the definition in markings as it's so unique looking. The second picture of Thud is awesome! Sako loves the water too so I'm sure I could snap a similar picture in a few months, lol! I have another swamp video of Sako from the other day that I'll try and upload soon and I'll put the link here. He makes me laugh so much when he runs and growls through the muddy water. Wish I knew what he was thinking while he did it...


Yeah, we can't keep Thud out of the water bowls or the barrel we keep outside to collect rain water for plants. It's kind of awesome as HECK. 

Thud's coloration has changed a TON, and I swear it did it over night. He went from fluffy and darkish sable to BLONDE with a NOSE and shorter fur. Bizarre as heck. And now his adult fur is taking 10 years to come in. I'm sick of it. The puppy fur is super soft, but soaks up mud like mad. Also the demarcation makes him goofier looking than usual. Honestly, you and Packetsmom have the cute ones


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## blenderpie (Oct 5, 2012)

At that age, Linc gained about 10lbs a month. 22 first set of shots, 32 second set, 44 third. Now we just guess him to be about 85-95 lbs at 7 months. He should be 130ish by 3.


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## Sako (Apr 15, 2013)

blenderpie said:


> At that age, Linc gained about 10lbs a month. 22 first set of shots, 32 second set, 44 third. Now we just guess him to be about 85-95 lbs at 7 months. He should be 130ish by 3.


Thanks, blenderpie, what breed is Linc? Sako was 11.5 at 6 wks, 13.5 @ 7 wks, 16 @ 8 wks and 20 @ 9 wks. He'll be 10 weeks tomorrow so I'll weigh him again then. His mom looked like a black lab although she was said to have boxer and husky in her. Dad was a malamute cross and a magnificent looking man! I would guess shepherd would've been part of his cocktail if I had to pick a breed. Currently Sako eats big, plays hard and rests soundly so I believe he's on-track for what's best for him.  I do love hearing about others' growth experiences with their pups, so by all means if anyone has info I'd love to read it!


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## Sako (Apr 15, 2013)

Well, he gained 3.5 pounds this past week and is eating like he's got a couple hollow legs! He's definitely sleeping less and playing more so I think his activity to weight gain to food intake is working for him. Here's another video of him doing what he loves to do: get wet and dirty!

http://youtu.be/U47B7fEAGxc


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