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German shepherds are wonderful companions to have as part of the family. This is a breed that is notorious for their loving, loyal natures. However, they are a medium to large sized dog, and these dogs come with a lot of needs.
Larger dogs need more food and exercise to keep them fit and healthy. So when you look at your dog you will of course be wondering how big do German shepherds get?
The answer will entirely depend on the gender dog that you have picked. Males tend to be slightly larger than females. Male German shepherds tend to have a stockier frame than females, too.
You will find that your male German shepherd can range anywhere from 24 inches to 26 inches in height. However, your female German shepherd can range anywhere between 22 inches to 24 inches. This is the height that is typically measured from their shoulder to the ground.
These are considered to be the average height for a German shepherd, so you may find that your dog is slightly over or under depending on their genetics and many other contributing factors.
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When Do German Shepherds Stop Growing?
It will of course take your German shepherd some time to grow to this height.
As a medium to large breed, it will take them longer to grow and reach their full height than a smaller dog such as a Jack Russell. It will typically take your German shepherd puppy around 18 months to reach their full grown size.
However, just like their height will differ depending on their gender, so will the amount of time it takes them to reach their full growth.
The general rule of thumb is that your female German shepherd won’t be fully grown until she is at least 2 years of age. Whereas male German shepherds won’t be fully grown until they reach 2.5 years of age.
Their growth rate may also differ depending on several contributing factors such as how much food the dogs are given during this time period as well as how often they are exercised.
How Tall Is A German Shepherd?
A German shepherd’s height will differ depending on their gender. Males tend to be around 24 inches to 26 inches on average, whereas females tend to be around 22 inches to 24 inches in height on average.
This makes them one of the larger dogs around, which makes them the perfect fit as a guard dog or even a great family dog that will take care of your loved ones.
How Much Do German Shepherds Weigh?
It’s important to note that the weight of your German shepherd will differ depending on several different factors.
This will include how often they are exercised, how long they are exercised for, how much you feed them, and what type of food you give them on a daily basis.
As with every dog, there will be an ideal weight that you should try and get your dog to weigh so that they can live a happy and healthy life.
Just as their heights differ depending on their gender, their weight can also differ. Females will typically be lighter and will weigh anywhere between 22kg up to 32kg.
Males will typically be heavier in weight as they are stockier in build. They will usually weigh around 30kg to 40kg.
You should aim to keep your dog within these weights depending on their gender so that they can live a happy and healthy life. German shepherds are working dogs, and will need a lot of exercise in the day to stay healthy.
How Can You Tell How Big German Shepherds Will Get?
It can of course be tricky to know how big your German shepherd will get at their full growth. They can keep growing for months and months until they reach their full growth, so it will naturally be difficult to predict an exact measurement.
However, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to estimate how large your German shepherd puppy will become once they have reached their full growth.
The best way to estimate how big your German shepherd puppy will get is to wait until they are 14 weeks of age. You will then need to use a bit of basic math to help you work out what size they should roughly be once they have grown up.
You will need to weigh your dog at 14 weeks, then you will need to double this weight and add half of their 14 week weight on top of this.
So if your German shepherd puppy weighed 10 pounds, you would add a further 15 pounds to this to come to 25 pounds total as a estimate. This should give you a general idea of how large your dog will be once they have reached full growth.
What Is The Lifespan Of A German Shepherd?
As with many dogs, it can be difficult to predict what their lifespan will be. This is because it will depend on how healthy they are in general.
Several factors that will influence this are how much food your dog has, what type of food they have, and how often they are exercised. On average, a German shepherd will live for anywhere between 9 to 13 years.
This is generally because larger dogs put a lot more strain on their bodies than smaller dogs do, so they aren’t able to live as long. However, you may have a German shepherd that lives slightly less or longer than this depending on their lifestyle and other factors.
In Summary
So there you have it! Your German shepherd’s height will differ depending on whether they are male or female, as will their weight.
Males will typically measure between 24 inches to 26 inches in height and weigh anywhere between 30kg to 40kg. Females will typically measure between 22 inches to 24 inches and weigh anywhere between 22kg to 32kg.
