9 month old gsd weight

Question
My 9 month old male german shepherd puppy only weighs 70 lbs and is very lean, his head is still small, with large ears.  His male littermates weigh approximnately 85 lbs.  He was neutered at 3 months, whereas his littermates weren't neutered until 7-8 months.  Is this why his is smaller?

Answer
Hi,

Early neutering at 3 mos may have some effect on his secondary sex characteristics.  Bigger head etc.  However, the other males were neutered before they really had time to make a difference in that aspect.  There may be differences in size between littermates that are just genetics.  Your 9 mos old at 70 lbs is probably a better weight (a lean weight) than the other boys.  Can you see his ribs a bit?   This is good at that age...   it means he is developing slowly (way better) than an overweight fast maturing dog.   I would not worry about his leanness, he should be lean at this age.  As he matures over the next 3 years he will gradually get heavier.  The male GSD should not weigh any more than 80 - 85 lbs at maturity anyway.  Please do not try to put weight on for the sake of making him look bigger or grow faster.  He is going to slow his growth rate down now anyway and so you may see a slight drop in the food he wants to eat.   This is the time to switch to an adult formula and don't try to "stuff" him or eat more than he wants to.  Most dogs eat to satisfy their caloric requirements, so he eats just enough to supply the calories he needs for growth and energy for the day. His metabolism is what it is, and trying to feed more will just make him fat or be a waste of food.   Sorry for the longwinded answer, but I needed to expand on the correct size and weight issue!

Lori