Old Fashioned German Shepherd weight

Question
Duchess is an Old Fashioned German Shepherd.  She will be 1 year old next week.  At the vet recently she weighed in at 61.5 lbs.  I was told by the breeder when I purchased her that adult females range in weight from 90 to 110 lbs. Does her weight seem right for this age.  She is on the thin side but the vet says she's fine.  He doesn't think she will gain more than 10 to 15 lbs. more.  Also she won't eat wet dog food and will only eat the dry if I mix it with cooked ground sirloin or roasted chicken.  Do you have any suggestions?

Answer
She sounds like she will be smaller than average for a Shepherd.  Some dogs do turn out smaller than their parents.  How much has she grown in the last 6 months?  I would expect her to grow even less now.  I am a little cautious to disagree with your vet that has examined her.  

Adding the chicken or ground sirloin could lead to an unbalanced diet.  I would try to teach her to eat all dry dog chow.  This calls for a lot of discipline on your part.  It is tough watching your dog refuse to eat.  

The worst thing you can do is to bribe a dog with rich foods into eating more than it needs. Instead, Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.  Young Shepherds frequently insist on keeping themselves very lean.  As long as the ribs don't show enough to upset your vet, leave well enough alone.