about the growth of my golden retriever

Question
hi, why is it that my golden ret. does not eat to much, sometimes she can't eat his full meal, there are always excess in a 1 cup of dog food. also my second question, why is it my golden ret. is small and not aggresive?my golden compare with other golden is very diff. and also with regards to his height, she is now 5 month old and seems to be like a 2 month old. what's the best thing to do? many cant believed that my golden is a 5 month puppy. my be her hieght is around 1 ruler and half. thanx....

Answer
The most common cause of dogs not eating is over feeding.  It is more common for some other breeds to refuse to eat more than they need, but goldens can do it too.  Over feeding, along with continuing the excessive rich puppy chow creates fast growth that can cause joint problems later in life.  Better to switch to an adult chow after 4 months and keep the dog lean.  After a year, the dog will be the same size it would have been sooner, but have sturdy joints to give it a long, active life.  Here is a link to a good guide on how much to feed.  

http://www.photolocker.net/images/Labman/proplanc.jpg

Goldens are know for being friendly dogs.  Aggression is seldom a problem.  I frequently suggest them as family pets.  Size varies.  It is genetic, but litter mates may vary.  At 5 months, the dog will continue to grow, may only get a few inches taller.  Over feeding it now will give a fat, short lived dog with weak joints, but no larger.  

Dogs don't read breed descriptions and often fail to be like the breed should.  Even people that call themselves dog experts, make the mistake of expecting the rest of a breed to be just like the one they know.  Our 15'th Lab is 3 months old now, and already we can see ways she if different from the other 14.