Concerned about Great Danes size

Question
Hi, I have a 16 month old intact male Great Dane. He is a gorgeous, intelligent, black male who is supposed to be show quality, but I am starting to question that. He is a good weight, about 140, but he seems to have "stopped" growing. He only stands about 33 1/2 inches. His parents are very large Danes with a lot of Euro blood, & his grandsire was 38 inches & weighed 185. Should I be concerned about this or is this normal in some Danes? My other Dane five years old & is about 36 inches & 160 lbs, so maybe I just need to stop comparing the two? Thanx in advance.

Answer
Hi Jessie-

Your other male is a real big one!

I would not be concerned that your pup is undersized. He falls perfectly into show standard, so while on the smaller size compared to your other male, he is acceptable by AKC standards (Males should not be under 30'' with preference given to 32'' and higher). Sometimes even huge parents with huge bloodlines can throw smaller dogs :) So long as he is well proportioned and does not look gangly or swaybacked/big headed I wouldnt be concerned at all.

Also, he is still growing at 16 months- I'd give him until at least 2 years old before you start labeling his height as full grown. He may throw on another inch!

Good luck with your puppy, he sounds beautiful!