Golden Retriever Dog Forums banner

Size Question

3K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  njb 
#1 ·
I am confused about the whole weight/size thing with Goldens-

I read the AKC breed standard--but is that typical?

I ask because I am reading that some of your girls are 50 pounds and full grown and I am not not sure what to expect from Julie when she gets bigger.

The vet tech says she is gonna be big--the trainer that she is gonna be small.

Not that it matters--she will be what she will be.

She turned 6 months this week and is 50 pounds. Is that about right? Big? Small?

I am confused.
 
#2 ·
That's average... I would guess she'll be an average sized Golden female, maybe a little large? 65? Depends on her structure weight (as in ratio of fat, not literal weight).

Many Goldens are oversized. There is an unfortunate "bigger is better" trend among some uneducated breeders/buyers.
 
#11 ·
So true Greg. Coach is not small. but is short! I call him Shorty!! But his heart and love are so big!!!! He's the kind of dog that all the kids in the neighborhood love. And I love the quote that it's not the size of the man in the fight that counts-rather, the size of the fight in the man that counts. My husband always used it for his football teams. I truly believe that color, size, gender preference all go by the wayside when we fall in love with a Golden.
 
#8 ·
Maggie is 15 months old and weights 65 pounds...... Abbie is 5 months old and weights 35 pounds.....Houdini is 20 months old and weights 65 pounds....
 
#12 ·
Dottie-Bugg is 68 pounds. She's been at this weight for five years now; she weighed more during her second year due to an undiagnosed thyroid condition.

I love my Dottie, and I wouldn't change a thing about her (except to get rid of all her allergies), but I do like those smaller female Goldens. Seems like a 45- to 55-pounder is perfect.
 
#13 ·
Augie is almost 5 months and weighs 40 pounds. On average he gains around 2 pounds/week. He's got a huge frame and lots of muscle. There is a female golden in his obedience class who is a month younger and amazingly smaller in terms of her bone structure--Augie looks like a tank next to her :eek:
 
#14 ·
It sounds like Julie is about the same size weight as Augie. I am gonna love her no matter what, no matter her size. I was just confused what to expect.

65 pounds at a year would be fine but this means she can only gain 15 pound in the next six months...trying to wrap my mind around that.

I have always dealt with male goldens so was unsure about the girls--plus I have always adopted adult shelter dogs.

Thanks for the input.
 
#17 ·
I was just going to post the same question... to get an idea of where about's Maple should be with growing. But most of my questions have been answered - plus I just spoke with my breeder and she answered a few questions too. My husband and I still find Maple quite short... and we figured that by 7 months she'd be nearly full grown. When we were last at the vet when she was 6 months she weighed in at 45 lbs. Today she's maybe 50 lbs? I need to weigh her again. I always thought Maple would reach up to 70-80lbs... but after speaking with my breeder she anticipates Maple will reach 58-60lbs - as her dad was more on the shorter side... and her mom's weight is around 65lbs. Interesting... She also said that she bred Adi X Lance (Maple's parents) for that reason... to get a smaller dog as she finds Adi a bit tall. Needless to say... Maple is developing beautifully. Her colour is so rich - her tempermant is fantastic - I retired the crate last week to the garage as she's 100% trustable in the house.
 
#18 ·
Oh thank you Aqua! That is such a relief!

Julie I can handle--it is the foster 100 pound fat boy who is a little hard to handle when he wants to sit in your lap...

Sadly, I don't see him getting adopted anytime soon. It will take a special person to want to adopt a dog with weight and health issues.
 
#19 ·
I am confused about the whole weight/size thing with Goldens-
I read the AKC breed standard--but is that typical?
I ask because I am reading that some of your girls are 50 pounds and full grown and I am not not sure what to expect from Julie when she gets bigger.
The vet tech says she is gonna be big--the trainer that she is gonna be small.
Not that it matters--she will be what she will be.
She turned 6 months this week and is 50 pounds. Is that about right? Big? Small?
I am confused.
I was told to take their 16 week weight and double it.That's about what they will weigh full grown.:confused: I have no idea. That's just what I heard.
 
#23 ·
Many Goldens that I see are quite overweight. In this area (Los Angeles) there are so many fat Goldens that it appears to be the norm to people... so when you see one that is a proper weight and/or that is really fit, people assume they are too skinny! There is a similar problem with Labs.

My Golden is from a line of "obedience-bred" dogs that incorporate a nice balance of field and conformation lines. He's VERY small. Only 21.5" at the shoulders and 45 lbs. I knew he'd be small, but he turned out smaller than I expected. He's "Pocket Quiz".

I don't see a reason for ANY Golden to be 100 lbs. To me, that's fat, even for a large, heavy boned male. JMO.

I've always experienced that if you take a pups weight at 4 months and double it, you have a really good idea of what a proper adult weight should be. It's worked with all my dogs of different breeds and many of my client's dogs.

-Stephanie
 
#24 ·
Sandy was 50 lbs, very active. She grew a lot the first six months.
Nugget is in the same paw steps as Sandy was. I don't what to expect
as Nugget gets older. I just take it as it comes. Nugget loves to ride in my canoe, does anyone have any tips or know of a trainer that can teach a dog
to use a paddle and paddle her weight in a canoe! That why I can
cast and fish, as she paddle's! I not interested in teaching her to cast and fish at this point, I'm the one with the license!
 
#26 ·
I totally agree about overweight dogs--100 pounds is way too much. This big boy is a foster who was turned in that way. Needless to say he has hip and thyroid problems.

I am working on getting his weight down. The vet told me to mix some rice or frozen veggies in with his food to help fill him up. I am hoping that the thyroid meds will help him stabilize some.

I think Julie was like 32 lbs at 4 months--so that is about right. Given all the cat food she steals it is a wonder she does not weigh as much as fat dog. I am gonna have to start feeding the cats on top of the refrigerator soon--

She is active and lean-I could just not wrap my brain around the same rate of growth!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top