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Thread: Male Lab Height

  1. #1
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    Male Lab Height

    My un-neutered chocolate male Labrador puppy, Rocky, is about 8 ½ months and his growth has slowed down and he is currently only 19 inches tall. He was sick for a couple weeks after getting him and I am afraid that may have stunted his growth significantly. I found a height/weight chart and it shows that at about 9 months he will be nearly full grown. Should I be worried that he will not reach the breed standard of 22 ½ to 24 ½ inches?

    In reality I do not care if he is a smaller Labrador as he is our family pet and we do not plan on breeding him or anything but we did pay a significant price for him. I also know there is nothing I can do to increase his height.


    Thanks for your response

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    How tall were his parents?

    What kind of illness did he have? Most dogs will rebound from common illnesses.

    What you paid is all relative... I've run into people who have paid more for their puppy mill Lab from the internet than most people pay for a well-bred, well-pedigreed, Lab from a reputable breeder.

    Even if he is from a great breeder and you paid top dollar, there's no guarantee that he will be the perfect standard. I wanted a "normal-sized" Lab this time, as I was looking for a dog that was a little more manageable for what I wanted to do, so went with a litter where the mom was normal Lab sized and the dad was at the smaller end of the standard. I ended up with a 25 1/2 inch 100 lb Lab that shadows each of his siblings as well as his parents. Apparently, he takes after his paternal grandfather in size.

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    I will admit I was duped and ended up getting what I suspect is a mill puppy although he has a great pedigree. I have learned my lesson and sometimes it makes me sick to know I bought a dog from a mill.

    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    How tall were his parents?
    I have only seen pictures of his parents, from the pictures they look to be slightly above average.

    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    What kind of illness did he have? Most dogs will rebound from common illnesses.
    He first had Giardia, he then had Coccidia. Overall he was sick for probably 3 full weeks. When he was sick his eating did slow down.

    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    What you paid is all relative... I've run into people who have paid more for their puppy mill Lab from the internet than most people pay for a well-bred, well-pedigreed, Lab from a reputable breeder.
    As stated above I was probably in the first group you mentioned, although I bought him from a petstore that I did not do enough research on.

    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    Even if he is from a great breeder and you paid top dollar, there's no guarantee that he will be the perfect standard. I wanted a "normal-sized" Lab this time, as I was looking for a dog that was a little more manageable for what I wanted to do, so went with a litter where the mom was normal Lab sized and the dad was at the smaller end of the standard. I ended up with a 25 1/2 inch 100 lb Lab that shadows each of his siblings as well as his parents. Apparently, he takes after his paternal grandfather in size.
    Should I not look to deep into Height & Weight charts?

    Thank you for your reply.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    each dog is different. i wouldn't worry about "should be's". ensure he is healthy and happy teh rest is irrelevant. he likely won't get much taller but he may hit a growth spurt so we can't say for sure.

    Labs being the most popular and thus most bred dog, vary quite a bit in looks, shape and size. depends what the breeder was breeding or thinking. with a pet store puppy well, the breeder likely just wanted "pure bred" labs to make money. Which means he wasn't thinking of overall health and look of the pups just that they were pure bred. So they may not look like a "standard lab".

    curious what makes you say his pedigree is "great"? (not that is relates to the issue at hand)

  5. #5
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    I don’t think that his illness would have stunted his growth - both are common problems in puppies. If anything, it might have slightly delayed it, but he should catch up to his genetic potential. That said, if he was indeed a puppy mill dog, then his parents were most likely not selected for their adherence to the breed standard, so it is quite possible he will not adhere completely to it either. Doesn’t mean he won’t be a wonderful pet though!
    Annette

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    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    At 8 months, I wouldn't worry about growth too much. Forget the charts.

    Chances are a puppy mill puppy has a pet pedigree.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tanya View Post
    each dog is different. i wouldn't worry about "should be's". ensure he is healthy and happy teh rest is irrelevant. he likely won't get much taller but he may hit a growth spurt so we can't say for sure.

    Labs being the most popular and thus most bred dog, vary quite a bit in looks, shape and size. depends what the breeder was breeding or thinking. with a pet store puppy well, the breeder likely just wanted "pure bred" labs to make money. Which means he wasn't thinking of overall health and look of the pups just that they were pure bred. So they may not look like a "standard lab".

    curious what makes you say his pedigree is "great"? (not that is relates to the issue at hand)
    Although it is a stretch his great, great, great grandpa is FC AFC CFC CAFC Barracuda Blue MH. Rocky was sold to me with this credential being shoved down my throat..

    I will fully admit I made an uneducated decision, tis life...

  8. #8
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    Thanks for all the responses.

    Attached is a pic of the handsome boy.
    -img_3872-jpg

  9. #9
    Real Retriever Laura's Avatar
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    That's too bad that they used those credentials to impress you. Having a Master Hunter title 5 or 6 generations back (I'm not sure which, because the greats start to make my head swim) was probably their way of likely asking/demanding top dollar. As that was what they seemed most proud of, it was probably doubtful that they were showing their dogs and bitches in conformation, so who knows how close they were to the breed standard.

    I'm glad that he is the perfect pet for you, and that you love him to bits no matter what. BTW, my 8 month old boy's growth has significantly slowed at this time as well.
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    House Broken AlexS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tanya View Post
    each dog is different. i wouldn't worry about "should be's". ensure he is healthy and happy teh rest is irrelevant. he likely won't get much taller but he may hit a growth spurt so we can't say for sure.

    Labs being the most popular and thus most bred dog, vary quite a bit in looks, shape and size. depends what the breeder was breeding or thinking. with a pet store puppy well, the breeder likely just wanted "pure bred" labs to make money. Which means he wasn't thinking of overall health and look of the pups just that they were pure bred. So they may not look like a "standard lab".

    curious what makes you say his pedigree is "great"? (not that is relates to the issue at hand)

    I agree with this. I can tell you that my female black lab who is fully grown weighs around 56lbs. I have seen pictures of one of her sisters who weighs about 80lbs. And with mostly muscle. Even within their own litter they can be different sizes when they are done growing. I would not worry too much about it.

 



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