[iheartmyboxer]

Hey guys... I'm new here!

I have a baby boxer who is 6 months old. Today I took him to the vet to get heartworm testing, and when I talked to the vet about his weight (he only weighs 30 lbs), the vet said that he probably won't grow more than 10 more lbs, and that boxers generally don't grow much after 6 months.

I was really confused by this, because what he was saying was absolutely opposite to everything I've heard... I've always heard first year they grow up, second year they grow out, and that most of them are between 55-65 lbs full grown... I mean, even if he is the runt of litter, 40 lbs is teeny. Am I insane for assuming that maybe my vet is wrong? My dogs paws tell a whole other story... They look pretty big for the rest of his body.

With that being said... I feed him 4 cups of food a day ( I feed him Nutro Large Breed Puppy food), and he is VERY active and healthy.

I guess I'm checking to see if anyone else's boxer went through a huge growth spurt after being tiny as a puppy... or if maybe I was lied to, and my dog was not 8 weeks when he was sold to me (he was only 6 lbs when I got him).

Thanks for the input you guys! I've been a little concerned about how small he is for a while.
(Don't get me wrong- I'll love him no matter what size he is... look at this precious little boy!)

 

[memy]

I thind he is adorable. I would think he would grow more but Storm & Skye are my 1st set of boxers so I dont know for sure.
The boys weighted 12lbs when I got them @ 8wks now @ 16wks they weigh 21lbs

 

[Guest]

I got Jetta at 6 weeks- 5.5 lbs...she is 6 months old 35ish lbs...and boxers grow up til 18 months and out til 2 years.  He should get quite a bit bigger

 

[Diesel-and-Kira]

Diesel was nearly 3lbs at 6 weeks, being the runt of the litter. he was always much smaller than other boxers his age. but now he's about to be 1 year old (in 6 more days!!) and he's now around 50-60lbs.
They all grow at their own rate. Besides, even if he stays small-ish, it just means there's more room in the bed for you! lol


Edit: oh, and your vet was mistaken. Boxers grow up until 1 year or a bit more. then they fill out and finally stop being skin and bones. =P

 

[JessiesMom]

man he's a cutie!!!  Boxers dont really stop growing until they are about 3.

 

[samsonsmom]

First off, welcome to the forum..Your baby is a cutie, what's his name? As you have probably already figured out, boxers, like any breed grow at different rates and come in different sizes...Not knowing your breeder or the circumstances, there is a possibility that he may have not been on the up and up, but that's done with, you have the pup...If he's healthy, I wouldn't worry...I have only gone thru puppyhood with one of mine, the rest were either rescue or older, so I'm not a good judge, but Boxers will continue to grow upwards til about 18 mos, then they will start filling out..Some grow at a slower pace as well..A lot of this is determined by genetics, what the parents were like, grandparents etc.....We have a lot of people on here with smallish boxers, Kaci in particular is quite small, but she is all Boxer!!!  :lol: Besides like was already said, it just leaves more room in the bed

 

[Zhanna]

Henry was pretty small for a long time.  At Christmas he was 23 1/2 inches tall and weighed 58 on a good day (16 mnths old).  Now he's 25 inches tall and weighs 66 pounds!  So he grew a lot in one month, when we thought he was finished!
I'm sure yours will grow too. :wink:

 

[iheartmyboxer]

Phew! Thank you for all the sweet words!

Hi name is Beaux. He really is the love of my life. My ex and I had two dogs before him, and I can't even tell you the difference between those two dogs and my sweet little boy. He is SO smart.... To a fault sometimes. He's figured out how to turn on water faucets, and he's figured out how to roll down my windows in my car (they're in the center console- he even knows which is which). I've never had a dog that was so much like a little human in my entire life. He even communicates...

All I have to say is... After having this boxer, I will never have the urge to buy a different breed ever again!

After talking with another couple of friends with boxers- they think that the breeder sold him to me WAAAAY young. Here are a couple pictures of him the third day I had him:

I mean- look at him in comparison to my jean pocket!

Anyway... Thank you for the advice and the warm welcome to the board!

 

[Georgiapeach]

I agree that boxers come in different sizes.  Also, whether they were the runt or pick of the litter matters, as does their gender.  I have a petite male, Duke, who is 5 years old and weighs 57 lb.  We adopted him this past summer from a woman who couldn't afford to keep him.  He was only 47 lb. when we got him, so we're really happy with his progress so far.  He seems to have leveled off at 57 lb., so he will probably stay this weight, give or take a few pounds.  On the other hand, there's a female boxer up the street, who is much larger and heavier (overweight, actually).

Remember not to overfeed your baby just to get him heavier.  My vet told me that for EVERY pound a dog is overweight, it's the equivalent of 5 lb. on a person!  8O   With boxers having heart and digestive issues as it is, there's no need to temp fate.

BTW, your baby is gorgeous!  

 

[iheartmyboxer]

I'm not so much worried about him being skinny... And 4 cups is what I was directed by the breeder to feed him (although some days he doesn't eat ALL of it- he's definitely NO beagle!)

Thanks!

 

[sully]

Best way to predict is look at the parents.  Short of that it's a crap shoot.  I think people put too much emphasis on weight, in dogs and humans!  Body frame and composition goes a long way when it comes to weight.  I always laugh when a vet weighs a dog and says they aren't the proper weight when they don't even measure their height and length.  Other than obvious signs (ribs, spine showing) how do you know?  Unless you knew someone was 5 feet tall or 6 feet tall, how could you say outright that they are too heavy at 200 pounds.  It's impossible.  30 pounds at 6 months is fairly light, but it really depends on how tall he is.  If he's growing up he will most likely fill out.  If he's short then he's not as likely to fill out until he grows up first.  Oggie seemed to me to be very light for a while there but he was growing tall very quickly.  He also eats like a horse

 

[Georgiapeach]

I totally agree that the dog's weight depends on his/her body structure.  My vet told me that you should't be able to see a dog's ribs, but you should be able to feel them fairly easily.  Also, the rib cage should tuck up toward the back end, not go straight across-a sign of being overweight.  Those guidelines have worked well for me for all of my dogs I've had over the years.  Duke isn't a huge eater.  I've found that he'll usually eat about 3 1/2 c. of dry food/day; sometimes a little more or less.  We don't feed hardly any people food, due to the stomach issues I keep hearing about with boxers.

 

[JessiesMom]

[quote="Georgiapeach\";p=\"75675":2xrunynb]I totally agree that the dog's weight depends on his/her body structure.

 

[iheartmyboxer]

First off, welcome to the forum..Your baby is a cutie, what's his name? As you have probably already figured out, boxers, like any breed grow at different rates and come in different sizes...Not knowing your breeder or the circumstances, there is a possibility that he may have not been on the up and up, but that's done with, you have the pup...If he's healthy, I wouldn't worry.

I talked to the breeder today... I had to do some hunting, but I found him.

Apparently Beaux is 2/3 American Boxer and 1/3 German Boxer... The breeder said that it was fairly normal for him to be 30ish lbs at 6 months because of the build of his parents. He described both of them as being very "leggy"... Even though the father is 85 lbs and the mother is 60 lbs.

Just a general fyi- he said part of the reason Beaux is growing slowly is because I feed him a more expensive food. How he explained it to me is... Purina and foods of that nature contain a lot of hormones and steroids (from the animal bi-products they're made with) as well as a lot more "empty calories" (aka, the corn, the starches, etc.)... So they grow faster. However, he said that the more expensive foods allow for them to get their proper nutrition, it just makes them grow slower.

I never knew any of this... It's funny the things you learn when you're worried hahaha.

He told me not to worry about my boxer... He said he'll hit another growth spurt in a month or two.

He also told me that he has never seen a full grown boxer be 40 lbs... Especially coming from parents that big.

...Time to get a new vet. :lol:

 

[samsonsmom]

Oh yes, food will play a big part in growth...As far as learning something new, oh believe me, that's why we all are here, to learn   It's possible your vet doesn't have any Boxers in his practice and is not familiar with the breed..So yea, you may want to hunt up another vet

 

[jeanathanh2o]

Slow growth in larger breeds is actually desired.  It allows for greater bone density to carry a larger frame.   That is what my vet told me- she has a lot of experience with large breed dogs.

Ginsy is on the small side, 44lbs in Jan at 11mths, she was the runt.  But she is slowly getting larger.