Dutch Shepherd Forum

Grendel is now officially 8 months old and has not grown even a cm taller since just before 6 months. She is barely 22.5" tall. She has gained weight (just under 55 lbs) and is filling out, but looks like a 6 month old puppy.

While I know her height is within the standard for a DS, I've personally never seen a DS this small/short. I have had a few people tell me they've seen mals this small, but I have not. And of course, she's only half DS- I have never seen a GSD anywhere near this tiny. Her vets say she is not likely to grow taller.

What's the smallest DS you've seen or had? Anyone ever seen one this short?

Lisa G.

If she is a mix then that explains it. Full DS are much taller

Hilde is tiny (19", 38 lbs), but she's very likely a mix. She also had an unknown upbringing with probably very poor nutrition for the first 5 or 6 months of life. However, when I first introduced myself here, a breeder commented on one of her dogs that was a runt and also bottle-fed. That girl at 18 months was approximately the same size as Hilde and she claimed the DS parents were 90 and 70 lbs. So, I would say genetic variation and nutrition factors could easily explain Grendel's stature.

Wow! 19"? That IS tiny. To be honest, I'm not sure I am getting an accurate height on Grendel- she's quite possibly shorter than 22.5". And yeah, a mix. But the father was a big GSD, so if anything, would've expected her to be larger than her mom, not smaller.

As for the nutrition thing- she's def had issues. Vets FINALLY conceded that she may have had a chronic tapeworm infestation that had not been killed by dewormer. But only after I subjected them to the video I shot of the giant, undulating tapeworm segment in her poop just 2 weeks after she'd last been dewormed.
After another round of dewormer, a bunch of dietary changes and meds for GI issues, she gained 4 lbs. in a week and, for the first time in months, has kept the weight on. No height change, though. She still has little knobs in her front legs, but doubt that will translate into future lengthening.

She's certainly good at jumping, though. We were in a pet store yesterday and within a split second she had jumped on to the counter to steal a treat. The clerk (who I know) was very impressed. Later in the day she jumped over a fence to get to her buddy, a giant GSD. She should be good at circus school. I like larger dogs, but at least she's good size to jump through hoops.

Endeavor is almost 1½, and she's right around 50 lbs. Not sure of her height, but she's tiny. I'll try to get a good measure tomorrow. She's all Dutch. Similarly, her stature doesn't stop her from, well...anything.