# How much does your adult Golden weigh?



## Bosn'sMom (Feb 11, 2013)

Our Bo is about 95 lbs too. He fluctuates between 92 and 97 depending on time of year.

I will say- he is much bigger in build than most goldens in terms of bone structure too. Vet says he is healthy and perfect weight


----------



## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

You can find lots of past threads here discussing height and weight of Goldens. The breed standard says:

*Size, Proportion, Substance: *Males 23 to 24 inches in height at withers; females 21½ to 22½ inches. Dogs up to one inch above or below standard *size* should be proportionately penalized. Deviation in height of more than one inch from the standard shall disqualify. Length from breastbone to point of buttocks slightly greater than height at withers in ratio of 12:11. Weight for dogs 65 to 75 pounds; bitches 55 to 65 pounds. 

Vets sometimes seem not to comment on the weight of dogs that may be heavier than desirable.

Our 16 month old female is 58 lbs and about 22 inches.
__________________


----------



## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

Thinner is always better. It's easier on their hips and joints. You definitely do not want an overweight dog! You should be able to easily feel his ribs. My vet suggested green beans as filler with dog food at one point to help mine lose a little weight. Also, a lot of vets sell dog food and don't always comment on the weight. Not good! A lot of breeders won't even honor the guarantees when a dog is overweight.


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

My Bear is 2.5 years old, neutered male; he ranges between 72-75 lbs as of late. Perfect condition, IMO, because I can feel his ribs easily.


----------



## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Molly is 3 years old, female, and 50-52 lbs. Her mom was 53 lbs, so they're about the same size.


----------



## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

It may just be that he hit that metabolism slowdown that humans get in their mid-twenties?

Honestly, that sounds pretty heavy for a young dog unless he's very muscular and very large-framed. Boomer was a tall, leggy guy but he never weighed more than 78 pounds.

The concern I would have is if he's gained extra padding at a young age and he continues to, he could get significantly overweight pretty quickly?

Personally, I make myself measure their food every time. For me, it's too easy to round up and one cup at the bottom of a large food dish never looks like much.


----------



## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

My April is 3 1/2 yrs old, about 22 inches tall at the withers (shoulder) and about 54-56lbs, which is her ideal weight. My Autumn is 14 1/2 yrs old, about 24 inches at the withers, and weighs about 60-62 which is her ideal weight.

As others have said, you should be able to easily feel the ribs. Also, when viewing them from above, they should have a definite hour-glass shape-if they look square they need to lose some weight. When viewing from the side they should have a defined tuck up (depending on how much hair they have you may need to feel for this too as hair may hide it.)

Vets sometimes don't make comments on overweight dogs unless they are obese. Also, since there are so many overweight Goldens, many people think they are the correct weight when they are actually overweight. I remember a client being shocked by how "skinny" a Golden was who was actually the correct weight! (My vet was using her Golden as a reference to show them that their Golden was overweight).


----------



## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

My Finn is 23.5 inches, neutered male, a little over 12 years old and weighs 63 pounds. I keep him on the lean side because he's got an arthritic hind end courtesy of his previous owners breaking his back. Your young dog sounds very heavy; thinner reaps health rewards for his whole life, so you might want to get some of that weight off of him now.


----------



## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Max is much bigger than the typical Golden. He is 4.5 years old and a neutered male. He is about 28 inches tall at the shoulder. He has a very large structure and a huge chest. He weighs 140 pounds. His weight has fluctuated between 137 and 143 for the last 2+ years. We were at the vet a few days ago, and after a thorough exam, she concluded that Max is not overweight, but "just big." Here is a recent photo after a bath and brush.


----------



## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Rusty is 2.5 years old male, and he fluctuates between 62 to 65 pounds.


----------



## sam'smama (Oct 28, 2013)

Here's a recent pic of Sam. He doesn't appear overweight to me, but then I'm around him everyday and probably wouldn't notice.


----------



## sam'smama (Oct 28, 2013)

Max's Dad said:


> Max is much bigger than the typical Golden. He is 4.5 years old and a neutered male. He is about 28 inches tall at the shoulder. He has a very large structure and a huge chest. He weighs 140 pounds. His weight has fluctuated between 137 and 143 for the last 2+ years. We were at the vet a few days ago, and after a thorough exam, she concluded that Max is not overweight, but "just big." Here is a recent photo after a bath and brush.


Wow! That is one big golden! He sure is pretty!


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

sam'smama said:


> Here's a recent pic of Sam. He doesn't appear overweight to me, but then I'm around him everyday and probably wouldn't notice.



It's hard to judge with a sitting picture. Do you have one from the side ( like a stacked photo) and from above looking down?


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

As comparison, you want a visual tuck at the hip/groin area. 

This is the best I could find on the fly.


----------



## Wenderwoman (Jan 7, 2013)

My girl is a little over 2 years and weighs 77 pounds. The vet says she should be between 70-75 pounds. So, she's just about right.


----------



## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

Harley is on the small side for a male golden, weighing 59 lb and 22 inches at the wither. Vet said he needed to lose about 6 lb when we got him which he has done. When wet he looks almost exactly like the dog shown in Brave's post. I get him weighed regularly at the vets. It is free to do that here (I am sure it is free everywhere) and, in fact, they encourage it. I am determined not to let him get overweight!


----------



## Capt Jack (Dec 29, 2011)

Jack is 5 & weighs in at 75 lbs Sweetie is almost 3 3 and is 81 lbs(she's lost 4 pounds she's on a diet!


----------



## GuliblGuy (Sep 26, 2012)

Max is a beast!

Barley is 2.5 yrs and 77.5 lbs, he's pretty tall.


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I would expect an average size male golden (meaning standard size and type) to be between 65 and 80 pounds to be healthy. If it helps. A lot of vets are seeing truly obese dogs come in and they are not overly concerned with those that are simply overweight... so I would not rely on an average vet's perspective of weight. There's a lot of vets in competition sports (conformation, obedience, agility, etc) and they tend to be the ones I'd listen to because they have a completely different perspective on what these dogs should look like. 

My Jacks is a sturdy built big boned little guy.... think deep chested, solid bones, big head. When he was 2 - he weighed 70 lbs. As he filled in (chest/shoulders/head/leg bones, etc) - his steady weight was more like 76-78lb and healthy. 

Last year was a bad year for his thyroid (not likely to be the issue with your dog) as well as some effects of an injury to his back/pelvis which made him a little less active + I was resting him quite a bit.... and he put on 10lbs. 

He's currently 85lbs, and still needs to lose another 5-7 pounds before I'm OK with his weight. 

Bertie (who is a show dog) - I'm waiting to see if he becomes as big a boy as Jacks (meaning solid built). As it is right now, he is holding at 68lbs at 28 months. I am pretty sure he will gain another 5lbs at least as he matures further. I'll know by the time he's 3. Most boys are about done filling out by then.

Both dogs are 23.5".

My leanest golden male was 65-68lbs in general. He was a smaller golden at 23". 
My heaviest boy is Jacks. 

Obviously by the time they get up in age, they do pack on the pounds. That's why during their life - when they are young and active and going into senior years.... you want them to be at an ideal weight for their size. Ideally LEAN. It's better for their health.


----------



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Female, 20 months old, 45 pounds. Perfectly proportioned - just perfectly petite.


----------



## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Hank is 5+years, neutered and weighs 74-76 lbs.


----------



## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

It really depends on your dog's individual structure and so comparing to other non-related goldens isn't very helpful. 

Instead I'd be asking your breeder what he/she thinks about your dog's weight. They would know the best. What are the littermates weights? Are they all about the same size? For example, my Yogi was in a litter of 8. He is shorter than two of his littermates and he weighs less than they do.


----------



## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

Stormy is 69lb at 1.5 yrs and Bear is 72lb at nearly 3yrs. I can feel their ribs quite easily and they have a prominent tuck. They look quite lean when they're wet with a visible waist from above. I measure every meal to keep them at this weight.


----------



## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

Noreaster said:


> It may just be that he hit that metabolism slowdown that humans get in their mid-twenties?
> 
> Honestly, that sounds pretty heavy for a young dog unless he's very muscular and very large-framed. Boomer was a tall, leggy guy but he never weighed more than 78 pounds.
> 
> ...



I also love the measuring cup, as it's so easy to overestimate the amount in the bowl.


----------



## chloesmomMI (May 4, 2013)

My Chloe is 20 3/4", which is slightly below conformation standard, and weighs 59 lbs. She's 2 1/2 years old and is often mistaken for younger, probably because she's on the short side.


----------



## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

Summit, Male, 10 months old, 59.5 lbs

Height was 21.75" to 22" at last measurement

I weigh the dogs' food on a metric scale, so their weight doesn't fluctuate even if my vision does. 1 kibble weighs 1 gram.

.


----------



## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

Jess will be 5 in Feb. His weight ranges from 64- 68 lbs. He's 23" tall. Not a big boy, but within the standard.


----------



## chloesmomMI (May 4, 2013)

My goodness, Max is a big boy, and so handsome!


----------



## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

Ripley is almost 3 and over the standard in height. He weighs between 65-68lbs and is very leggy/very narrow chested. At WSU vet teaching hospital, we were told he could lose a couple of lbs at 68. At 65 every vet has said he was perfect until we moved here! Our new vet thinks Ripley needs to be 70+ lbs and when I mentioned that every other vet has told me he is a perfect weight he said to me "well some people just like their dogs to look like lean runners." I didn't really get how that was a negative thing, but he himself owns a very overweight lab, so I didn't really take it to heart. It really shows how wide of an opinion there is on a healthy weight lol


----------



## thorbreafortuna (Jun 9, 2013)

Thor is a 20 months old male, neutered after one year. About 24 inches tall, a bit over. He weighed 67 pounds at last weigh in several weeks ago. He's looking much more muscular and filled out lately but he has not really gained much weight because of it and the ribs are easily felt. Picture attached


----------



## Helo's Mom (Oct 16, 2011)

Helo is about 10 years old and weighs 73-76 pounds. I measure his food morning and night. My last golden was too heavy and I don't want that to happen again. Sometimes I think Helo is too thin so we go to the vet's office and weigh him and he's never below 73. He has no stiffness in his joints and at this age, I'm thrilled. I adopted a chocolate lab last year and she was chubby with joint issues so I've been working on weight loss for her. She lost 10 lbs and is moving much easier. She probably needs to lose another 5. Both she and Helo would eat themselves sick if I free fed them so I am strict with the measuring.


----------



## TheGoldenChild (Jan 7, 2014)

Henry is 15 months old, 24" at the shoulder, and 73lbs. He's very lean and pure muscle. But, we are fostering a 3 year old female (Zoey) who is 23" tall and well over 100lbs!!!! She's so overweight! She is shaped like a sausage and there is no sign of waist tuck. Poor girl! We have her on a doggy bootcamp diet/exercise plan to get her leaner and more in shape.


----------



## shepherdpal (Oct 8, 2013)

Pippin is one years old today and only 22 inches and 51 pounds! He is not too thin as I can just feel his ribs and he has the tuck. Will he still grow some more?


----------



## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Both Tayla and Lily weigh 65 and 63, respectively.


----------



## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Yep, they will still grow a bit after 12 months - mine grew a bit more as well and he is 15 months old. I expect him to get a bit taller still. They will also start filling out more till at least 2 years old. 
Ben is 15 months old and 68 pounds. I think he is closer to 23 inches tall now but it is really hard to measure how tall a dog is at home and we can only guess.


----------



## Adriel (Dec 15, 2013)

Consider not only the vet, but the scale they use.

At my vet, they use a older analog scale and Ember weighs 68 pounds. I have used two digital scales at other places and times, coming up with 77 to 78 pounds (one point hit 90 pounds).

This thread was good timing, as was thinking Ember is a little too heavy.She is well muscled but on the trimmer side being a field Golden, versus show standard. I have Autism, so she often lays on me, and now feels uncomfortable unlike the past. She has filled out, but still has a slight tuck looking down and more pronounced side tuck. 

Ember hardly eats in the summer, so most likely over feeding. I give her three to four cups of Purina Pro Plan (depending on how active), and she eats between 2 1/2 cups to all of it. If left over, I a lot of times just have her eat that, then feed her the daily ration. Now looking at this thread, guess need to be more careful and stick to three cups, including left overs?

Ember is about five years old, 23 1/2", and 68 pounds in winter and 65 in summer on the analog scale.


----------



## Donnalsoule (Jul 10, 2011)

Yuki (3 years old) and Luna (1 1/2 years old) both weigh exactly the same thing: 84 pounds. Luna looks much smaller than Yuki, but the vet explained to me that it is because because Yuki has such big bones (and a massive head!) and Luna has more lean muscle. The vet feels their weights are perfect, and you can easily feel their ribs. They are just big (English background) goldens!


----------

