# Is 80 pounds to heavy for a male 8 month old puppy



## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

His dad was a big boy,i was just wondering if this is an ideal weight.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

You have a big boy......

How tall is he?


----------



## jomiel (Feb 15, 2019)

Wow, a big boy! Can you post a few photos showing off his side profile?


----------



## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

What does your vet say?


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

My opinion is that's pretty hefty.

I can understand something in the 70's being slightly chubby, but big boned pup + going through a growth phase can be understandable.

With a dog that's over 70 pounds well before he turns a year old - the concern is him carrying too much weight while his bones and muscles are still growing.

A dog that's already 80 pounds before he turns 12 months - that's worrisome since young dogs tend to be VERY EASY to keep in shape. Their metabolisms run pretty strong at that young age and by the time their muscles start popping by age 2-3, they are in the best shape of their lives.

Once they get into the middle ages (after age 5), it's a slippery slope. Their metabolisms start slowing down (especially if neutered or spayed, but even intact dogs do have some "settling"). By the time they are 6-8 years old, you start having some 10 extra pounds or so that the dog is carrying (if the dog was svelte to begin with). Dogs who are already too heavy as young dogs are going to be dealing with more arthritis in middle age which slows or restricts their activity and makes them prone to gain much more weight.

There are people out there who have gotten used to seeing goldens being overweight and they shouldn't. <= I personally see MORE smalller goldens than bigger ones. And generally it's only an inch difference.

Even if a golden retriever is 25" (for example) - which is an inch over. He still should not be 20-30 pounds overweight. I had a golden who was 25" - and in his prime (before age 5), he typically weighed 73-75 pounds. And he was not a "skinny" dog. He was good sized with a lot of bone.










My 8 month old is the little guy on the right side. He is 63 pounds and while he's as tall as his brother (he won't or shouldn't grow taller), is slightly more immature (bone, muscle, etc) in comparison. His brother is 69 pounds.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

When we ask how tall he is, we mean from the shoulder to the floor. 
80# is probably too heavy- he isn't fully grown yet and he should be on the lean side at this age, developmentally. 
Of course, if he is WAY over standard in height, 80# might be normal....but that would beg the question of why he is so tall almost more than why he is so heavy. My 5YO boy who is 23.5-so smack in the middle - and quite muscular with an abundant coat weighs 75.. and he is 5.


----------



## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

jomiel said:


> Wow, a big boy! Can you post a few photos showing off his side profile?


how do I post a picture


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

stumped said:


> how do I post a picture



Post #3 in this thread gives instructions-









Golden Retriever Dog Forums







www.goldenretrieverforum.com


----------



## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

Megora said:


> My opinion is that's pretty hefty.
> 
> I can understand something in the 70's being slightly chubby, but big boned pup + going through a growth phase can be understandable.
> 
> ...


he is 23 inches


----------



## Jon in Bk (Feb 19, 2020)

Megora those are some handsome boys. 

Stumped, the only way to know if he's "too big" is to check to see if you can easily feel his ribs. There are lots of pics on-line to help with a Body Condition Score (BCS). I will note that younger dogs should probably be more lithe than chonk. When I bathe my 6 month old, I'm always surprised at how skinny he is. He'll fill out over the next year.


----------



## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

What type of food are you giving him?


----------



## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

3goldens2keep said:


> What type of food are you giving him?


Loyal all stage


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

stumped said:


> he is 23 inches


All 3 of my dogs are 23.5" at the shoulders.


----------



## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

stumped said:


> Loyal all stage


I am not an expert on dog food, but we too have a male Golden, he is 12wks old. He is our 7th Golden over 25+ years. I have learned that Golden's do best on a food that is formulated for "Large Dogs'. As I understand it, the formulation help prevent to fast of a growth pattern giving their bones and joints time to get set, prior to weight gain. Many of the brands sell a 'large dog" formulation. I am a believer in Purina Pro Plan Large Dog Puppy Chow, after he gets older I will go to their regular PPP Large Dog....


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

So a 23" dog is -barring heavier bone than a Golden should carry- overweight. I have been in Goldens for many many years and only ever know one @ 23 who was that size, and he was not a puppy.


----------



## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

stumped said:


> Loyal all stage


That may be why. Goldens should be fed puppy food specifically for large breed puppies. All life stage foods are actually small breed puppy foods and tend to have upwards of a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio. That's too much calcium and can cause the puppy to grow to fast. Phosphorus inhibits calcium absorbtion. So a large breed puppy formula usually will have that between 1.1:1 to 1.4:1

If he's not really overweight and is tall, that is likely the reason in my mind. If course that's saying the parents were just not huge goldens as well. Some breeders don't breed to standard.


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I have no idea what Loyal All Stage food is.. 

But personally speaking, I do not feed a large breed formula. My guys get switched from regular puppy food to adult food by 5-6 months (depending on when their adult teeth come in). Both breeders behind my dogs never feed puppy food at all. The one feeds adult food from the start. The other feeds an all life stages kibble from the start. 

Would venture to say that brand and formula of food have nothing to do with the issue. It's amount of food that the pups are fed. 

Both my pups are bottomless pits when it comes to eating - meaning, they would not walk away and leave food behind no matter how much food in the bowl. They love eating - like most retrievers.

The instructions on the food bags recommend feeding a ton of food for the dogs - it's a guideline based on those dogs who are very active and have hyperactive walk-ten-million-walks-a-day owners. If you and your dog are more sedentary and are looking just going outside and calling potty runs exercise (yes, we all do that in winter when we don't want to go walk the dogs!  ) - they cannot be fed 3-5 cups of food! Especially if they are getting treats throughout the day. 

And personally speaking - I think low to medium exercise is best with young dogs. Generally.

Mine go for 2-3 mile walks every day because they are very high energy dogs. They need to run like crazy every day + and they also need their walks.


----------



## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

Megora said:


> I have no idea what Loyal All Stage food is..
> 
> But personally speaking, I do not feed a large breed formula. My guys get switched from regular puppy food to adult food by 5-6 months (depending on when their adult teeth come in). Both breeders behind my dogs never feed puppy food at all. The one feeds adult food from the start. The other feeds an all life stages kibble from the start.
> 
> ...


I am confused when you say low to medium exercise is best.I have been reading the complete opposite.


----------



## stumped (Sep 9, 2019)

stumped said:


> I am confused when you say low to medium exercise is best.I have been reading the complete opposite.


we just came back from the vet and he weighed 76 pounds and he said he is fine


----------



## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

Megora said:


> I have no idea what Loyal All Stage food is..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I agree with much of what you say. As you know when talking about dog foods and feeding their are lots of different ideas and most of us would swear we are right. 

But I was confused by your last two statements above...I know that puppies bones are soft and the joints are not even 'seated' for a few weeks. Until this happens exercise should be limited. Like you say low to medium is best with young dogs. Then you seem to contradict that and say "mine go 2-3 mile every day"...because they are high energy dogs! 
I am sure I am misunderstanding your comments, please clarify if you will?

Both my Golden's are from field pedigree dogs, as have been all our dogs. Our current mature dog is a hard driving female that runs like the wind and shows ton of style. Our newest pup is also from a field line that has hard drive and style. I have seen both the Stud and Bitch run. Everything I see from our pup already suggests he too will meet our expectations, both in style and drive.


On the food issue, I agree that at 6-8 months we will shift our pup off of puppy chow. But I will stay with a large breed product as both our breeder, trainer, vet, and I believe it is a best approach. But, I have met many good dog people who share your views....


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

3goldens2keep said:


> But I was confused by your last two statements above...I know that puppies bones are soft and the joints are not even 'seated' for a few weeks. Until this happens exercise should be limited. Like you say low to medium is best with young dogs. Then you seem to contradict that and say "mine go 2-3 mile every day"...because they are high energy dogs!
> I am sure I am misunderstanding your comments, please clarify if you will?


That comment referred to the age of the pups we are discussing here (8 month olds and older) in relation to the amount of food that the dogs are fed. The bags recommend too much food for a lot of dogs out there, particularly those owned by people who are either sedentary or absent during the day (so the dogs are sleeping 8-12 hours a day).

8+ month old pups = different conversation than 8 week old pups.

Young puppies don't go for walks. In fact, the longest walks I typically do with a baby pup is up the road and back home, which a month later gets extended to a 1/4 mile walk (very short 15 minute walk). A month later we might start working up to a 1/2 mile, etc....

Normally I'd stay under a mile for a growing dog - but mine are high energy and very powerful dogs. You go by the dog you own. 

Personally speaking they do more harm ramming into each other while running outside on those days I skip a walk.... we had frigid temps the past weekend and uh.... no walks = my dogs tearing it up outside (and thank goodness they have room to run).  My 7 year old got a much needed laser treatment this morning to get some inflammation in his shoulder/neck area down after he got double teamed by his sons. >.< He goes back next Tuesday for a 2nd treatment and if needed will get a 3rd treatment the following week. 

*And taking a 2 mile walk is about 30-45 minute relaxed walk. It's not jogging and or heavy exercise for the dogs - especially young dogs.


----------



## GoldenDude (Nov 5, 2016)

I am very rigid about my dogs' weight. I weigh them weekly and keep Purina's Body Condition System chart near the scale. I will adjust their food intake amounts based on my observations and planned exercise for the week.


----------



## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Well I would have to say you are lucky but you are switching a puppy off the puppy foor 5 months early so chances are youre getting fast growth early and then compensating for it with adult food. Just glad that hasn't caught up to your dogs to this point. for decades it's been shown that slow controlled growth is best for developing joints. I think this is why before we talked about how your pups are fairly heavy at an earlier age but slow down before most pups do.


----------



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

At 76 pounds, I would say your boy is doing fine. The reality is there is no ideal weight for a Golden Retriever. It all depends on the dog. I have known a 49 pound Golden Retriever, a 135 pound Golden, and everything in between. Some Goldens are small, some are medium and some are big. Our Max, who is 9.5 years old now, weighed 99 pounds at 8 months, 30 pounds at 11 weeks, and has been around 135 pounds his entire adult life. But Max is 28 inches tall at the shoulder, very long and has a very large bone structure. On the other hand, our 2.5 year old Rocky, is 73 pounds, and right at the breed standard. Rocky and Max are cousins. Both are fed Purina Pro Plan Large Breed kibble. Just keep an eye on your dog's weight and body shape, and enjoy him. Golden Retrievers are the best! Photos are of Rocky about 1 year and Max at 12 weeks and 3 years.


----------



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Not too big if you want a 100 lb. adult dog. I think you should take a look at how much you are feeding your dog. My guess is it is too much.


----------



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

The rule of thumb we use to determine how much to feed our dogs is 10 calories for each pound of goal weight. Thus, if you want your dog to weigh 80 pounds you would feed your dog 800 calories per day. In our case, we feed Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Dry Dog Food. It is about 400 calories per cup. Max's goal weight is 130 pounds. We feed him 3 cups of Pro Plan per day, or about 1200 calories total. With treats, he gets a total of about 1300 calories per day. If we followed the Purina guidelines for Max's weight, he would be fed 6 cups per day--twice as much!! By comparison, Rocky, who is only about 75 pounds, gets 2 cups per day, or about 800 calories. However, when both dogs were puppies, and growing, we fed them more, based on how much they were growing and how they looked. The amount we feed now is for mature, adult dogs.


----------



## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

There very much is an ideal weight and an ideal height for goldens - 23-24" (+/- an inch) and 65-75 pounds for the boys. Barring an exceptionally tall or heavier boned dog, a male golden should fall into that range.

Kaizer is 24-25" at the withers and I think he looks best at 75-77 pounds, he's almost 5. He's actually a little fat right now (79 pounds!) so we're working on slimming him down again. He is an active dog (his energy level has NOT decreased as he's gotten older!), but I think it was a supplement I give him that put the weight on him faster than I anticipated. That plus his metabolism finally slowed down. 

My point is 80 pounds is a LOT for a young dog - my _5_ year old just barely hit that weight, and he's much taller than your boy (although he's not heavy boned). I agree with the suggestion to look at a body condition score - I like the chart made by Purina. I think it's easy to understand. Basically if you run your hands down your dog's side and you can feel his ribs without putting any pressure, then theoretically your dog is at a good weight.


----------

