Roscoe's not so secret growth story
by Mark
(San Antonio)
Roscoe came to us at 5-6 weeks old. Very young, very small male only weighing about 6 lbs. He started growing slowly compared to the charts. By 12 weeks, Roscoe weighed around 16-18 lbs. The vet said he was on the slender side but still healthy and normal. He began gaining around 2-3 lbs. per week thereafter, but we were only feeding him 1 cup 3 times daily.
The decision was made based on his appearence to increase his intake to 2 cups 3 times daily. After a few weeks he was starting to fill out his long skinny frame. We feed him a purina puppy food mixed with a higher quality food (eukanuba). I highly suggest buying a higher quality food as your German Shepherd will retain more of the nutrients needed for growth.
We always made sure to scedule his eating routine to give him enough time to eat and finish. Once finished, if there was any food left over we removed the bowl until the next feeding. This simple discipline routine taught him he'd better eat when fed or go hungry until next feeding time. He now gobbles up all his food in no time.
Roscoe is now 5 months old weighing 55 lbs. We take him outside as much as possible and let him run free off the leash to help develop his muscles and give him a chance to run fast!