Ridgeback weights

[masterhulk]

Hi Everyone
This is my first post (so be gentle lol )
My Ridgeback is coming up for 10 months and weighs 42kg he is extremely lean and gets 2 3mile walks every day
I was just wondering if people could post their dog weights at that age and now if they are older or even their weight if younger than 10 months, I am trying to get a comparision for how big he will grow, and if indeed he is big for his age.

thanks
Peter/Deezal

oh he is a male intact!

[caro]

I think weight depends on a lot of things.  First, how big are your dog's knuckles and feet.  That's usually a good indication of how big he is going to be.  Second, is he a long lean type of dog?  Often these don't appear to be heavy, but very well may way a lot more than they look.  Do you know how large were his parents?  That would be a good indication. 

I have one dog who weighs 93 lbs when he is in good condition.  He is a heavy boned short coupled type of dog--very strong and muscular.  I now have a puppy who is just 12 weeks.  He is the exact opposite--long and lean with very long legs.  He will probably grow to be quite a big dog judging by his knuckles and feet, but right now, he looks skinny and should be quite light until you try to lift him up, then you find out that he is a whole lot heavier than he looks.

A good rule of thumb to judge correct weight is that you should see the shadow of the ribs; you shouldn't be able to count the ribs, but you should be able to see them when he moves.

Can you post a picture of your dog and we can see if we can guess how large he will end up being.

Caroline

[brian]

Hi,

Our RR is 10.5 months old and is 85lbs which is 39kg. He is lean and intact as well.

[masterhulk]

thanks Brian
its great to get a comparison!
Caroline I tried to post some pictures but I am away with work right now and have limited bandwidth and pictures so will post when i return home.

cheers guys

Peter

[rrbylexus]

I agree with Caroline, weight can vary so much.  As she said, to make sure your dog is at a weight that is right for him, make sure you can always see a faint outline of ribs and you should be good to go.  Enjoy your boy for who he is and don't worry about what size he will be when mature. :-)

Pam Mathews

[masterhulk]

thanks Pam
yeah I love him 1million %

Peter

[heiditr]

Caroline writes good words. If you can see the shadow he's perfect.

My boy is now almost 6 years, and he has always been lean and his weight has been around 43-44 kilo after he turned 2 years. He was down to 41 after a case of stomach flu. He looked so skinny, and his ribcage showed really good.
So last week I thought he was getting too skinny again, and started feeding him extra, poor boy... It's hard work too keep up with an active young lady. Weighed him the day after, and what do you know: he was 45,2 kilo! All muscle and no fat, so he is still getting an extra ration of food, because he looks skinny.



Heidi

[Deniseeb]

At 10 months, my intact male weighed 90 pounds.  He is now 2 years and 5 months and he weighs 95 pounds and is 29 inches tall.  As Caro pointed out, you can see a shade of ribs and he is lean and muscular and fit.  He has much more bone that my other male does.  Finn gained about 10 pounds a month until he was 9 months old and then he slowly got about an inch taller and a few punds heavier.  He reached his height at 18 months and his current weight at about the same time. 

My neutered male was 65 pounds at 10 months.  He is now 3 years and 5 months, 28 inches and now, FINALLY, weighs in at 84 pounds and he is lean and healthy.  He is finer boned than my intact male.  He was a picky eater and gained 7-8 pounds a month.  Once I started adding a little canned food to his diet, he gained his weight.  He reached his height at about 16 months of age. 

Denise

[kitoyogi]

My intact male weighed between 41kg at 10 months and was 27" tall. He is now almost 14 months and weighs 42kg and is 27.5" tall. Hopefully, he is done with most of his growth. He grew fast and at 9 months slowed down almost overnight. I went from feeding him 6 cups a day to 3 cups. Now he gets between 3 to 4 cups a day.

[George Boateng]

I think weight depends on a lot of things.  First, how big are your dog's knuckles and feet.  That's usually a good indication of how big he is going to be.  Second, is he a long lean type of dog?  Often these don't appear to be heavy, but very well may way a lot more than they look.  Do you know how large were his parents?  That would be a good indication. 

I have one dog who weighs 93 lbs when he is in good condition.  He is a heavy boned short coupled type of dog--very strong and muscular.  I now have a puppy who is just 12 weeks.  He is the exact opposite--long and lean with very long legs.  He will probably grow to be quite a big dog judging by his knuckles and feet, but right now, he looks skinny and should be quite light until you try to lift him up, then you find out that he is a whole lot heavier than he looks.

A good rule of thumb to judge correct weight is that you should see the shadow of the ribs; you shouldn't be able to count the ribs, but you should be able to see them when he moves.

Can you post a picture of your dog and we can see if we can guess how large he will end up being.

Caroline

Very interesting. George has always been an little on the skinny side, although he's had his food upped plenty of times. His ribs have always been visible whatever he's doing ... although recently, its more of a shadow rather than the ribs. Even at his skinniest, my vet said he was perfect so I was pretty happy with that but he does look better now he's gained a more weight.

He still has huge front paws which still seem out of proportion to the rest of his body ... I suppose this could be a sign that he's going to be a big boy!!

[aerobins]

Apollo is approaching 8 months (on the 30th) and is nothing but legs. He is still intact (until he hits 1 year) and weighs a little over 70 pounds. He is very leggy with very large feet. I imagine he'll continue getting taller, but will probably max out at around 100 lbs. Right now he is on Nutro Puppy and gets a little over 2 cups in the morning and in the evening.

[caro]

George, with big dogs it is better to err on the side of being skinny than to have a fat dog as being overweight puts an awful lot of stress and strain on the joints which is something you absolutely want to avoid at all cost.

Caroline

[Deniseeb]

With regard to the amount I fed my growing boys (and the bitch I have) - from 5-10 months old, they were eating 6-7 cups of food per day - 3 in the morning and 3 at night and on a particularly active day - 1 cup at lunch.  I also never fed a puppy food to them.  At about 10 months/11 months, I cut them back little by little to what they eat now - 4 cups a day.

Caroline is right.  Skinny is better than too fat.  But too skinny is not good either, especially when they are growing.  A shadow of rib is good.  I find that I have a harder time maintaining the weight on the female.  She has a voracious appetite and has no problem putting on excess weight.  I am always adjusting her food.  She grew pretty much the same as the boys, with her last half inch coming after her first heat. 

Denise

[joecop]

Our vet told us to give our 2 girls 3 cups a day, 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 in the evening.  It was the same as a puppy as full grown.  Ziva the rescue weighs 60 lbs and is almost 2 and Jasmine last weighed 77 pounds and is 2 years and 3 months.  Y can see a shadow of ribs on both.

[kitoyogi]

Being too skinny can also stunt growth. Ideally, with pups you want to see the shadow of ribs when they are running and playing. On an adult, you don't want to see more than the last two ribs.

[George Boateng]

George, with big dogs it is better to err on the side of being skinny than to have a fat dog as being overweight puts an awful lot of stress and strain on the joints which is something you absolutely want to avoid at all cost.

Caroline

Quite, I totally disagree with people who have overweight dogs. George has been eating 10 cups a day ... yes 10 ... 5 in the morning and 5 on an evening but we've just reduced this to 8 and suspect we'll reduce it further as his growth slows down. Our collie has just reached a point at 18 months where he doesn't want more than 2 cups a day so we have to be careful that George doesn't 'snaffle' his food when he leaves it!

I also measure George today and he's 35 inches to the head and 28" to the shoulder ....

[masterhulk]

hey thanks all for your stories this is exactly what I was after
thanks again guys n girlz

Peter

[kaiba]

My big fella got up to about 47kg and the vet said he was overweight and had to lose a couple of kilos, so I guess for his height he should have been around 45kg.

[Chubosco]

My rr weighs 115 pounds and the vet said it is the ideal weight for him. He is very muscular looking. Everyone comments on seeing him.

[jacksonpd]

This topic raises a question that I have about my RR. He just turned 1 yr this week and is weighing in at 90 lbs. He is lean , all muscle and very active. I sent the breeder updated photos the other night and she told me that we should expect him to continue growing for the next year! His dad was well over 120 lbs. So is he just from a line of a larger RR's or is this normal.  We feed him Blue Buffalo (Large Breed) 4 cups a day. 

[caro]

Those are big dogs!!  One can't really say whether the weights are correct or not because it would depend very much on the height of the dog.  One can only say that 120 lbs is waaay over the standard, but for the height of that dog, it may very well be correct and the dog is just big!  Usually Ridgebacks are finished growing upward by about a year after that it is putting on muscle and filling out, but your breeder knows the line better and the growth of different lines vary a lot.  A rule of thumb is that you should be able to see the shadow of the ribs when they move, but never be able to actually put your fingers between the ribs.  If you can't see the ribs at all, then your dog is too fat.  Hope this helps.

By the way, I used to feed Blue Buffalo but switched a couple of weeks ago because the protein was too high.  I ended up with California Natural Lamb and Rice (21 percent protein) and my puppy is doing great; he gets four cups a day plus a spoon of yogurt and a little cottage cheese a couple of times a week.  I supplement with 1000 mgs of Ester C and some fish oil, plus a multi vitamin.  He's 18 weeks and weighs around 45 lbs.  But he is going to be a tall dog judging by the size of his knuckles, tail and ears!
Caroline

[Chubosco]

I know this is heresy but I would love to see the standard raised. When I see a rr within standard they seem so little.

I think it would be great if breeders bred them up. I have seen some rr's bred for (by?) the Israeli army and they were as large as a Great Danes.

I have to tell you, that is a dog! And they were very much rr's.

[nana]

they were as large as a Great Danes.

I have to tell you, that is a dog! And they were very much rr's.

RRs look as a Great Dane can not be called the Rhodesian Ridgeback. The functional using of Great Danes is NOT the same as RRs. To me, it is a very bad idea to let the RR look as a Gerat Dane. If I would like to have a Great Dane I would have had a Dreat Dane. But I don't want to have a Great Dane - I wont to have a RR. One of my bitches is a very big and heavy girl and she loses A LOT in RR proper moving - no agility, no speed, no beautuful easy movement.. imo.

Nana

[caro]

As Nana says, the very large Ridgebacks cannot do the job they were supposed to do.  They cannot trott for days on end and have enough "in the tank" to chase down dinner at the end of the day.  They cannot dart and lunge as fast as is needed to keep an animal at bay.  If you want a Great Dane then get a Great Dane, but don't make a Ridgeback into something it was never supposed to be.  I don't know what the Israeli army is doing with the breed, but I do know that Ms. Nevo who is the doyen of the breed in Israel would be horrified at anybody intentionally breeding huge dogs.  Right now the complaint almost universally is that the dogs are getting too big and breeders need to pay attention to avoid producing out of standard dogs.

Caroline

[rrbylexus]

So sad to see that some are purposely breeding RRs to be so large...such a disservice to the breed, not to mention the added health issues.  The larger the dog, the lesser the life expectancy.

Reading the posts praising the large dogs makes me wonder if those people even know what the breed was bred to do.  These dogs are NOT supposed to be lion killers, they are supposed to be lion pursuers and harassers.  In order to do the job they were bred to do, they have to be medium sized dogs with great agility and endurance.  A large dog is just a larger and slower target for lions.

We must not forget our breeds' history and function and should only breed with those goals in mind.

Pam

[masterhulk]

100% agree with Pam
if you want a big dog by a Great Dane 
my $0.02

Peter

[Keeper]

big is not Always better. 
Every breed standard is there for a reason...a guide to keep the dog from changing into something it IS NOT.

I've always strived to breed to the standard, occassionally a larger dog/bitch will occur.  But if you want a larger breed...choose one that fits your desires, not breed a bigger Ridgeback.  Unfortunately there are breeders who choose to breed 'outside the standard'.  That doesn't make it right.

I agree with the reason behind keeping the Ridgebacks within our standard. 

[Chubosco]

Who painted the rr large?

Off with his head!

[Keeper]

If you compare ridgebacks throughout the world you will see some that are larger than others.
However, nearly every country uses a height and weight standard that is similar. 
Purists and breeders who are members of national clubs try to adhere to the standard of each country. 
 

[malismum]

Hi I am just wondering for those of you that  have a female Ridgeback of around 5 to 6 years of age how much does she weigh? My girl will be 6 next February and she weighs around 36 kilos (approx 79 lbs)  She is around 26 inches tall. Last year she was not well so she had to have a visit to the Vet who told me she was a little underweight at 36 kilos. I tried to tell her that according to breed standards for a Ridgeback female that she was about the right weight. Admittedly Mali looks on the lean side. She is long and lean. Now while I think that is ok at her age to be on the lean side I thought that maybe the Vet may be right so I increased the amount I fed her. However whenever I increase the amount I feed her you could be sure that within a day or two she will leave me very soft stools in big messy piles.... sorry.....but when I put her back on what I normally feed her she goes back to firm stools once or twice a day. Easy pick up for me. I have tried the Satin Ball diet giving her 3 balls a day with her food but still no great advantage to her gaining weight. She seems to have a sensitive stomach because when I feed her bones (apart from chicken wings etc)  she throws them up or when she passes them there is blood on her stools so I no longer feed her raw meat bones only chicken wings. I hope you can give me some advice about how you feel she is going compared to your girls. By the way the other day a passerby in car asked me if  she was a Ridgeback crossed with a Greyhound because she is so lean....lol

Ann

[Safi]

Hi Ann,

   Safi is only 2 years old, but 27-28 inches and fluctuates around 68-70 lbs. I have a time keeping the weight on her too. 4 cups of Fromms a day, 1/3 lb of Green Tripe, the occasional Egg and Pumpkin/rice to help keep things a little more firm (but not as firm as I would like to see). I actually have her doing 6 cups per day on the weekends since I am home to give her lunch.

I have been asked everything thing from what mix, is she a greyhound mix, to "did you get her from greyhound rescue". Vet seems to think she is a good weight, but comparing her to the other plump dogs in the park she is anorexic If her energy is good I wouldnt worry too much about it. I have a picture of Safi attached (I Hope) Her ribs have been showing a little more this past month, so I may have to try something else to put some fat on her.

Funniest thing was when I brought her back to the breeder for a visit and her husband exclaimed to her "See! I told you you were feeding yours too much!"

Steve

[Safi]

BTW .. Post some pictures of your girl Better to see the issue sometimes

Steve

[rrbylexus]

Looks to me that Safi is at a beautiful weight.  :-)

Pam 

[Safi]

Looks to me that Safi is at a beautiful weight.  :-)

Pam 

She certainly was when I took the picture she is down a couple lbs now and looking a little ribby .. not sure why. She was having some tummy trouble so maybe she will pick up the lost lbs soon. She is certainly not the stocky shorter RR's we see around here in Ottawa which is why I think we get the comments. *our RR friend Gracie excepted *

Steve

[caro]

I am not sure one can generalize.  We need to see a photograph and particularly be able to gauge the amount of bone.  Dogs with light bone can be tall and might not weigh as much as dogs with heavy bone and the same height.  I would say probably 76 lbs might be fine for your girl and if she is doing well on what you feed her then don't worry.

On an aside, I have just lost my old girl of 12.  She was a little plump in her old age, but it stood her in good sted when she stopped eating for a while.  She had some reserves to fall back on and never looked like she was starving.  So, if your old dogs start putting on a little (stress little) weight, I wouldn't worry too much because if they fall sick, the first thing that happens is that they don't eat.  If you can nurse them through the worst, they can fall back on their reserves and then when they feel better they don't have quite so far to come back.

Caroline

[Chubosco]

So sorry to hear of your loss. I know the pain.

John

[Tracdun]

Steve,

Safi has grown into a fine looking lady   I hear what you are saying about the comments... I can't tell you how many times people ask me if Lucy is a mixed breed because the RR's they've seen in the past are stockier.  I suppose I shouldn't take the question / comment personally but I can't help but to retort in a somewhat snide fashion

I am somewhat concerned about the trend to have the bigger / stockier RR...

[efoley]

Hehehe. Meanwhile poor Cisko gets taken for a mixed mastiff breed. He's definitely on the stocky side while most of the other Ridgies in the area are leaner. He is a bit barrel chested for my taste but also very muscular with still a bit of fat we're working to get off.

Elena

[pamnelson]

Your picture of Cisko (lap dog) is amazing!  I love it!  Ours is 57 pounds at 5 months but is slim and pretty tall. Since he doesn't have a ridge, people often 'tell me' that he's a viszla. I say 'Nope. He's a ridgeback' and one person actually corrected me (even though he's dark red). Everybody's an expert. 

Pam

[efoley]

Thanks Pam!!! Cisko was about 60 lbs at 6 months. I really wasn't looking for a dog that weighed over 100 lbs but he just kept growing!!!   Now we are all on a diet. He's a big marshmallow -- loves to cuddle and loves people once he is introduced but is also very protective. He can seem very intimidating when in "guard dog" mode.

Elena

[Ari_RR]

Hmm.. I am not sure about Ari's weight at 6 months..  He is now 15 months, and has been at about 89-90 lbs for the last couple of months. He is somewhere around 28" tall. Not into cuddling at all, unfortunately    He likes to be next to his humans and follows us around the house from room to room, but when he settles down, he keeps a bit of distance between himself and everyone else... I am sort of hoping that if my idea of getting another one (a girl) materializes, she will be more on the soft and cuddly side..  But from what I've read here - no guarantees, eh?

Eugene

[Safi]

Funny .. someone told me the males were more social and cuddly than the females Safi is not into cuddling unless she is pretty tired and then its only to push her head up against my leg while hogging the couch. At night she will plaster herself to my side (to the point of almost pushing me out of bed) and she gets upset if I move.

Steve

[Chubosco]

There was a huge change in behavior at 18 months for my rr. It was like all the training and everything just came together.

He didn't like to be petted but started to let me stroke him 3 times in a row.

He now loves to be petted, hugged, and kissed. He even kisses me behind the ear when he wants to show affection.

He is four now. So hang in there! There is hope.

[Tracdun]

I don't think you can generalize according to sex but for what it's worth - I live with the Velcro Dog.  Lucy has always been quite cuddly - seems to always want to be really close - to the point of touching / lying on you.  At 78 - 80 pounds ... it can get heavy

[Adam20v]

Charlie is 18 months now and is 29" tall at around 110lbs.  He's a big boy for sure...but definitely not overweight. 

There are a few severely overweight Ridgebacks I have ran into in my area.  For some reason the owners seem so proud that their dogs weight so much.  It's very sad.  I saw one that was shorter than Charlie and the owner told me he was 2 years old and weighed 180lbs.  180lbs!  That poor dog is going to have some serious joint issues...

[rhodesianridgebackd]

This is a pretty interesting thread. Just a month ago, my girl weighed in at 82 pounds (very lean), so its true that lines mature slowly. She'll be 2 years old Jan 3rd and I've got my money on her topping 85 when its all said and done.

Merry Christmas to eveyrone!

George

[hannibal]

My Hannibal is 74 centimenters tall and weighs no less than 50 kilos (I think that's about 29 inches and a 110 lbs?) at 17 months and he's entire and pretty lean. He has always been very cuddly and affectionate but never liked to be restrained in any way (HATED the collar, the leash, the vet checks, etc ) He has, however, outgrown all his little weirdnesses - and I never thought he would