Hello everyone just got a GSP 3 weeks ago and loving every minute of it. I got her from a breeder around me and noticed that it was extremely undersized (under fed) for its age. I've read lots of forums where people are saying their GSP is small but usually they are still 35+. My girl Izzy is 7 months old and weighs a whopping 22 lbs and wither height is around 18. I talked with my vet who told me she will grow a little more but this is about it? He said at age 9 months is it.  The breeder i got her from said he was wrong. Her parents were smaller, sire was 65 and dam was 45. He said she will be in the 40 range? Curious on what people here think. It is what it is but a 25lbs GSP i have not heard of. Thanks!!! wouldnt be a good 1st post without pics

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Izzy is one cute puppy!  She is only 7 months.  I would expect her to grow a little taller and she will certainly fill out more.  However, if she was malnourished as a young puppy I would suspect this would stunt her growth and I don't think she will grow another 3 inches to make the standard size of a GSP, but you never know!

She'll definitely get bigger and even if she is always petite, she is a very nice looking girl.  And she's certainly in excellent shape now.  Look at that shiny coat!

Beautiful little pup!!! I wouldn't assume she was misfed/malnourished... It could be just a combination of genetics, agressive siblings, last to feed, whatever the case may be. She does sound short, but........ you have a pint sized firecracker--- but we absolutely love our little one. Our girl is very small for GSP standards too. She was obviously the runt when we picked her out but she was the cutest. Sometimes I wish she was a little more... substantial, but there are TONS of advantages to a small GSP. Easier to transport (I have small pickup truck with no cab and we can both go in the car and have Joey in there), better at cuddling on the couch, fits on your lap, eats less of the expensive food, poops less......etc.

at a year she got to about 34 pounds, at 1.5 yrs she is 37-38. From everything I've read after about 2 years they will fill out in the chest and pack on some pounds. I bet yours will end up around 40lbs at 2 yrs. Here is a pic of Joey at around 1 year:

Just love the small GSPs. Do love the big ones too, but smaller GSPs may be easier to handle???

From my personal experience with other breeds of dog - GSD, Malinois, dalmatians, bulldogs, terriers they all grow tall and lanky, and then once they hit 12-18 months they start growing out instead of up. I know that my American Bulldog Abby was a skinny little thing at a year old, but by four, her chest was several inches wider thanks to muscle development, and her shoulders were heavy muscled as well. I adopted a dalmatian a few years ago from a family that showed me puppy pictures. At a year old she was rail thin, but by the time she hit 3 her shoulders and rear end were so well developed it made the rest of her look anorexic.

edited to add - altering a dog before their 1 year mark can cause the dog to grow taller but not produce as much muscle. I saw it first hand with a litter of pit bull pups. Several of the new owners altered their dogs as soon as possible, but others did not. The parents were good breeding stock and produced beautiful dogs, but the altered dogs didn't develope as much width and muscle, and also grew a little taller than their unaltered litter mates. Coincidence? Maybe, but I've seen it before to think it's not. Because of this, I refuse to alter any of my purchased dogs until they're at least 2 so I know without a doubt they're finished growing.