boerboel growth

[Jasraj bansal]

Hi, I am eager to know at what age males stop growing taller. i have a male who is 9 months and is approximately 23 inches tall. i am eager to know whether he will grow taller and if so by roughly how much. also as this being my first boerboel, how much should his weight roughly be? i have attached a picture of him...all comments are welcome

[Marco]

Hello Jasraj, welcome to the site!  I hope you enjoy your time here with us, and find the site helpful.  From what I have seen with boerboels they can range from all different heights, and weights.  Your boy still has a bit of growing to do at 9 months.  They seem to however start to slow down around that time.  I know my boy did around 10 months or so but continued to grow just not as fast.  Plan on him getting taller, and filling out more until around three years of age.  It can vary though, and the most important thing to concern yourself with is his health.  Just be careful not to overfeed, and keep him slim.  Best not to add anymore stress on their joints because they grow quickly, and are a large breed.   I've listed below some of the breed standards from different organizations out there.  They list what they feel is acceptable weight, and height.  I hope that helps you some.  Beautiful boerboel you have there, thanks for sharing.

 

SABT Breed Standard

Ebbassa Breed Standard -  This is an older one, and i think they have updated it since then howerver not able to find it online at the moment.  Two sites I have listed for them are http://www.ebbasa.com/ & http://www.ebbasa-international.eu

Boerboel International Breed Standard

AKC Breed Standard

 

[Ramesh Narayanan]

Hi,
Am new to the site. I have a ten month old Boerboel female pup. She's about 26inches and weighs about 58 kgs(128 pounds). She grew fast till her 6th month and then slowed down. Now she doesn't seem to be growing taller though she looks like she putting on muscle. Till what age do they continue to grow phySically? Is she likely to put on anymore height?
Thanks for any replies,
Ramesh

[Jens Gunther]

Hi,

an easy way to see when your dog has reached his/her height is to look at the joints on the forearm. A growing pup has large, knobbly joints due to the open growth plates and large amounts of cartilage accumulated there. As soon as the legs have done their growing, the joints will form a smooth union with the rest of the leg.

Most dogs fill out substantially after they have reached their full height. The sex hormones also play an important role here. The first (and possibly second) heat cycle will usually contribute to the accentuation of the dog's female characteristics while high levels of testosterone in males somewhere between 9 and 12 months (it could be earlier or later) will accentuate male features. Both sexes will continue to grow under the influence of these hormones up to about 24 months.

[Ramesh Narayanan]

Thanks for the reply Jens. So what I understand from your reply is that the pup will continue to grow till 24 months with the increased activity of their sex hormones? This brings me to another question, not sure if this link is appropriate for that. I was planning to spay my pup at around 12 months of age. Should I wait till she's 24 months before I do that. Will spaying at this age(she's 10 months now) affect her growth, temperament etc? Has anyone in this forum experienced changes in behaviour after spaying? Is it for the better, worse? Sorry for so many questions but this is my first Boerboel.
Regards,
Ramesh

[Jens Gunther]

Yes, however changes become much more subtle with time. The recommended age for appraisal is about 18 months, which is deemed the age at which the dog's potential has been expressed. We usually recommend spaying after the first heat cycle for all large and giant breed dogs to allow the oestrogen to do its work. If birth control is your concern, you can wait another 5 months after the first heat. Spaying after the heat wouldn't make a major difference; before may inhibit the expression of the female features to some degree, but growth will not be affected either way.

Spaying does not have the dramatic effect that castration has on dogs. You may have to watch her weight a bit, but behaviourally there shouldn't be much change.

[Ramesh Narayanan]

Thanks Jens..so another question again..my puppy got her first heat when she was six months..early I know..so will it be OK to spay her now? I can wait for her to be 18 months just want to be sure of what I am doing.
Regards,
Ramessh

[Jens Gunther]

Ramesh, you could spay her at 12 months as you originally planned without problems. I am in favour of spaying late in the growth process when it comes to large breed dogs, simply to exploit the influence of the hormones to the full, particularly when you have a dog that has late onset puberty. An early heat taken with her current weight tells me that she probably has already done most of her growing. She'll probably be filling out around the head, shoulders and chest now.

[Ramesh Narayanan]

Jens, thank you for the advice. I shall go ahead with my plan to spay her when she's about a year old. Regards,
Ramesh