German Shepherd Dog Growth Chart: How Big Will Yours Get?

The honest answer starts with the official standard: German Shepherd Dog adults run 50 to 90 lb per the AKC breed standard. Your puppy's own weight and age narrow that further.

Run your own numbers in the puppy weight calculator — it combines this breed range with two published growth formulas and your puppy's current weight.

How large dogs grow

Large dogs grow at a pace between toy breeds, which reach about half their adult weight around 12 weeks, and giant breeds, which don't hit that mark until roughly 26 weeks. Large puppies fall somewhere in between, with no single confirmed week-by-week figure for this size class. What is documented is the timeline's outer edge: veterinary sources place large and giant breeds at 18 to 24 months before reaching full adult size, well past the 10 to 12 months typical of smaller dogs, with skeletal maturity complete somewhere between 10 and 16 months.

Because large puppies grow over such a long window, one scale reading tells you less than a trend does. Track weight against a range for age rather than a single target number, since healthy dogs can sit anywhere within a wide band and still be on pace. A puppy that tracks well above or below that range for several weeks is worth a closer look, while a single high or low reading is usually normal variation. Talk to a vet before changing feeding amounts based on one weigh-in.

Why we don't publish a week-by-week weight table

Charted growth curves exist in veterinary research, but no source publishes the underlying week-by-week numbers in verifiable form — so we won't fake one. Our methodology page explains exactly what data this page uses and where it comes from. For tracking, weigh your puppy regularly and compare against the adult range above, or read what to track week by week.

Common questions

How big will a German Shepherd Dog get?

50 to 90 lb at maturity, per the AKC standard. Individual dogs can land outside the standard, especially mixes and outlier bloodlines.

Is my German Shepherd Dog puppy on track?

Enter their age and current weight in the weight predictor. If the formula estimate lands far outside the breed range, the tool flags it — that usually means tracking above or below standard, and it's worth mentioning at your next vet visit.

When do they stop growing?

Growth timing varies by size class more than by breed — our guide on when dogs stop growing covers what the research supports.

Estimates, not guarantees, and not veterinary advice. Sources for every number on this page: methodology.