[pyrnet] Young Pyr Height and Weight

["Chrissy McConnell" <chrissy_mcconnell@hotmail.com>]

It depends on bloodlines but generally Pyrs don't reach 170 + lbs.  There 
could be dogs I'm not aware of but they are supposed to be large, yet 
elegant.  Bone should not be too light nor too heavy.  Many people confuse 
them with Saint Bernards and Newfoundlands but they are usually (and 
supposed to be) much more elegant in the face and body with less droop and 
skull *and* their legs aren't supposed to look like huge round barrels, if 
you know what I mean.

Usually we over estimate our dog's weight due to height and coat, I've done 
it too.  :)  However, with backyard breeders it's hard to tell what the more 
recent dogs in the lines had been bred for.  Many think they're supposed to 
be HUGE.  Many don't care.

Yes, there are lines that mature slower than others.  One particular English 
breeder even said their lines (Show and Mountain....if you want to 
distinguish....not sure of all kennel names) took around five years to fully 
mature!

Our youngest Pyr, Rollie, just turned two.  I've not measured or weighed him 
for a few months but he was about 31 inches at the shoulders (an inch taller 
than his sire) and I'd really have to have him weighed....I can't tell.  All 
I know is he loves to eat and we have to watch he doesn't get to "feeling" 
too fat.

His sire, as said, is 30 inches and his dam is 26 1/2 in.  His paternal 
grandparents are 30 in., his maternal grandsire is about 31-32 in. and 
maternal graddam is 25 in.  Rollie is also an outcross breeding which I'm 
told will sometimes help with size.

He's neither heavy or light boned so far....of course, neither are his 
parents.  His Mother took what seemed like forever to fill out.  She didn't 
really 'til just before turning three.  His sire did at about two or so.

I guess it just depends.  :)

Chrissy


>Since we bought him from a "backyard breeder" and don't know his line's 
>growth rate, we're kind of winging it. His mother seemed small to 
>me...maybe about the size of a good-sized Golden Retriever, but his father 
>was IMMENSE, or seemed so to me. As I recall (having seen him only that one 
>time, and not being able to compare the two dogs now) he seemed at least 
>half again as big as Newman is now...which means he probably weighed at 
>least 170-180 lbs. Are there some lines that are slow to mature? I remember 
>someone saying that males generally reach their full height and weight by 2 
>1/2 years.

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