Size concern

[FoxyLover]

Foxy, my 1 year old female is 41 - 44 lbs but tiny in size. People I talk to say they have seen boxers this tiny before. She comes up to my knees when her head stands tall... she is a tiny thing for a boxer I think. Her weight is normal from what I've gathered and she is muscular and healthy...but her height is short from what I've read a boxer should be. She was the runt of the pack but I always get runts and they always turn out to be the normal height... any clues or suggestions or just tell me not to worry.

Also, I read the illness page that boxers could get...they said elevated eating could contribute to bloating which could kill. She eats out of the 1 foot (approx) tall food container that my 84 lb dog eats out of. I don't want to inflict anything in my sweet girl and I would never get rid of any guilt from hurting her. Please advise if you know anything about this....

 

[Biff]

I think boxers are just like skinkids, they come in all shapes and sizes!

So long as Foxy is fit and healthy, I wouldn't dwell or her size too much

I would definitely get rid of the elevated food bowl - there is a sticky thread about bloat in the Health Forum :(

 

[gmacleod]

You're always going to get dogs that are larger or smaller than they strictly should be for their breed. Yes, your girl sounds rather small. But there's no point in stressing about her weight if she's a correct weight for her actual size. Size is governed by genetics - and there isn't a thing in this world you can do to influence it.

One could equally say that at 84lb, your male dog is oversized (assuming that he's not overweight for his actual size). Well, you can't shrink him Being a bit taller or a bit shorter than the breed standard dictates isn't going to hurt the dog - providing their weight follows. Thus, rather than worrying about the actual weight of either of them, more important is that they're a correct weight for their height and frame.