At what age do Staffies start filling out?

Alex57160
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Good evening, around what age does a Staffie puppy's physique start to 'fill out'?

Head, chest, etc.

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    • Alex57160
    Alex57160 Icon representing the flag French
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    Yeah, it’s the same *****, and since there were issues getting the breed approval with the previous stud, she’s gone with another one instead.

    And yeah, I’m not planning on using him for stud, so I’m not bothered about the official registration anyway.

    Cheers, stay cool.

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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    No worries 😉

    Grey and gloomy here too, it's depressing.

    The other non-standard male from your breeder—was it from the same dam as your dog? It might be her passing down the size rather than the sire. And anyway, who cares about the breed standard if you aren't planning on using him for stud?

    Since your pup is on the larger side, it's quite likely he'll fill out much later than your mate's dog, probably closer to when he's a year old.

    Just let him grow at his own pace; puppies, and Molosser breeds even more so, always go through a "gangly teen" phase that you soon forget. It's actually much better to have a dog that matures later, as they're generally sturdier when it comes to their bone and joint health.

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    Alex57160
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    Haha, thanks @be cool for the detailed reply! Yeah, he’s a big lad, I think he’ll be right on the limit of the breed standard. A friend of mine showed me a photo of her girl who is on the smaller side, about 26 lbs, but she really filled out at around 7 months.

    In terms of height, he’s within the standard for now – roughly 15 inches at the withers. The breeder has an oversized male from a previous litter, but she used a different stud for this one, so it’s hard to tell.

    Let’s hope he doesn’t end up looking like a stork! Haha

    Have a good day, everyone. It’s chucking it down in Metz – absolute misery, just grey and gloomy.

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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Docline, I think Alex is worried about his puppy just getting taller and taller, and finding that he looks more like a stork than the little bull breed he’d imagined. "Filling out" in this case means putting on mass—widening in the head, shoulders, and chest—and stopping the upward growth to start growing outwards instead. Alex, we can only give you generalisations to answer your question. Beyond the fact that every dog grows differently based on genetics and diet, you should really ask your breeder how the parents developed (plus, they’ll be chuffed to get an update and some photos of the little one). We’d need people like Hibouriquet to tell you how their Staffies grew to give you an idea, though it won't necessarily be exactly the same for your dog. But 6 months for a molosser, even a small-format one, still seems a tad early to me. For instance, my Cane comes from Eastern European lines, which are known for maturing veeeery slowly (closer to 24 months rather than the 15 months you see with French and Italian lines). Plus, she’s been growing much more proportionately since being on raw food, instead of in those awkward growth spurts. She’s thirteen months now and is only just starting to broaden out in the body, having started with her head at around 10 months. And when I compare her to other dogs the same age I see at shows... phew, she’s only just starting to catch up. I was getting judge's critiques like "too juvenile" or "lacking type" right up until she was 11 months old.
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    Docline
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    Can anyone explain what the problem actually is?
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    Gabyn
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    One of the replies: Regarding his size and weight, only the breed standard is the final word. Unfortunately, some breeders still manage to get dogs registered even if they are outside the standard—too big or too "leggy". When bred together, these larger dogs produce puppies that stray, to a greater or lesser extent, from the official standard. It’s far too early to judge him on his current build; let him grow and fill out, slowly but surely. Don't stress yourself out over weights, heights, and all that. Besides, young dogs often go through a bit of an "awkward stage" where they grow in fits and starts, and not necessarily in a way that looks uniform or pretty... So, have patience!
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    Alex57160
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    I don't think I've had any replies yet about them filling out.
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    Gabyn
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    You made this exact same post a week ago:

    "Staffy turning 6 months in a few days, 15.5kg (about 34 lbs). In your expert opinions, when will he start to bulk out? He’ll be 6 months old on 8th March and currently weighs 15.5kg (roughly 2 stone 6). How much more weight is he likely to put on? I think he’s a 'balanced' type, what do you reckon?"

    You’ve already had some replies to this.

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    Docline
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    I'm not sure what you mean.

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