# I think he's stopped growing?



## Mvinotime (May 25, 2015)

Over the last month or so my spoo who will be nine mos old next week has really cut back on the amount of food he eats. He was between 4-5 cups per day for some time and lately he is not eating nearly that much. I am lucky to get three cups a day in him and some days maybe even less. He has always been a slow mellow eater which I love but now he will just walk away and be done with it rather than cleaning his bowl like before. I feed twice per day. I will say with this darn El Niño our outdoor walks and hikes etc have reduced dramatically as well so maybe that is why? He is healthy in all ways as far as appearance, attitude and activity etc. I weigh him weekly and he has basically stayed the same weight over the last month. I thought they should grow for about the first year? Just wondering if maybe he has topped out and is done growing? Or maybe getting taller? I just measured him and he is right about 26 inches and weighs 65lbs. He has for sure gotten hormones and is very interested in the girls lol however he still does not lift his leg  I do have him scheduled for a neuter next month. Just looking for some insight on your spoo growth experience etc. Thanks! ?


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

My daughter got her spoo xrayed and his growth plates were very nearly closed at 18 months. We had zeutered both our males and had been going to wait until their growth plates were closed to neuter them... with the idea that they would have had the maximum muscle growth provided by the testosterone. I had my male neutered a month before hers because he was whining so much when his girl "cousin" came to visit; testing showed that the zeuter was ineffective and my male was still fertile. At any rate, our boys were not done growing at nine months, but they only grew maybe two more inches in height. They continue to fill out more in girth. Mine was never a very enthusiastic eater, always extremely ribby. Since being neutered he has gradually put a thin covering over his ribs! He's healthy and energetic, so I just figured he would gain weight when he matured.


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

My boy (13 months) went through lots of stages where he ate less. He has always been good at self regulating how much he eats. He'd go through growth spurts and be hungry and times where he maybe ate half his food. I wouldn't worry if he seems happy and normal amounts of energy. If he starts gobbling his dinner again you can just add more. 

Rory didn't grow a huge amount from 8-9 months and gained maybe 4kg (he is a large spoo at about 34.5kg now).


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lily has always adjusted her food intake to her activity level to maintain her steady adult weight at about 36 pounds +/- 0.5 pounds, so activity level is part of what may account for eating less.

Also growth really does slow significantly between 8 and 9 months as you can see from this growth chart. Javelin has also slowed his growth significantly recently. He will be 9 months old in mid February. Finally remember that spoos are not giant breed dogs. The AKC standard calls for them to be over 15" at the withers so 26" is very large.

http://www.poodleforum.com/5-poodle-talk/13694-found-great-height-weight-chart-puppies.html


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Abbey stopped growing in height at 9-10 months but continued to fill out for a couple of months afterwards. She's been the same weight for the last 2 months. I feed her 3 times a day and has NEVER left anything in her bowl.


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