I saw the cutest German Shepherd (GSD) puppy the other day, and I asked its “person” how old it was. I was shocked when they told me that it was just six months old! I mean, this dog looked like a puppy but was as big as some other dogs when they are full-grown. It made me realize that I don’t really know how big do German Shepherds get, so I decided to investigate.

So, how big do German Shepherds get? The German Shepherd Dog is a medium to large-sized dog that should top out at about 90 lbs and measure between 22 and 26 inches tall at the shoulder (according to the AKC breed standard). They seem a lot taller because of that large head and pointy ears! There is a slight difference between males and females, with the females being slightly smaller.

Like me, you may have seen what you thought to be an incredibly large GSD and thought that all GSDs can get that large. It turns out that there are a few different larger (and smaller) GSD look-alike breeds that can easily be confused with a GSD. In this article, I hope to straighten out any confusion about just how big a German Shepherd can get.

How Long Does it Take for a German Shepherd to Reach Full Size?

Most breed experts generally agree that a GSD will reach its full size by a year and a half to two years old. Some specialists don’t consider a GSD full size until three years of age.

Speaking of 3 years old, that’s about the age that German Shepherds calm down.

But pretty much everyone agrees that most GSDs will have reached 95% of their full size by the time they reach one year old.

That’s an incredible amount of growth!

Just think, the average GSD puppy is born weighing around 1.1 lbs and by six months they can weigh up to 53 lbs! Their crazy growth slows down a bit at that point, and by nine months they generally have nearly reached their adult height and should weigh around 60 lbs to 70 lbs.

By the time your GSD has its first birthday your dog may grow another inch or two, but their growth is generally perceived as “filling out.”

By the time they are 15 months old, they will have reached 98% of their final weight. At this point, most owners would consider their GSD to be fully grown. 

How Big do Male German Shepherds get?

Male GSDs are typically larger, more muscular and have a very masculine shape to their head and look to their faces. At up to 90 lbs, they can weigh up to 20 lbs more than a female GSD!

That’s a lot of weight difference considering that they only tend to be a couple of inches taller, usually topping out at around 26 inches tall.

How Big do Female German Shepherds get?

Female GSDs tend to look very distinctly feminine in their size, and particularly the shape of their head and in their facial features.

There’s simply no denying it:

Female German Shepherds are classically “pretty”.

They are not quite as tall as their male counterparts.

They usually measure between 22 and 24 inches tall at the shoulder. Weight wise, they tend to be a bit less muscular, and typically weigh between 50 – 70 lbs.

Have You Ever Heard of the King Shepherd?

So maybe, like me, you were under the impression that German Shepherds can be a lot bigger. It turns out there is a newer breed of dog called the King Shepherd, that looks just like the GSD but, like, a giant version!

King Shepherds weigh, ideally, between 120 and 145 lbs.

The minimum weight for a female is 80 lbs – any smaller than that and they are disqualified from being called “King Shepherds”.

Height-wise they need to be at least 27 in tall for males and 25 in. tall for females but can easily measure up to 32 inches at the shoulder.

These dogs are generally wider, larger-boned and bulkier in size in comparison to the GSD.

This dog is a relatively new breed that came about in the 90’s by crossing American bred GSDs with Shiloh Shepherds and Alaskan Malamutes.

There are Other German Shepherd Dog Look-Alike Dog Breeds, Too!

The King Shepherd is not the only German Shepherd look-alike that might have you confused. There are a few different breeds that are larger (or smaller) that can easily be confused for a GSD.

• Belgian Shepherds – This breed looks like a black GSD and is pretty comparable in height. They do tend to weigh slightly less and generally have longer fur.
• Shiloh Shepherds – This breed is not yet recognized by any international organization such as the AKC, but back in 1991 the first official breed club formed in the US. They tend to be slightly larger and have longer fur than the GSD.
• Bohemian Shepherds – These guys are actually slightly smaller than the average GSD, topping out at a GSDs minimum height.  
• East European Shepherd – This larger breed was directly bred from the German Shepherd and is a dead ringer for the GSD. They are quite a bit larger and are distinguished by their long rough fur. They were bred to tolerate very cold climates.
• American Alsatian – This is another easy dog to confuse for the GSD, but the Alsatian is quite large in comparison. They are distinguished by their longer fur and larger size.

Why do German Shepherds Look Like They do?

The GSD is one of the descendants of the relatively non-descript “Continental Shepherd Dogs” that were widespread throughout Europe in the early 1800s.  This was a name given to different regional types of dogs found all throughout the continent. It didn’t matter what they looked like particularly.

Breeding enthusiasts, around the middle of that century, formed groups to define and refine these dogs into distinct and separate breeds through selective breeding, “organizing them” by their distinct features.

Breeder Max Von Stephanitz used a Thuringian dog, Swabian Service Dog and Wurtemberg Sheep Dog (three types of the Continental Shepherd Dog) to refine and create a new, improved shepherding breed.

The shaggy coat, erect pointed ears, and general wolf-like appearance of the GSD can be traced back to the initial use of the Thuringian dog.

The GSDs size, however, came from the mixing of Swabian Service Dogs and the Wurtemberg Sheep Dog. These dogs were large, solidly structured and strong enough to stand up to a large predator while defending their flocks.

The GSD, since its official recognition in 1899, has been used to re-define, enhance and create new breeds pretty much since then. Many of its look-alikes are actually descendants of the breed and carry GSD lineage in their genetic make-up.

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