ideal weight for lab n st bernard puppy?

You really need to be more specific on the breed, of the Lab especially. A “block head” big frame lab can be double the size of a typical lab. Likewise, Saint Bernards are over bred today, and we find many have completely lost their original size capabilities. I have seen some Saints who appear to be starving, but they are simply poor quality genetics. Your 2 month old Saint should be roughly 40 lbs. depending on genetics. If it were less then 30 it’s genetics are not typical of Saints. If its over 50, stop feeding it whatever you are feeding it. It may be cool to see them grow fast, but its a death sentence. Be VERY careful what you feed them and how they are handled. A Saint has a VERY soft bone structure (like a human baby’s skull) throughout their whole body until they are a full two years old. The typical “picking up” of a puppy under the armpits or by the legs is a sure way to cause permanent problems. Playtime especially with kids MUST be taught and monitored. I’ll give you more then asked, but we just went through a costly experience that is not yet reported often.

Protein is the critical factor in your Saint’s first two years of life. You can actually “cause” dysplasia and other bone and joint problems with many of today’s high pro puppy foods. Most are nearing or over 30 percent. We are learning, and there will soon be new guidelines specifically for Saints, that will say, under 26 percent protein is a must for the pet’s proper growth. As you probably already know, they grow VERY fast, and need little help from human wisdom to become the giants they are supposed to be. The problem with dog food companies, (and they are being challenged on it right now,) is, they list protein amounts as “minimums” when we need to know the maximums? They don’t want to comply because it’s harder to control the percentage on the upscale, but easy to “pour” it on and know how little it is NOT. You’ll see, it will say “Crude Protein (minimum) 28% (or whatever amount.) So, you don’t know, and you could be giving your Saint 30 or more percent, and sending them to an early grave.

We are struggling with this right now. Our first Saint needed, (and received) a three thousand dollar hip surgery before he was a year old. At two months old, he was already whining in pain when he rose up from laying down. He was about fifty pounds then, because we “unknowingly” fed him high pro puppy food. They even said it was specially formulated for large breed dogs? (LIE) He is doing great now at 14 months. He is roughly 185 pounds, and thirty inches tall. He is of the larger, original genetics and his family runs in the 230-260 pound range.

Until we find a company that specializes in Saint dietary needs, we are feeding our newest pup, “large breed adult” with a minimum of 26 percent. Our second one is expected to be slightly larger then the first, and she weighed in at 47 pounds at ten and half weeks. This is more in line with natural growth then the fifty @ eight weeks of the first, but still may be too high.

There is no reason to speed up their growth, they’ll end up the same size after the two years no matter what.

Remember, the original three hundred pound Saints lived out in the tundra’s of the Scandinavian wilderness, and were used for rescue. Often times, they were fed nothing more then what the owners ate. Fish, jerky, bread, milk, eggs, biscuits and flapjacks. Yet they grew bigger and lived longer? Please, do a lot of triple checking on research before you do anything. A professor at Columbia University in Missouri, who did the surgery on ours, has written extensively on this subject. He believes everything about Saint’s dietary needs, should be destroyed and rewritten. So there are lots of false guides out there, probably thinking they are doing you good.

Hope you have fun with your Saint. Get ready for lots of slob on EVERYTHING you own, including yourself! And you can’t get mad at them for this, it’s what they do. You’ll get used to it and it will become a joke. . . even something you’d miss if you lost them. Also remember, the Saint is the absolute most human dog you’ll ever own. Within your home, if there is laughter, sadness, excitement or even arguing, they will think it is, or should be, all about them. So let them be a part of it all or they quickly become very sad. Ours are our new children after the empty nest syndrome. Even at two hundred pounds, they’ll find a way to climb on your lap and watch TV in your Lazy boy with you. They prefer this “seemingly” uncomfortable position over the floor. They’ll be “drooling” in your face whenever you sit down, and waiting for you to invite them up in your lap. Be ready for a new permanent guest who will make sure they are in the midst of everything you do.

Gosh how long is a piece of string? I have a golden retriever(similar to lab breed) at 4 months he weighed around 60lbs-they grow super fast as pups. I have no idea about your st bernard, i think the best way to answer your Q would be to join a forum specifically for your breed of dog:)

I think a really cute boy St Bernard name is Albus, like off of Harry Potter, and it also means pure and true, which is exactly what St Bernards are. And for a girl, Nanna, like off of Peter Pan, as she was a St Bernard in that, and such a sweet one, looking after those kids all the time.

Hello there. It's not standard for saint pups to weigh 40lbs @ 8wks... My saint pup is just over 8 weeks and weighs 19lbs. They can gain 3 lbs/week in babyhood. The earlier bernard response may be off.

Do be careful w/ the food but refer to specific breed sites.