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11 weeks old pup seems to be small for his age.

13K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  Lambeau0609 
#1 ·
Maxi was born on June 10th, 2016 and he is right under 12lbs. When I got him at 8 weeks he was almost 9lbs. This seems to be very small to me. Will he grow up to be normal sized? He is vet checked, healthy, updated on deworming and vaccines, gets about 2 1/2 cups of "Marrick puppy recipe dry" as it was recommended on the bag a day and plenty of treats. He was the smallest male of the litter, and doesn't really have the obvious oversized puppy paws as one of his brothers had. Did anyone else have a small pup and how big did he get eventually?
 

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#3 ·
What a sweet adorable face! It has been so long since Ihad a puppy---17 years and had litter mates, male and female, and I don't remember their weights. If the vet isn't worried, then you shouldn't be either. I had one male that was 95 pounds and it was pure muscle. Another--the male littermate--was 79 pounds and looked thin. We called him the Long Lean Playing Machine because he would rather play and fetch than eat. He was tall and lean and had large feet and "tree trunk legs". His sister was much shorter and not as long and it was a battle to keep her weight below 70.
 
#4 ·
My Piper was 12 pounds at 10 weeks old--she was the runt of the litter, and a little skinny when I got her. She's stayed on the smaller size, she's now just over 30lbs at 4 months. Her mom is 55lbs and dad is 80lbs, so we are thinking she'll probably be around 50-55lbs. She's got big paws though. But sometimes its hard to tell at that age. A puppy can be the "runt" of the litter, and still end up being just as big as his or her brothers and sisters. A good range is the size and weight of the pups parents. Regardless, it sounds like he's healthy and is doing well! He's adorable!
 
#5 ·
Sadie was born June 13th, and is just over 12 lbs. She was 5 lbs at 7 weeks. I've just increased her food to a little over 1/2 cup 3x/day. Her mom is around 58 lbs, so we're expecting her to be probably right around there - small side of normal for a golden girl which is OK by us!
 
#7 ·
Your pup is adorable. I would have to go back and look but I think Chloe was about that. She was 8 lbs at her vet check st 8 weeks. She went back three weeks later so I bet she was around 12 to 14 lbs. She is 1.5 now and around 64 lbs. to most people she is a small golden but she is right within the breed standard.
 
#8 ·
I just went back and looked. Chloe was 15 lbs at 12 weeks. So your pup is find. Our last golden was a big boy. He was 25 lbs at that age. He ended up being 90 lbs. it's much better to have a average golden within the breed standard. I bet your pup gets around 60 lbs.
 
#10 ·
He'll be fine. My pup was 9 lbs when he came home, and has always been on the smaller side. At 9 months, he stands 21" tall and weighs 43 lbs. The vet thinks he'll end up at about 55 lbs., just under the standard. His parents were on the small side too, so this is what I expected. As long as your pup is healthy, don't worry about it.
 
#11 ·
You know, it's funny. Kaizer was the biggest boy in his litter - 24 pounds at a little over 12 weeks. He's 14 months now, and weighs 66.4 pounds, on the smaller end of the standard. I do have to get a pound or two on him, and he might gain a couple more pounds, but I don't think he'll get any heavier than 70-71 pounds.

My point? He might be small now, but I bet he won't be small his entire life. Kaizer was a big puppy and now a relatively small (almost) 15 month old.
 
#12 ·
Thanks everyone for your response! It's really helpful to hear. Honestly whatever size he grows into as long as he is healthy and happy I'm fine. Now I need pictures of your goldens :D
 

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#16 ·
he is adorable! as long as he is healthy and your vet gives him the thumbs up. My lily is a small girl, she was 21lbs (9.7kg) at 4 months, 34lbs (15.5kg) at 6 months, and she just turned 8 months a week ago and is 46lbs (21kg).

i reckon she'll always be on the lower end of the breed standard. 9lbs till she makes the breed standard.

I use this to keep track:

https://pethelpful.com/dogs/-Golden-Retriever-Growth-Sequence-in-the-1st-Year

it's just a guide though, so if your adorable boy looks fine i wouldn't worry. At your next vet visit you can ask them to tell you his body conditioning score (or you can do it yourself but i always find it hard to tell), to see if you can increase his food intake etc.

Animal Medical Clinic - Veterinarian In Fremont, NE USA :: How to Body Condition Score Your Pet

eg: lily was given a score of 4 which is within ideal (could afford a tiny bit of weight)

Hope that helps, they grow like weeds, enjoy him while he's small :D
 
#18 ·
He's adorable. If the vet isn't worried I wouldn't be worried. I have a male that's always been on the smaller side. My Lambeau is 14 months and weighs 61ish pounds and is very healthy and we keep him very active with swimming and walks. The vet says the smaller the better for there joints.
 
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