[stsmark]

We have neighbors who have an adorable Lab Golden mix bred by arguably the finest Service Dog organization in the country. During the whelping stage it was discovered that he had a situation that he would be small, outside of their guidelines for further training. I don’t know the formal name of his situation but he just had his 3rd birthday and is a happy, healthy guy who just happens to be 1/2 to 2/3 his avg. size with a kink in his tail.
Shes adorable what’s her name?

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

We have neighbors who have an adorable Lab Golden mix bred by arguably the finest Service Dog organization in the country. During the whelping stage it was discovered that he had a situation that he would be small, outside of their guidelines for further training. I don’t know the formal name of his situation but he just had his 3rd birthday and is a happy, healthy guy who just happens to be 1/2 to 2/3 his avg. size with a kink in his tail.
Shes adorable what’s her name?

Her name is Lily! Thank you for that.

 

[xRoan]

Thank you so much for that. She looks a lot like him just so much smaller. I’m hoping she’s just younger and it’s not a health issue, even if she is mixed that’s totally fine. I’m going to make sure she gets tested for everything everyone on here has suggested to make sure she is healthy. I appreciate all the comments and advice. I added a picture that I took just now. Super sweet and full of energy! View attachment 892093

She is cute and looks super healthy to me. IMO she looks like what they call "Mini Golden Retriever". Golden x Pomeranian x Toy Poodle x Cocker Spaniel or some combination of the four. Ears are too low-set and forward, and eyeset is wrong-- either one could look off because of the other two. I could also be wrong, but I'd be interested in seeing DNA test results... although they're supposedly not all that accurate either.

 

[PeytonsMommy]

Hello! She's precious. However, if you really want to settle your curiosity on whether or not she's purebred, unfortunately no one will be able to tell you with 100% accuracy; if you really want to know for sure, I'd recommend doing an Embark DNA test. I recently rescued a golden pup who was surrendered from an Amish puppy mill, and did the DNA + health kit on him; it was SUPER helpful and so informative. It will also tell you approximately how large they will be as adults. It does take some time for it to be processed, but it was well worth it IMO; I was also able to connect with his half sibling (no littermates yet).

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

Hello! She's precious. However, if you really want to settle your curiosity on whether or not she's purebred, unfortunately no one will be able to tell you with 100% accuracy; if you really want to know for sure, I'd recommend doing an Embark DNA test. I recently rescued a golden pup who was surrendered from an Amish puppy mill, and did the DNA + health kit on him; it was SUPER helpful and so informative. It will also tell you approximately how large they will be as adults. It does take some time for it to be processed, but it was well worth it IMO; I was also able to connect with his half sibling (no littermates yet).

View attachment 892155

Awe, he’s a sweety. Thank you! I already ordered a Embark DNA and health kit, should get it in a couple days. I’m super excited to see the results.

 

[PeytonsMommy]

Awe, he’s a sweety. Thank you! I already ordered a Embark DNA and health kit, should get it in a couple days. I’m super excited to see the results.

Awesome! I think you'll be really happy with it. Their customer service is pretty great too. If you want to peep what the results will look like, here's our page: Jensen's Embark Results Unfortunately the shareable link doesn't include relatives or all the neat health stuff they screen for, but I found it pretty valuable.

 

[MushyB]

She’s very cute! I don’t have any experience to really guess age, but you could always do an embark test or something like that to see if she is a mixed breed.

This is good advice. It's impossible to tell from photos on the internet if a dog is purebred, or how old it is.

For reference: when we brought our boy home from the breeder at 8.5 weeks, he was a whopping 12-13 lbs (we had a long trip from Ontario and the shoulder strap on my puppy carrier never felt cushy enough, lol). He's matured to be 73lbs.

Since you're not sure about the veracity of your breeder, I am going to suggest getting pet insurance on your new addition as soon as possible, and keep it for the life of your dog. It can be handy to have even with the best bred dogs, but it gave me peace of mind during the puppy phase when he was into everything under the sun.

Cute puppy! Good luck!! Please share more pics as she grows

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

This is good advice. It's impossible to tell from photos on the internet if a dog is purebred, or how old it is.

For reference: when we brought our boy home from the breeder at 8.5 weeks, he was a whopping 12-13 lbs (we had a long trip from Ontario and the shoulder strap on my puppy carrier never felt cushy enough, lol). He's matured to be 73lbs.

Since you're not sure about the veracity of your breeder, I am going to suggest getting pet insurance on your new addition as soon as possible, and keep it for the life of your dog. It can be handy to have even with the best bred dogs, but it gave me peace of mind during the puppy phase when he was into everything under the sun.

Cute puppy! Good luck!! Please share more pics as she grows

Thank you! I already got the embark DNA and health kit and pet insurance. I’ll be sure to share when I get her results!!

 

[SRW]

I am going to suggest getting pet insurance on your new addition as soon as possible, and keep it for the life of your dog.

I had pet insurance and just recently dropped it because the premium nearly doubled.
I I’ve heard the same thing from others.

 

[bsacchetti]

Very often you’ll find new people are not treated very nicely on this forum. It’s a real problem. My apologies.

She looks very cute and all that matters is that you love her. I hope you’ll stick around and continue to post pics as she grows up!

I agree- people are so quick to judge and make you feel bad. I actually got off for awhile because of it.

 

[SRW]

I agree- people are so quick to judge and make you feel bad. I actually got off for awhile because of it.

I try to make it a happy safe place but I’m only one man.

 

[Mango’s Mum]

I agree- people are so quick to judge and make you feel bad. I actually got off for awhile because of it.

It’s worth ignoring the few rude people. The kind and helpful outnumber them!

 

[BoTakuS]

Hi everyone,
I just got a golden retriever puppy. She is supposed to be around 8 weeks old but she is only 4.2 lbs which is concerning to me. The guy I got her from stopped replying to me after we got her. He sent me a picture of her shot records and they seemed pretty sketchy. They were done in Mexico, I got the dog in Phoenix AZ. Also the date on the shot records were 4-2-2022. She would have only been 4 weeks old, what i've seen online is that puppies are not supposed to get their shots until 6-8 weeks old. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how old she might actually be and if she's a purebred as this is my first puppy. I took her to the vet a couple days ago, they said she seems very healthy and that it is possible that she could be 8 weeks old but they were unsure. View attachment 892083 View attachment 892084 View attachment 892085 View attachment 892086 View attachment 892089

I think the best course now would be to love on her and allow her to grow. If your vet isn’t concerned, I wouldn’t be either. She looks healthy, outwardly. There are all kinds of supplements that will stimulate her appetite and put weight on her. You’re not going to breed her, she’s a pet. Who cares if she’s a purebred golden (my guess is no) … As for her age, I dunno, I’m not able to discern that from the info you presented.
Good luck with her though, she’s adorable

 

[Zerpersande]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how old she might actually be

I picked mine male pup at 10 weeks and he was a bit over 6kg, so about 13 lbs.

 

[Taz Monkey]

My girl was 16.8 lbs. at 8.5 weeks on the day I brought her home, for reference. She's adorable and you love her, which is mostly what matters. But, and take this how you want, the very first thing I would do, as in like right now at this moment and don't wait, is get pet insurance on her. She obviously came from very sketchy beginnings, which means there is a whole host of genetic issues that could pop up in her lifetime. Pet insurance is inexpensive and will save you thousands. I have it on all my dogs, including my ethically bred golden, and I will never have a dog again without pet insurance. It has saved me literal thousands.

Edited to add I see you got insurance. It's great! I have filed almost $15,000 in claims over 5 years and my premiums have not gone up once, even though one dog is 7 and one is 13.

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

Just an update…. We found out Lily has giardia which could possibly explain why she is so small. We got her the medication. They say it’s a hard one to get rid of but hopefully she is good soon. She definitely doesn’t have any severe symptoms just diarrhea. Sent in the embark test should know in about 4 weeks.

 

[pawsnpaca]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully she’ll start to put n some growth now that you’re treating the giardia. We’ll all be anxiously awaiting the results of the DNA test!

 

[KathrynH]

Okay, I’m not sure what that means. I didn’t come on this site looking for judgement. I took my puppy to the vet, she is healthy and well taken care of. I was just asking for peoples opinions on her age and whether they think she is purebred. I’m not sure why you felt the need to comment and make me feel worse without providing any progressive information to the questions I asked. Obviously I know I need to be more careful next time. Thank you.

I’m sorry you’re getting some rude responses. People are responding that way because there are a lot of irresponsible breeders that are producing poor quality dogs and jeopardizing the integrity of the breed. Purchasing a puppy without fully vetting the breeder allows and financially incentivizes these breeders to continue.
You love your puppy. That’s important. Four pounds is quite low for an 8 week old retriever puppy. My puppy weighed 14 pounds at 8 weeks. Also, your puppy got her shots too early. Ask your veterinarian if she will need additional vaccinations due to the fact she got hers so early.
If you want to know if she’s pure golden retriever, have a DNA test done. I used Wisdom Panel. Goldens are prone to hip dysplasia and cancer.
Until she has all of her vaccinations, keep her away from other dogs and areas where other dogs congregate. As soon as she has her vaccinations, take her to puppy socialization classes. So she is comfortable being examined, regularly touch her paws, ears, mouth, tail - all over her body.
You can also start training her. No more than two minutes at a time. Train her with simple commands like “sit” and “down” (“down” for lay down). I use the command “off” for getting off the couch, chair, bed, etc.
You will find a lot of judgment on this site. Most are trying to protect the breed, some think they know more than they actually know and some are completely ignorant of the different types of golden retriever there are: English Goldens, Canadian Goldens, and US Goldens. There is extreme prejudice against the English and Canadian Goldens. It is my experience that only US Goldens are acceptable on this site.
Some here can be very mean. That’s why I rarely visit here anymore.
Just love your puppy, take good care of her. Because it seems she is from questionable origins, please don’t breed. Get her fixed as soon as your veterinarian advises. Breeding responsibly takes a lot of work and energy anyway. I used to breed, years ago. When I got my current puppy, I considered it. Then I remembered how much work it is, so I decided against it.
Bond with your new baby, love her, and ignore those who judge.