puppy weight question

[myfirstyorkie]

I put a deposit on a male puppy (from a breeder of 10 years). He is 4 weeks old and weighs 1lb 4oz. I know a couple of people that have Yorkies from the dad of this puppy and their dogs grew to be on the small side (gorgeous dogs). The stud weighs 2 1/2 pounds and the mom weighs 4lbs. I am getting really nervous because I think 1lb 4oz is big for being 4 weeks old. Is it possible that he is big now then we will stop growing early? The breeder seems to think he will stay small. She said she has never had a Yorkie that weighed more than 4 1/2lbs full grown. I have a litter of 5 puppies that are 4 weeks old right now and the littlest puppy is 12.9oz and the bigest weighs 15.7oz. Thats another reason why I am nervous. My puppies seem so much smaller than the one I have a deposit on. And I do not expect mine to be on the smale side. I was hoping that this male that I have a deposit on would be in the 3lb-4lb range. I would really like a breeders input on this as not only will he be our pet but he will also be our stud dog. I just want to make sure he is smaller than my 2 females Amber And Mia (they are 5lbs).

Thank You

[GurleyGirl]

According to the "weight chart" the pup you have on deposit will be in the
5 1/2 to 6 pound range. He could slow down in growth. Do his paws look
small?

Here's hoping he turns out to be everything you want.

[myfirstyorkie]

Thats what I am afraid of. I have heard from someone else that purchased a puppy from this breeder that they are bigger when they are little then all of a sudden they just stop growing (and are small as an adult). Is that true? I just always thought the growth charts were pretty accurate.

[sharon]

its always so confusing to me....
i have a one year old yorkie that is Barely 2 lbs. his daddy is 2 1/2 lbs and mommie is 5 lbs. the mom had 4 puppies 2 males and 2 females.
they are now...
one at 7 lbs.
one at 5 1/2 lbs
one at 3 1.2 lbs, and mine at 2 lbs.
i think its difficult to say, and those charts are not always correct. I hope he stays little as you want. personally, i think a 2 lb doggie is TOO small.
good luck!

[myfirstyorkie]

Thank you wow that is a big different in weights. I guess it is so hard to tell. 2lbs is a very small Yorkie! I was hoping for mabie 3 1/2-4lbs. My girls are 5lb so I was hoping for a little smaller then them.

[Tnyorkiemom]

good luck on the weight thing....Smokey was estimated to stay between 4 1/2 and 5 and he is now stying between 6- 61/2.....so good luck,,,and the feet thing is not always a good point either....Smokey has very small paws

[YorkieRose]

Boy, I must be a real BITCH! If anyone asked me to weigh a 4 weeks for reasons of guessing adult weight...I would say, bye and hang up. It is a waste of my time and your worrying...the little ones can grow and the big ones can stop growing...but I wish you lots of good luck

[sharon]

WOW! you must be a very angry person! This woman is ONLY asking for advise.
if you cant be kinder, then please dont waste OTHER peoples time to read such negative posts.

[myfirstyorkie]

I have never asked her to weigh the puppy. She has weighed him on her own. She does every week with all her puppies for her records. So she tells me on her own how much the puppy weighs everytime I go visit him. But I was honest with her and let her know that I would eventually be using him for a stud (so mabie thats why she tells me or she just might tell all the soon to be new owners). She knows the weight of my females. So she knows I need a male smaller than 5lbs.

[YorkieAZ]

Originally Posted by sharon

WOW! you must be a very angry person! This woman is ONLY asking for advise.
if you cant be kinder, then please dont waste OTHER peoples time to read such negative posts.

You have to understand from a breeders standpoint, it's too early to tell at four weeks, best to wait until 8 or 12, and still there are no guarantees, we're not God.

[sharon]

i can understand your frustration, but if you could just be a little nicer about it. maybe email her in private trying to explain this. thats all/.

[YorkieRose]

You are right to take offense...I did not realize the breeder was furnishing the weights to you unasked...I try to avoid weight talk until 8 weeks...it confuses people.
As I was reading this thread I has just finishing a phone call with a woman who wanted to replace her tiny...puppy must not exceed 12 oz...sometimes it just gets to you.

[YorkieAZ]

I can totally relate YorkieRose, it get's to be sooo maddening when all you hear is "how big will he/she get?" and do you have any teacups? The day people are more concerned with the health and well being is the day I'm going to do the happy dance!! LOL

[erickajm]

Originally Posted by YorkieRose

Boy, I must be a real BITCH! If anyone asked me to weigh a 4 weeks for reasons of guessing adult weight...I would say, bye and hang up. It is a waste of my time and your worrying...the little ones can grow and the big ones can stop growing...but I wish you lots of good luck

I'm sorry...this really tickled my funny bone.

[jadecomputergal]

Originally Posted by YorkieRose

You are right to take offense...I did not realize the breeder was furnishing the weights to you unasked...I try to avoid weight talk until 8 weeks...it confuses people.
As I was reading this thread I has just finishing a phone call with a woman who wanted to replace her tiny...puppy must not exceed 12 oz...sometimes it just gets to you.

And I agree with her completely. You can't accurately gauge a pup's adult weight at that age. My guess is the puppy you have the deposit on is going to get close to six pounds, but that's a guess.

The problem you run into here is that people want a puppy that will fit in a teacup, hence a "teacup," puppy, which doesn't even exist. This is why breeders get annoyed. If people want a chipmunk, they need to just buy a chipmunk. If they want a dog, they need to understand they're looking for something you can see without binoculars.

I'm not coming down on you at all, and I don't think Rose was either. I'd ask the breeder to refund your deposit if I were in your position and wanted a very small male for breeding. I'd hesitate to put a deposit down on a dog that young. I don't even look at any younger than eight weeks, but looking at any time is fine. It's just very hard to tell how they're going to turn out later at four weeks, and though I love to see them, I wouldn't put money down on them.

Also keep in mind that how long a breeder has been breeding isn't everything. I live in the puppy mill capital of the country, and some have been breeding for 20-30 years. With the small breeds like Yorkies and Poms, some of these breeders will cut back on the dog's food before it's sold to make it weigh in at a "teacup" size. I have a rescue that was 2.2 pounds full grown and the breeder just gushed over how small she was. It was because she was freaking starving. She now really is full grown, and weighs 4.2 pounds.

Okay, I've had my vent for the day. I just worry a lot about disreputable breeders