Planning to breed....

[3PawsomeYorkies]

I have been researching breeding for about a year now and finally got my babies on Sept.4. They are the sweetest lil babies ever!! Anyhow, i Know that I have at least a lil more then a year before Sookie is ready but I have a concern. She is 19 weeks and weighs 2.1 lbs. I know that I cannot breed her unless she is over 5 pounds. The charts estimate her at 3 to 3.5 pounds. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help her put on some weight before she is ready? I am asking now because I am concerned that she is soo small now her health worries me. She is very active and very normal but Id like her to be heavier for her health and for her pregnancy when the time comes.


Please dont lecture me about the breeding. I have been doing my research well before I bought my babies and like I said i still have more then a year to educate myself more and save up money for any complications that may arrive. Ive read and printed out AKC rules and regulations and all sorts of material from their site to help me understand everything I need to do.

Also (sry so long), is it necessary to show them if I want to breed them? I would like to get into showing but Im still unsure about it.

Thanks so much!!

[BamaFan121s]

Hmmm...there really is no way to "put some weight on her before she is ready." What you need to realize is that it's not the weight of the dog, it's the size and structure...two different aspects. Sure you could put weight on her--you could over feed her and she could potentially be overweight and tip the scale past the 5lb mark. But that won't mean she's "ready," as you put it. When determining if it's safe to breed a female, you have to look at size and structure, not neccessarily just weight. Make sense? This is one of many reasons why people often wait and acquire their breeding stock when the pup is older.

Basically, she's either going to be big enough, or she isn't. It's going to come down to genetics and how she develops as she gets older. There isn't anything you can do yourself to change it...nothing you can do to ensure she reaches the appropriate size for being a brood bitch.

Keep in mind, "the charts" are just a rough guesstimate--they are not set in stone. You may get lucky.

[RoscoesMommy42]

It sounds like she may be too small to breed to me. I don't know that there is anything you can do to make her bigger, besides just making her fat. It is genetics just like people I would think.

[jeanm1963]

your pups are cute , if that is them in the pictures?
Are they littermates...
My puppy was well over that weight at 12 weeks she was 2.7, she is now almost a year and just a touch over 5 pds.. I doubt from what I have read on here that she will meet the 5 pds you need to have her be a breeding female.

[3PawsomeYorkies]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

Hmmm...there really is no way to "put some weight on her before she is ready." What you need to realize is that it's not the weight of the dog, it's the size and structure...two different aspects. Sure you could put weight on her--you could over feed her and she could potentially be overweight and tip the scale past the 5lb mark. But that won't mean she's "ready," as you put it. When determining if it's safe to breed a female, you have to look at size and structure, not neccessarily just weight. Make sense? This is one of many reasons why people often wait and acquire their breeding stock when the pup is older.

Basically, she's either going to be big enough, or she isn't. It's going to come down to genetics and how she develops as she gets older. There isn't anything you can do yourself to change it...nothing you can do to ensure she reaches the appropriate size for being a brood bitch.

I see..I was hoping i was doing right by asking to see the parents. They did look absolutely beautiful. Anyway...I will research about her size and structure more so I can determine if wether or not she would be appropriate to breed. But in meantime, I was hoping there was something more besides Nutrical to help her gain some weight just because I feel sho is sooo small and I know its dangerous for her to be so small. Thanks!

[3PawsomeYorkies]

Originally Posted by jeanm1963

your pups are cute , if that is them in the pictures?
Are they littermates...
My puppy was well over that weight at 12 weeks she was 2.7, she is now almost a year and just a touch over 5 pds.. I doubt from what I have read on here that she will meet the 5 pds you need to have her be a breeding female.

Yes! they are the ones in the pics! Oh no....not littermates at all.... I know it sounds bad but it is coincidental that thet were born on the same day. I have the pedigrees from AKC. (just got in this week!) I know the parents were quite big( i know thats not big but i just mean bigger then what Sookie is looking like she is gonna be).... Mom was 6 lbs and dad was 5 lbs.

[chachi]

Give it time. My girl was very small and the weight charts had her at 3 lbs as an adult and she is 6 1/2 lbs and not overweight

[jrsygal37]

My Brooklyn is 16 weeks old and only weighs 24 oz. Just one and a half pounds. She is charting to be around 2.5 pounds. At the weight your little girl is she looks to be charting no more then 3 lbs. which is way too small to breed. I understand your concern about size and her having health issues. I worry about Brooklyn too however, Brooklyn even though she is tiny is also very healthy. I would not. Repeat would not try to feed her more just to fatten her up. Unless her ribs are sticking out and your vet feels that she is underweight, over feeding her will only cause health issues. If you feel that she is too light weight wise for her age, then speak to your vet about your health concerns and see what his input on it is. My oppinion is she is just going to be tiny like my Brooklyn. Yes, they do need extra care. You should feed her a few small meals a day and a tad of Nutrical in the morning and a tad at night before bed. That will keep her sugar levels up and prevent Hyperglycemia. Elaine

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by 3PawsomeYorkies

I see..I was hoping i was doing right by asking to see the parents.

You certainly DID the right thing by asking to see the parents. Always important. Don't fault yourself for that. However, what we have to keep in mind is that you cannot accurately predict the size of the pups based on the size of the parents alone. The size of the other dogs in the lines must be taken into consideration as well. No sense in fretting over it now. You have plenty of time to observe and evaluate them both as they mature.

[3PawsomeYorkies]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

You certainly DID the right thing by asking to see the parents. Always important. Don't fault yourself for that. However, what we have to keep in mind is that you cannot accurately predict the size of the pups based on the size of the parents alone. The size of the other dogs in the lines must be taken into consideration as well. No sense in fretting over it now. You have plenty of time to observe and evaluate them both as they mature.

Thank you sooo much. You have been very helpful.

[3PawsomeYorkies]

Originally Posted by jrsygal37

My Brooklyn is 16 weeks old and only weighs 24 oz. Just one and a half pounds. She is charting to be around 2.5 pounds. At the weight your little girl is she looks to be charting no more then 3 lbs. which is way too small to breed. I understand your concern about size and her having health issues. I worry about Brooklyn too however, Brooklyn even though she is tiny is also very healthy. I would not. Repeat would not try to feed her more just to fatten her up. Unless her ribs are sticking out and your vet feels that she is underweight, over feeding her will only cause health issues. If you feel that she is too light weight wise for her age, then speak to your vet about your health concerns and see what his input on it is. My oppinion is she is just going to be tiny like my Brooklyn. Yes, they do need extra care. You should feed her a few small meals a day and a tad of Nutrical in the morning and a tad at night before bed. That will keep her sugar levels up and prevent Hyperglycemia. Elaine

She wouldnt eat more then she does even if I tried. I was just wondering if there was more supplements to give. Her ribs are not sticking out at all any and she is perfectly fine running around playing...not one single health issues as of now....just that TO ME...she so tiny...I FEEL like doing something to put some weight on her. Kinda like if I saw my daughter and thought she was thin...id give her a second helping or some vitamins or something! Just a worried mom! Thanks for the input!!!

[AMD]

Originally Posted by 3PawsomeYorkies

She wouldnt eat more then she does even if I tried. I was just wondering if there was more supplements to give. Her ribs are not sticking out at all any and she is perfectly fine running around playing...not one single health issues as of now....just that TO ME...she so tiny...I FEEL like doing something to put some weight on her. Kinda like if I saw my daughter and thought she was thin...id give her a second helping or some vitamins or something! Just a worried mom! Thanks for the input!!!

If you cannot see her ribs, but you can feel them, then she is the correct weight for her size. Trying to get her to gain weight would just make her fat, rather than grow structurally bigger which is what I think you're looking for.

[3PawsomeYorkies]

Originally Posted by AMD

If you cannot see her ribs, but you can feel them, then she is the correct weight for her size. Trying to get her to gain weight would just make her fat, rather than grow structurally bigger which is what I think you're looking for.

She does fall under your description, Im sure she is correct for her weight but goodness she is sooo petite! Anyhow, Thank you for the info!!

[mkbartz]

Good Luck! Glad to hear that you have done your research!

[AMD]

Originally Posted by 3PawsomeYorkies

She does fall under your description, Im sure she is correct for her weight but goodness she is sooo petite! Anyhow, Thank you for the info!!

She's only 19 weeks, so she definitely has some growing to do yet.

As far as your question about showing, there is nothing that says you have to show in order to breed, but getting involved in the show world is a great place to learn and meet others in the breed. The purpose of a dog show is to evaluate breeding stock...Getting the judges approval of your dogs and their quality.