Purchasing the Runt of the Liter.
 

Ive been in contact with a breeder who has a 5 week old pup available. Right now the puppy weights 6.4oz. Not sure if thats an exact weight or an estimate. She said she was the smallest of the liter. Her parents are listed at 5lbs and 5.5lbs. According the growth chart, this dog might weigh 3lbs at the most. I'm worried about it having health problems. The parents seem to be normal size dogs and they are healthy.

What are your views on purchasing a puppy this small? :confused: Shes just so cute. Idk if I can say no. :p

I think you should wait until the pup is at least 12 wks old, especially being this small. Does the breeder have any conditions in her line that she has disclosed? I hope you did not mean the breeder is ready to give you the pup now at 5 wks. I would be really skeptical of a breeder that would place a pup that young, let alone that small.

I have to wait til shes 12 weeks old or maybe a week or two longer than that.

When you say conditions, what do you mean by that? :)

This is the breeder. http://www.owensk9.net/

Good to hear (about the 12 wks).

Liver shunt, luxating patellas, collapsed trachea are three I can think of off the top of my head to ask about in her line. Do you know the breeder or have you worked w her before?

No I havent worked with her before. She just has really cute adults. :p
There arent many reviews on here about her either. She is a member, but isnt active. Her pups do come with a 1 year guarantee.

The size at birth and at a few weeks old is no indication of overall adult size. Larger litters tend to have smaller babies and singletons may be rather large, but this doesn't indicate adult weight. As a guesstimate, you can take the 8 week weight and triple it, or the 12 week weight and double it, but this is just an estimate, give or take a pound or two. Do NOT take home a puppy under two pounds it should remain with it's mother. Also, do not take home a puppy under 12 weeks of age, it learns important socialization skills from it's mother and littermates. Many breeders know that people want tiny tiny yorkies, so they say that their breeding pair is very small or indicate their puppies are ultra-small. Size is just one factor in the Yorkie standard, and yorkies under 4 pounds have more health problems and need more time. Any breeder who would sell a 5 week old yorkie knows absolutely nothing about the breed, and will not be there to support you in the future. Yorkies may live for 15 or so years, so find a breeder that breeds for health and does health testing, it will pay off in the long run. With the economy, many breeders have dropped their prices, and the is no reason to support bad breeders in this economy. Yorkie prices are lower, but vet prices aren't.

I was typing when you wrote this, I'm glad to know she's having you wait. Have you seen the adults in person?

If she is still small when its time for me to get her, should I request that she stay longer with the mother? I'm guessing if this lady is a good breeder, she'll suggest that as well.

Some people take them home under 2 pounds, but they are experienced pet owners, and they thoroughly understand the signs of hypoglycemia and what to do about it. A dog under 4 pounds is prone to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and this can become life threatening, so you have to know what to look for. There are things you can use to treat hypoglycemia such as white karo syrup or Nutrical, but it should be given to treat hypoglycemia not to prevent it because too much sugar can even cause hypoglycemia. If this dog will be less than 4 pounds full grown, you should know that you’ll probably have more dental problems and other health problems, some tinies lose their adult teeth before three if not properly care for. Also tinies are more accident prone because jumping off a couch can break a leg, so more time is needed to train in the use of steps and being diligent in making them use steps and ramps to get on and off beds or furniture. Many would recommend tinies being Bile Acid Tested before going home because sometimes illnesses such as Liver Shunt will cause a dog to be ultra-small. I think you don’t get a reliable Bile Acid Test until after 12 weeks though, perhaps around 16. I would say, you might need a bigger health budget if you get a tiny, but many tinies are very healthy. Here's a link that tells more about hypoglycemia. Toy Breed Hypoglycemia

Cali was the runt of a litter of 3. When I went to see her at 6 weeks she was half the size of her sisters. When I picked her up at 9 weeks (before YT) and she was the same size as her litter mates. She was 1 lb and I bought from a bad breeder and had many health problems and no health guarantee. I don't know anything about the breeder but wanted to tell you my experience with the runt.

Being the smallest of the litter (there really isn't a "runt") doesn't mean she will be the smallest in 3 weeks. I've seen my smallest become my biggest and my biggest become my smallest.

Alot of time at birth it just depends the position in the uterus. Then the more aggressive eaters may gain more...etc... 5 weeks is really too young to get an accurate adult weight.

I'd ask questions about the parents past litters, the grandparents....sizes, lines...
Oh and remember...regardless of what you read (LOL and there is alot of not true stuff out there) just because a puppy is small...doesn't mean it is automatically unhealthy. It does however mean you need to be more careful with them and make sure they eat well and other precautions. I hate reading people think just because a baby is small its sick...LOL.

good luck in your search. I think you are asking all the right questions and doing everything correct :thumbup:

I went to their website. First I am not a fan of outdoor kennels for Yorkies. Having said that I saw where they said it was A/C and heated as well. In the pics the kennel looked clean, as did the runs. And she said she was health inspected by the AKC about one year ago. In terms of the socialization of the pups and their character I would ask for references from the breeder of former puppy owners.

Another concern I have she does not post her health guarantee on the website. What exactly does it say? If you must return a pup that is sick and must accept another pup in exchange, that guarantee is basically worthless in my eyes. Who will return a pup after loving it for a few months or almost a year? You got it mainly no one.

She also doesn't mention the health testing she has done on her breeding dam/sire; I don't like not to see this mentioned.

Ok. I emailed her more questions about testing and I asked for a copy of the health guarantee. Thanks for the help! :D

How many were in the litter? I really do think 6.4 at 5 weeks is really small. I have one in a litter of five that is 12 oz at 3 1/2 weeks and he seems pretty small to me and he is an aggressive nurser and energetic.

5 puppies. She is the smallest, but the breeder said she was normal and energetic. I asked if she ate regularly and interacted and she said yes.
The breeder said shes been raising dogs for 27 years.

She did tell me she would keep me updated and if anything changes with the puppy, she'd let me know. Then I can decide if I wanna go through with the purchase.

My Yorkie book says that Yorkie birth weights are between 2 and 9 ounces, and that they double their birth weight by 7-10 days of age. I don't understand how a 5 week old puppy could weigh 6.4 ounces. That is smaller than some newborns. I would skip this puppy and get a larger one. Even if you want a tiny one, I don't think it's worth the risk.

I may have my math wrong but she told me this little female was 4/10 of a pound and the other little girl from another liter is 3/4 a pound.

Thats 6.4oz right? :confused:

Yes, your math is correct.

JMO, but there is no way I would take a dog that was that small before at least 16 weeks and before BAT's were done. At 6.4 oz this late in the game, I would be seriously concerned about LS or some type of metabolic condition that was retarding her growth.

My tiny runt that by the charts should have been 3 lbs is 7 lbs

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with the puppy and would never put down any breeders, but it just seems unusually tiny for the age of the puppy. Two years ago I had a premature litter and I spent three weeks just holding their little heads on the nipple and fought to get them going. They were very tiny at birth...2 oz plus a little. They were both way bigger than that at that age and are now 3 1/2 lbs full grown, so destined to be small from the start. Maybe she weighed him wrong.

I did finally get an answer about the testing thing.
She said she does not test, but she gets her dogs from a healthy line etc.
She also said if I wanted a dog that had tested parents, it'd cost me $1000+ from another breeder.
Her puppies are listed for $900. So I think ill pay the $100+ and go with another breeder.

A smaller puppy like that if it were from me, I don't sell until more than 6 months old, I have my Vet do the spay/neuter. If there is an issue, by that age I would see something happening with it. If it is strong and healthy with no bouts of issues then I would consider selling to a pet home but with health guarantees.
Sometimes when particularly small, there can be a health issue that is why it is small. BUt it may be fine, time will tell and usually once over 6 months some indication of a problem will show up.

I think that would be wise; just remember to investigate the potential breeders.

Please Run Away...
 

Glad you're going to pass on this pup/breeder. SO many red flags there!!!! Good luck in your search:D

Wow. reading this thread made me realize how much I lucked up on getting my baby Charlotte. I wish there was some way to publicize the irresponsible breeders. SO that non-members of the site could be informed...

When I got Cozy she was the runt but she grew up. Prior to her 2litters she was 8. 5 pounds- now she is porky but very healthy. I kept the runt for her first litter- Roxy still small3.5 pounds but very healthy and active. If you have a and feeling don't buy the puppy.