Did I make the right choice?
 

As I've mentioned in other threads...my little boy Ryder is 7 weeks old...and in another month and a half or so he'll be coming home. Last week I went to pick him out from his litter of 5 brothers. They were all so precious...but I chose the one who happened to be the smallest (not on purpose). Well...this week he only grew about an ounce...and that puts him between 2 and 2.5 lbs as an adult. I worried and worried about it...and really did some thinking. I want to make the responsible decision and not get a "teeny tiny" pup just because I think he's the cutest. So...I called back the breeder (now a good friend) and got her to weigh them all again today. Anyways, to make a long story short, I ended up deciding to chose the BIGGEST brother (who is still only 18 ounces) instead of the smallest. Do you think I made the right decision? I would just worry about the little guy constantly...and he is going to be in the middle of 4 girls...all who will be bigger than him. It was a tough call...I still don't know if I did the right thing...:confused:

I think it just depends on if he melts your heart when you see him. Maybe you should wait a little longer to decide cause sometimes their weight can change

Wow even the biggest one is small lol...I think you did the right thing..if you dont want to have to worry about having a "tiny" then yes you did do the right thing..its so hard to tell at this young age how big they will end up being..some grow much bigger than you would have ever thought and some stay small...I guess only time will tell right?? What does your gut tell you??

Edited to ask: How much did Ryder weigh??

Dawn

All except for my last puppy that was shipped to me, I always let my puppies pick me out..i didn't want one that was afraid of everything, didn't want one that was not paying attention to me, I always let them pick me out by coming over to me and loving on me..maybe that's what you should do, is let the one pick you out..

I think your decision was a very responsible one. Tiny babies are adorable but I would not want one either. It's not because I have two boys 12 and 6 (they are used to being around babies ) I just like the fact that my 5lbers are not as fragile, they jump everywhere, they have not been sick one bit (knock on wood) they play rough with eachother I just have less worries with a slightly bigger one.

So in my honest opinion, I think you made a very good decision. If you were home 24-7 and can keep a close eye on the baby then go for it.

SIZE DOES NOT MATTER!!!! its watever one you love. get the smallest one. it'll make you happy(not that the big one wont.) hey you could always get two!!!
:aimeeyork :aimeeyork

First Congrats on getting a new baby:) sometime the smallest end up being the biggest and the biggest end up being the smallest, Guess ya just never know, if the small one warmed your heart then thats your baby:p :p

My ritzy was 19 oz at 8 weeks and he is now almost 4 lbs at almost 2 years so they both sound small but have also seen some hit a growth spurt and blow all statistics out of the water.
I think you can really tell by bone structure. I can almost always tell by looking at the facial features etc, which one will stay small. They have more petite features and are smaller boned. If you see one that has a heavy head with more heavy features they will usually be alrger. It is hard for me to explain but when you see it you will know. Ritzy was actually heavier than his littermates and ended up being the smallest by about 2 lbs.
Bonnie

I have Marcel (2.13 lbs.) and Wylie (7.8 lbs.) - and you definitely have to be VERY careful, esp. the first 6-7 mths. after you get them home, with a tinier puppy. We never allowed them to be together in the house unless we were right there with them - bc Wylie could hurt Marcel easily (without intending to at all, of course).

Now that Marcel is 11 mths old, they can stay in areas alone (where there are NO "heights" involved), but we still keep watch if they are on the bed/couch etcetera.

I don't think you can make a wrong decision here. I think the question is whether or not you want to commit to the extra care/caution involved with a tiny. Either way, I'm THRILLED for you! :D

I would see if you could go back in a couple of weeks and then decide. I went to see Cali at 6 weeks and she was the tiniest of the litter of 3 but the only one available and I fell in love with her. When I went to get her at 9 weeks she was almost as big as her 2 littermates at 16 ounces. She is now 5 lbs. So it is hard to tell final size. Cali did have health issues though. Pixie I got at 13 months weighing 3 lbs and she has been a real live wire!!!

Go back and inter-act w/all of them again, There's got to be the one who melts your heart:aimeeyork Good Luck & Keep us posted

It is so refreshing to hear someone that is being responsible about the size of a puppy, and not just looking for the tiniest one you can find. Yorkies are so cute at any size; but so many people only want them if they are so tiny ! It is a big responsibility to care for these little guys. That being said, I think you should get the puppy you fell in love with . The fact that you are so concerned with him being so small says that you would take very good care of him, instead of someone buying him just because they are looking for a trophy dog. Even though he is so small right now, he may surprize you when he starts to grow. He seems to be very big in your heart, even if he is tiny in your arms. Either way, you will have a very lucky puppy to have such a caring and thoughtful mommy.:) :)

Sounds like you picked out the one that you bonded with the most and were most drawn to. IMO, that IS the 'right thing.' As far as your concern about his adult size, that is a very justified concern. Extra care DOES have to be taken with them and you need to be aware and willing to deal with everything that comes with the Yorkies that are that small.

Personally, I would NEVER want one that small. We have a male (Kasey) who is 2 1/2 lbs...not intentionally, he should have been around 5. In any case, we love him and wouldn't trade him for the world, but the anxiety and nervousness that accompanies him is not exactly fun, KWIM?

I guess your choice depends on the situation. If it was me making the choice, I would definitely choose the bigger one because I have a young daughter in the house and other dogs, so I would never bring a tiny one into this house. But your situation could be ideal for a very little one, as long as the other dogs aren't too rough with it. I guess you are the only judge of that. I think you made a good choice though, even if only for your peace of mind.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
I so agree.

Actually, yeah, it matters a great deal. Any Yorkie of any size can be loved and perfect and make you happy, but nevertheless, the smaller ones need to be treated with much more caution--they are smaller and more prone to injury. That's just physical aspect of it. If someone feels like that might be an issue, then its well worth it to consider selecting a dog that will be larger at an adult weight.

Ie. My 2 1/2 pound Yorkie lives with my parents. Does he makes me happy and do I love him? Of course! But when his final size was apparent, it was clear that my home was not the ideal place for him. It is a ver responsible decision to examine all the factors involved--not just if the dog will make you happy.:)

How much did less did the original boy weigh? I would go with my first instinct...:p

Funny story-when I was choosing my Gracie, I chose the largest, chubbiest pup there and she has grown to be my smallest. She weighed in at 3.4 lbs. in Sept. but I weighed her again today and she is at 3.0...:( she was suppossed to be between 5-6 lbs by her baby weight. she has stayed within 3/4 lb. since she was 2 1/2 lbs. at 12 weeks, so go figure? :confused: I still love her though...:p

I would follow your heart and if possible re-visit the litter for a personality match with you.

When I was looking for Lucy I did not have the knowledge I have now about size so I was looking for a very small Yorkie. Once I was at Andrew's I played with each of them for a LONG time and ended up with Lucy who was the largest of the litter and she's ended up to be 3.5 lbs. Lucy totally chose me! She came to me and cuddled up so close to me and looked at me with her beautiful eyes and I knew.

I can certainly see your concern with having one so small around others.

Best of luck :) So, you will have a Christmas baby-how exciting!

Thank you everyone for your kind and helpful words!

ALL the little boys in the litter are precious...they're all so close in size...it could be that they all stay within a few ounces of each other.

The original puppy I picked (the tiniest) was 11 ounces at 6 weeks, and 12 ounces this week.

The one I'm "changing" to was 16 ounces last week, and 18 ounces this week.

They're all eating well and have chubby little bellies...so their weights could of course be not predictable at ALL because of their baby fat. They have the SAME daddy as Sophie...and their mom is smaller than Sophie's mom. Every puppy in Sophie's litter was born 4-5 ounces, and were all very chubby and ate well as babies. Around 6 weeks they stopped growing like weeds...and by 12 weeks they were 16 ounces, 18 ounces, 24 ounces, 30 ounces, and 32 ounces.

Sophie was the 30 ounce one. She hit 2 lbs the next week, then within a month grew to 3 lbs...then by 5 months she was 3 lbs, 5 ounces. And NOW at 6 months she lost her baby fat and went back to 3 lbs. I doubt she'll make it to 4 full grown.

When I picked the smallest one out, I had played with them for about an hour...and I had it narrowed down the biggest and the smallest (so the biggest was actually my 2nd pick). I ended up picking the smallest because the biggest had one ear that was slightly tipped on the end. They were EQUALLY cute and it really took me FOREVER to choose between those two.

I'm just extremely worried about having a "tiny" one. Although, they COULD all be very small, since they're so close. They're still nursing at night, so it could still vary a lot. The breeder and I discussed it today, and she's actually going to do a HUGE favor for me. She's going to hold back BOTH of them and not let anyone else make a deposit on those two until I choose one for sure. She knew it was a tough decision for me...and I have never heard of a breeder being so kind! I've been helping her out the last few weeks with her puppies: washing, feeding, cleaning, etc. because she has a lot on her right now, so we've had a lot of time to talk...and this has also allowed me to spend lots of time with all the boys in the litter...and I'm going back Sunday for the day again!

I just want to make the right choice, and get the little boy who is right for me (and for my girls too). All 4 of my females get along with other dogs fine, BUT if he does end up being very small when I get him, I have 5 crates, an xpen, a playpen, and a baby gate for his safety.

I KNOW that I COULD take care of a really small one, and that's not going to keep me from getting the one who puts pawprints on my heart, but I don't want to make an irresponsible decision because I'm being selfish about getting the one who is the "cutest," you know? I will have a couple weeks off to be with him constantly, but when I go back to work he'll be there 4-6 hours at a time with my others, so if someone comes along who is able to stay home all day or work from home...I would rather they take the smallest, so that I know he's in the BEST possible home for HIM.

Whichever one I end up taking...he will be loved and cared for the same...and he'll have a wonderful home here, and lots of Yorkie friends!! :D I want what's best for EVERY SINGLE puppy in that litter...and I want the one that will match with my situation and will fit in the best in my home!! :p

Oh and here are the pictures of them (back at 6 weeks).

The first picture is the one I had originally (the smallest in the litter).

The second is the biggest in the litter that I have now.

They look pretty similar...are both ADORABLE!! :D

Wow! How stinkin cute they both are! :D I have no advice whatsoever. I just wanted to say that I would have a tough time choosing too. :rolleyes:

I'm a firm believer in letting the pup "choose" you. one of those pups should completely steal your heart. and if it is the smallest one, then so be it. if it is the biggest one, so be it. maggie was not the "cutest" one of her litter and she was the only one whose ears did not stand up. but she chose me. her personality just stood out to me. and she is the best!!!!!!!!! i have not regretted it one single second!!

let the pup choose you. see all of them...and see which one steals your heart. and take it from there.

good luck!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!! HOW FREAKIN CUTE THEY R!!!:2hearts2: Seems like to me you can't go wrong with either one. It would deffinately be hard but you'll know. Good Luck!!

You continue to amaze me with your caring thoughtful attitude to choosing your puppy. Either one you chose will be one lucky little fellow. Thanks for a heartwarming post.:)

Awww...thanks! :) Every single one of my babies is spoiled equally...and I do my ABSOLUTE best to give them everything they need or want!! I know that I will love either one of them the same, no matter what!! Once they come home with me...they never leave...:D