Is 4 pounds too small?

[Ringo1]

I have a 15 lb Westie and a 4 lb Yorkie and they are able to play together just fine. Ringo has to 'hold back' more than he would say if he were playing with another Westie . . but he manages to do just that.

Yorkie's seem to be much more 'fine boned' than my sturdy and muscular Westie; so probably they could be a good match.

Like you, we were looking for a little bit larger yorkie; and she was the biggest in the litter; but she only got to 4 lbs. It still works.

[Schooby]

I have 2 yorkies that are pretty different in size. Chase is 13-15lbs, and Calvin is 6lbs. When we brought Calvin home he was just under 3lbs. We supervised them and they are fine. Chase is gentle and seemed to know right from the beginning that he couldn't play too rough. Calvin is the one we have to watch, he likes to beat up his big brother!

[lexi43]

We have a yorkie 6 1/2 lbs, a shorkie 13 lbs, and a little shih tzu who is only 4 1/2 months old and weighs 9 lbs. They play with our two bassets who weigh 55 and 57 lbs with no problems.

[backwardsrain]

Going by the 13 inches/7 inches, that puppy is about an inch shorter both ways than my 8 and 3/4 lb 22 week old Yorkie. I have a hard time believing that she is 3 pounds. Mine was estimated by the breeder to be 6-7 pounds adult weight, but going by his 12 week old weight he will be about 10 pounds. He is now starting to get too big for me to easily carry. He has a great personality and I wouldn't trade him for a smaller one, but it seems to me that many breeders claim the dogs will be much smaller than they really will be in order to get more money. Of course reputable breeders will not do that, but as you said, it's very hard to find a reputable breeder. I would want to meet the parents first and see where the puppy was raised as well.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by Cookie_Cupcake

Hi, I have a 5 year old 13 pound Yorkie and I'm considering getting another Yorkie. The particular puppy I'm looking at from this breeder is charting out to be about 4-5 pounds full grown. She said its current measurements are 13 inches long and 7 inches tall at 18 wks. I'm not sure how much it weighs but I think I recall her saying almost 3 pounds. That might not be right.

The problem is is that I've been searching and searching and I can't find any reputable breeders near to where I live. This particular lady I found is 4 hours away from me. She offered to drive the whole four hours to me since I'm afraid to get on the highways and I don't like the idea of having a puppy shipped. The thing is, if she makes a 4 hour trip down here I'm going to feel obligated to pick a puppy. She has sent me many pics of the pup, but I can't tell how small the dog is now and will be full grown. I don't want anything too small and fragile, but I don't want anything too big that hurts to carry like my 13 pound guy. I love him dearly but he is a little too big. I'm also worried if 4 pounds is too small and might get trampled by my big guy.

So I guess my question is, is that even though the parents of the dog are 4 and 5 pounds, can the pup still grow larger? And if so, is there any (safe) way I can induce the dog the grow larger if I realize it's too small? Maybe if you have a 4-5 pound Yorkie could you tell me it's measurements (length and height)? Just any help at all would be appreciated!!!

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Sunnie

It is really hard for a breeder to give exact adult weights for a puppy that young, but according to the "standard" charts, if the puppy is close to 3 pounds at 18 weeks, it will likely be between 4 to 6 lbs full grown. BUT that being said, they can be even much larger than that if they get a growth spurt. I have 3 that are approx. 5 lbs and one over 8 lbs and one 16 pounds and have not had a problem with them hurting each other. also, even at 8 pounds, that is a lot of weight to carry for long. shoot, even my 5 pounders end up putting my arm to sleep if I am holding them too long. lol

the thing to remember is honestly, you do NOT need to feel obligated to take a puppy if you do not feel like it is the proper fit into your home. And if the breeder is reputable at all, she will NOT want to place it in your home if you have any doubts at all. A reputable breeder will want to be sure YOU are the right person for her puppy and will agree to accept the puppy back at any time.

The 13 inches long x 7 inches tall. Is the phrase that caught my eye. How is this breeder measuring this pup? Is she measuring from the base of the neck to the base of the tail and from the shoulder to the ground. I just asked because 13 inches is a bit long even for an adult yorkie.

However, that being said, the pup is adorable. And as Sunnie said, no way can a breeder tell you what the exact weight will be. It's all in the pups genetic background.

I will say I have a 12.5 pound yorkie and smaller yorkies and they all play beautifully......I've never had to worry about them hurting each other.

As far as feeding the pup more, you'll only tend to make the pup fat......The pup will be what it will be.

[Deuce]

I'm curious, is the 13 inches from nose to base of tail? or from shoulder to tail? Rizzo is 11 inches from shoulder to tail and 11 inches from shoulder to floor and is 5lbs. I'm just curious, mostly because that sounds like a very lengthy yorkie? Or is that just me? I am definitely no expert, lol. I'm sure if your larger yorkie is great with playing nice a smaller yorkie will be no problem good luck, don't feel pressured to take this one if you don't feel comfortable with the breeder, or the pup for that matter

[Cookie_Cupcake]

Originally Posted by Schooby

I have 2 yorkies that are pretty different in size. Chase is 13-15lbs, and Calvin is 6lbs. When we brought Calvin home he was just under 3lbs. We supervised them and they are fine. Chase is gentle and seemed to know right from the beginning that he couldn't play too rough. Calvin is the one we have to watch, he likes to beat up his big brother!

do you have any pictures of your little ones together so i could get an idea of the size difference?

[Cookie_Cupcake]

Originally Posted by Deuce

I'm curious, is the 13 inches from nose to base of tail? or from shoulder to tail? Rizzo is 11 inches from shoulder to tail and 11 inches from shoulder to floor and is 5lbs. I'm just curious, mostly because that sounds like a very lengthy yorkie? Or is that just me? I am definitely no expert, lol. I'm sure if your larger yorkie is great with playing nice a smaller yorkie will be no problem good luck, don't feel pressured to take this one if you don't feel comfortable with the breeder, or the pup for that matter

I think it is 13 inches from nose to tail. Thanks for telling the measurements of your dog that helps me.

[chachi]

Originally Posted by Deuce

I'm curious, is the 13 inches from nose to base of tail? or from shoulder to tail? Rizzo is 11 inches from shoulder to tail and 11 inches from shoulder to floor and is 5lbs. I'm just curious, mostly because that sounds like a very lengthy yorkie? Or is that just me? I am definitely no expert, lol. I'm sure if your larger yorkie is great with playing nice a smaller yorkie will be no problem good luck, don't feel pressured to take this one if you don't feel comfortable with the breeder, or the pup for that matter

Thats what I wondered because my Jewels is 6 lbs and 12 inchs long. Im sure its a typo

[Cookie_Cupcake]

Originally Posted by Mardelin

The 13 inches long x 7 inches tall. Is the phrase that caught my eye. How is this breeder measuring this pup? Is she measuring from the base of the neck to the base of the tail and from the shoulder to the ground. I just asked because 13 inches is a bit long even for an adult yorkie.

However, that being said, the pup is adorable. And as Sunnie said, no way can a breeder tell you what the exact weight will be. It's all in the pups genetic background.

I will say I have a 12.5 pound yorkie and smaller yorkies and they all play beautifully......I've never had to worry about them hurting each other.

As far as feeding the pup more, you'll only tend to make the pup fat......The pup will be what it will be.

She is definitely measuring from nose to tail. So basically the full length of the dog is 13 inches. My Cookie is 11 inches at the base of neck to tail. So I know that the 13 inches has to be nose to tail for the little one!

[Schooby]

Originally Posted by Cookie_Cupcake

do you have any pictures of your little ones together so i could get an idea of the size difference?

Sure, any excuse to post pics
The first 3 pics are within 2 weeks of bringing Calvin home, so he's just under or right at 3lbs, and Chase is 15lbs.
The 4th pic is more recent, Calvin was between 5-6lbs, and Chase about 15lbs.

[Sweet Apple]

Originally Posted by Cookie_Cupcake

I didn't plan on getting her spayed for a while, but when would you suggest to do it?

My rescue Chorkie weighed 3 lbs., when I got her (poor little bag of bones ) and I waited 'till I got her to 4 lbs. and then got her spayed...She also had her dental at that time, too...While I was getting the weight on, I was treating her for giardia...She did fantastic, but then I have a fantastic vet Apple, my female yorkie was 5 lbs., when she was spayed...she did great too (same vet lol) Apple was a year old and Cha Cha was about a year or a year and a half (not sure?)

[Sandysbabies]

Hi, and welcome to YT. I have 2 schnauzers. Tina is 10lbs. Lexi is 30lb. ugh!! way over weight. We have 2 yorkies. Kayla is 9lbs. Dudley is 4lbs. Dudley is 10"long from shoulder to tail and 8" high from shoulder to the floor. He is a cutie and we thought we would never get use to this little tiny guy, but we did and love him to pieces. He watches out for himself and also it helps to know that Lexi, our overweight schnauzer is use to being around little ones and she is pretty careful with him. He is soooo fast and holds his own with all those girls. lol!!! One plus to having one so little is it is a breeze to bathe him. If I had small children at home I don't think I would get one that small. We have no children at home and we are used to watching him like a 2yr. old. He will be 2 the 15th of this month. I hope you make the right choice for your family and good luck on finding the right baby for you.

[RONLYNN]

I think it all depends on the dog....I had a Standard Poodle when I got Teddi and she was only as big as a hampster when I got her. They loved each other and Cassie knew Teddi was small and was cautious with her. This is a picture of Cassie & Teddi when I first got Ted.