Asking breeders to see if my small pup's growth rate is normal.

[tbhajou]

Hello, All
I was wondering if anyone has picture of their yorkie puppies at 6 month of age. And if any breeder is out there to give an opinion on a healthy growth rate. I have attached a picture of Sophie and picture of her teeth too. I want to make sure she is growing normally as she is so small.

Sophie is little over 6 month old. When I got her, the breeder told me she is 20 weeks old, 5 months old at March 14th. She is extremely active with big appetite and extreme energy level but her weight at 5 month old was 780 gram(1.7 lb). My daughter works as a volunteer at a pet rescue group. And she advised I feed her often and add wet food so she can gain more weight. When I measured her last on April 26th, she was 1115 gram (2.45 lb). She seems to be growing well but she looks like a younger puppy still as her color is all black with littlebit bit of tan still. I saw pictures of other 6 months old yorkies online and they seem to have more mature hair colors and longer hair. I am unsure if she looks like younger pup. (I did give her a trim on her hair after watching a few youtube videos last week... with this pandemic, I have to be many things...)

Here is Sophie's weight recorded.

March 14-780 gram 27.5-1.71 lb
March 16 - 850 gram 30oz
March 28-948 gram 33.4oz
April 1-959 gram 33.8 oz
April 8-1015 gram 35.8 oz - 2.23 lb
April 14-1050 gram 37 - 2.31 lb
April 18-1142 gram 40.28-2.5 lb
April 23-1189 gram 42-2.6 lb
April 26-1115 gram 39.3 ounce 2.45lb

[Bluebells]

I’ve read that some breeders will fudge the birth date on pups, to make buyers think a pup is older (and therefore likely to remain small). So I guess the first question you should ask yourself is: how much do I trust the breeder?

Beyond that, I think there is quite a bit of variation in the coloration of puppies. However, (and I’m saying this from the perspective of someone with very little Yorkie experience), your Sophie does look a little younger in that first picture than my Jax looked at (approximately) six months, but it might just be the way her hair is trimmed. Jax won’t hold still long enough for me to trim him, which he desperately needs. There are photos of him in my thread “New to Yorkies” on this forum. Two are when he was three months and one is when he was about six and a half months. He’s about seven and a half months now, and he has almost no black left on his head, although his back is still mostly black.

Sophie is adorable.

[Lovetodream88]

Puppies can all grow differently her size really depends on her genetics. She may just stay pretty small. I’m guessing you didn’t get Canadian Kennel Club papers with her because that would have her birth date and the are ver hard to fake with the reputable registry. Being tiny and a puppy she does need to have access to food very often but over feeding her isn’t the kind of weight you want her to put on. Your vet is the best person to answer your questions. She is awful cute though.

[tbhajou]

Thanks for the responses. I got her from someone in the neighborhood. She said her family is a breeder in Europe and she seem to have hard time selling the pup during the pandemic. She did come with medical records and health records that shows her birth date October 21,2019.

I have been on a waiting list from a local registered breeder for another yorkie pup for almost a year. I am still on the list.
I know I should have waited for her puppy first but I just could not say no to the puppy after seeing her.

I just want to make sure Sophie is spayed at right time before the second pup joins us. I am worried about spaying her if she has abnormal growth rate or worst case she is younger.

I will visit the vet soon. I am not too keen on visiting vet during this pandemic situation. Number of infected here in canada is still not controlled.

Thank you both for the response.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by tbhajou

Thanks for the responses. I got her from someone in the neighborhood. She said her family is a breeder in Europe and she seem to have hard time selling the pup during the pandemic. She did come with medical records and health records that shows her birth date October 21,2019.

I have been on a waiting list from a local registered breeder for another yorkie pup for almost a year. I am still on the list.
I know I should have waited for her puppy first but I just could not say no to the puppy after seeing her.

I just want to make sure Sophie is spayed at right time before the second pup joins us. I am worried about spaying her if she has abnormal growth rate or worst case she is younger.

I will visit the vet soon. I am not too keen on visiting vet during this pandemic situation. Number of infected here in canada is still not controlled.

Thank you both for the response.

The only thing that could really effect her growth that could be possible really would be a liver shunt which a blood test can tell you if she has it but I don’t think there is any issue. She seems fine to me. Has she not been to your vet at all yet? I think she’s just going to be small.

[tbhajou]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

The only thing that could really effect her growth that could be possible really would be a liver shunt which a blood test can tell you if she has it but I don’t think there is any issue. She seems fine to me. Has she not been to your vet at all yet? I think she’s just going to be small.

No, she has not seen my vet yet but she will very soon. Do you recommend any testing other than liver shunt? And do you think it is okay to spay her too or should I wait until she is older? She is just so energetic, loves people, eats well, sleeps well, not even a single diarrhea incident, extremely food-motivated so she learns everything very quickly with treats. It’s a joy to have this little one. But I am just not completely comfortable with her small size. Her record shows she had all recommended shots including rabies. I want to rule out any common disease in yorkies and able to spay her too so any suggestion is appreciated.

[matese]

Spaying must be performed before her first heat which is usually 6 months old, in wee tiny babies it may be 8 months, it's hard to say. Average is heat every 6 months.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by tbhajou

No, she has not seen my vet yet but she will very soon. Do you recommend any testing other than liver shunt? And do you think it is okay to spay her too or should I wait until she is older? She is just so energetic, loves people, eats well, sleeps well, not even a single diarrhea incident, extremely food-motivated so she learns everything very quickly with treats. It’s a joy to have this little one. But I am just not completely comfortable with her small size. Her record shows she had all recommended shots including rabies. I want to rule out any common disease in yorkies and able to spay her too so any suggestion is appreciated.

I prefer spaying before the first heat. You will need to do pre op surgery to make sure every is good for surgery. When you get a pup or dog no matter who they come from it’s best to have a vet check them out within the first 3 days. She sounds very healthy and normal.

[tbhajou]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I prefer spaying before the first heat. You will need to do pre op surgery to make sure every is good for surgery. When you get a pup or dog no matter who they come from it’s best to have a vet check them out within the first 3 days. She sounds very healthy and normal.

I agree with you. Vet visit is the first thing. I have known my vet for over 15 years. He is away currently and won’t be available for few weeks. His son became a vet and joined not long ago. And I was going to wait. But I may just have to see his son.

[Marna1957]

If your dog is Eating, Active, Eliminating, and Happy, I would not worry.


I have owned, trained, bred and raised dogs all my life. I have had, and trained, several different breeds of dogs. I have found that having larger breeds, giant breeds, as well as even medium breeds is much different than having these TINY Yorkie dogs. When we first brought Katy home I worried about her not gaining too much weight. But then, I am used to dogs gaining pounds a week, not ounces per month.


The old rule of thumb for dog weight is: 'You should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them.'
This means when you run your hand down their sides lengthwise, you should be able to feel that they have ribs, but not each rib. When the dog is standing and you are looking down at it, from above, you should not be able to see it's ribs. (I know, Yorkie Hair, right? Ha Ha)



It could be that you have a Yorkie that was bred small, know to many as Teacups. I have a lady that has taught me much about the breed. She has had Yorkies her lifetime. Right now she has 4, not one over 5 pounds. I mean, not even 5.5 pounds, the largest is just 5 pounds; her smallest, is a healthy, bouncing 2.2 pound, 14 year old.

[matese]

Originally Posted by Marna1957

If your dog is Eating, Active, Eliminating, and Happy, I would not worry.


I have owned, trained, bred and raised dogs all my life. I have had, and trained, several different breeds of dogs. I have found that having larger breeds, giant breeds, as well as even medium breeds is much different than having these TINY Yorkie dogs. When we first brought Katy home I worried about her not gaining too much weight. But then, I am used to dogs gaining pounds a week, not ounces per month.


The old rule of thumb for dog weight is: 'You should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them.'
This means when you run your hand down their sides lengthwise, you should be able to feel that they have ribs, but not each rib. When the dog is standing and you are looking down at it, from above, you should not be able to see it's ribs. (I know, Yorkie Hair, right? Ha Ha)



It could be that you have a Yorkie that was bred small, know to many as Teacups. I have a lady that has taught me much about the breed. She has had Yorkies her lifetime. Right now she has 4, not one over 5 pounds. I mean, not even 5.5 pounds, the largest is just 5 pounds; her smallest, is a healthy, bouncing 2.2 pound, 14 year old.

There is no such thing as a "teacup" yorkie, the word "teacup" is used by unscrupulous breeders to charge more money for smaller dogs. A yorkie is a yorkie no matter what size it is.

[tbhajou]

Originally Posted by Marna1957

If your dog is Eating, Active, Eliminating, and Happy, I would not worry.


I have owned, trained, bred and raised dogs all my life. I have had, and trained, several different breeds of dogs. I have found that having larger breeds, giant breeds, as well as even medium breeds is much different than having these TINY Yorkie dogs. When we first brought Katy home I worried about her not gaining too much weight. But then, I am used to dogs gaining pounds a week, not ounces per month.


The old rule of thumb for dog weight is: 'You should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them.'
This means when you run your hand down their sides lengthwise, you should be able to feel that they have ribs, but not each rib. When the dog is standing and you are looking down at it, from above, you should not be able to see it's ribs. (I know, Yorkie Hair, right? Ha Ha)



It could be that you have a Yorkie that was bred small, know to many as Teacups. I have a lady that has taught me much about the breed. She has had Yorkies her lifetime. Right now she has 4, not one over 5 pounds. I mean, not even 5.5 pounds, the largest is just 5 pounds; her smallest, is a healthy, bouncing 2.2 pound, 14 year old.

I think I see it now after reading your comment and other posting that she may be born small. I did not see the parents of Sophie. When I went to see the pup for the first time, there were two female pups. I picked Sophie because she ran to me and gave me so many kisses like she knew me already. The other pup was very quiet and shy. She seemed like a bigger yorkie and very pretty face. I did not give too much thought at that time as both puppies were just so cute. Sophie did not give me any chance for me to pick up or hold the their pup. I just loved her personality, active and fun.
Now that I think of it, the breeder mentioned to me that she usually sells the pup for very expensive price, I think she said $3000. I thought she was just trying to sell the pup to me... but after reading some postings and looking at some of breeder listings online I see this may be true.

I am expecting another puppy to join our family in few months. Breeder(CKC registered) contacted me and said her dog had 3 female puppies. I did see her dogs at her house and they are standard size and just Gorgeous.

I don’t agree with people breeding for teacups. And I think promoting awareness for healthy puppies and registered breeders are important.

I hope Sophie will grow little bigger to safely play with the other pup.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Marna1957

If your dog is Eating, Active, Eliminating, and Happy, I would not worry.


I have owned, trained, bred and raised dogs all my life. I have had, and trained, several different breeds of dogs. I have found that having larger breeds, giant breeds, as well as even medium breeds is much different than having these TINY Yorkie dogs. When we first brought Katy home I worried about her not gaining too much weight. But then, I am used to dogs gaining pounds a week, not ounces per month.


The old rule of thumb for dog weight is: 'You should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them.'
This means when you run your hand down their sides lengthwise, you should be able to feel that they have ribs, but not each rib. When the dog is standing and you are looking down at it, from above, you should not be able to see it's ribs. (I know, Yorkie Hair, right? Ha Ha)



It could be that you have a Yorkie that was bred small, know to many as Teacups. I have a lady that has taught me much about the breed. She has had Yorkies her lifetime. Right now she has 4, not one over 5 pounds. I mean, not even 5.5 pounds, the largest is just 5 pounds; her smallest, is a healthy, bouncing 2.2 pound, 14 year old.

Ehhh ugh no not the evil word teacup ::throws up:: sorry I hate that word it has caused so many issues that are not good in the yorkie world. It’s ok though for puppies to be a little on the chubby side they normally grow out of it.

[tbhajou]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Ehhh ugh no not the evil word teacup ::throws up:: sorry I hate that word it has caused so many issues that are not good in the yorkie world. It’s ok though for puppies to be a little on the chubby side they normally grow out of it.

I hear you. I am reading about it too and I see why you hate the word. Breeder told me she sells the small ones to some seniors who cannot take care of large dogs. I was thinking they are all born different sizes. I did not think about how they would breed small... If it’s unethical then it should be banned for sure. It’s nice to have a community of good yorkie people to learn and discuss about it.

[Marna1957]

I feel like a couple of you gave a snotty, not so nice, reply to my post. I'm ok with that. I know that I am NOT as stupid as you want people to believe I am by what you posted in reply to my answer to the question.



I do NOT think ok with pretending that there is not a word for smaller Yorkies. There is. That word is Teacup. Something else I have noticed. It is people with oversized Yorkies that do not like the term.


IF you reread my post I said that the term is 'known to many'. I will ask? When you hear the word Teacup, do you not know they are talking about a smaller Yorkie? Do you not know that the Standard for the Breed calls for 7 pounds and under?????? That is.....AND UNDER.



Also. Not all small Yorkies are sickly. Not even all of those 3 pounds and under.



It's like Miniature Horses.....some and especially the ones bred ONLY for size, are sickly and born with a LOT of deformities. It does not mean that the entire group of the smaller sized are not bred well.