Puppy Size Vs Adult Size

[gareth]

Question please?

Have you found that a big pup turns out to be a big adult, and vice versa?

Edited February 11, 2010 by gareth

[Rysup]

Not necessarily.

It would also depend on breed. All my Lhasa Apso bitches would have been the "runts" of their litters, but all three made correct size, and I would think that most of the bigger puppies would have been over sized.

I think it would also depend on whether there was a reason for the size difference, as in some sort of deficiency or something like that. Some puppies thrive and will catch up in size to litter mates once they are away from the litter and can eat as much as they want.

[laneka]

A lot of the time in my breed the smallest often ends up the tallest. I have seen this quite a few times. My guess it depends on the breed.

[whippets]

The biggest pup in my whippet litter was a bitch. She was HUGE and I bet other breeders would have pet homed her at 8 weeks for her size. She ended up being 18 inches tall and would most likely be one of the smallest whippet bitches in the ring....today.

I have had small pups ending up the biggest and vice versa. IMO the first 7 weeks or so is indicitive of the pups place in the whomb and how much placental nutrition they get rather than genetic size.

Edited February 11, 2010 by whippets

[TrinaJ]

My first rotty was the 'runt' of the litter, he ended up being one of the largest as an adult

[Ozstar]

The bitch I kept from my litter last year was the biggest in the litter (not the reason why I kept her), she is now 1 year old and is in the lower range of standard height (will not grow any more in height). In my last litter the biggest pup born ended up being the smallest at 8 weeks.

My first litter many years ago the runt of the litter ended up going an inch of height.

Leanne

[sandgrubber]

As I understand it, birth size has more to do with how well they are plumbed into the goodies in the uterus. No significance for eventual size. Proportions, however, are likely to stay true. Big bones at birth are likely to be big bones to adulthood. When I've had a runt, he or she has almost always caught up with the others by 8 weeks.

[hilaryo]

As I understand it, birth size has more to do with how well they are plumbed into the goodies in the uterus. No significance for eventual size. Proportions, however, are likely to stay true. Big bones at birth are likely to be big bones to adulthood. When I've had a runt, he or she has almost always caught up with the others by 8 weeks.

I think so too Sandgrubber.

With my bitch's first litter she had 2 pups die after implantation (I know this is not unusual) and the vet said the lining of her uterus looked a bit thickened. She was put on antibiotics for the remainder of the pregnancy and went on to deliver the remaining 4 live pups. The pups weighed around the 200 gram mark.

With her latest litter of pups and a healthy uterus the pups weighed in at around double the weight of the previous litter.

[Miss Danni]

In our 2008 litter, our biggest puppy at 8 weeks was a bitch. There were 7 bitches and one male and she was much larger than the male, let alone her sisters.

Now rising 2, she is the smallest of the 7 bitches by far and the male is a lovely big strong boy :D

[ellz]

Not always an indicator unless as previously stated the smallest is also the most fine-boned.

And anyway.....you all need to read one of the profile listings on DOL. The (I daresay EXPERT) "breeder" of a particular litter states that the dog he kept was always the runt with the biggest head and now he's the biggest of them all and STILL has a big head. *sigh*

[Ozstar]

And anyway.....you all need to read one of the profile listings on DOL. The (I daresay EXPERT) "breeder" of a particular litter states that the dog he kept was always the runt with the biggest head and now he's the biggest of them all and STILL has a big head.

Yes I read this.

Must get one as the biggest head is the most important point in our breed

Leanne

[Gretel]

And anyway.....you all need to read one of the profile listings on DOL. The (I daresay EXPERT) "breeder" of a particular litter states that the dog he kept was always the runt with the biggest head and now he's the biggest of them all and STILL has a big head.

Yes I read this.

Must get one as the biggest head is the most important point in our breed

Leanne

Ah or is it the breeder with the biggest head....?

The biggest dog I ever bred was an average size as a pup and grew huge! I did have one litter that the smallest remained the smallest but apart from that size as a young pup has not been indicative of their eventual size.