# Confused & worry



## GSD4ever2 (Mar 21, 2016)

Hi, 

This past Saturday, we just adopted our purebred 2nd GSD baby boy, we named him Klaus. We adopted Klaus out of the same breeder & is product from same dad as our 1st baby, Bella. 

Our concern is that Klaus arrived home at 11 weeks old, but physically looks like he is 4-6 weeks old, he's very tiny & weigh only 10#. I took him to the vet for a follow up & everyone sees him got impress how tiny he is for 11 weeks old. 

Our 1st baby Bella arrived home 2years ago at 8 weeks weighing 20# & almost the double the size of Klaus. 

Has anyone had an experience like mine with GSD puppy before?

I'm kind of worry! :help:


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I"m confused. You adopted? From a rescue? Shelter? Or you bought a puppy for a breeder? 

If you bought a puppy, have you spoken to the breeder?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Jax08 said:


> I"m confused. You adopted? From a rescue? Shelter? Or you bought a puppy for a breeder?
> 
> If you bought a puppy, have you spoken to the breeder?


 If you exchange money for a dog it is a purchase whether it is from a rescue or a shelter or a breeder. You bought a puppy. 

If you insert a puppy into your family as a family member and prefer to think of that as an adoption, then it is an adoption whether the puppy came from a shelter or a rescue or a breeder. 

So, let's not get side tracked about the real issue here.

10 pounds is small for an 11 week old puppy. But it is not out of the ball park. First check your paperwork and make sure there is no misunderstanding, what was the date the puppy was born?

Next, some puppies just grow faster than other puppies, some lines mature quicker -- and quicker is not always better. The pups that grow very big, very fast often have structural issues as they mature. 

The smallest puppy I think I have let go was 8 pounds at 8 weeks, and she had a rough start. But, others have had pups as small as 5-6 pounds at 8 weeks that have matured into seventy something pound dogs. It does not indicate there is anything wrong with the dog.

In my first litter I had a pup that was born significantly smaller than the others, and grew at a slower rate than the others. I gave him to my folks in hopes that he would be a smaller shepherd and easier to handle for them. Nope, he just never seemed to stop growing. His ears would shoot up, and his tail would brush the ground, and then he would grow several more inches. He ended up being the largest in the litter. 

Another litter of 10 pups had 4 females. The two visibly larger females went to their homes first. I kept the smallest. I started puppy classes at about 10 weeks old with the owner of one of the larger pups. By the time the class was over (six weeks), my puppy was bigger than hers. 

When the vet looked him over, did he find anything wrong? Was he underweight?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

hey sue...how about I ask whatever question I please and you mind your own business on that matter? It's creepy how you seem to follow my posts and argue with every single one. Obsess over something else.

So back to the OP...have you talked to your breeder if you did indeed buy the puppy and have that access to the breeder?


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Ditto to what selzer said. 

I do have personal experience with this. My boy was 5.2lbs at 8 weeks and some change. 10.4 - 12.2 at 10 weeks (We had two vet appointments that week ) 

He is now 10 1/2 months old and 61lbs. I expect him to fully mature in the upper 60's low 70's. On the smaller end for males according to the standard but still "normal"

Here is a picture of him around 8 weeks








That's a standard sized step he is laying on. So you can see how very tiny he was! 

Don't worry about the weight of your pup in relation to other gsds. Just worry about his health and body condition. 

If he ends up on the smaller end of the scale - just remember lower feed bills and more room on the couch


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## GSD4ever2 (Mar 21, 2016)

Jax08 said:


> I"m confused. You adopted? From a rescue? Shelter? Or you bought a puppy for a breeder?
> 
> If you bought a puppy, have you spoken to the breeder?


 I adopted from same breeder I adopted my 1st GSD


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## GSD4ever2 (Mar 21, 2016)

selzer said:


> If you exchange money for a dog it is a purchase whether it is from a rescue or a shelter or a breeder. You bought a puppy.
> 
> If you insert a puppy into your family as a family member and prefer to think of that as an adoption, then it is an adoption whether the puppy came from a shelter or a rescue or a breeder.
> 
> ...


Wow!!! Thanks so much! I don't feel that bad anymore 

The vet questioning if he was really 11 weeks because at that age he suppose to weigh between 20-30#. He only weigh 10.4


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## GSD4ever2 (Mar 21, 2016)

voodoolamb said:


> Ditto to what selzer said.
> 
> I do have personal experience with this. My boy was 5.2lbs at 8 weeks and some change. 10.4 - 12.2 at 10 weeks (We had two vet appointments that week )
> 
> ...



Adorable!! :wub:

Mine weighed exactly 10.4 too


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

GSD4ever2 said:


> I adopted from same breeder I adopted my 1st GSD


So have you talked to your breeder about the puppy's size? When you bought him, what did the other puppies look like? How big is the mother? Sire?

We bought an undersized puppy many years ago. She was the runt and hadn't been separated from her litter mates to get proper nutrition. She was 4# at 8 weeks when she should have been 10#. All bone, scabs and fleas.  Her adult size is 45# so about 10# behind a normal boxer female. 

I would go back to the breeder and ask these questions as they would have better insight and knowledge.


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