# New puppy weighs 3.5 lbs, question about wieght and breeds.



## EscVelocity (Mar 31, 2011)

Ok, I was told the puppy I am getting is,as a matter a fact, a German/Australian Shepherd mix. The weight of this pup seems too low,3.5lbs at 7 weeks. Maybe she meant Mini Aussie? Or, have others experienced such a small puppy grow larger than expected? At this pups current weight, I don't see how she could get past 20-25 lbs. Mother was onsite, and looked to be purebred German Shepherd. I do not care if she stays small/medium, I'm just hoping everything is OK w/ her.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

That IS small. . .my Lab was 8 pounds at 6 weeks, and she grew up to be 55 pounds. I know Aussies aren't big dogs (and they're just guessing about daddy dog's breed, right?), but with a purebred GSD mother, you'd think she'd be larger. How big do you think the mother dog was? Was your pup smaller than the other pups or were they all the same size?


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## EscVelocity (Mar 31, 2011)

There were 5 puppies total, one had GSD looking markings, 2 were black and white, and 2 of them were solid black. The 2 solid black ones were slightly larger than the black and white pups and the one with GSD markings. The black and white pups and the one with GSD markings had a less fluffy looking coat than the 2 solid black puppies. The puppy I picked was the only female of the bunch, and was one of the black and white ones. It is always possible that the dam bred with more than one male, but both the sire and dam were owner surrenders. I'm hoping/thinking they meant Mini Aussie. Mini Aussies can apparently be as small as 14lbs or so. I wish I would have questioned the weight of the puppy while the girl from the rescue was here, I didn't think nothing of it when she was filling me in on the vet visit; I think i will give her a call later today, to check on the puppies. Also, Mon would have been their second deworming. I really couldn't guesstimate how much the mother dog weighed, but I am 5'1" and her back probably came up to just below my hip. close to 2 ft. I suppose.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

Buffy was about 4 lbs. at around 8 weeks old, and grew to be 28-30 lbs. now, just to give a sort of reference. But I'm sure all dogs grow at different rates. Her mom was pretty small and only about 15 lbs., so I was surprised that she got as big as she did.

I don't know if she's full-grown at 16 months old, but she hasn't really gotten taller or put on weight in about 6 months now. People keep telling me she might fill out more though.

I would expect a GSD mix to be bigger, but I've heard that mixes can fall anywhere from the smaller dog's size/weight to the larger one's.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I know there is a mini-aussie breeder down in that part of the state that IMO is not a responsible breeder. And I've seen mini-aussies (and far too many other dogs) for sale at the flea market off I-65. So I wouldn't be surprised to see a mini-aussie "oops" litter turn up in a shelter in that area.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Nikki was about that size at that age and topped off at about 25 lbs.


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## EscVelocity (Mar 31, 2011)

Thanks for everyone's responses. I couldn't get a definite answer as to whether the father was a mini or standard sized Australian Shepherd, but my bet is on a mini. Especially since Shell mentioned there were less than honorable breeders in the area. Worms could also be a culprit, from the pictures I got, her belly still looked a little "potbellyish", I'm not experienced with young puppies though, that could be normal, since babies and young children have a potbelly look until their diaphragm develops more.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

My puppy was only slightly less than that at the same age, and he is only 6.3 kg now, at 10 months. So that's pretty small.


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