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How old is my GSD puppy!?!?

2K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  LuvShepherds 
#1 ·
So supposedly my GSD puppy is 16 weeks old but...

1) She is small/underweight for her age.
2) She still has all her puppy teeth with no sight of her adult teeth coming out.
3) 4 different vets have mentioned that she does not look 16 weeks old.

My g/f and I paid a good amount for her and we just want to know how old she actually is. The breeder keeps saying she was born on April 28th, 2014 which would put her at 16 weeks and 2 days today, but she looks more like she is 12 weeks old... which if that's the case, would put to rest any fear that she is underweight or has some other more serious issue.

The breeder has not been much help and we are ordering a DNA test to make sure she came from where he says they came from. She is supposed to be a pure bred GSD with the blood line of a male GSD that was the champion of Germany and a female GSD that has won many awards.

Regardless of what the deal is, she is an amazing dog that eats/chews everything she is not supposed to and we love her to death. We just want to know if there's anything we need to worry about.

Thanks in advance for any help or information.

Here is a pic of her when we first got her... she is supposed to be 9 weeks here.


Here she is a few days ago at nearly 16 weeks according to her birth date.
 
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#2 ·
I have a couple of 16 week old puppies. She doesn't look too far different. The vet did say that the one had her adult teeth coming in. The one has her ears going up and down.

One is small and thin at 25 pounds. The other is plumper with heavier bone at 32 pounds. How much does your pup weigh?
 
#4 ·
That's reassuring. She is about 29lbs. Thank you.

She looks fine.

You paid "a good amount" for her? And you don't have registration papers on her?
Thank you. It's good to get reassurance from multiple people that she is fine.

Yes, we did. We do have papers for her.. but those kinds of things can be forged. We got her from what is supposed to be a good breeder, but he hasn't been very helpful about this all so we want to get a DNA test to make sure the parents are who we were told they are to quell any doubts.
 
#8 ·
She looks 16 weeks old in that second picture. Starting to get lanky. Is she ACTUALLY underweight for her personal body condition or is she simply "small" compared to some stupid breed weight chart that some idiot thought was a good idea?

Zeke was 8lbs at 8 weeks old. Berlin was 16 lbs at 8 weeks old. Today they both weigh exactly 83 lbs (Berlin is a bit taller and lankier). Maybe she's a small female?

You didn't pay nearly enough or go to a good enough breeder if you're going by word and don't even have registration papers.
 
#9 ·
I wouldn't worry too much about her not being as big as you think she should be for her age. Kaiju was five pounds at eight weeks, 23 pounds at four months, 60 pounds now at a little over a year, and we're thinking he'll probably top out at maybe 70-75. A little on the small side, but it is the size that is healthy for him and that's all that matters.
 
#12 ·
So supposedly my GSD puppy is 16 weeks old but...

1) She is small/underweight for her age.
2) She still has all her puppy teeth with no sight of her adult teeth coming out.
3) 4 different vets have mentioned that she does not look 16 weeks old.
Relax. The height/weight charts are averages. Puppies, like humans, come in different shapes and sizes, and grow at different rates, so there's a wide variety of "normal". Teething generally occurs between 4 and 6+ months old, so she should start any time now. Just because she hasn't yet is no reason to freak out or question her age.

Both Dena and Keefer were around 18/19 pounds when we got them at 9 weeks old. Halo was 11-1/2 pounds at the same age. Dena grew faster than Keefer did, even though she was a female - she weighed more than he did at 6 months old, but his adult weight is about 8 pounds more than hers was.

Halo is a smaller girl, at 55 pounds she's a couple pounds under the mid point of the standard for an adult female, but still well over the bottom of 48-1/2 pounds. Due to her smaller size at every stage of development, you could say she didn't look her age as a puppy, and even now people sometimes assume she's not full grown, even though she'll be 6 years old in November.

Obviously, a puppy whose healthy adult weight will be closer to 50 pounds will be smaller and weigh less than a puppy who will mature to 70 pounds as an adult. If she's truly underweight, as in overly skinny, feed her more. If she's just on the small side, so what? What motivation do you think the breeder would have to lie about her age and forge papers?
 
#13 ·
She looks and sounds 16 weeks to me, too. Why would a breeder lie about something that is easy to figure out? I would call the breeder's vet if I was still worried and ask them. They'll tell the breeder but you don't have a good relationship with her now so it won't matter.

My last puppy didn't loses the baby teeth by 5 months so a few had to be pulled.
 
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