[Gunnarsmum]

I've been browsing and reading past posts.. Gunner is 6.2lbs (as of yesterday) and will be 8 weeks tomorrow. My scale isn't broken. It's been measuring my yorkies down to a 't' and I've measure dumbbells (like 5 and 10 pounders) to check for accuracy. He's not skinny either. He's nice and thick. Maybe he'll hit a growth spurt?

 

[GSDTrain]

all dogs and puppies are different. they grow at different rates, some slower than others. I think if you give him time he will eventually catch up.

 

[JKlatsky]

To me, that sounds small, but our guy was a moose and about 22 lbs when we brought him home at 8 1/2 weeks. Our female was 16lbs at 8 weeks, the smallest one in that litter was 14 lbs. I would try a different scale just to be sure or have my vet weight him.

I would say that as long as he looks healthy I wouldn't worry about it. Certainly don't do anything to encourage faster growth, it's not good for their health in the long run. You could always give the breeder a call and see if they know anything about the growth of the other puppies in the litter or the parents. Dogs grow differently.

From the pictures you posted he looks adorable.

 

[BlackGSD]

That is small. (Siren was 12.3lbs at 8 weeks and 1 day and she is a female. She was also NOT one of the bigger pups in the litter.) As long as your boy is healthy and growing, that is what is important.

 

[KCandMace]

The boys were about that small when we brought them home. So I don't think he is small. They are growing nice and slow and here at 5 months are just over 40 lbs.

 

[Gunnarsmum]

I just reweighed him on a different scale and it says he's 8lbs, 2/10 of an ounce. I'll call for an appointment today and just have them do a clean sweep of him while I'm there.

 

[SunCzarina]

I don't think he's that small. Otto was 10.03 when he was 7 wks 2 days and he's very heavy boned.

 

[GSDTrain]

I agree with previous posts, as long as he is healthy and growing that is all that matters. Fast growth for larger breed dogs is not in the best interests for their health in the long run. Every dog is different

 

[GSDOwner2008]

My Zeus was small at 8 weeks as well, probably around 11-12 lbs. It's growing nice and slow, and is almost caught up to the standard just taking it easy. Apollo wasn't as small at that age, but he was sick, and the medication he was on was suppose to stunt his growth. Apparently it didn't because he is about 24" and last time I weighed him he was 66 lbs. It might have stunted his height, but his weight seems totally normal. Every dog is different as to when and how fast it grows. Mine are slow growers.

 

[kelso]

Kelso was 8 lbs at 7 wks and I would guess around 9-10 lbs at 8 wks.
He was smallish, esp for a male. With a nice sized head though. He was the medium male pup in the litter, we thought he was going to be small. He also as we found out had coccidia at the time.
Now he is almost 2 and is 80 plus lbs. A big compact boy, with more filling out to do. We keep him trim, and you can see some ribs when he is exercising, so I suspect he could easily be 85 plus in the long run, or if he was allowed to get a little extra layer on his body.

Just make sure the health aspect is well, and the poops are good and the general health being followed by a vet. They all grow at such different rates, just like us!

 

[3K9Mom]

Once your vet checks him out (and presumably, nothing's wrong), stop worrying.

When Campeche was a puppy two years ago, everyone that year (it happens every year) was mentioning what their dogs weigh. Camper was on the low end. Dh made me a spreadsheet so I could track Camper's growth. It was super consistent, not really spurty at all, and that made me happy. My vet was pleased with his health (despite ALL his allergies), and I kept telling myself that he was Fine. Just Fine.

(I also wasn't feeding puppy food. So I kept telling myself that too. And he's always been ridiculously active).

Camper is now 85 lbs and 25.5" at withers. He's doing that whole filling-out thing that happens between 24 and 36 months, so he may pick up another couple pounds. Or not.

But my smallish puppy is a perfectly *standard*, rock solid GSD. He never got as big as his sire. But I'm good with that. When I have to lift him occasionally, I'm glad he's not bigger and heavier.

If your vet thinks Gunner is too small, he likely will have suggestions, starting with maybe bumping up his caloric intake a bit. But talk to your vet first. Some pups weigh a lot because they're growing too fast (due to food usually), some because they're actually carrying some extra fat, but most because they have genes that tell them to grow fast early but slow down later.

And most "little" pups grow up to be just as magnificent as the other guys... Well, I think more so!

But I'm horribly biased.