The breeder told us she is 8 weeks old, she looked a bit small but trusted them, vet confirmed she might be 4.5 weeks old at most. Can anyone confirm from experience if she looks like a 4.5 week old or maybe younger still?
Hmmm - January 26th? Just checking if a sibling. (or is this an older picture). There were 2 all blacks in the littler, and I know the one had the flying nun ears.
That breeder is scum letting that poor baby leave it's mum so soon.
We got a kitten that was meant to be 10 weeks, when we brought her to the vet 2 weeks later they said she was no more than 6.5 / 7 weeks at that point.
She is the most antisocial cat I have ever met! No one bar me and my partner are allowed within 2 meters of her. She spits, she hisses, she bites. She's just a total ball of anxiety and she's 4 now so it's not something that will improve with time at this stage. Vet said it's down to her being taken too soon. I dread to think how that could translate into shep.
AKC doesn’t really mean anything, there’s tons of backyard breeders on AKC marketplace unfortunately. Not all, but a lot of them. Definitely have to do your due diligence research even further.
OP should look up puppy lemon laws because it’s illegal to sell a puppy this young in many states!
We are in South Africa, and as sad as this is, mom mom once took a pup of a guy that tried to sell her at a traffic light, pup was 6 weeks old and my mom ended up paying R20 for her, this is about $1US now. There are very few ethical breeders in SA unfortunately
I have a dog who I took off some random guy when I went out for a bag of ice. The most expensive free puppy. She was maybe 5 weeks old. Her gut was wrecked by worms and she’s had stomach issues ever since. Her fur literally wouldn’t grow for several months. Ask your vet about probiotics and possibly a special diet. If you have a dog with maternal leanings, great! They can teach puppy how to be a dog. If not, find an older well trained dog (with all their shots) and set up play dates
She has luckily showed no signs of worms after deworming, had a bad flea infestation. We have 3 spaniels, one is a female and they are doing really good with teaching her
This exact thing happened to me 10 years ago. I now have the best dog, but let me tell you, the puppy years are going to be rough with it leaving its mother so young. Of course every dog and experience is different but count on separation anxiety at the very least. This little one is going to have a hard time being alone, protect everything for their safety and your sanity.
I just picked up mine this past weekend....and watched her progress from 3 weeks on. At 7 weeks, she was 10.4lbs, and over 11.5lbs at 8 weeks. She's considered large breed (dad was a lean 130lbs), but should have some weight at 8 weeks.
Any vet visits? Shots? Paperwork? Anything from the breeder?
I think you're being smart about everything. The breeder has already lied to you, there's no point in trusting them to do things right, and you're clearly on top of things and your vet seems helpful.
Your pup is very cute. I wish you both a lot of happiness with your expanding pack
Hey! What an adorable young puppy! My heart!! Take some deep breaths and understand you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you but it can be so worth it.
Almost ten years ago, I adopted a German Shepherd mixed puppy at just over 4 weeks old (it was a bad situation and we really didn’t know if he’d make it). It was a LOT of work and lots of vet trips early on. All that said, we were thankful to have another dog and that our neighbors had dogs too. Puppies sleep a lot and need it. They also need interaction with other dogs. They need boundaries and all the things. We did a lot of puppy training classes and behavioral work at an early age. I worked with him with everyone that would be willing, including small children. He was part of the reason I ended up in the profession I have now, working with behaviors in education.
I got him way too young, BUT he ended up being one of the sweetest dogs I have ever had. As an adult he was so excited to meet everyone we encountered, loved adventures, loved to play and also relax. I trusted him anywhere. All of the work and stress and time was completely worth it. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago (stupid heart tumor), but all things considered he was happy and healthy and had a wonderful life.
I wish you the best with all of the challenges ahead!
Thank you! She is sleeping quite a bit, but is also a land shark when the eyes open, massive improvement overall in the 3 day we have had her, and we weigh her every night to ensure she is on the right track
this was my 8 week old runt of my litter so i’d definitely say their much younger, you can also tell because they haven’t really developed yet if that makes sense? like their face is more of a blob then a ‘proper’ long dog face
Awww, my goodness! You have your hands full. It's hard work, but it's worth it... in my experience. My husband and I unexpectedly got a GSD at 4 weeks on the dot. She's now a thriving, super smart, beautiful, amazing 4-year-old. She'll be 5 on 4.24. It was HARD the first few months because she did not get that much-needed time with her littermates and parents for play, etc. She bit us SO much in the beginning... drew blood, left bruises multiple times. But then, one day, when she was around 4 months old, things seemed to just 'click' for her. She started chewing her toys, she started listening very well and picked up on new commands within the first few tries. Again... it was HARD. My husband was ready to throw in the towel a couple of times because I was left in literal tears a few times. But now???... I think he wishes we could have 100 more just like her. She is his baby. We have a boy, too. He turned 3 in January, and they're the best of friends. We also welcomed our first (human) baby this past May, and they're both absolutely smitten with her so far. Congratulations on the new addition!! My biggest recommendation is to be persistent in the words and phrases you use to communicate with her, keep things as simple as possible for now, and follow her cues. If she seems up for learning some commands, go for it, but don't expect much at this age. I will say our girl was 100% housebroken within 24 hours of being home. That was amazing! We got our boy at 12 weeks plus a couple of days, and it took him well over a month before he could be trusted. 😆
Definitely 4-5 weeks. My family had this happe once with a pup and he grew up to have super severe attachment issues and fear aggression. Definitely stay super on top of her training and get guidance from your vet!
Breeders want them gone. Tired of the hassle of “caring” for them. Extra, gentle care for that young pup.
Please tell the breeder that I hope they have the life they deserve.
Sounds like you purchased your pup from a ByB (Backyard Breeder). A reputable breeder interested in the health and welfare of their dogs would never release one until at least 8 weeks old.
This is what my charity case looked like at 5 weeks. She was from a litter of 11. She was malnourished and her breath stank of feces for the first two weeks of taking her in. She weighed just under 4lbs.
I don't know.... it's not a very cute situation to me and I only say that because it's actually sad. The puppy should be with its momma still and this breeder is clearly very unethical.
OP - definitely younger than 8 weeks. I'd say you are right about 4 weeks. This is what my boy looked like at 4 weeks. Why would the breeder let you take him so young? Did you meet mom and dad? Health checks? Are you aware of the negatives that may follow?
Please do lots of research into this so you can help this baby. Behavior, immunity, development... all of it can be impacted being taken away from momma and littermates so soon. Good luck to you.
The breeder advertised them as 8 weeks, we met the mom, saw pictures of dad. We went with what the vet said and got the vaccines we could with her being as young as she is. Have her on very expensive puppy food for situations like this. Doing our best now.
Giving a pup away this young is actually illegal in many states. I would definitely report this breeder to any organization you can including the humane society. I'm sorry this happened.
Would the breeder let you return the pup for a few weeks? Only a couple of weeks back with mom would make a massive difference.
Once she is fully vaccinated she needs as many interactions with other puppies and dogs as possible. This is something you will need to heavily prioritize so she doesn't become too attached to humans and has atleast some chance at developing normal dog behavior. Another note: your older dog can potentially transmit disease or infection to a 4 week old puppy, since puppies that young have very limited immunity and are not fully vaccinated yet, so it’s best to be cautious about contact and shared spaces. At a minimum I'd be extremely cautious where your older dog goes until your pup is fully vaccinated.
For time being not, he wants to see if she can gain weight on the food that he gave, she is doing good so far, gaining about 100gr a day and starting to chase the spaniels when she is awake
Oh no offense taken! Sorry was really just using your comment to piggyback that this situation, although a tiny puppy will be cute, is also very unfortunate and sad.
Breeder told us she is ready to go, rest of the litter has also gone to owners, according to them she is 8 weeks old, even with us asking multiple times
Had her at the vet, doing everything we can as he told us to, she is eating a little bit less than he wanted her to, but she is working up to it. She is going back to the vet in 2 weeks for check up
Doesn’t know how old their puppy is, it’s too young to have been taken from its mother, and they’re using a Monster can as a size comparison… It doesn’t get more “dirtbag backyard breeder” than this.
I am not the breeder to clarify, and only reference we have that is international, not everyone measures everything in freedom eagles. We bought her from breeder that told us she is 8 weeks old
I was talking shit about the breeder. I understood that you’re not the breeder.
But I did think that the Monster can picture was one that the breeder sent to you, lol. That’s not a reflection on you (I drink Monster energy drinks myself), but it would be kind of trashy for a breeder to send that picture to a client 🤣
Does she cry a lot? If so, she is missing her mum. There is a lot of life lessons she is missing out on due to being sold too early. Enjoy the video below for some fun facts and guidance. It helped me tremendously. Look at my boy now.
Got my little tornado at 6 weeks old, the only girl from the litter, it was either bring her home or they were going to the local kill shelter (overloaded with Huskies and GSDs) I just made sure to feed her pup specific food and goats milk until 8 weeks old, which after it’s just been puppy specific food. She’s a big and healthy 34 lbs at 5 months now with all of the energy you would expect. Just take care of them and listen to their needs and they’ll be fine.
She is smh it takes lots of walks or one 2 miler a day minimum right now but I’ve already raised a full husky that’s 8 years old presently so it’s no surprise to me. Your pup is definitely younger than 8 weeks but just give her goats milk to make up for the nutrients she’s missing out on from mom until she’s 8 weeks and she’ll be just fine and healthy.
Looks a lot less than 10 weeks old. Please watch her bowel movements and micturition. If she's not been properly weaned, she might not have learned to relieve herself without her mother's help. I am rather peeved by the fact that they separated this pup so early. I know it is still images, but it looks like she is still trying to process what she is seeing. My puppy when she was eleven weeks old...
Now monster can reference photo, the first one was Monday when we picked her up, this one was Sunday and she has gained 800grams and starting to eat a lot better, and about 50% house trained. She actually spent a full 10min on the couch withoit freaking out
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u/FuzzyFrogFish Mar 26 '26
Yeah that's a 4 week old little one, far too young to be from mum. So you are gonna have to give her extra tlc.