Growing Goldendoodle

[Michelle & Ruepunzel]

Hello Doodle Lovers,

I am kind of worried about my dogs weight/height. My boyfriend went out on a whim and bought her from a pet store and surprised me with her despite my research from almost a year to get her from a certain breeder! The pet store told him that she will be a standard size doodle as her mom was a golden retriever and her dad a standard poodle. When we got her at 12 weeks, she only weighed 6 lbs. Now she is up to 15 lbs and 14 weeks old. I've been reading others posts and it seems their doodles weigh a lot by now. Am I worried for nothing? Please advise!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

I don't know enough to comment about the weight/growth but she sure is sweet!  

[F, Calla & Luca]

It's hard to say. My large medium doodle weighed at least twice what your did at about 10-11 weeks. But of course you have no way of knowing if anything you were told is true. But she is certainly gaining weight. You are saying she gained. 9 pounds in two weeks? That seems impossible. I think, if you haven't done it already, a vet check is vital for any new puppy. Health insurance is also a great idea first. She liked came from a puppy mill.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ditto on the health insurance, it is crucial. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Please don't take this as any type of criticism, but all puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills, and the information provided about them is not reliable. The puppy mills provided false documents. 

Is the information you posted correct? She gained 9 lbs (150% of her weight at 12 weeks) in only two weeks?

Your puppy is adorable; my advice is to love her, take good care of her, and don't worry about how big she is going to be. You might ask your vet's opinion on her weight & size if it's concerning you. 

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

She is so darn cute :)  Who cares what size, color, curly or straight hair - just give them lots of love and you will get it back a thousand times more - enjoy your puppy :)

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I just remember my vet saying to me between 8 and 12 weeks Spud's weight must double. It certainly did. I'll look at my weight chart at home and it will tell me what he did between 12 and 16.
I do remember he was around 24lbs at 16 weeks You may have just hit a big spike. My chart showed this on the early weeks.
Maybe your pup is trying to catch up?
It's a lot but some weeks they really grow and other weeks its more stable.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree with the insurance suggestion as you have many unknowns. Is it possible she was a little behind in weight at 12 weeks and is catching up rapidly? Or that the weight given was not correct and she actually weighed a little more than 6 pds at 12 weeks.? Did the vets office weigh her then? . My two both gained very quickly from 8-14 weeks and it seems they did double their weight during the first month or so.
But like Joanne I would have to look at my records. As long as she is gaining well and seems healthy otherwise, there is no need for concern. The formula for guesstimated mature weight is 2 x the 16 week weight, plus or minus 10 pds, so you could be looking at 35- 45 pds average. That is totally a guess, and I think 45 # is considered a standard size. Also, considering she has not fallen prey to the usual diarrhea and issues new puppies can have, even coming from the best of breeders, you are very lucky as it seems you have a healthy pet store puppy.

[BG and Gavin]

I sure wonder if she was indeed 12 weeks old when you got her. My guess is she was really a lot younger.   Maybe she was not properly nourished and that may account for the rapid weight gain.  Like others have said, I would get a vet check and insurance ASAP as pet store animals do not come from reputable breeders and often end up with a variety of health issues.  Consistent training and socialization and lots of love for this sweet girl will result in a happy, well-adjusted family companion.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That was my thought too, BG. Altering puppies' DOBs on paperwork to make them older is a common trick of the mills, it's a way to get around the laws regarding the minimum age puppies can be sold. The sooner they can get rid of them, the less expense for the puppy mill. 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Maybe her age was incorrect? If she were really 2 weeks younger ( as pet stores are known for this), her weight would be about right. The Vet may be able to help guide you there. Age determination may get easier as she begins loosing teeth, etc. Enzo was 7.3 lbs at 8 weeks and 19.2 lbs at 15 weeks. As long as she is eating/drinking/ playing normally, I wouldn't worry too much about her size. But, yeah, Puppy Mill puppy strongly suggests Pet Ins. And hopefully you'll never have to take full advantage of it.
She are is a cutie!

[Michelle & Ruepunzel]

I'm wondering if her age was incorrect as well. When we saw the paper of her being brought in to the petstore from the "Breeder", it was reported her weight was 5.2 lbs. by the time she came home with us (3 days later), it was reported she weighed 6.1 lbs. We got her into the vet 3 days later and they said she weighed 7.3 lbs. Keep in mind this is the vet they "reccommended" for us to use. I had a horrible gut feeling about them, I have made an appointment with a vet I trust from our previous puppy. She goes in Saturday. When she was weighed at her last appointment, she would have been with us for 2.5 weeks at that time and gained a little less than 8 lbs. The petstore said her birthday is 09/02. We got her 12/1 which would have made her 12 weeks and only weighing 6 lbs???? That is crazy to me. Also, she was really sick when we bought her and they didn't tell us that, just sent us home with antibiotics. After those, her eating improved drastically. She does have puppy insurance and is AKC Registered. I knew to get that right away since our last dog had diabetes and so much money came out of our pockets, it was draining! She is happy and healthy and I don't care if she is a puppy mill puppy, I'm just glad we rescued her from that and she will have the most loving home. I can't get enough of her and she is a blessing to my little family. I'm not sure if I saved her or if she saved me :)

 

Thank you everyone for your feedback! :)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Wait....they told you she was AKC registered?