Big as a puppy - big as a dog?

I spoke to the breeder I am buying my cav pup from and she assured me that the fact that she is a big eater at 3 weeks doesn't mean that she will be a big dog when she is grown up.

Does anyone know if a chubby puppy will become a larger adult?

Just to clarify - when she was first born she was the average size in the litter but has now become the heaviest.

Any thoughts much appreciated!

My pup was the biggest in the litter by far, almost 7lb at 11 weeks! He's now full grown at 15-16lb! So, no - size as a puppy does not always indicate size as an adult. and I'd think 3 weeks old would definitely not be the best time to judge.

Thanks heaps for your response!

My common sense is telling me that I'm being silly by thinking that she is going to be oversized but this is my first and I'm trying to learn as much as possible. She should start walking this week so hopefully her other litter mates will catch up with her.

Thanks again :rah:

Size depends on parents and grandparents combined -- even parents alone are not a definite indication of adult size. If your breeder is a reputable show breeder who knows genetics, and breeds for conformation, health and temperament, the adults should fall within the breed standard of about 12 to 18 lbs (13 lbs in the US is the lower end and 12 in UK/Ireland). There are always some adults that fall above or below this -- with more being somewhat over the breed standard. But as said, 3 weeks is way too young to know. The largest puppy at 8 or 12 weeks though may well end up being the largest in the litter, but not always. Many breeders prefer to have chubby puppies -- a good eater is a healthy puppy.

I sure wish there was a reliable way to tell adult size at the young puppy stage, but there isn't. We just try to keep our puppies within the breed standard by looking at the size of the dam and sire and the grandparents and further back. For example, if we have a girl that's toward the top end of the standard, we try to breed her with a smaller male; even more so if that male had smaller parents. After that, it's just cross your fingers . Just like in humans, there can be that one dog that is just lots different in size than it's littermates.

Should add, a big eater as a puppy is not going to be a big eater as an adult. I hate to keep picking on Eva, but Eva (AKA Our Little Mess) had a voracious appetite as a puppy; now she's this little bit of a thing that we have to beg to eat. She was also a normal size puppy from a normal size dam and sire; Eva now weighs MAYBE 12 pounds. We should have placed her, as she is too far from the breed standard to breed or show, but neither Kris or I could bear to let her go.

Looks like Karlin posted basically the same thing I said while I was typing.

My Tilly and Tommy were born from same parents but different litters. Although Tommy is a dog and even with some allowance made for that he is MUCH bigger then his sister! His head is broader and wide and Tilly is a petite little girl

Thanks everyone!

All the grandparents were showdogs so they were of the proper sizes.

Will keep you posted on her progress!

My dog was a chubby, solid puppy who was big for his age when we picked him up at 9 weeks. Now at 14 months, he's quite a dainty, small to average sized cavalier.

He was one of only 3 puppies in the litter and one died at birth, thus he got plenty of milk and thrived!! So litter size is probably a factor too.