Lois is still tiny

Lois has just turned a year old last month and she weighs 5.8kg. She seems tiny and doesn't seem to have grown much since she was a young puppy. We feed her a cup of burns food every day and a few treats. She is lively and energetic but I worry there is something wrong because she is so small. She was spayed a few weeks ago so she may start to put on a few pounds but of course we don't want her to get fat. Does 5.8kg seem ok for a one year old girl? Our other dog Sally is a big Cav at 9.5kg so there seems a big difference.

Riley, who is 7, weighs less than that now. At a year, she was just over 11 pounds (5.0 kg) and now weighs about 12.5 pounds (about 5.6 kg). Lois could just be a tiny cavalier. As long as she is healthy and active I wouldn't worry about it.

Your smallest bitch at 5.8 kg is not too small as the breed standard is 12-18 pounds. 5.8 kg is nearer 13 pounds than 12 !

The other weight of 9.5 kg is far more, the wrong side of 18 pounds and is infact the approx same weight as my Lana was with pups inside.
But remember, they are not all the same. Dogs tend to be larger than bitches.

Yours to be honest seem just fine, subject to a health check, heart eyes etc etc.

Vets do like to feel ribs and sometimes get carried away with weights.

Good exercise is so important.

Regards Mark.

Thanks for the reasurrance. Yes Lois is healthy and the vet has never been concerned about her health. She has a lovely glossy coat and is a happy little girl. Our other girl Sally is just a larger dog but isn't fat. She is a bigger frame altogether and more muscular than Lois. It is strange how this breed varies so much. They both get the same food and exercise and yet are totally different shapes. It must just be down to genetics. Mark I hope Lana is recovering well after having her lovely pups

I am one for keeping records and record everytime a bitch comes into season, when they stand and when they start and seem to finish ?

I also weigh the puppies twice a day for 2 weeks and then every day until they reach 3 pounds in weight or 48 ounces - the limit of my Avery sweet scales.

The charts do reveal certain details. For example, EVERY puppy born into our family will increase its birth weight, 6 fold at least, in 4 weeks.

I always feed Colostrum for the first 2 days and colostrum and welpi milk mixed, for the next 2 days. At 4 weeks I introduce minced best beef and allow the mother to feed milk for 8 weeks. I believe that Mums milk is best !

Mine then get Farleys and welpi right up to 10 weeks when they have their first jabs and go to their new homes after 12 weeks, with both injections given.

I dont believe in rushing pups out the door but the negative side is that the parting is more intense and my Jennifer always cries.

The pups are always well socialised and love humans. Never nervous.

Always keen to know how others do things.

Mark.

I always find myself saying that about all the fosters that come through; "Oh, he's so small...she's such a litte cutie" etc. It's not that the fosters are small, it's that my crew is BIG, so they just look small! My current foster is 16lbs and looks "compact" compared to my others. Size is relative! :rolleyes:

At a year old, Phoebe weighed 5.9kg. She is particularly petite in build. She's now 2 years and 3 months old and weighs 7kg. I really don't want her to get any heavier as I think that because of her build, she would be overweight. Her new sister however is less than 5 months old and is already as tall as Phoebe, goodness knows how big she will be when she's an adult, she looks "all legs" at the moment! I guess they come in all shapes and sizes!:p

Lou was still filling out at two years old (not fat, muscle and bone)

Maddie took until 3yrs old to reach her ideal weight for her frame of 6.5kg (a lot of muscle has gone into this.) Up until then she was about 5.5kg, not underweight, but no real muscle development.
Now she's perfect at 6.5 kg, can still feel her ribs easily, but if she loses even 300g she becomes lethargic and loses some of her "bounce". I wouldn't know what she'd be like if she put more on, because that just doesn't happen. When she's eaten enough, she stops. She'll even refuse treats!8)

also, just to say, she didn't put on any weight after she was spayed at 11 months old. But she gets plenty of exercise, so that may have made a difference.:grin:

My 17 mth old (spayed) cav Sasha is tiny too...she is 5.6kg....my 3 yr old cav(spayed) Lucie is much bigger boned and weighs 9.8kg but she is not fat!
Everyone asks what age my puppy is....Sasha....and then when i tell them she is nearly 18 ths they cant believe it as my other dog is much bigger!
They are just built totally different