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Puppy size

LauraD

Well-known member
Hi everyone,
Ok, i want to know if Riley is about the right weight for his age. He is now 11 weeks old and weighs 9.1 pounds. Is that too big? I don't know if that sounds normal or not. He was the biggest pup in his litter of 6, and he does have quite an appetite. We feed him Canidae "all stages" kibble about 1/3 cup mixed with 2 tbsp of canned 2 times a day. He gets baby carrots and Bark Stix in his kongs as treats during the day. And small bits of freeze dried liver any time he goes potty outside.
Does that sound like too much food, too little, just right? Is he normal size for a puppy his age?
Laura
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That sounds OK for food but it really depends on how active he is, how fast he's growing, what his metabolism is like...

Here's breeder Laura Lang's post on judging approximate adult size... but this can really vary, some grow fast early, some grow later on.

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=31

In general he's a bit on the big size for his age and will likely go up over the breed standard if you take Laura's guideline as males usually being half their adult weight at about 16-17 weeks old (the breed standard is 13-18 lbs). But that is an approximation, not a hard and fast rule. However consider that they keep growing til about a year old and males often fill out a bit more over their second year too.

Your vet is probably the best one to advise on whether he seems overweight but puppies do tend to balance out and sometimes look plump and sometimes thin (sometimes over one day!!). It doesn;t sound like you are overfeeding unless you are giving lots of treats. I'd go pretty easy on the liver treats as those are rich and caloric. One or two tiny pieces in a day is OK but he shouldn't be getting lots of liver treats; the carrots are an excellent snack though! Also if you are putting a lot of food in kongs and he gets one or more every day -- that's a lot of additional food.

Overall he just sounds like he is going to be big.

I fed about a cup of food total for the day *including* all snakcs, when mine were puppies. As adults they get about 3/4 or 2/3 cup. They weight 15.5 and 16.8 lbs.

I recommend Laura's page on feeding:

http://roycroftcavaliers.com/manualfeeding.htm

Here's one of the more relevant bits:

FEEDING DIRECTIONS
Whether you decide to feed a high quality kibble or a commercially prepared whole foods diet, the following directions will apply.

Puppies between 8 and 16 weeks of age do quite well on 3 meals a day. They start out with about a large handful of kibble for each meal or about 1/4 cup. At about 4 to 6 months of age you may begin feeding your puppy twice a day, about 1/2 cup or so each time. Somewhere between 10 and 18 months of age you may begin feeding just once a day--with some really good eaters you may need to feed just once a day by 6 or 7 months of age.

Each time you feed your puppy, put the food down for approximately 15 minutes. If the puppy hasn't finished it after 15 minutes, pick it up and put it away until the next feeding time. Do NOT try to feed in between. Refrigerate if you are feeding a commercially prepared whole foods diet. Do not worry if your puppy appears thin. Puppies are just like humans. Some are very thin while growing up and some are not. It is highly unlikely your puppy will starve itself unless it is already ill. A puppy that grows slowly is best--there is no first prize for gaining full size as early as possible! Puppies who grow slowly are more likely to be able to develop muscle and tissue at the correct rate to keep up the the bone development. Of course some puppies are gluttons! Be careful not to overfeed a glutton.

As adults some Cavaliers may only eat 1/2 cup of food per day, others may eat as much as 1 full cup of food per day. I do not suggest feeding an adult Cavalier twice a day even though it is best for the dog. Cavaliers do not eat much! Half of very little is almost nothing! Nearly every owner I've known who tried to feed an adult twice a day ended up with an overweight Cavalier. When they try to divide 1/2 or 2/3 cup of kibble into two servings the amount barely covers the bottom of the pan--so they add just a little bit more so they don't feel as though they are starving their Cavalier. A little bit more every meal eventually ends up being a lot more! And their Cavalier becomes overweight. With one meal a day the amount looks to our eyes as though it is a half way decent amount and we are much less likely to add just a little bit more each day.
 
He's pretty good sized for 11 weeks and handsome as a devil! I'm partial to bigger guys...Jake is 21 lbs (perfect weight for him) and Shelby (a bit chubby right now) is 19 lbs.
 
I'm new to Cavs, so am not sure if your pup's size is normal or not. My Charlie seems like a peanut, he's just a little over 4 lbs at 8.5 weeks. :)
 
harry is 20lbs, and he's only 10 months old, and he's still a srawny looking teen, still waiting for him to fill out!!!.... gosh how big will he be when he's finished growing icon_yikes
 
Dudley is about 14 lbs or a bit over, he has recently lost some weight which I wanted for health. He was 2 years old on January 12th.
I tend to like smaller cavaliers, but isn't it a bit in the genes also.

Dudley gets about a 4 inch piece of chicken neck with skin removed in the morning.
Evening 1/3 Cup mix of Evo and 1st choice with about 2 tbsps of
raw hamburger with pulverized veggies and 1 tbsp of real pumpkin.

Very little treats other than fruit.
 
Riley may end up being slightly larger than standard, but that's OK! He looks good weight-wise. Not too fat or skinny.

Rory was 7lbs at 11 weeks and I was sure he'd be a giant, but he topped out at a perfect 17.5lbs. :D
 
Abbey is large, she's 20 pounds and will be 4 next month. Our vet would like to see her at 19, but really, after she's groomed today she'll make weight! :D
 
Jen said:
Abbey is large, she's 20 pounds and will be 4 next month. Our vet would like to see her at 19, but really, after she's groomed today she'll make weight! :D

Jen, harry is that weight now and he's only 10 months old! when do they stop growing?
He's not fat, still quite thin really you can still feel his ribs etc, how big do you think he'll be fully grown?
 
Did you mean 11 months old or 11 weeks old. Bailey is 9 weeks old and weighs about 3 pounds. But I am sure he will gain over the next few weeks because he eats like a pig. lol
 
Bailey is smaller than Charlie! Charlie is a little over 4 lbs at 8 weeks. I'll weigh him again today to see what he is. My 4 week old Shih Tzu puppies weigh a little over 2 lbs each!!
 
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