# Anyone else with a golden on the smaller side?



## lizT (Feb 24, 2012)

Lyla is 10 months old now as of the 12th, and just before that she was weighed at just over 46 pounds. When she was a puppy the vet had estimated she'd be 60, but I definitely don't think she'll quite get there. I don't mind her being on the smaller side of things and I know she still has some filling out to do as she gets older, but I was just curious about other dogs that happen to be a little more...petite


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Me! Her breeder said Molly should end up around 55-60 lbs. At 11 months she is 51-52 lbs. I think it is possible she might end up being 55 lbs as an adult, but probably not 60. She is within standard height-wise though, at almost 22 inches.


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## OriJames (Jan 23, 2009)

Abosultely. Jasmine is 2 years old now, and while I was told she's at a pretty smooth weight and height, she still looks a little on the small side to me, and I just can't get over it. I think it's because I'm not used to girls so much as I am the Golden boys...

We use the metric system here, so her weight is different "numbers". A few weeks ago was 19.6kilos, which the vet found to be fine. For those not using the metric system, that's about 43lbs.

So between you two, Jasmine is much smaller it seems.


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## lizT (Feb 24, 2012)

Vhuynh2 said:


> Me! Her breeder said Molly should end up around 55-60 lbs. At 11 months she is 51-52 lbs. I think it is possible she might end up being 55 lbs as an adult, but probably not 60. She is within standard height-wise though, at almost 22 inches.


I was thinking Lyla might make it up to around 55 when she is older too. Molly is adorable, by the way.



Ori said:


> Abosultely. Jasmine is 2 years old now, and while I was told she's at a pretty smooth weight and height, she still looks a little on the small side to me, and I just can't get over it. I think it's because I'm not used to girls so much as I am the Golden boys...
> 
> We use the metric system here, so her weight is different "numbers". A few weeks ago was 19.6kilos, which the vet found to be fine. For those not using the metric system, that's about 43lbs.
> 
> So between you two, Jasmine is much smaller it seems.


She is a small one it sounds like! I had a friend over the other day who has a male golden, and he kept commenting on how small she was. Lyla is my first golden so she's all I have to go by, but I had expected her to be a bit bigger!


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## OriJames (Jan 23, 2009)

As small as Jasmine is, she has a lot more pep and muscle-tone than Ori does, and from their backs, they're the same height, but different lengths and Ori is a lot "wider" as well as long.

Females are naturally smaller than males, but there are some variations on "averages" even between females, depending what's in their lines. Do you know if Lyla comes from American/English lines? I knew a breeder here who mixes a little bit of the American lines in with her English and her dogs (even the females) are much bigger than Jasmine. Though I don't know how much the line-cross is a factor.

Also, I don't see Jasmine becoming stockier now. She's very lean for her English lines, which has always confused me, so I think their may be American field-bred in her as well. She has a tiny waist, tiny torso (even though healthy) and a tiny head. Lol. I used to call Ori "fathead" when he was going through his awkward puppy phase. He grew into his, but her head is like half his size, it's weird because she still beats him in play. He looks like he could just lift a paw and push her over.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

My golden was 50 pds,at a yr old but added mass until she was 3 yr old,to reach 60pds.
She was considered a field golden so than are often lighter in weight compared to the show golden.
She kept that weight till the end of her life.
She was on the tall side(23in) but trim.
People are use to see fat goldens and I would often get the comment that she was small when she was,in fact,at her perfect weight cos she wasnt big boned.
Just to say that your baby is not done growing(weight wise).


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

My Ellie is 2.5 years, and meets the standard for height at 21.5 inches, but is only 45 pounds. She maybe small but she is feisty, she had no problem taking down a 100 pound, 10 month old unneutered male GR at class, when he got to "friendly". We also adopted her mother, and she is the same height and 55 lbs at 6 years. I am always surprised at the number of people who think they are puppies because they are "so small". The next question is usually "they're not purebred are they?" It just makes me laugh, because people in my area are so used to seeing goldens that are much bigger than the standard, that they don't know a standard sized golden when they see one. I have noticed that Ellie, my smaller golden, is a lot more agile that the bigger goldens I met. She has no problem jumping out of a 36 inch x-pen, and can herd sheep, almost as well as her border collie friends.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

My cambridge, a feild golden, is small, 50 pounds.


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## OriJames (Jan 23, 2009)

Millie'sMom said:


> I am always surprised at the number of people who think they are puppies because they are "so small". The next question is usually "they're not purebred are they?"


I get the same thing too! 

My grandparents visited yesterday, and without seeing Jasmine, they thought she was still a puppy - and they're used to having Chihuahuas. A get a lot of comments from people who say she doesn't look fully grown, or she looks too small and expect her to be some gigantic Great-Dane, or say she's a mixed breed.

So I can still hug and cradle her in my arms, so what? Lol. It comes in handy when I need to put her in the car, because she absolutely hates getting in. Fine when driving, and once on the seat...but just will not get in. We've have issues with parked cars on the side of the road on walks too. So, pick her up, plop her on the seat, and no back-strain.

Ori however, no way. At 50-55lbs and my small build - he'd break me. But he loves getting into the car - even when we're not going anywhere.

I have also been told some foods can slow and stretch out the growing time too. Especially if there's calcium in the food, and the dog is absorbing too much of it. It's put in to stop rapid growing during puppyhood, but I've been told it *can* mean that they're growing for longer, and may stop growing at 3 years instead.

Which I wouldn't mind if that proves true for Jasmine. I adore her the way she is, but I would love for her to just be a leeetle bit fuller built. If not just to stop the disapproving looks that I have some "defected mutt/runt."


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Don't forget that breed standard for bitches is 55-65 pounds, so at 55, a bitch isn't truly small. She's right inside standard. And, put on top of that the fact that dogs are typically not shown at super lean weights, so anything over 50ish, if the girl is lean, probably isn't truly undersized. I think our sense of size can get skewed by seeing badly bred and overweight dogs so often.

Embrace your dog's smallness and don't stress about hitting a certain weight. Lean dogs live longer lives with fewer health problems.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

As others have said do not fret over her size. She is still young and filling out/maturing can add a good 10 libs. And remember some Goldens do not mature till they are 2 or 3 years old. 
And by the way Lyla is beautiful! :wavey:


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## Aspen's Mom (May 15, 2012)

lizT said:


> Lyla is 10 months old now as of the 12th, and just before that she was weighed at just over 46 pounds. When she was a puppy the vet had estimated she'd be 60, but I definitely don't think she'll quite get there. I don't mind her being on the smaller side of things and I know she still has some filling out to do as she gets older, but I was just curious about other dogs that happen to be a little more...petite


Lyla and Aspen are only a day apart...Aspen turned 10 months on the 11th! Aspen is quite a bit larger than Layla...72 pounds. She grew like a weed, but has finally slowed down...I thought I was going to have a monster on my hands. Her mother and father are both around 70 pounds, so she's right on her genetic track. Do you know the size of Lyla's parents...that's probably a good idea of how big she'll be.

I wish Aspen were a bit smaller....I can't lift her anymore, so it can be tough getting her in the tub, car, etc. Goldens are all beautiful, no matter what their size or shade of gold! 

Sorry...I know you were wanting to hear from others with petite dogs, but since our pups are only a day apart I had to chime in, lol.


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## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

My son's golden is quite small in length but he is one of the most agile dogs I have ever seen! I think this is partly due to his small size.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I've had girls on both ends of the standard, from Tango at 52 lbs to Acadia at 74. Right now , at my feet are Lushie at 64 lbs and Bunny at 53 lbs- both lovely golden girls.


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## Pup (May 12, 2012)

Rain is 55 pounds at almost 10 months, she is about 22 inches. she looks so tiny to me, but I guess she is within standard for both a Golden and a Lab (she is both), so I guess she isn't _that_ small. But I was hoping for 60 pounds + so she is small to me


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

tippykayak said:


> I think our sense of size can get skewed by seeing badly bred and overweight dogs so often.


This is so true (holds true with people also )

My Kenzie is on the small size. I think she'll make breed standard, but will be on the low end. Her mom was just 1/2 inch into breed standard. Dad was smack dad in the middle.


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

tippykayak said:


> I think our sense of size can get skewed by seeing badly bred and overweight dogs so often.
> 
> Embrace your dog's smallness and don't stress about hitting a certain weight. Lean dogs live longer lives with fewer health problems.


I think you are absolutely correct, most people are so used to seeing overly large golden retrievers that they are surprised when they meet one that is breed standard. I don't believe goldens were meant to be 100+pound dogs.



Ori said:


> I can still hug and cradle her in my arms, so what? Lol.
> 
> I have also been told some foods can slow and stretch out the growing time too. Especially if there's calcium in the food, and the dog is absorbing too much of it. It's put in to stop rapid growing during puppyhood, but I've been told it *can* mean that they're growing for longer, and may stop growing at 3 years instead.
> 
> Which I wouldn't mind if that proves true for Jasmine. I adore her the way she is, but I would love for her to just be a leeetle bit fuller built. If not just to stop the disapproving looks that I have some "defected mutt/runt."


I still love to pick up Ellie and cradle her in my arms. I have not heard that about the food, although I think you may be talking about the slow growth plan. I just gave her appropriate amounts of a good quality food.

My usual response when someone is making disapproving comments about how small she is, "She is the size a golden retriever is *meant* to be". It is usually enough to stop further comments or her size.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

People see Molly and think she's a 6 month old puppy. I think she has the baby face to go along with it.

I love her size, she's within standard for height, so she isn't small, only on the smaller _side_. My bf especially, loves her size, because he's going to be the one who's gonna have to carry her back to the car if she gets hurt when we're out hiking. She's only 11 months though so she may continue to gain weight. 


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

*Bella at 8 months*

Our little girl Bella was 8 months old on Dec13.
She's just 47 lbs.

She was the smallest in the litter.
Her mother was petite also.

She is very fast & agile.

We expect her weight will be 50-55 lbs when full grown.

Mike D (Bella's dad)


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

*Bella at 8 months*

Here's our Little Bella at 8 months


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## Altairss (Sep 7, 2012)

Sparkles is 21 1/2 inches tall and about 56 pounds Her Mom was only about a 1/2 inch taller but a bit heavier, her grandma was almost her same size. They aren't small just right in the low side of the standard. I actually love this size as I can pick her up easily and put her on a table easy to wash and groom in the tub. Boots is 23 1/2 but is more the field body style not really heavy bodied. Tink on the other hand is going to be taller her mom is only about 22 1/2 Dad just over 24 but right now she is really leggy and built like a mini tank. People think she is about 7-8 months not 5 1/2 lol.


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## GuliblGuy (Sep 26, 2012)

Seeing these small sizes for grown dogs has me worried 

Barley is already 48 lbs at 5 mos....we knew he would likely be big!


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

GuliblGuy said:


> Seeing these small sizes for grown dogs has me worried
> 
> Barley is already 48 lbs at 5 mos....we knew he would likely be big!


I'm with you. Bear is already 33 lbs at 4 months old. I'm very anxious to see where he actually ends up weight-wise. 


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

GuliblGuy said:


> Seeing these small sizes for grown dogs has me worried
> 
> Barley is already 48 lbs at 5 mos....we knew he would likely be big!


Barley has his own genetic blueprint. If mom and dad were big, he is likely to be big. He is also male, which tend to be bigger, and I believe most of the small goldens being discussed are girls. If Barley is fed a good quality food in appropriate amounts, the he will end up being the right size for him. Just as there are humans that are barely 5 feet tall and those that are over 6 feet, there will be goldens who are at the small end of breed standard and those at the top of the standard and a lot inbetween. There is very little you can do to change how big your dog will end up.



Brave said:


> I'm with you. Bear is already 33 lbs at 4 months old. I'm very anxious to see where he actually ends up weight-wise.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


If you are feeding Bear a good food and in an appropriate amount, he is just the right size for him. There are lots of people on the forum with dogs on the larger size as well.


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## Altairss (Sep 7, 2012)

Don't be fooled by weight it is the genetics like MilliesMom said. Sparkles grew really fast then just stopped cold and filled out. Several of my puppies did the same they came from a quick growing line. But i had some puppies that just sorta grew really slowly and bloomed so to speak. I had a sheltie Broker that I swore would be tiny but he was with a 1/2 of the standard by the time he quit growing at 2 years. Look to the dogs behind yours to see where yours might go.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Altairss said:


> Don't be fooled by weight it is the genetics like MilliesMom said. Sparkles grew really fast then just stopped cold and filled out. Several of my puppies did the same they came from a quick growing line. But i had some puppies that just sorta grew really slowly and bloomed so to speak. I had a sheltie Broker that I swore would be tiny but he was with a 1/2 of the standard by the time he quit growing at 2 years. Look to the dogs behind yours to see where yours might go.


Very true. Bella was 39 lbs at 4 mo, but has since grown only 16 lbs in the past 3.5 mo. She has seemingly stopped growing at about 55 lbs, but will likely gain a bit more, I suspect. 


She does not look like the "big dog" many expect when they see her. I admit being surprised how "small" some of Cedar's show dogs looked in person. They looked bigger in photos, and I'm used to seeing huge Goldens around town.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Vhuynh2 said:


> Me! Her breeder said Molly should end up around 55-60 lbs. At 11 months she is 51-52 lbs. I think it is possible she might end up being 55 lbs as an adult, but probably not 60. She is within standard height-wise though, at almost 22 inches.


There is a small, female Golden named Lucy that comes to our dog park. She just turned 2 years old. Her owner says she was the smallest in the litter, and when I first met her about a year ago was less than 50 pounds. Lucy is now 65 pounds, lean and about the fastest runner in the park.

Max is at the other end of the spectrum.


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## mudEpawz (Jan 20, 2011)

ive got a pint size golden and i love it!!  

she is about 53lbs and will be 3 in april


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Max's Dad said:


> There is a small, female Golden named Lucy that comes to our dog park. She just turned 2 years old. Her owner says she was the smallest in the litter, and when I first met her about a year ago was less than 50 pounds. Lucy is now 65 pounds, lean and about the fastest runner in the park.
> 
> Max is at the other end of the spectrum.


Yeah, but Max would probably win the race if they all had to carry a 20 lb log in their mouths.


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