# How much should a 4 week old puppy weigh?



## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I really don't know what to answer, as your puppy isn't 'competely' Golden...You can find various threads here where breeders post pictures of their litters every week, but as to how the fact that his father was a Dane will influence size and weight, I don't know. Did you take him to your vet? I'm sure that's a good place to ask questions. He is very cute, by the way.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Four weeks old is extremely young. :no: As far as his size, I don't really know how big he should be at 4 weeks since he's not 100% Golden. I'm wondering why the "breeder" didn't use a milk replacement formula on the pups if the mother rejected the litter. He was way too young to leave his littermates. I would definitely get him to your vet ASAP to be checked out. Puppies that young are susceptible to so many illnesses. The deworming could be causing the diarrhea, but there could also be an underlying medical issue.


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

Oh my...4 weeks huh? The puppy is missing out on prime socialization time with his litter mates. You will have a lot of work ahead of you in the socialization department.

Anyway, as far as weight. It would be impossible to know since the pup is a mix. I'm not even entirely sure how much a 4 week old golden approximately weighs!

I would also get the pup to a vet ASAP. I'm not sure this is such a great situation, but I wish you and the puppy luck.

He is cute FOR SURE, but, was this planned?


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

I found this video of 4 week old great dane pups:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGtvM9vc7Bg
There are also others on Youtube with some pups looking bigger/smaller???? Look for videos of 4 week old Golden pups and do some comparing.

Was this an intentional pairing by the breeder? It will be interesting to see if your pup ends with with a smooth coat or golden. He is a cutie though.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Actually, unless the mother was attacking the puppies, I don't think she was rejecting them. She was probably starting the weaning process, and 3 weeks is not an unheard of age for a litter to begin weaning. From 3 weeks to 7 or 8 weeks, the puppies spend more time with each other and with the litter owner and as mentioned above, this is a prime socialization time and very important to develop social skills. I cannot imagine any vet approving placing puppies at 4 weeks of age.

As stated before, since your puppy is a mixed breed, it is hard to determine an appropriate weight. My newborns are usually right around 16-18 ounces and gain weight steadily from there.

If he is eating well, gaining weight steadily and has normal bowel movements, he is probably on schedule. A vet visit is definitely in order though, especially if he is having diarrhea. I have not had problems with diarrhea following worming but I suppose it is possible.

Socialization is going to be extremely important for this puppy, as he will need to learn appropriate doggy language. It will be helpful if you have other dogs at home for him to interact with.

He is cute-good luck with him!


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## Nicole74 (May 30, 2009)

Tahnee GR said:


> Actually, unless the mother was attacking the puppies, I don't think she was rejecting them. She was probably starting the weaning process, and 3 weeks is not an unheard of age for a litter to begin weaning. From 3 weeks to 7 or 8 weeks, the puppies spend more time with each other and with the litter owner and as mentioned above, this is a prime socialization time and very important to develop social skills. I cannot imagine any vet approving placing puppies at 4 weeks of age.
> 
> As stated before, since your puppy is a mixed breed, it is hard to determine an appropriate weight. My newborns are usually right around 16-18 ounces and gain weight steadily from there.
> 
> ...


I totally agree with this! I don't know why they didn't keep the pups together for the remainder of the 4 weeks. I hope to pieces the breeder spays her female, so this NEVER happens again. It sounds like the person you got this pup from didn't want the responsibility of raising puppies. 

You have one adorable puppy. I can't wait to see pictures of him growing up.


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

WOW... she sent them home at 4 weeks old?! I'm shocked. Even if mom "rejected them", the "breeder" (using that term loosely) should have definitely kept all of the puppies together for a few more weeks! They are definitely missing out on lots of learning and socialization with their littermates. My advice would be to definitely not use the same vet as your "breeder" did, but get your dog to a GOOD vet to get an overall check-up soon.

Like others said, if he is on schedule with eating and drinking and pooping, I wouldn't be too concerned about size. Some goldens from the same litter are twice the size of their littermates and all are healthy, so it can always vary. 

Good luck with your pup, I'm sure it is going to turn out to be SUPER cute. Please update us with pictures as he grows up.


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## HaliaGoldens (Jul 13, 2008)

Tahnee GR said:


> Actually, unless the mother was attacking the puppies, I don't think she was rejecting them. She was probably starting the weaning process, and 3 weeks is not an unheard of age for a litter to begin weaning. From 3 weeks to 7 or 8 weeks, the puppies spend more time with each other and with the litter owner and as mentioned above, this is a prime socialization time and very important to develop social skills. I cannot imagine any vet approving placing puppies at 4 weeks of age.
> 
> As stated before, since your puppy is a mixed breed, it is hard to determine an appropriate weight. My newborns are usually right around 16-18 ounces and gain weight steadily from there.
> 
> ...


 I agree with everything said here already...the mother not wanting to nurse as often and getting away from the puppies a bit more is completely normal at four weeks. It's when she naturally begins to wean them. I hope that the person you got your puppy from neuters her dogs and does not continue her breeding. The vet who authorized splitting up the litter at that age has some questionable judgment, at best.
Since he's a mix, it's hard to say what his size should be at 4 weeks, but I don't think he looks too small. He's not going to be the chunky, fluffy puppy you would expect a golden to be at that point because he is half Great Dane, which are much more lanky in appearance and have a much shorter coat. I would find a good vet and get some serious help in making sure that your pup gets the right nutrition as he grows (Great Danes can be tricky because they grow to be so big and can have problems if the joints and bones grow at the wrong rate). Also, like some other people have already mentioned, he will need lots of socialization with other puppies and adult dogs since he missed out on the crucial month of socialization with his mother and littermates. 
That said, he's adorable and looks like a real sweetie...good luck, and I can't wait to see pictures of him as he grows!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Hank was given to me as a gift at 5 1/2 weeks. Even though I was surprised when I was told his age, his littermates all left as well that day. He weighed 3.15 lbs. His pic from Gotch Day is my avatar. Those big paws didn't show up for a few more weeks.

I took him to my vet that day to be checked out and even though he too was a bit surprised that Hank was so young, he knew I wasn't a novice puppy owner and just said to call if I had any problems or questions.

I haven't experienced any of the problems that I was warned about with regard to early placement. Hank was not very mouthy/nippy, he plays well with other dogs, housebreaking wasn't particularly difficult, he's not destructive and there where no separation issues. He ate dry kibble fine but I did mix in a little canned food and cottage cheese and/or yogurt though at first. 

He's now 6 months & around 48-50 lbs.

Good luck with your new little guy.


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

I can't believe how cute he is!!! Have never seen a GR crossed with a GD before.... beautiful! Congratulations


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## Mommy_2_Duke (Jan 13, 2010)

Thank you all _very_ much for your awnsers,I was SO worried about joining this group due to having a Golden retriever mix,but Im so glad that its OK for me to be here 
I know he is VERY young,but I have 7 other dogs and lots of experience with very young pups,so he´ll be very well socialized.
He already runs around with my 2 smaller dogs (a yorkshire terrier and a chihuahua mix) because they match his size and he´s very sweet and kinda clumbsy which I find absolutely adorable lol
Im going to take him to my vet tommorow because we want to make sure he´s OK and ask about his shots,chip and about having him fixed later on etc..just a check up really (because he wont be allowed to have his shots until after he´s 45 days old) but at least I´ll get some peace of mind 



Willow52 said:


> Hank was given to me as a gift at 5 1/2 weeks. Even though I was surprised when I was told his age, his littermates all left as well that day. He weighed 3.15 lbs. His pic from Gotch Day is my avatar. Those big paws didn't show up for a few more weeks.


I was so glad to read your post!! Ive had a few visitors today and everyone comments on how little his paws are,that he´ll never grow as big as his mom,let alone his dad..
Everyone thinks that a puppies paws are a sign of how big he´ll get,so Im getting alot of stress about this because as I said,he doesnt look very big.

So,his size as a puppy doesnt mean he´s going to be very small as an adult? 
It looks like your pup is doing great!!


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

With that number of dogs in your house, socialization should not be a problem for him  The only thing you may find is that because he is a puppy, your dogs will give him a "puppy license", meaning they will let him get away with stuff because he is a baby  As he gets bigger, which he will, and pretty rapidly, just watch him with the smaller dogs to make sure he doesn't hurt them accidentally.

Growth for him will be tricky because of the Great Dane part of him. You will want to make sure he grows at a nice, even pace and that he never gets heavy. Great Danes and Golden Retrievers are both subject to hip dysplasia, so weight control and even growth will be important to help minimize this. Both are also subject to pano, which is painful but not serious. However Great Danes are also subject to HOD, which is extremely serious. 

I don't think you can tell adult size by the size of their paws as babies  I would assume that he would be at least as large as him mother. Now, that is assuming that the Great Dane was the father of all the puppies. A litter can have more than one sire, and if they were not careful with her, more than one male could have sired her litter. Given the merle coloring of your boy, I think that's doubtful unless another dog with merle coloring was involved.

You may also want to check out some Dane sites, to see what they recommend in terms of feeding, growth and neutering. Danes are a giant breed while Goldens are typically considered more of a medium to large breed. The giants have their own subset of health issues.

You are right to want to get him to the vet as soon as possible to get him checked out. Keep us posted on his progress  It will be interesting to see what he looks like as an adult!


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

I would think the laws in your state would prohibit the sale of pups younger than 7 or 8 weeks of age. In Florida, pups can't be sold younger than 8 weeks of age.


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## Daisy and Rita (Aug 31, 2009)

Hi Gina, so sad your pup was let to go at such a very young age, as mentioned above the owner should have reared them all herself 'IF' the mother had rejected them??? I'm not so sure if worming at 4 weeks of age is good either. But it's done now, and yes a bit of diahorea is normal - just keep watch on his poops, it should clear up.

Though he is a cross bred, his size looks fairly normal I think (If you want to see my video of my Golden Retreiver at 3 weeks pm me I'll send it you it).

Again being so young, you really must allow him to sleep LOTS, and LOTS and undisturbed, when he tired, leave him alone, and as for his food requirements I would still feed him a good 'puppy' milk along with his puppy food and give him the best food you can get to ensure he gets all the much needed nutrients that are vital for his growth.

Bless him, he's so adorable.

And again as mentioned above, when he has had his vaccines at 8 weeks old, two weeks later take him to puppy classes for socialising, he really will need it, and I would stay with the classes incase of any issues he may have.


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## Mommy_2_Duke (Jan 13, 2010)

Tahnee GR said:


> With that number of dogs in your house, socialization should not be a problem for him  The only thing you may find is that because he is a puppy, your dogs will give him a "puppy license", meaning they will let him get away with stuff because he is a baby  As he gets bigger, which he will, and pretty rapidly, just watch him with the smaller dogs to make sure he doesn't hurt them accidentally.
> 
> Growth for him will be tricky because of the Great Dane part of him. You will want to make sure he grows at a nice, even pace and that he never gets heavy. Great Danes and Golden Retrievers are both subject to hip dysplasia, so weight control and even growth will be important to help minimize this. Both are also subject to pano, which is painful but not serious. However Great Danes are also subject to HOD, which is extremely serious.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your advice,I had no idea that more than one male could sire a litter! 
There are only 2 males in the group of dogs that this woman has,another Golden retriever (he´s Dukes grandpa) and Zarco (the great dane),and Dukes grandpa is fixed.

Im also glad to know that a puppies paws have nothing to do with how big/small he will be as an adult.
I´ll have to try and get my MIL to understand that lol.She keeps saying that Duke is tiny even for the Golden mix in him..I feel bad for the poor little guy!!:

Also,thank you for all the info on both breeds health,Im going to do some more research on all of that 




rappwizard said:


> I would think the laws in your state would prohibit the sale of pups younger than 7 or 8 weeks of age. In Florida, pups can't be sold younger than 8 weeks of age.


Im in Mallorca (Spain).Big breed pups are usually sent off to their new homes at 6 weeks old here,so really,I got Duke just 2 weeks early.
Smaller breeds (like yorkies,chihuahuas etc) are usually sent home at 8 weeks old..but Ive seen some of those breeds sent home at 6 weeks old too.
I just think things are done alot differently here you know? 



Daisy and Rita said:


> Hi Gina, so sad your pup was let to go at such a very young age, as mentioned above the owner should have reared them all herself 'IF' the mother had rejected them??? I'm not so sure if worming at 4 weeks of age is good either. But it's done now, and yes a bit of diahorea is normal - just keep watch on his poops, it should clear up.


Well,the mother was flat out refusing to be with the pups at all,so Dukes previous owner was feeding them kibble in warm milk (for puppies).
Being as they were completely on kibble and the mother was no longer interacting with the pups at all,I guess the vet thought it would be OK for the pups to go to their new homes being as they were eating..which is why he de-wormed them on Monday instead of waiting a couple more weeks.

BTW,He just pooped a little while ago and its looking good!! (as good as poop can look anyway!! lol).

Thank you all for your advice!!


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## honeysmum (Dec 4, 2007)

Duke is very cute, but I am a little biased


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