# Predicting a dog's look



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

My Brady does not look like his mother, but exactly like his father. Not sure if it is a male / female thing or what.

Don't forget, the mother is not going to look her best since she just gave birth and raised a litter of puppies.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Tess looks exactly like her mother...


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Mojo looks EXACTLY like his mom... but NOTHING like his dad.


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## mom2b (May 3, 2010)

Thanks for your replies, it is hard to predict. I guess the breeder should know best.
You all have beautiful dogs, just looking at ther faces makes you want to kiss them....


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

I'm so sorry for your loss. Looks are not nearly as important as health and temperament. Do both parents have full sets of health clearances as well as past generations? Both parents should have clearances on hips, elbows, heart, and eyes. You can look up the parent's registered names on offa.org to see if they have their clearances listed. If not, you'll want to ask the breeder for the documentation. If there are none, I would not purchase a puppy from that litter. 

As far as looks, there is really no way to tell what they will look like until they get older and start maturing and filling out. They can end up looking like either their sire or dam, or they can even look more like their grandparents. It's impossible to tell when they are puppies. They go through so many different stages while they are growing. If you want an idea of what color the puppy will be when it gets older, the color of the ears is generally a good indicator. Tucker doesn't really look like either of his parents and Tyson definitely is starting to look more like his dad. The fun part is watching them as they grow and seeing what they turn into.


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## mom2b (May 3, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. The breeder is very reputable with all papers and clearances for both parents. The breeder also trains her dogs for agility so she really loves dogs. The puppy I am looking at was revisouly sold but the owners changed their minds due to a family issue. 
I agree looks are secndary to temperment and health. I was so shocked when I lost my golden at 11, she eat Science Diet (vet recommended) and was exercised a lot. Not overweight and very active. BUT she was vaccinated yearly, i hear this is not the correct protocol.


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

Molson looks identical to his mom in build, coat and face, and although I've never seen his dad in person, I can see resemblance between the 2 in all of the photos of him.

Molson and his mom, "Nelly" the day we brought him home:








Molson making the same face at 1 year old:








Molson's dad, "John":








Molson at 14 months old:









If you don't like the look of the mom, it might not be the best litter for you (although when those puppies are born, I'll bet you will have a hard time turning one down!) Maybe talk to the owner of the stud and see when he will be bred next and to whom, if you fancy the way he looks.


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

My Maggie looks like her dad. Her mom was darker in color leaning toward the red hues, not Maggie, not yet anyway. Time will tell.


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## tbliss (Mar 26, 2009)

Maevis looked so much like her mom, Winnie, when she was a puppy that we called her "Mini-Winnie." As she matures I think she is starting to look more like her dad, although she still still has moments when she is the spitting image of mom.


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## mom2b (May 3, 2010)

esSJay said:


> Molson looks identical to his mom in build, coat and face, and although I've never seen his dad in person, I can see resemblance between the 2 in all of the photos of him.
> 
> Molson and his mom, "Nelly" the day we brought him home:
> View attachment 75645
> ...


Molson is gorgeous...
The puppy is born she is 12 weeks old now. Right now she looks ike the father. Someone was talking about head size and to predict you look at proportion of head width and length of nose. Maybe I shoudl post a picture the breeder sent me of the puppy with her dad, how do I do that??


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

It's hard to know for sure which parent they will resemble......Reno kind of looks like his mother but larger and darker; Phoenix looked like his dad but lighter; Austin looks very much like his father (which I was hoping for) and I'm still convinced that Lincoln was the milkman's dog's baby.....I don't see a resemblance to either of his parents.....he's tall, long, lean and very light. His parents are more golden and stockier. He's only 14 months so has time to fill out.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

I love Molson so much. 

Here are some picture of Mojo's mommy and Mojo making very similar faces.




























Mojo's a little darker than his mom, but I think that's because his dad was more golden than "cream" ... You can see part of his dad in the left bottom corner of the last picture.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I think momma dogs look pretty worn down after they've had their litters. Flora's breeder told me that they actually blow their coat or something... he was right, because his female dogs that had litters on the ground looked awful! So don't judge the momma too harshly.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

My Maggie looked just like her mom, Hank looks just like his dad. Hank's bro looks more like the mom. I think it can be either or a combination.


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## Lestorm (Feb 25, 2007)

Choose a puppy with the most bone. You wont go wrong......I hope!


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## Nicole74 (May 30, 2009)

Bailey is an exact mix of her mom and dad.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

My noah looks like mom in the face and dad in the body. My Scout is opposite - dad face and structure.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Predictability increases if the breeding is either a line breeding, or, if an outcross of two phenotypically like dogs. Random outcrosses will produce a hodgepodge of puppies who may or may not look like _either _parent.


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## Griffyn'sMom (Mar 22, 2007)

Oh gosh - there's no telling for sure unless they are strongly line bred and producing very "like" puppies. 

Griff looks like a cross between his mom and dad but has his Mom's personality for sure. 

Jake - I can't remember what his parents looked like as they were put outside when we came so we could interact with the pups. They were standing just outside the sliding door - hey - they looked like Goldens. :doh: hehe! 

My siggy pics show puppy through adult with both. Hope it helps - but truth be told - you could bring home the ugliest pup in the litter and by the time it matures it's not going to matter, it's going to be family and you're going to love it nonetheless!

Best wishes with your new pup!


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