GSP Puppy Weight

[erl1391]

So I got my first GSP last Sunday. She's ten weeks old and is adorable. I haven't been around any sporting dog pups in quite some time and she just seems really skinny for a puppy. I can't find the vet papers at the moment (went to the vet Monday) to check her weight, but can anybody tell me about the average weight of a ten week old GSP? As soon as my computer downloads my pictures I'll post some.
FYI, I didn't buy her. My parents did and she came from a not so amazing breeder but has several titled dogs in her pedigree and her parents were used as personal hunting dogs.

[sheplovr]

Those bird dogs are on the lean side to begin with. Long legs and body they do not carry alot of weight. It however should no be so thin you can see the ribs only touch them if one runs a hand over the sides of the dog.

Make sure it has been wormed good, many top breeders fail to do this. I worm two weeks and every two weeks till they leave here. Run a sample of the fecal into a vet to make certain, take nobodys word for it.:)

[applesmom]

Congratulations erl! Can't wait to see the photos!

It's almost impossible to predict a desired weight. It would depend on the amount of bone she has and her expected adult size. It's better for her to be on the lean side rather than overweight. The hips should be nicely rounded, tuck up should be evident and you should be barely be able to see the outline of the last rib.

Here's a photo of a pup close to the same age at the desired weight.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/applesmom/Gsppuppractice.jpg

Don't forget those photos!:)

[Star Shine]

Congratulations on the new GSP puppy. Can't wait to see pictures of her.

[erl1391]

Well I haven't been able to get very many semi-good pictures of her. I forgot how hard it is to photograph puppies! The pics I got don't really show how skinny she is at all. She weighed 14 pounds at 10 weeks and is at least 14 inches tall. She is all legs. lol.
Mid-play session with Carley:
http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00351.jpg

http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00337.jpg

Her face really reminds me of a coonhound's in this pic:
http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00336.jpg

http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00332.jpg

She's a really quick learner and I'm really excited about training her. Her breeder showed pictures of puppies in the litter pointing (I don't know if one was her since I wasn't there) and had started working with the pups in the field. I'm kind of worried though because Sammie (still not sure if we'll stick with this name) hasn't shown any interest in any birds. They'll be chirping away and she doesn't even look. My dad's really worried about this because he has been wanting a dog to hunt with for quite some time. We'll probably use her mostly as a retriever anyways, but I really would like her to start pointing. I'm going to give the breeder a call soon and maybe they can help us. I'm just really amazed that she doesn't seem to care about birds, whereas our pointer at 3-4 months old went crazy over birds. And this pup has multiple field champions in her pedigree.

[cassblonde]

/chuckle/ I have never seen a puppy that needs to grow into it's head before - sorry, she's adorable but her colouring makes her head look very big compared to the rest of her :)

Cass :)

[applesmom]

Well I haven't been able to get very many semi-good pictures of her. I forgot how hard it is to photograph puppies! The pics I got don't really show how skinny she is at all. She weighed 14 pounds at 10 weeks and is at least 14 inches tall. She is all legs. lol.
Mid-play session with Carley:
http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00351.jpg

http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00337.jpg

Her face really reminds me of a coonhound's in this pic:
http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00336.jpg

http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/carley1304/?action=view&current=DSC00332.jpg

She's a really quick learner and I'm really excited about training her. Her breeder showed pictures of puppies in the litter pointing (I don't know if one was her since I wasn't there) and had started working with the pups in the field. I'm kind of worried though because Sammie (still not sure if we'll stick with this name) hasn't shown any interest in any birds. They'll be chirping away and she doesn't even look. My dad's really worried about this because he has been wanting a dog to hunt with for quite some time. We'll probably use her mostly as a retriever anyways, but I really would like her to start pointing. I'm going to give the breeder a call soon and maybe they can help us. I'm just really amazed that she doesn't seem to care about birds, whereas our pointer at 3-4 months old went crazy over birds. And this pup has multiple field champions in her pedigree.

She's a lovely girl erl. Her weight is fine. By the looks of those ears and bone, she's going to be a good sized dog. Looks like there might be some Moesgaard/Checkmate breeding there along with perhaps a smidgen of Columbia River.

Don't worry about her not getting excited over non game birds. Many shorthairs seem to know the difference right off the bat and don't waste their time getting excited about "tweetie birds". You don't want to encourage her to sight point anyhow. It's not the birds they point as much as it is the scent. Once she's properly introduced to game birds she should do just fine.

Enjoy your lovely girl. You and your dad should have a ball together as you bring her along and watch her develop into a fantastic bird dog.:)

[erl1391]

That's a relief! lol. I've never hunted with a dog so I'm still rather clueless on some things. I'm ordering a couple of gundog training books this week so hopefully I'll be able to start training her right.
Thanks a bunch Applesmom!
And Cassblonde, she definitely needs to grow into her head, mostly her ears. lol. She likes to chew on them and wander around goofily with them in her mouth.