# Puppy search



## Kissi's Mom (Apr 21, 2006)

I have been looking for a pup for several months now and have finally found some that I want to go look at seriously...I have a question though. What is a healthy, normal weight for an 8 week old maltese puppy. When I got Kissi she was already 5 1/2 months old so I did not see her as a little baby. I know they say take the 12 week weight and double it and add 1/2 lb. for an estimate of adult weight but how does that apply (if at all) at 8 weeks old??? Also, how much of the dark pigment should already be visible at this age? BTW.. don't worry I will not get this puppy until she is 12 weeks old I am only going to "hopefully" put a deposit on her. 
Thanks,
Kissi's Mom


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## NewMom328 (Apr 15, 2005)

> I have been looking for a pup for several months now and have finally found some that I want to go look at seriously...I have a question though. What is a healthy, normal weight for an 8 week old maltese puppy. When I got Kissi she was already 5 1/2 months old so I did not see her as a little baby. I know they say take the 12 week weight and double it and add 1/2 lb. for an estimate of adult weight but how does that apply (if at all) at 8 weeks old??? Also, how much of the dark pigment should already be visible at this age? BTW.. don't worry I will not get this puppy until she is 12 weeks old I am only going to "hopefully" put a deposit on her.
> Thanks,
> Kissi's Mom[/B]



At this website: http://www.bhejei.com/dev_master.htm the do a puppy development timeline thingy. It looks like at 8 weeks the puppies are around 2 lbs and it seems like they have almost all of their pigment (to me anyway). I know this probably varies greatly but I think Bhe Jei is a pretty reliable source. Good luck with your search


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## Kissi's Mom (Apr 21, 2006)

> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=199849
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## kwaugh (May 8, 2006)

Here's my newbie question:

Keep in mind that I'm use to seeing a 20-30 pound puppy versus a 2 pounder. But even with a two pounder, if the breeder actually lets you pick out a puppy, wouldn't you look at the overall puppy or is weight a big consideration when looking at maltese puppies in a litter? I only ask this cause I've never heard this question being asked before about the weight of a puppy and having never had to pick out a toy breed puppy before, it's all new to me.









Karyn


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## HappyB (Feb 28, 2005)

> Here's my newbie question:
> 
> Keep in mind that I'm use to seeing a 20-30 pound puppy versus a 2 pounder. But even with a two pounder, if the breeder actually lets you pick out a puppy, wouldn't you look at the overall puppy or is weight a big consideration when looking at maltese puppies in a litter? I only ask this cause I've never heard this question being asked before about the weight of a puppy and having never had to pick out a toy breed puppy before, it's all new to me.
> 
> ...



There is a theory that what you see in a pup at eight weeks will predict a lot of what you see as an adult. Some pups at this age also have extra milk fat, so weight isn't always an indication. Mine are usually under two pounds at eight weeks, and I work with adults in the five to six pound range. Some say that you can tripple the weight at eight weeks to get the adult size, but others say you tripple the weight at six weeks. I just go on what I know about my own dogs' lines, then I'm still wrong sometime.
If I were choosing, I would go for quality. I would look at the face, the structure of the dog, the coat, the tail set, etc. to make an overall decision. I would feel the legs to make sure the pup is not too fragile for you as a pet. You may or may not be able to predict personality, as some of mine change who is the most outgoing, but that would also be a factor in selecting a pet.


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