# Weight question



## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

Today we just went to the vet for Chester's first vet check, and so far a healthy pup, even though he is seven pounds! He is only two months old!:jaw: I don't think he is supposed to be that heavy. The vet said that Chester's weight would have to be doubled or something (?) and he would turn out to be 35 pounds. I don't believe any Havanese has been close to that weight or should be. His nickname is Polar Bear, and I think he deserves that name cuz he's so big!:biggrin1:My mom contacted the breeder and Chester's parents are both 14 pounds. Is this ok to be this big?


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I don't think that is so big. I can't remember but Jack was around there at 8-10 weeks. He is 18 pounds now. The vet is okay with his weight.


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## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

We are starting to think that he is a Golden Retriever.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ruth4Havs said:


> Today we just went to the vet for Chester's first vet check, and so far a healthy pup, even though he is seven pounds! He is only two months old!:jaw: I don't think he is supposed to be that heavy. The vet said that Chester's weight would have to be doubled or something (?) and he would turn out to be 35 pounds. I don't believe any Havanese has been close to that weight or should be. His nickname is Polar Bear, and I think he deserves that name cuz he's so big!:biggrin1:My mom contacted the breeder and Chester's parents are both 14 pounds. Is this ok to be this big?


While it's certainly "bigger than average", there are other big Havs on the forum. There is nothing "wrong" with the bigger ones, unless you are looking to show them in conformation. Otherwise, it's just more of him to love!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ruth4Havs said:


> We are starting to think that he is a Golden Retriever.


:laugh::laugh::laugh:

I think he's going to be big, but I seriously doubt he'll actually end up being 35 lbs!


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Could he be overweight at all?

A gal I know has a chihuahua and was feeding him too much. She thought he had a slow metabolism but it turned out she was feeding him about 300 calories a day! She sent me a picture of her dog and he is morbidly obese. I'm sure that's not your case but just thought I would mention it
He is probably just a big boy. My Fred and Scuddrr both weigh more than their parents.


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## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

lfung5 said:


> Could he be overweight at all?
> 
> A gal I know has a chihuahua and was feeding him too much. She thought he had a slow metabolism but it turned out she was feeding him about 300 calories a day! She sent me a picture of her dog and he is morbidly obese. I'm sure that's not your case but just thought I would mention it
> He is probably just a big boy. My Fred and Scuddrr both weigh more than their parents.


No, I don't think he's overweight at all. Chester eats regularly but he probably he is just a big boy.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Did the vet think he was overweight? Run your fingers along his spine. If his spine protrudes like your knuckles when you make a tight fist, too skinny. If it is buried and flabby like your knuckles when your hand is flatten, too pudgy. If it is halfway in between, similar to when your hand is relaxed or curled to type, just right. 

I hope this helps.

Jack's parents weighed 14 & 16 lbs. He weighs 18. Just remind the vet that AKC doesn't have a weight limit on the Hav standard. It is a min-max height limit, so there is a huge range (8.5-11.5 inches). A lot can happen in three inches.


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## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

morriscsps said:


> Did the vet think he was overweight? Run your fingers along his spine. If his spine protrudes like your knuckles when you make a tight fist, too skinny. If it is buried and flabby like your knuckles when your hand is flatten, too pudgy. If it is halfway in between, similar to when your hand is relaxed or curled to type, just right.
> 
> I hope this helps.
> 
> Jack's parents weighed 14 & 16 lbs. He weighs 18. Just remind the vet that AKC doesn't have a weight limit on the Hav standard. It is a min-max height limit, so there is a huge range (8.5-11.5 inches). A lot can happen in three inches.


I did try and Chester's spine is a little hard to feel cuz of his thick Havanese coat, but I think it is right in between, maybe a tincy bit flabby.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

The vet would have told you. Are you doing 3 feedings a day or 2? When you see the vet for the next round of shots, just ask. Discuss what, how much, and how often you feed him. 

Jack will be 3 in July. I feed him 1/2 cup dry food AM/PM.


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## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

Mostly three times a day...btw, my birthday is in July, the 14th.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I am having a brain fart. I think Jack's b-day is the 20th. 

Maybe if you think he is a little pudgy, you could reduce the amount of the midday meal a little, just a little. Not enough to upset his schedule.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Tillie was a little under 3 lbs at 2 months old.. we didn't even bring her home till she was 14 weeks. and at that point she was about 3 1/2 lbs... she's a lightweight though. lol


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## MyLittleHavanese (Jan 15, 2013)

Bella, my little one was 11 weeks old and 2.2 lbs when she came home. She will be 3 yrs old next month and weighs 8 lbs. Gizmo turned 3 in April and weighs 15 lbs.


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## marlowe'sgirl (Jun 17, 2010)

9 lbs at 16 weeks when I got Marlowe. He's a big Hav at almost 17 lbs and was the giant of his litter. I'm not sure what he weighed at 8 weeks.


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## My2Havs (Jun 5, 2009)

Ruth4Havs said:


> Today we just went to the vet for Chester's first vet check, and so far a healthy pup, even though he is seven pounds! He is only two months old!:jaw: I don't think he is supposed to be that heavy. The vet said that Chester's weight would have to be doubled or something (?) and he would turn out to be 35 pounds. I don't believe any Havanese has been close to that weight or should be. His nickname is Polar Bear, and I think he deserves that name cuz he's so big!:biggrin1:My mom contacted the breeder and Chester's parents are both 14 pounds. Is this ok to be this big?


Well, that is pretty heavy for two months. Don't remember Dooley's weight but Roxie was 3.2 lbs at about 8 weeks and she's 15 lbs now at age 9 and a tad overweight. Their ribs should be easy to feel with your fingers even through the hair. Another possibility is that your vet's scale may need calibration. This happened once at our vet and Dooley had gained 3 lbs in a few months! I didn't believe it so went to the emergency vet near our house to weigh him (they have a scale in their waiting room) and sure enough he was his usual 16 lbs over there. So don't worry, either he'll slow way down in weight gain or maybe he didn't weigh 7 lbs after all. My friend's Hav is pretty big/tall and he's still only 23 lbs.
Monica, Dooley & Roxie


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

Dance was 3 lbs at 2 months.
6 lbs at 6 months.
8.4 lbs at 9 months
9.3 lbs at 22 months

If Chester follows a similar pattern he will probably top out at around 18-20lbs. That sounds a little more realistic than 35 lbs.

Dance is on the thin side. She should probably be right at 10 lbs. She's also 10" at withers.


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## Deliah (Jun 7, 2013)

Our three year old Hav is 16.5 lbs. Our vet commented that he was big for a Hav. I feel better now reading about the other sizes on this forum. Thanks!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Deliah said:


> Our three year old Hav is 16.5 lbs. Our vet commented that he was big for a Hav. I feel better now reading about the other sizes on this forum. Thanks!


Kodi is 16 1/2 lbs too, and a bit over breed standard in height too. He's big, but he's far from the biggest we've had on the forum!.


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## rdanielle (Sep 2, 2008)

Keep in mind that different bloodlines mature at different rates. There are those that will be completely done growing before a year of age. Then, there are those that will have a final growth spurt around 18-24 months. All of this can vary too, nothing is set in stone..


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## Dory (Jan 4, 2012)

Quincy has been holding steady at 17 pounds since he was nine months old. He will be 14 months old in a couple of weeks. He's also 11.5 inches tall (top of the standard). Not overweight and I feed him twice a day (1/2 cup morning and evening). If he's especially active, I give him a nutritious treat midday. He really burns it off. Not fat at all, just muscular. His parents were both 9-11 pounds and his sister doesn't weigh anything near what he does. She's also not as tall - very petite.


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## Lila (Apr 9, 2013)

Mikey was 6 lbs 11 oz at 10 weeks and he's 5 months old now and weighs 14 lbs. He's probably going to be 18 lbs, I'm guessing. ??? 

He is not overweight for the rest of his size is a little bigger also. He's a little taller and a little longer legs. I think he's just perfect :first:

As long as he's not over weight, be happy you have a big healthy one :clap2: More to love!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I think a lot of the bigger Havs get into pet owners hands, because the breeders know they are outside the standard, can't show them and don't want to breed them. They might have very good conformation, but if they're too big...

But that doesn't make them any less good as pets or performance dogs. I knew Kodi was going to be big. (my breeder told me before I chose him) I could have had one that looked JUST like him, but was smaller, and would have stayed within standard. But Kodi had the disposition I wanted. (not that the other had a "bad" disposition... Kodi just fit me better)


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Jack is 12 pounds at 3 years. Dexter is 17 pounds at 4 years. Dexter was getting a little heavy...just feeling around his ribs, so cut back the food amount from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup twice day. They were probably getting too many treats too, so, had to cut that back too. There is a BIG difference in 5 pounds! The weight is stable now.


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## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

I've heard breeders are breeding their puppies to be bigger. Unintentionally, or intentionally? Which one I don't know.:decision:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ruth4Havs said:


> I've heard breeders are breeding their puppies to be bigger. Unintentionally, or intentionally? Which one I don't know.:decision:


I don't really think this is true. Good breeders breed to the standard, and most breed sort of to the MIDDLE of the standard range, knowing some will be a bit bigger, some a bit smaller. But there are a lot of "bigger genes" in the gene pool, and there are also a lot of BYB's who don't care at all what size (or what conformation) their dogs are. So there are still a lot of Havs around who are outside the official size range.

In Kodi's case, both his parents are right in the "preferred" size range... one is 11 lbs one is 12 lbs. They have had a bunch of puppies, because they were bred several times. Kodi is the only one who went over-standard. More to love, I say!


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## miller123 (Aug 13, 2011)

Now you guys have me curious! What was the biggest hav on the forum? And Miller is 16.5 pounds, and about 12 inches at the withers (sorry if that isn't the right word, i'm used to horses) Also he is just coming up to two years old.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

Ruth4Havs said:


> I did try and Chester's spine is a little hard to feel cuz of his thick Havanese coat, but I think it is right in between, maybe a tincy bit flabby.


You could always check right after a bath. You can also see how well you can feel the ribs.

Bear is 12.7. But that may be a bit misleading---because of his hip and leg issues, his upper body muscles are super strong, so he is top heavy.


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