I've done a lot of research on Dobermans, and my dad had 2. I know they're supposed to be quite big but also lean and athletic. My question is: is she underweight? I just doubled her food intake to 1 cup a day (let me know if more is needed). I read some posts on here and her male counterparts are 11 pounds. I know females weigh way less but she weighs barely more than half that.
7.5 week old female is only 6 pounds?
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Why did her breeder let her go at 7.5 weeks--most states have actual regulation against selling puppies under 8 weeks.
But if you have her now you have her so--for baby puppies I would be feeding them as much as they would eat and I'd be feeding them 4 times a day --that would work out to about 1/4 cup per meal which sounds like underfeeding to me but I really keep only males so maybe someone who has female puppies instead of males can give you more help.
But I'd at least be offering more food than it sounds like she's getting. What are you feeding her? Just kibble? Nothing else?
dobebug
Are you sure she is actually 7.5 weeks? That does sound light.
Dobes are officially considered a medium sized dog. I'm not sure what you are calling "quite big", but generally you can expect a mature female dobe to run somewhere between 60-70 pounds--maybe a touch higher or lower, but somewhere close to that. There are breeders who go for the bigger dog and advertise it as being of superior size, and a lot of people keep their dogs overweight, so you will see bigger sizes, but ideally a female really shouldn't run that much above 70 pounds or so.
We'd love it if you could post some pictures. Puppy pictures are always fun to see.
Dobes are officially considered a medium sized dog. I'm not sure what you are calling "quite big", but generally you can expect a mature female dobe to run somewhere between 60-70 pounds--maybe a touch higher or lower, but somewhere close to that. There are breeders who go for the bigger dog and advertise it as being of superior size, and a lot of people keep their dogs overweight, so you will see bigger sizes, but ideally a female really shouldn't run that much above 70 pounds or so.
We'd love it if you could post some pictures. Puppy pictures are always fun to see.
i agree 7.5 weeks is young -
i got Jetta at 10 weeks
i was feeding her 3 times a day about 6.5 cups/day- about 2 cups per feeding - purina Pro Plan Chicken and Rice - which seemed to work for her
at about 5 months i went to 4.5 cups/day - fed her 2 times a day - 2 cups or so per feeding
i mix in hard boiled eggs, a little tuna, sardines, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, some raw veggies - every other day
she's 9.5 weeks clocking in at 61 pounds - she looks great - nicely toned and lean - rather have a lean fit dog than a large overweight one - that's just a ticking time bomb
- she gets many compliments on her coat
others will pipe in and share their thoughts on feeding as many here have had dobes for many years -
i got Jetta at 10 weeks
i was feeding her 3 times a day about 6.5 cups/day- about 2 cups per feeding - purina Pro Plan Chicken and Rice - which seemed to work for her
at about 5 months i went to 4.5 cups/day - fed her 2 times a day - 2 cups or so per feeding
i mix in hard boiled eggs, a little tuna, sardines, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, some raw veggies - every other day
she's 9.5 weeks clocking in at 61 pounds - she looks great - nicely toned and lean - rather have a lean fit dog than a large overweight one - that's just a ticking time bomb
- she gets many compliments on her coat
others will pipe in and share their thoughts on feeding as many here have had dobes for many years -
yes my bad - 9.5 months
ive been up since 5 am smoking a 15 pound brisket - the smoke may have gotten to me!
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When I got Taba at around 7 weeks, he was 8lbs at the vet, skinny and covered in fleas. (central america here, no such thing as reputable breeders, everyone's a byb) He was a picky eater as a baby and at 9 months old now, he is light for a male at 65lbs. He's very lean and athletic though. I would offer 4 feedings a day as suggested and add in some cooked meat with warm broth to encourage eating. Upping too much kibble will lead to diarrhea so be careful of that.
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Not sure how long you've had her but 6 pounds is VERY small. My females weighed 15 and 18 pounds at 8 weeks. But if you got her at such a young age where did you read to only give a cup of food a day? That is not nearly enough. I feed 4.5 cups a day usually 3x a day but with your puppy being so grossly underweight, I agree with feeding 4x a day for quite a bit.
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