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Gunner says hello!

308 Views 18 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  OldSchool
Hi everyone,

This is my pup Gunner. He just turned 7 weeks old today (he's an April Fool's baby), and he's 10.5 lbs.

Dog Dog breed Carnivore Fawn Working animal


My wife and I adopted him at 6 weeks old and he doesn't have papers, but his mother is a stunningly beautiful AKC dam and the sire is a very friendly well-built unregistered male. Gunner is our first Doberman, and he's an absolute dream come true! I'm blown away by how intelligent and well-behaved he is. From the moment he got in the car with us to go home, he never cried or got upset. He's just curious, playful, and observant. We have 2 senior female miniature dachshunds who prefer to lounge around all day and are fairly sensitive, so he's learning how to control his puppy energy around his "big" sisters, and they're warming up to each other by the day. I've been exposing him to all sorts of stimuli (different surfaces, people, animals, noises, music, appliances, cars, etc.) and he takes it all in inquisitively. I also performed a temperament test on him and he passed with flying colors. He's been a complete velcro pup from day one -- if I go somewhere, he's going, and he loves crawling into my lap or on my chest to nap on the couch. We've gone for walks around the block, and he trots along beside me the whole time. I just can't get over how advanced he seems at such a young age!

Gunner has his first vet visit and vaccinations in a few days, followed by his pre-op exam for his ear cropping (we're going to Angelcare in Kenosha, WI). I also swabbed him with an Embark breeder's kit yesterday so that I can check for any potential disease markers and submit his results to the DDP.

We've got him on Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy (the chicken & rice formula), and I'm feeding him 1.5 cups spread out over 3 meals a day. He was knuckling pretty significantly when we brought him home, but that corrected itself within a few days and now he trots around just fine on our hardwood floors. When I feed him, he waits pretty patiently for me to put his bowl down and then attacks the food like a little madman! I got him a slow feed bowl so that he won't scarf it down too fast and upset his stomach. I'm wondering if I'm feeding him enough, though, because you can see his ribcage and hip bones when he walks around... I thought 1.5 cups a day was a pretty decent amount for a 6-7 week old pup, but maybe I need to increase that just a bit. He was supposedly the largest in his litter and he's got some pretty big paws, so maybe he just needs more food because he's got a lot of growing to do.

Anyway, I'm happy to be here and I'm looking forward to interacting with all of you and learning more about these incredible dogs!
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Whats-up Gunner!
You look quite interested in that PIC.
Welcome from Florida.
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Brown Dog Carnivore Comfort Grey


One more pic because I'm a proud daddy lol
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What a cute boy--when you are trying to figure out how much food to feed a very young puppy--look at the puppy--he should be well covered but not with fat! If you can see the last couple of ribs but no spine or hip bones that's about right. Add a little kibble as he grows. If you find his stools getting mushy he's probably getting a little too much food.

dobebug
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He's very cute! 1 1/2 cups in a day sounds like not enough to me (but I dunno). You sound like a proud, patient and loving Dober-Dad! Welcome to DT!

I recommend getting pet insurance at an early age, its pretty affordable. We have Embrace at 90% and 750$ deductible. They paid out great when our beautiful Fawn natural 4 year old boy Loki got really sick. Get the higher amounts. You can always reduce but not expand your pets coverage, unless you change insurance companies.
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Hi. dd. Welcome to you, your wife and. little Gunner fro the Pacific NW.

John L
Portland OR
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What a cute boy--when you are trying to figure out how much food to feed a very young puppy--look at the puppy--he should be well covered but not with fat! If you can see the last couple of ribs but no spine or hip bones that's about right. Add a little kibble as he grows. If you find his stools getting mushy he's probably getting a little too much food.

dobebug
Alright, he's not what I would call "well-covered" at all... I'm including some pics of him eating just now:

Dog Dog breed Blue Carnivore Wood

Dog Carnivore Mammal Floor Flooring

Dog Carnivore Mammal Wood Floor


I'm guessing I should be feeding more.
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He's very cute! 1 1/2 cups in a day sounds like not enough to me (but I dunno). You sound like a proud, patient and loving Dober-Dad! Welcome to DT!

I recommend getting pet insurance at an early age, its pretty affordable. We have Embrace at 90% and 750$ deductible. They paid out great when our beautiful Fawn natural 4 year old boy Loki got really sick. Get the higher amounts. You can always reduce but not expand your pets coverage, unless you change insurance companies.
Thanks! We actually got him the exact same plan yesterday!
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He looks bonier from different angles and depending on whether he's inhaling or exhaling. This photo makes him look very Skeletor-like...
Brown Dog Dog breed Carnivore Working animal


Maybe I should bump him up to 3/4 cup at each of his 3 meals?
Dog Cabinetry Dog breed Wood Carnivore
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Yes, slowly raise the amount until his hip bones pretty much disappear, and ribs touch but not see. I'd say. We just put about 5 lbs on our new rescue, so now we are slowly cutting back until his weight is stable at perfect. It's different for puppies. I think you will be feeding him a lot more for awhile because of growth spurts!!
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Alright, he's not what I would call "well-covered" at all... I'm including some pics of him eating just now:

View attachment 160068
View attachment 160067
View attachment 160066

I'm guessing I should be feeding more.
Yup! Good eye--standing pictures looking down on a puppy is the easiest way to see if they are too thin or not.

He should be eating more--and I am no fan of dishes to slow puppy eating down. Canids in general are designed to eat a lot of food fast--it's a survival trait--puppies who don't do this will starve and die.

And eventually about the time they start to mature sexually they stop eating well because the idea of girls if far more interesting than food.

And because I know this happens I go out of my way to make sure the puppy is a really good eater and looks forward to every meal. All my dog of any age get a little warm water on their kibble--makes is smell good and they also get "extras" all their lives. All spoonful of yogurt or cottage cheese with one meal (also good for skin and coat) and for another I feed an egg--I start them with 1/2 of a hard boiled egg (and I cook them 6 or 8 eggs at a time and I get an egg salad sandwich and after a few days the dog gets an egg a day--and they are easy to digest and are really good for skin and coat. And I may put in a spoonful of a canned food (not much an awful lot of puppies don't do well with canned food)--too much will almost always give them diarrhea.

And I might feed him four meal a day until his weight is a little better--that way he doesn't need to have big meals which can sometimes end up with soft stools (overfeeding will do that every time). And then you can cut him back to 3 meals a day in a week or so. Most of my males start leaving some of their middle meals sometime between four and five months and then I switch them to two meals a day--which is what they'll get for all of their lives.

Puppies usually act as if they were an the verge of starvation--so don't alway believe them when they think they need lots more food--just keep an eye on the weight and go by that.

dobebug
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Hi Gunner! Cute little chum 🥰
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Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! :)
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Hi everyone,

This is my pup Gunner. He just turned 7 weeks old today (he's an April Fool's baby), and he's 10.5 lbs.

View attachment 160062

My wife and I adopted him at 6 weeks old and he doesn't have papers, but his mother is a stunningly beautiful AKC dam and the sire is a very friendly well-built unregistered male. Gunner is our first Doberman, and he's an absolute dream come true! I'm blown away by how intelligent and well-behaved he is. From the moment he got in the car with us to go home, he never cried or got upset. He's just curious, playful, and observant. We have 2 senior female miniature dachshunds who prefer to lounge around all day and are fairly sensitive, so he's learning how to control his puppy energy around his "big" sisters, and they're warming up to each other by the day. I've been exposing him to all sorts of stimuli (different surfaces, people, animals, noises, music, appliances, cars, etc.) and he takes it all in inquisitively. I also performed a temperament test on him and he passed with flying colors. He's been a complete velcro pup from day one -- if I go somewhere, he's going, and he loves crawling into my lap or on my chest to nap on the couch. We've gone for walks around the block, and he trots along beside me the whole time. I just can't get over how advanced he seems at such a young age!

Gunner has his first vet visit and vaccinations in a few days, followed by his pre-op exam for his ear cropping (we're going to Angelcare in Kenosha, WI). I also swabbed him with an Embark breeder's kit yesterday so that I can check for any potential disease markers and submit his results to the DDP.

We've got him on Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy (the chicken & rice formula), and I'm feeding him 1.5 cups spread out over 3 meals a day. He was knuckling pretty significantly when we brought him home, but that corrected itself within a few days and now he trots around just fine on our hardwood floors. When I feed him, he waits pretty patiently for me to put his bowl down and then attacks the food like a little madman! I got him a slow feed bowl so that he won't scarf it down too fast and upset his stomach. I'm wondering if I'm feeding him enough, though, because you can see his ribcage and hip bones when he walks around... I thought 1.5 cups a day was a pretty decent amount for a 6-7 week old pup, but maybe I need to increase that just a bit. He was supposedly the largest in his litter and he's got some pretty big paws, so maybe he just needs more food because he's got a lot of growing to do.

Anyway, I'm happy to be here and I'm looking forward to interacting with all of you and learning more about these incredible dogs!
Shots!!!! Too much exposure without shots, could kill you wonderful pup! Parvo distemper etc. can be picked up on a walk. He is beautiful and healthy today-- maybe not tomorrow!
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Shots!!!! Too much exposure without shots, could kill you wonderful pup! Parvo distemper etc. can be picked up on a walk. He is beautiful and healthy today-- maybe not tomorrow!
His appointment for his shots is in 37 hours, but good point about walking him before then...
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Sounds like he's going to have a great home! I think mini doxies are a a great combo. All are doters! Enjoy!
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