Hello

Welcome!

Hi Expoz3d!

Wow ... that is a cute girl you have there!

I agree with the others on the forum here, it doesn't sound like a puppy mill type of situation to me. But her size is very disturbing. We have had a number of smaller shelties and they have ALWAYS had medical problems in their adult years. The normal size for a sheltie is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 to 35 pounds. Shelties half this size are undeniably cute (VERY cute) but often their inner organs just can't stand being crammed up inside such a small body. Am not trying to alarm you - just trying to give you a heads up.

Don't worry - she'll warm up to you eventually and then she'll be glued to your hip. She'll get her full coat when she comes into her adulthood and then ... watch out for the "Sheltie Snow"! :D
 
Is there anything I can do to help with these medical problems, or are they unavoidable? Im assuming they shorten the life span?
 
Welcome Taylor and furkids!!

Lily and Kiko are cuties !! I've never seen a merle colored Dachsund before, She's beautiful ! Glad you found the forum and hope you enjoy it here. We have all different types of Shelties. Some are Therapy dogs, some show and agility and some just Companion , aka our children.:lol: Thanks for sharing the pictures and enjoythe forum!!:cool:
 
Here's a great chart to keep track of her size and weight. http://bowlingsite.mcf.com/size/size.html

My puppy was pretty small too. Only 3.5 pounds @ 10 weeks and 7 inches tall. Right now she's 4.5 month and 12 inches. They grow pretty fast, so I wouldn't worry too much.

According to most sites, shelties should be 13-16 inches at the shoulder and 14-27 pounds
 
Hi again, Taylor!

(Love your name...its my maiden name, and was my daughter's middle name)

Don't stress about stuff yet. Everything should be fine. Just keep up with regular vet visits, watch to see that she does gain weight and eat healthily...and of course, watch the poo! We love to poo watch her! :rolleyes2: But it is an indication of things are working or not. And talk to your vet of your concerns. (But don't let them suck you into unnecessary testing). In the end, all you can do is provide a healthy home for your pup.

It also does not necessarily mean a shortened life span. It really depends on the dog and the genetics. It's merely a heads up.

Lilly is awful cute. I've never seen a "merle" dashund before either - if that's the proper term for the breed!

But I have to ask...what posessed you to have two puppies of different breeds at the same time! What a brave soul! :wink2:
 
Well that is an interesting story. My fiance really wanted a mini dachsund. I guess it has been her favorite kind of dog forever and her parents never let her have one. Well now that she was finally able to get one, well she got one. It is called a "silver dapple." I didnt know they existed either until she started looking for one. Well we got that puppy the day she turned 6 weeks old. I grew attatched to it of course. After a couple of weeks of taking care of the puppy, I noticed that it sucked not to call it my "own" dog. Even though my fiance and I know she is both of ours she would always play with me and brag about how it was her puppy and not mine. So eventually I gave in with my temptation. It was time for me to have a puppy. When I was a kid my parents had a rough collie (sable) that I named Lassie (How cliche I know). She was my best friend though. Our living arrangments right now would make having a large dog like that quite difficult though, and so I quickly decided on the sheltie (they were my moms favorite kind of dog). I figured a sheltie would be easier to travel with and probably be a little more fun since she can be held and played with. So after another 2 weeks of searching I found Kiko. So in the end my fiance ended up with her favorite kind of dog and I ended up with mine (well the smaller version).

edit: I also just measured Kiko. She is probably 9". She wouldnt really stand still. On October 5 the vet has her weighing 3.03lbs.
 
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Welcome! I'm having a bit of trouble typing as I currently have two shelties in my lap: Newton and Sasha. Sasha is 13 1/4" at the shoulders and weighs 18 lbs; Newton is 12 7/8" at the shoulders and weighs 9 lbs.

Now Newton is a puppy mill rescue and is 16 months old..so he won't get any taller but he is very malnourished and I'm betting that when he gains the weight he SHOULD have he'll end up right at 13". I've had him less than a month and he's still quite shy but he's stopped shaking and has gained almost a pound. His fur is still quite dry and broken...should take about 4-6 months to really recondition. He is so malnourished right now that his waist is about the same diameter as a chips ahoy cookie. We're feeding him and coaxing him to take food ALL THE TIME right now.

Sasha was also a rescue, we saved her 2 years ago at 13 months old and she was only 14 lbs at the time. She looked like old dry dirty hair stretched tight over dinosaur bones that trembled and trembled and trembled when we first got her. She's a pretty sassy little girl now that she's had food, love, and TIME.

It's not unusual for a puppy or dog to be timid, tremble, and have poor appetite in the first week at a new home. Abused dogs will take MONTHS to get past the fear and really start thriving. Your puppy looks very good; and the best predictor of her final height is to use one of the charts available online. Check her height at her shoulder, and weigh her, and then compare it to the chart.
 
Hi from us too. My female is 13" and an excellent weight at 6.4kg (14lb) and she is a pocket rocket! She has 2 speeds - really really fast and asleep! Plus being small and light she is great at jumping on tables and benches. So you have to watch out for these cute little ones.

I was told once that having 2 pups at the same time is like having 5 dogs! They end up egging each other on to naughtiness! My two are similar ages and best buddies - which is really lovely too, even if they do drive me nuts sometimes!
 
Im beginning to find that out. Kiko seems to be opening up more and more every hour. She cant stop running circles around my chair at full speed right now. The poor dachsund can hardly keep up. Toys hardly seem to stay intact. I really need a camera to take some pictures. And everyones sheltie on here looks so great. They all seem to look perfect
 
Cute little pup. My boy Justice was one of those less fuffy pups as a youngster. He now has a nice coat but it didn't to its fullest until he was about 3yrs. He is from a slower maturing line.

Also I would not worry about the size. Many shelties are in the 13-15 lbs range and they can still be within the standard. My Ember is 13 ins and 14lbs and she is very healthy and active. They do not always have problems.

Your breeder sounds like she cares about her pups and what happens to them. Definately not puppy mill or BYB behavior. I think as long as a breeder stands behind what they produce, breeds for better health, temperment and structure and socializes their puppies. I don't care if they show or not.

Have fun with your new friends.:smile2:
 
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