Is my Doberman mixed?

[Spinachhh]

Hello y’all. I just bought a puppy from a backyard breeder claiming pup is 8 weeks old and is a full Doberman breed.

I went to visit the vet and she thinks he might be mixed. I attached pictures of him. He is incredibly small for 2 months and only weighed 6 lbs.

 

[JanS]

Welcome from Minnesota!

Cute pup and she looks to be at least mostly Doberman. If you don't have AKC papers, the only way to really know is to have a DNA breed test done. She does look younger than 8 weeks though.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Were the ears done by the breeder? That is usually a good sign that the breeder is NOT a BYB. He does seem small, but I would double-check the weight. 6 lbs seems impossible lol. I would check a few different scales too as some of them can be off by a few pounds.

I agree that he looks mostly Doberman, but I also don't see what else he could be mixed with.

 

[Spinachhh]

Thank you! Im super skeptical of it being a full breed d/t how small he looks.

 

[jazzies mum]

I have a Dobe mix and it is hard to tell while they are pups. When mature you can pick differences much more easily. Either way they are a wonderful dog!

 

[Spinachhh]

Were the ears done by the breeder? That is usually a good sign that the breeder is NOT a BYB. He does seem small, but I would double-check the weight. 6 lbs seems impossible lol. I would check a few different scales too as some of them can be off by a few pounds.

I agree that he looks mostly Doberman, but I also don't see what else he could be mixed with.

No honestly! The vet weighed him and I weighed him with my personal scale. He’s 6 lbs. he appears larger in the pictures but he’s incredibly a tiny boy

 

[Oh Little Oji]

This is really interesting.

In that one pic where he looks to be in a store, it gives the impression of the sort of dog that is like an American Bully – in that it just looks a bit dwarfish with a proportionately large head. However, on the other pics, that is not the case. I know that sometimes in cel phone pics, things that are closer to the lens appear out of scale.

I do notice he has some large paws and legs, indicating he will put on some size.

His head looks somewhat like a Min Pin, but I know that a young and diminutive Dobe pup's head can sometimes have this look.

 

[Spinachhh]

Here are some more pics. The store pic was the day I got him.
The other ones are more recent like a couple days ago. I’m thinking the seller lied about his age and sold me the pup when he was 4/5 weeks old. Because he’s growing fairly quickly.
If he’s 2 months hes very small. It would make more sense if he’s 6 weeks old. Let me know what you think. Just ordered a DNA test for him.

 

[Kswoodssue]

Did you meet the parents? Other pups in the litter? Papers? In any event, I bet he will get plenty of love!

 

[Rits]

. I’m thinking the seller lied about his age and sold me the pup when he was 4/5 weeks old. Because he’s growing fairly quickly.

I agree. The picture of him in the store he looks like a 4 week old puppy. Was he cropped by the breeder? I don't know what vet would crop a puppy that small in weight or young...

 

[Spinachhh]

Ugh that makes me so upset and sad it’s my first Doberman pup ever so I’m not very knowledgeable about them/ what size they should be.

I’m not sure if they did it themself. The whole ordeal/ interaction with them was super weird and a bit rushed.

 

[Ravenbird]

Ugh that makes me so upset and sad it’s my first Doberman pup ever so I’m not very knowledgeable about them/ what size they should be.

Well, whatever he turns out on the DNA, he'll make a great dog for you - he looks like a sweetheart. I'm sure you are already having a great relationship developing. We welcome all breeds on this forum, so please stick around, post pictures of your growing pup and tell stories about his antics and feel free to ask questions if you have troubles with him! And definitely post back here about his DNA results! You've got us all curious now!

 

[Ddski5]

What kind of food are you feeding?

Maybe it’s because he is so young, but read up and watch out for knuckling.

 

[Rits]

it’s my first Doberman pup ever so I’m not very knowledgeable about them/ what size they should be.

The whole ordeal/ interaction with them was super weird and a bit rushed.

Its ok, we all have to learn somewhere/somehow. Now you know, if your gut doesn't feel right, its for a good reason! Plenty of threads to read here and learn from. Ask tons of questions! He is going to need a lot of socialization work since he was taken young so make sure to get him signed up for an obedience class once he's had more of his vaccines. I personally have mine go to puppy class after their second set, before their final since that is the optimal age range to introduce them to things. Everyone at the class has to have vaccines too so the risk is super low where under socialized is riskier. I still never let them touch the ground in any other random location besides the training facility until they've had all their shots, including the vet office.

 

[Kaiser2016]

His face is so adorable! Looking at the nails is another hint. If they look like thin cat claws, then they are younger than 8 weeks.

How does he handle stairs? At 8 weeks, Kaiser couldn’t use them but that lasted a whole 5 days before he started figuring them out and getting into all the trouble! Lol.

I’m not sure if they did it themself.

The ears actually look good though! The single stitch style is supposed to be ideal too.

I agree to not dwell on it. Just enjoy that innocent little face because the crazy puppy phase is going to arrive and then you won’t have a moment to think

 

[Rits]

Have you started posting his ears? @Spinachhh

 

[Ravenbird]

Have you started posting his ears? @Spinachhh

LOL, I know that's not my name, but I wanted to add to this @Spinachhh - if posting ears is new to you, and you admitted not knowing a lot about all this - please read as many threads as you can on posting the ears. Do you have the date the ears were done? The stitches usually come out about 10 days after the surgery and you shouldn't post until the stitches are out and the edges are healed. As mentioned, it looks like a nice ear trim, so you have to do your part now - they don't stand on their own!

Also, I was thinking about this little puppy - could be just the runt of the litter. Not all litters have a tiny one, but sometimes the whole litter is "normal" size except one which was a bit malnourished and small, then the litter mates take advantage of that and would get all the milk. A breeder who is on top of things would make sure this didn't happen or would supplement or remove the other pups while the small one got his share etc etc. But the bottom line is, almost all "runts" grow to be normal adult size, or just a little on the small side. So very well could be full Doberman.

 

[JanS]

I’m not sure if they did it themself.

I would hope not, but most breeders will bring them to a reputable vet to have them cropped before they go home. It looks like a decent crop so I doubt they did it themselves.

 

[Two Dobes]

Look forward to finding out how the DNA test turns out...TONS of info on this forum, so enjoy! Looks like a little doll, and as mentioned; will be maturing quickly into a wild puppy once he feels comfortable in his new surroundings!

 

[EricA]

If he’s 2 months hes very small. It would make more sense if he’s 6 weeks old. Let me know what you think. Just ordered a DNA test for him.

How much weight were you expecting him to put on it two weeks???

No. The weight is not 'horribly' unusual or 'off' for that age.

Don't agree with what the other member said about runts either. There is no way of knowing for sure at that age where the adult dog will fall as an adult.

I personally had a pair of females one time and the one girl was clearly the 'runt' of the entire litter. By 3 to 4 months she (the runt) was caught up with her sister in weight. By 6 to 7 months she (the runt) was 5 or so lbs ahead. By about a year and a half she was a good 10lbs bigger (muscle mass - not fat) and stayed that much bigger the rest of her life. A 65lb female and a 75lb female respectively.

From 2 yrs of age on my 'runt' was the 'Alpha dog' and her sister darn well knew it.

There are not 'supposed' to be 20lbs when they are that young -